《Creation System: Reborn As A Fantasy Worldsmith》


 Chapter 1 Slave

    ?Southern US, 1954.

    The backdoor of the truck ms shut as a fat hill-billy locks it and walks over to a couple standing a few feet away.

    Inside the truck was a small child aged only two, crying and screaming in the horrible darkness that surrounded him.

    "Here you are, fine people. Pleasure doing business with ya''!" The hill-billy who was wearing a red cored zer underneath his blue denim overalls, said with a cheeky smile on his face as he handed over a small stack of cash to the odd-looking couple.

    The two of them were as pale and skinny as could be, almost like walking skeletons. Their clothes were ripped and their bodies were covered in scratches and rashes.

    They shook uncontrobly as they epted the cash, a smile of awe was on their faces while they stared at the bundle.

    As they itched away frivolously at their decaying bodies, the hill-billy said no more and walked off, getting into his truck before mming the gas and putting on some jazz music which was popr at the time.

    This was thest day that the unnamed baby ever saw his true parents. A few years after this, the two died together under a bridge due to a drug overdose.

    In the span of three days, the truck traveled up north from Ohoma to Oregon, to the edge of the country, where the traumatized child was sold off to a peculiar family who lived on a busy city street.

    They were the Wilksons. Although their name wasn''t shared much, close-by rtives knew them to be self-reserved. Their children, however, were known to be very sassy and troublesome.

    On the first day of his arrival, the baby was named Zero. Zero spent his days with his family as every normal child would for the first few years while living with his new adoptive parents.

    His mother would feed him, clean his diapers, and his father home-schooled him until the age of 6 when he finally learned to read and write. To their surprise, the boy was smarter than their expectations.

    His life up until that moment was going fine, with only a few odd things such as him not being able to go to school like his two brothers who were two and three years older than him, and his sister who was one year older than him, and also how his parents would nevermunicate with him.

    However, things started to change rapidly from the moment he turned of age to perform all the basic tasks that a family would need to do.

    Days went by as all the work in the house was piled onto him while everyone else rxed. His brothers, Kane - 9 years old - and Cole - 8 years old - would frequently bully him for this,ughing at his inability to fight back.

    Of course, Zero didn''t really know he even had the option to fight back. After all, he was raised without almost anyone tomunicate with.

    By the time he turned ten, Zero had realized that he was not a part of the Wilkinson family. As his father would always say when asked, he was a mere ve.

    He had been purchased and raised by them only to perform their duties for them. Of course, this wasn''tpletely umon in those old days, but Zero still had no clue that such a thing could be real.

    Then again, he didn''t know anything about real life at all, as he wasn''t taught about the outside world by his parents, and only about the basic information he would need to behave properly.

    His father was now very abusive to him. Neither of his "parents" would be home often, but when they were, they weren''t kind to him at all.

    His father would taunt him and say horrible things, such as "You''re nothing but a ve for my family." and "Working and serving us is your only purpose in life, don''t think of anything beyond that!"

    And his mother simply wouldn''t want anything to do with him. Whenever he even nced at her, he was always met with the same expression of disgust, almost as if she was looking at a monster.

    Due to this, the young Zero always quickly retracted his gaze and looked toward the ground.

    The bullying from his brothers had also gotten much worse, as they would abuse him as well, frequently beating him bloody like a pack of wolves, ferociously tearing at his frail flesh with their fangs and talons, whether those attacks were words or physical actions.

    "Look at how skinny he is! Why don''t you eat more? Oh wait, you''re not allowed to! Hahaha!"

    "Don''t ever clean my room without permission, unless you want to die, you retarded fucking dumbass!"

    Enduring all of this, Zero never fought back even once. He didn''t know he had the ability to.

    His father would always encourage this behavior when noticing it, telling Cole and Kane that he was nothing more than property, he had no rights, and therefore, they could do whatever they wanted with him.

    With these values, the boys grew to be horrible characters, frequently kicked and suspended from school for getting into fights and beating up other kids.

    There was even a time when one of them admitted to stabbing another child, but without proof, the police weren''t able to do anything about it, even knowing that those terrible kids were most likely the ones that did it.

    They got yelled at a lot by their parents, but Zero saw that the ferocity in the parent''s voices was almost non-existentpared to when they spoke to him.

    With the words of everyone around him, he meant nothing to this world. Not to his real parents, not to his new family. No one.

    He didn''t know who he was. There wouldn''t be a single day where he didn''t question his identity and the meaning of existence.

    Along with that, he didn''t even know the most basic things that a normal boy his age would know.

    Games, friends, love. None of these concepts even made much sense to him. However, he couldn''t just run away from this world either.

    Why? Well, it was obvious. Beyond the world he lived in, there was no other world. Beyond that house, there existed but a nk ne of the unknown.

    It was scary... so scary to think of what was out there. He had heard of how big it was, but this wasn''t a good thing.

    Was everyone else also just as unloving to him as his adoptive family? Maybe they were even worse, or there was even the possibility that he simply could never be loved by anyone, simply because he was born that way.

    In this world of despair and confusion, the only bud of light he had was his sister, Jen. She was the only one who ever cared for him or had any positive emotions towards him.

    If it had not been for her talking to him like he was an actual human being, the young boy would have been driven to insanity by now.

    The look in her eyes when she talked to him was indescribable, but at least they didn''t have any hatred inside of them. They were genuine... innocent.

    Just like this, four more years passed by...

    They weren''t fast, rather extremely slow and painful as the abuse and bullying only became more of a problem.

    He was now 14 years of age. His brothers were 16 and 17, and his sister was 15 years of age.

    The day progressed like normal. After cleaning the upstairs, Zero hade downstairs and had begun to clean the living room floor.

    His "brothers" were on the couch cracking silly jokes at each other while hyping each other up about the show on the TV they were watching.

    The parents and Jen were in the kitchen, which was about 10 meters away.

    Right now, the expression on Zero''s face was a bit brighter than usual, as he was thinking about just yesterday when Jen said something to him that really made him happy.

    As he was cleaning her room after a confrontation that included bullying with Cole and Kane, she slowly wrapped her arms around him and stared deeply into his eyes, her face having the same innocence as always.

    "You know... I don''t know what I''d do without you." She said in a soft voice.

    "Wha- what do you mean?" Zero managed to say, slightly startled by what he had just heard.

    "I get bullied by those jerks too, ya'' know. We are more simr than you think. You are the only reason I''m happy. Please never leave me."

    Zero was stunned for a moment. This was the first time he had heard such kind words in his life.

    "Of course! I would never leave you if I am the only thing keeping you happy!" He quickly replied, scratching the back of his head as heughed nervously.

    Back to the present moment. He grinned a little more after thinking of that time. He had a purpose now. To keep Jen happy.

    It wasn''t much, but it was enough for him, who was purposeless before.

    "Yo, fuck-face! Why are you smiling so much over there? Stop it, it''s irritating me." Cole suddenly yelled at Zero.

    A shiver ran down Zero''s back on hearing this. He was very afraid of the two, so he immediately stopped smiling.

    "I- I''m sorry! I won''t do it again!" He replied, trying to end the drama quickly, so it didn''t be anything bigger than it already was.

    At that moment, Jen entered the room and took the remote from next to the TV before beginning the change the channel to something that she liked.

    "Hey! What the hell are you doing!? It was just getting to the good part, you bitch!" Kane yelled, still engrossed in what they were watching.

    "You should have told me, just watch it sometime else now!" Jen replied.

    Kane suddenly became enraged, quickly standing up and ripping the remote from Jen''s hands.

    Jen stood up, but Cole forcefully pushed her back down onto the couch. The two always supported each other, no matter who was right or wrong.

    "Think before you act, you retarded bitch. You''re beginning to act like fuck-face over there." Cole said, looking at Zero.

    Zero quickly looked towards the ground and continued to clean.

    "Humph! Whatever!" Jen said, standing up before beginning to walk away from the living room.

    Just as she passed the boys, Kane pulled her back by her hair.

    "Who the fuck do you think you are, huh? Do you want to get beat up like him, too? Apologize before I smash your motherfucking skull in with this remote!" He screamed.

    They were extremely violent kids who knew no better due to their parent''s teachings. From the looks of it, Zero knew that most likely they were not kidding around.

    He could tell when there was true hatred and rage in one''s eyes from experience.

    As soon as he saw this, his body wanted to curl into a ball and hide. The years of trauma caused his entire body to start shaking uncontrobly.

    They continued to yell at Jen, even giving her death threats as they violently pushed her around.

    At that moment, Zero felt scared, but a part of him even felt a bit relieved that he wasn''t the one taking the brunt of the abuse for the first time.

    Still, the guilt of how he felt made him feel awful. Just moments before, he was promising himself that he would keep Jen happy, and now, he was d that she was getting bullied instead of him.

    He tried to clean still, holding in his fear, but once he heard the loud ringing of a p reverberate throughout his ears, he simply couldn''t keep it together anymore.

    He promised to keep her happy. There was no way he could live with himself if he didn''t do something right now.

    Even though he was scared beyondprehension, traumatized all his life by these beings, he turned to face them.

    Jen faced down, her expression shadowed.

    ''She''s probably crying.'' Zero thought to himself, giving him more confidence in the situation.

    He wanted to do something at that very moment, or at least say something, but neither his body nor lips moved. Instead, they quivered in fear.

    At that moment, Cole raised his hand once again to p his sister. That action jolted through Zero''s body, causing it to move on its own.

    Out of nowhere, he appeared in front of Jen and put his arms out to the sides to guard her.

    "Stop this! Please!" He screamed frantically.

    This was the first time in his life that he had ever said anything back to anyone.

 Chapter 2 A Chance

    ?Silence immediately flushed through the room. It was like time had frozen, making Zero already slightly regret his actions.

    "What the fuck did you just say?" Cole said slowly in disbelief, but also fueled with rage.

    "Did you just speak back? You dog!" Kane retorted.

    "I--all I''m saying is that it''s enough! She gets the point. You don''t have to hit her anymore."

    Another few seconds of silence filled the room before the two brothers suddenly burst out into augh.

    "Hahaha! When did this retard get so smart, huh?"

    "I know, right? What a fucking moron." Cole replied to Kane before suddenly punching Zero straight in the nose.

    *Crunch!*

    Blood immediately began to gush out of Zero''s now crooked and crushed nose, and tears began to fall from his eyes.

    He could barely see due to the dizziness that assaulted him after the punch, but now all Zero could feel was a barrage of punches being thrown in his direction.

    He was quickly pummeled into the ground by the two older boys, powerless to do anything.

    Punches, kicks, ps, he endured it all. He was used to the abuse, but even Zero hadn''t even felt this amount of pain before.

    They were extremely enraged.

    After Zero spoke back, their stupidly high egos were hurt a little, and so they decided that they were going to teach the ve a lesson about speaking back to its owners.

    After cracking his rib and bruising his forearms, which he used to defend himself, the boys finally stopped and stood back up, leaving Zero almost lifeless on the ground.

    The two high-fived each other and grinned, panting heavily and proud of their job. Let alone talking back, they were sure that he wouldn''t even be able to walk properly again.

    However, to their wildest surprise, the scrawny boy slowly stood back up in front of them.

    His clothes were ripped and his face waspletely busted up, almost unrecognizable from before.

    "Pleaf! Leaf her alonf!" Zero managed to yell through his swollen and cut lips.

    Adrenaline pumped through his veins as his heart nearly beat out of his chest. He wasn''t thinking straight anymore, and the pain he felt all over his body was excruciating, but he was going to fulfill the promise he made and the purpose he gave to himself.

    If he didn''t even do this, what was the point of living?

    Seeing him still speak, the boy got more angry than before. Their egos got further damaged.

    "Shut the fuck up! Don''t think you can talk loudly just because you stood back up!" Kane loudly barked.

    "You made the wrong choice, fucker. Now you''re gonna regret ever getting back up. You''re dead!" Cole followed up.

    "What the hell is going on here!?" John suddenly entered the room, confused as to why there was so much screaming going on.

    Daisy was close behind him, equally perplexed. This amount of yelling wasn''t normal, even in this disturbed household.

    As soon as he saw the scene in front of him, he realized exactly what was going on.

    "What the hell do you think you''re doing!?" John yelled before being cut off by Zero.

    "You don''t havf the right to assault her! Jen says how she hatesf you guys bullying her, she''s jusf like me!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, risking it all in an intense moment.

    When thinking about it, he was risking it all. This was all he had left, the only reason that he was living other than the fact that he was too afraid to leave.

    For some reason, an unexpected silence filled the room. This one felt different from the first one.

    The first one was mockery, but this was... Zero couldn''t tell what it was, leaving him confused.

    "...Pffft! Hahaha!"

    A feminine voice behind Zero began tough out of nowhere, making his heart sink to the bottom of his chest.

    Disbelief... he was in utter disbelief. Then, he started to make reasons as to why she wasughing.

    Why?

    ...

    Why?

    ...

    WHY?

    Just then, smiles began to form on the faces of everyone else as well.

    The smiles were evil. Everyone in front of Zero''s eyes turned into blood-thirsty demons.

    He didn''t know what to think, and at that moment, Jen spoke.

    "How pathetic! You actually think you''re the same as me, you freak?" Jen said maliciously before continuing tough maniacally.

    Kane and Cole also broke out intoughter, as well as did the parents.

    Zero remained frozen, not knowing what to do or think. All he knew was that the pain he felt in his mind outweighed the pain in his body by thousands of folds.

    Despair flooded his mind, but for some reason, he still had an ounce of hope.

    He felt betrayed, but, just maybe, Jen had an okay reasoning behind her actions. He wanted to believe this more than anything.

    Seeing Zero in this state, Kane decided to speak.

    "Ahaha! You''re such an idiot. Did you actually think Jen--" As he spoke, John tried to butt in, even whileughing.

    "No! No, don''t tell him that." He said with half effort, the other half dedicated toughing his ass off.

    "--Cared about you? That dumbass is just pretending to like you so that you don''t get any stupid ideas like running away or fighting back."

    It felt like a bullet had pierced straight through Zero''s heart. That was it, the final word he needed.

    He had finally had enough. Zero''s gaze turned towards the door, and everyone else was too distractedughing the hairs off their heads.

    He no longer cared about how scary the world outside of that door was, even if he was to die, so be it.

    Right now, all he wanted was sce. To get out of the situation he was in and to just run away from everything.

    He didn''t want any more despair and negative emotions, and he didn''t even want happiness.

    All he wanted was to run away.

    Before hesitating any longer, he darted out of the door. He didn''t care that his ribs were dislocating out of ce as he ran, or that his vision waspletely blurred and almost fully blocked.

    As soon as he stepped out, his eyes met with the bright light ofmpposts and a busy road full of cars under the dark sky.

    He made his way into the road, with the others trying to stop him, but failing.

    After reaching halfway, his body finally gave in and he fell to his knees, sumbing to the injuries he had.

    By that point, he was already a goner. The running had caused a dislodged rib to puncture his heart, and he was bleeding out rapidly.

    *BEEP*

    *SCREECH*

    "Hey, kid! Move out of th--"

    *THUD*

    ...

    It all happened in the span of a few seconds. The road was covered in a spray of blood as ambnces and police vehicles quickly pulled up to the scene.

    Zero didn''t even feel any pain, obliterated instantly by the truck that mmed into him at nearly full speed.

    In what felt like the blink of an eye, he had lost all senses. His body no longer hurt anywhere, but his mind was still in pain.

    He opened his eyes to see a sight no different from if they were closed. It was pitch-ck darkness that stretched on for infinity all around him.

    Right now, if he were to have an expression, it would be lifeless.

    ''The afterlife?'' He thought to himself.

    He closed his eyes once again, finally resting in peace after all the trauma he went through.

    Did he have regrets? Sure. Failures? Indeed. Happiness? No, not at all.

    Still, he didn''t want to have anything else but this. Peace, forever...

    *Ding* [Wee host, to the Creation System!]

    ''What?'' He thought, suddenly awakened by an odd voice.

    At that moment,rge and slimy worm-like things the size of anacondas began touching and slithering around all crevices in his body, freaking him out.

    That''s when he realized that he still had a body, and began to hear his heartbeat.

    Out of nowhere, the tentacle-like things gripped him tight before pulling him in a certain direction.

    That direction? Light! There was light in the infinite darkness. Zero didn''t know what to think of this. Was it a bad thing? Was his eternal slumber of peace getting disturbed? Or was it a good thing? A new chance at life, perhaps?

    Quickly, the beam of light began to getrger andrger before he was suddenly pulled into the lightpletely.

    *Female wails*

    "Congrattions! It''s a boy!"

 Chapter 3 A New Beginning!

    ?He was blinded for a few seconds by the first light he had seen for a while, a time that almost felt like a year.

    He felt a cold breeze shower him, and the tentacle-like things pick him up into the air.

    After clearing up his vision, he saw a giant face right in front of him. It had eyes and a nose and a mouth just like a normal person, but it was enormous.

    ''A giant!?'' He thought to himself in default before screaming as loud as he could.

    But all that came out were a few baby noises.

    "Guu! Ga!"

    "Oh ho ho, look at this feisty young fellow." The giant woman who had picked him up said.

    She was quite round, and her face was normal. On her body was the clothing of a medieval maid.

    Zero struggled to lift his head but eventually took a look at his body, which felt far different from before.

    His hands and feet were stubby and small, and he was so much more obese than before.

    He was... a baby.

    ''So... I''m not going to be eaten by giants? Phew,'' He thought to himself, relieved.

    After quickly getting wrapped up in a warm cloth, he was handed over to another woman, who was naked and covered in a white bedsheet.

    Her hair was white, and her eyes were a brilliant blue. She looked down into Zero''s eyes with the warm gaze of a loving mother before embracing him tightly.

    Zero was shocked. What was going on right now? He had never seen eyes like that before.

    They weren''t full of hate, and neither were they like Jens. They were indescribable in their own way, a different way.

    After this, he looked around the room he was in. It looked normal sized, and the walls were made of light-brown y.

    Behind the midwife were two other nurses wearing clothing simr to a maid''s uniform, and in the corner of the room was a man who seemed to be in his early thirties that was quickly approaching Zero.

    Out of nowhere, the man picked the baby up by the armpits, causing the nket surrounding him to fall to the floor, and held him in the air, smiling brightly as he looked into his eyes.

    Even these eyes had an indescribable warmth to them, but this one was different. Zero could sense the excitement in the eyes of this man.

    "Your name will be... Lyrian! Lyrian Theageld! Wee to the world, my boy!" He proudly stated.

    The elevation of heights had surprised the child too much, and without control of his bodily functions, he let out a stream of piss right onto the man''s face.

    *Piss*

    The man paused for half a second in disbelief before screaming in terror, handing the baby back over to Rosa on the bed, who was Lyrian''s mother.

    The midwifeughed her ass off as she cleaned the face of the man with a towel, the nurses in the back giggling as well.

    Rosa also began tough while holding him, and before long, so did Grasus, his father. In an instant, the room was full of joy andughter.

    So much so that a feeling arose inside of Lyrian that he had never felt before. He couldn''t describe what it was, but it felt like it tickled a part of his brain, causing him to begin giggling as well in cute baby giggles.

    "Gugugu."

    That unknown feeling was happiness. And just like that, a new chapter in the boy''s life had begun.

    Four years passed rather quickly without Lyrian even noticing.

    He was now four years old, living with his father and mother in their average-sized medieval home in a city called Ilstria, which was located near the outskirts of the kingdom of Yaltas.

    Living in this new world was overwhelming for Lyrian to say the least.

    First and foremost, the love he received from his parents was immense, and being an only child extended the emotion.

    His mother would take care of him and talk with him all day while she prepared food for the family, and whenever Grasus woulde back from his work, which was being an assistant cksmith, he would also y with Lyrian all day long.

    In this world, a child only began to attend school at the age of 10, meaning parents would have to homeschool their children until then.

    Thankfully, Lyrian had gained an interest in reading and writing from an early age.

    Not just because he never had the luxury of doing so from a young age, but also to just learn about the world he was in.

    He never knew how Earth was, but he was surely going to figure out how Zaryn was!

    The speed at which he learned to read and write shocked his parents, but it was understandable seeing as how he had already learned how to in his past life.

    Of course, thenguage waspletely different, but for some reason, Lyrian could understand it very fast.

    By the time he reached age four, he had scoured through the entire house and had read almost every book he could find in his thirst for knowledge.

    In the present day, Lyrian sat on a wooden chair in his room, looking at an old box with a rusty lock on top of his table.

    He turned his head to the doorknob of his room, making sure it was locked so that no one could see what he was doing.

    His parents thought he was very mature for his age, but they equated this to him being born a genius and didn''t bother him too much when he wanted to read alone in his room.

    Still, what he was doing right now wasn''t such an innocent thing.

    After reading all the books he could find, Lyrian one day entered his parent''s room to find two old wooden boxes under his father''s bed that resembled the shape of books.

    He managed to pull one out and hide it under his bed before getting caught just the other day, and now he was going to open it.

    He thought of asking his father for the book nicely, but also knew that Grasus had never revealed to him that he had the box whenever Lyrian asked for any extra books in the house.

    This meant that he was clearly trying to hide it, and Lyrian feared that his father would deny his request of wanting to open the box.

    So even though he had utmost respect for Grasus, who was a humble man that worked very hard to provide for his family, he decided to steal it.

    The human''s curiosity for more knowledge often led them to break the rules. Nevertheless, Lyrian convinced himself that his actions didn''t have any bad intentions behind them.

    First, he went to try to pick the lock on the box, but as soon as he pulled it, it broke down and fell off.

    It had almostpletely eroded and was of no use.

    Happy he didn''t have to worry about that anymore, Lyrian opened it up, revealing a very dusty book in that was also as thick as an apple.

    Lyrian slowly picked the book up before blowing into the cover to see it, causing a smoke of dust to fly everywhere, including his mouth.

    After nearly coughing to death, Lyrian finally was able to see what the title said.

    "Basics To Magia"

 Chapter 4 Magia

    ?''Magia?'' Lyrian thought to himself as he stared at the picture of a man dressed in a robe, holding a wooden staff that was conjuring some sort of fireball.

    Interested, he immediately opened up the book and began reading.

    After a span of 10 ten days that he spent most of the time reading to himself, Lyrian had finished the book and was awe-struck at the knowledge he had learned.

    Magia, or in Earthly terms: Magic, was something he noticed that Cole and Kane always used to watch on tv.

    In his past life, it meant powerful spells and element maniption to a person''s will, that person usually being a wizard.

    But, this point of view of magic might have been skewed, however, as Lyrian didn''t have the time to leisurely watch tv.

    In the book, Magia was described in a muchrger context, being the pir of all life and civilization in Zaryn.

    Apparently, only 50% of people in the world who usually were born in higher-ssed families were born with the ability to use this magia.

    That 50% have the ability to conjure spells of various types and elements, be it body enhancing or spell casting.

    To put the information the book possessed in a few words would be impossible, but all this knowledge made Lyrian obsessed with magia.

    Although all of this was true, there was something still missing. This book spoke about the uses of magia in the world and how it affected society, but never did it speak about its origins or how to use it.

    Of course, that was the crucial thing Lyrian wanted to know more than anything. He wanted to be stronger for his own sake.

    Just thinking back about his traumatic times on Earth sent shivers down his spine and filled his mind with negative thoughts.

    He never wanted to be taken advantage of and abused ever again, so getting stronger would help him with that goal.

    ''I have to get that other box.'' Lyrian thought to himself, knowing that there was one more box under his fathers bed. He was eager but also serious about his purpose for getting the box.

    After putting the book back into the box and sliding it under his bed, he created a n for himself to get the other box.

    It consisted of eating his food as fast as possible and quickly going into his parent''s room to retrieve the box while his mother finished eating.

    His father wouldn''t be a problem, as he would still be at work when dinner would be served.

    Thinking of that fact, Lyrian felt a bit guilty about stealing from his father, but nheless, he was going to go through with it.

    He truly, truly didn''t mean any harm.

    Instead, he didn''t want any harm toe to himself ever again. It was a noble reason, he thought.

    The next day, Lyrian waited for his dinner to be served and quickly threw in a bit of cold water into his soup, making it cool down quickly so that he could chug it down quickly while gobbling down his bread.

    "Slow down, son! Why are you in such a hurry tonight?" Rosa said with a hint of concern as she watched this four year old feast down like a rabid dog.

    "I wantugoread" Lyrian said in gibberish, still having his mouth stuffed with food.

    After finishing, he quickly got up and ran away with his stubby legs into the hallway where both his parents and his room were, disappearing from Rosa''s sight.

    ''What''s with him these past couple of days?''

    Going into his parent''s room, he quickly slid under his father''s bed and took out the box before storming out and right into his own room.

    He threw the box on his table, closed and locked the door behind him, and jumped up onto his chair before finally breathing.

    "Phew!" He panted, before trying to open the rusty lock.

    This lock, however, didn''t fall apart as easily as the previous one. No matter how hard he tried, it simply didn''t budge.

    So excited to read the book, he hadn''t thought of this possibility. Looking out the window, he knew that his father would arrive on time now.

    In the end, he decided to put the box under his bed and open it the next day by force.

    After unlocking the door, he got into bed but wasn''t able to sleep, squirming around and thinking of all the things he could do with magia under his bed sheets.

    *Click*

    The door suddenly opened.

    "How are you feeling? Honey?" Rosa said, leaning against the door frame.

    Upon hearing this, Lyrian was a bit surprised, but he knew that it wasn''tpletely unexpected.

    After all, he had been acting quite suspiciously trying to read alone in his room the past 10 days, and knew that his mother would get concerned over the smallest things about him.

    Of course, this wasn''t a bad thing that he would take for granted at all. Unlike many other children, the respect he had for his parents was a lot.

    "I''m alright, Mother. I just... want some more books to read, is all." He tried to make up something on the spot.

    "Books to read?" Rosa said before lightly giggling to herself. "Haven''t you read enough books? You sure are a bookworm, Lyrian."

    "I want to learn more about the world..."

    "Well... alright then, how about tomorrow we go to the library, just you and me."

    Hearing this, Lyrian opened up his eyes in excitement.

    "Yes! That sounds great!"

    "Well, alright, don''t stay up all night thinking about it. Good night, honey." Rosa said endearingly before closing the door.

    Indeed, Lyrian was going to have a hard time sleeping that night.

 Chapter 5 Library

    ?Being a child, Lyrian had still fallen quickly asleep in no time. When he woke up, he waited for his father to go to work so that he and his mother could finally go to the library.

    Rosa wore a patterned bo on her head and put a bag over her right shoulder along with her normal attire and dressed up Lyrian in a pair of brown shorts and a simple shirt.

    The two left their humble abode, which was an average-sized house in the middle of the city. As soon as they stepped out, Lyrian was met with a bustling environment.

    The air was filled with the sound of haggling, the smell of spices and roasting meats, and the sight of colorful fabrics and glittering jewels.

    �Ѧ���d��s����vel.c��m The medieval market street was a hub of activity, bustling with merchants and shoppers alike.

    Lyrian walked down the wide cobblestone street, his eyes wide with wonder at the variety of goods on disy.

    Brightly colored fruits and vegetables were piled high on wooden carts, while vendors shouted out their wares in a cacophony of voices.

    The aroma of fresh bread mingled with the sweet scent of honey cakes and the smoky tang of grilled sausages, making his stomach growl.

    As he made his way through the crowd, he saw craftsmen hard at work, carving intricate designs into wooden bowls or shaping molten metal into shining swords.

    He stopped to watch a cksmith hammering a piece of red-hot iron into shape, the rhythmic ng of the hammer on metal ringing in his ears.

    Further down the street, Lyrian and his mother came across a group of minstrels ying lively tunes on their lutes and flutes, their music drawing a crowd of dancers and onlookers.

    Lyrian and his mother finally approached Ilstria''s local library, located in the heart of the town square.

    The grand building made of stone was impossible to miss, with tall columns and intricate designs etched into its walls.

    It was the most popr spot in town, and people could be seening and going from its doors at all hours of the day.

    As they walked closer, Lyrian felt a sense of reverence wash over him. The library was a ce of knowledge and learning. It might have even held the greater knowledge of magia that he was looking for.

    He watched as people of all ages entered and exited the building, some carrying books and others simply enjoying the peaceful atmosphere.

    Finally, they arrived at the stairs to the entrance of the building. Atop the stairs was a guard that was rather obese. His mustache stretched across his face.

    In his hands was a baton and his expression was dull, as if he was tired of working.

    As Lyrian walked up the stairs behind a line of people, he noticed that they all showed a badge of sorts before entering.

    It was a golden te that had the word "noble" written on it.

    "Get the hell out of here, peasant! Dogs like you don''t belong here!" The guard suddenly barked at a young boy who looked a few years older than Lyrian.

    The boy was the next in front of them in line.

    His clothes were ripped and dirty, his body covered in scratches, and his hair was in a mess. Looking at him reminded Lyrian of himself back on Earth.

    "But please, sir. I have the 5 silver''s needed in order to enter." The boy begged, holding up a small brown pouch.

    In a split second, the guard swiped the bag from the young boy''s hands, stuffing it into his back pocket.

    "5 what? I don''t see anything in your hands. Now scram before you regret it!"

    Lyrian was shocked.

    "Si�Csir. You just took�C"

    *Swish!*

    The guard suddenly swung his baton, mming it hard into the boy''s side and causing him to fall down the stairs.

    "Those like you who are born with nothing don''t deserve to gain anything, either. Stay where you are, and don''t infect your higher-ups." The guard said with a cold eye.

    The guard worked for Braakan Theagard, the mayor of Ilstria. He was a man who worked hard to grow the status of his small city so that he was recognized by the king and promoted.

    With this in consideration, he was known to be a ruthless man, cold in heart and only caring about material things.

    Due to this, all who worked under him were forced to ept those same qualities to be epted.

    This case was no different for the guard. However, almost everyone from a young age in the kingdom of Yalta was taught that nobles were simply superior beings, as they often had the ability to conjure magia.

    Lyrian, however, had no clue of this. "Why�C" He decided to speak out against the guard but was suddenly interrupted by his mother.

    "Fanus! How dare you steal from the citizens of Yalta so casually in prime daylight! It seems this authority has driven you to corruption!" She said sternly.

    For a moment, the guard''s expression turned pale as he quickly fixed his posture and turned his head to face Rosa.

    "I''m sorry, mam��what? Oh, it''s just you." He quickly returned to his normal self, seeing who was speaking to him in such a daring tone.

    "What do you mean, it''s just me? Do not forget that I am a rtive of the main noble family in this Ilstria!"

    The guard stared at Rosa nonchntly, unimpressed by her words.

    Grasus Theageld was the twin brother of Braakan Theagard. The title of mayor was given to Braakan at birth by their mother, who passed soon after.

    Their father, at the time, was away fighting for the king as a squadron leader for the Imperial Army.

    The two brothers were close at first, but Braakan slowly grew to be a worse person, being raised by his corrupt uncle and aunt in ce of his father, Brrs Theageld, who was still serving in the army.

    Braakan broke off with Grasus as much as he could to reap most of the benefits of being mayor.

    By the time their father returned, Braakan had already turned into a cold monster, and Brrs quickly fell ill with a mysterious illness.

    However, Brrs still made sure that Grasus'' family wasn''t treated too terribly and forced Braakan to allow Grasus'' family to keep the title of noble. This helped them a lot to stay afloat.

    Recently, however, Brrs had gone into a critical condition, and so, everyone knew that he wouldn''t be able to step up for Grasus'' family anymore.

    Of course, this meant that they wouldn''t need to be treated so highly as before.

    "How about this, bitch; do not forget that the old man is on his deathbed right now. Now, you can''t suck off from him for help anymore." The guard, Fanus, said.

    Rosa was stunned, not knowing what to say back. The news of her father-inw getting critically ill was not new, but she still hadn''t fully realized it in her day-to-day life.

    "Now�� get the fuck out of here before I beat you like a swine in front of all of these kind people," Fanus said, tapping the baton against his palm as he looked at the people behind Lyrian and Rosa in line.

    Rosa also looked back, and behind them was a small crowd of people with scared looks on their faces. This caused Rosa to hide her head in shame immediately.

    For Lyrian, this was the most rage-inducing experience he had ever gone through. His mother was the one who cared for him so much.

    He, a ve. Nobody. A worthless being whose purpose was once simply to serve his master and then die.

    She cared for that person, and to witness her being threatened and humiliated like this lit a fire inside of his heart that he had never felt before.

    His eyes were opened wide as he stared at the floor, fists curled and not knowing what to do with the rage he felt inside.

    It felt simr to when he was being insulted in his previous life, but this was not against him, but against someone who sacrificed so much for him.

    "Well? What are you waiting around for?" Fanus gave his final warning.

    Lyrian was shaking with anger, but loosened his balled-up hands and took in a deep breath as he followed his mother down the stairs and back on the way home.

    Rosa was silent while walking, but Lyrian could tell that she was crying a little. She was trying to hide it from Lyrian.

    Lyrian knew that if he was to act at that moment, he would be putting the life of his mother in danger, and so chose not to act.

    ''If only I was strong enough. I could have beaten that guard to a pulp without having to worry about endangering my mother.''

    ��

    ''I have to get stronger, damn it!''

    *Ding* [New quest obtained!]

    [Open the quest menu to see active quests.]

 Chapter 6 The Creation System

    ?''Huh?'' Lyrian immediately questioned, staring at the odd, translucent blue panel that had appeared in front of his face.

    Whenever he moved his retinas, the panel followed, almost like it was inside his own eyes.

    He also remembered hearing the voice somewhere before, but it was too insignificant to memorize.

    Originally, he thought of it as something that may have urred in Zaryn normally to everyone.

    After getting home, Rosa clearly wanted some alone time, so Lyrian went into his room and examined the panel.

    It clearly stated: [Open the quest menu to see active quests.]

    At the top of the translucent panel was one other tab titled "Quests". This must have been the quest menu that the panel spoke of.

    He went to click it with his finger, but just the thought of clicking it somehow worked, and the quest menu opened on its own.

    a��?a��?a��?a��?Questsa��?a��?a��?a����

    Bing Stronger:

    Complete Workout Routine:

    100 push-ups

    100 sit-ups

    100 pull-ups

    100 squats

    10km run

    First timepletion reward: Strength +1, Speed +1, Health +1

    Failure punishment: -10 to all stats for one day (Warning! At current strength, this punishment may mean death)

    Time limit: 8 hrs 16 mins 20 secs (sundown)

    a����a��?a��?a��?a��?a��?a��?a��?a��?a��?a��?

    ''What in the hell!?''

    Lyrian blinked a few times and pinched his skin, making sure he wasn''t hallucinating.

    ''What is this?''

    [The Creation System]

    The voice suddenly sounded in his head once again.

    ''Did you... just answer me?'' He questioned the random voice, slightly still hesitant.

    [Yes! That is one of my many abilities.]

    Lyrian paused to think for a moment.

    ''Firstly, does everyone get a Creation System? What even is that?'' He thought to himself, knowing that clearly, he didn''t need to speak out loud for the voice to hear him.

    [Certainly not. ording to my calctions, you are the only one with a system in this world.]

    [The Creation System: A system that allows Lyrian Theageld to ess the powers of Creation via magia inheritance. The reason, meaning, or background behind this information can not be disclosed any further, I''m afraid.]

    ''I see... If you''re not going to give me any information regarding that, then tell me, what is your purpose?''

    [My purpose is infinite. It is whatever you desire. Currently, my purpose is to make you stronger. Pleaseplete the daily quest before sundown, as you will get stronger. Also, if notpleted, you will die.]

    ''Righa���right... uh, system?''

    [You may call me whatever you please.]

    ''Well, if your purpose is only my desire... then I guess you will be sticking around for a while. Calling you "System" the entire time wouldn''t feel right...''

    [...]

    ''Ah, I got a perfect name for you. Gear, you will be called Gear from now on.''

    [Not bad.]

    ''What? Did you just make a joke?'' Lyrian asked a little surprised at the professional, robot-sounding voice suddenly making an unprofessionalment.

    [No. Pleaseplete your daily quest.]

    ''Fine.''

    Thinking about it some more, there was really nothing he could do about this mysterious system and its demands other than to follow its rules.

    Lyrian didn''t know whether it was telling the truth, or anything about it really at all, but he sure as hell wasn''t going to risk dying.

    For now, he decided that going along with what Gear said was going to be the only route he had, and he might as wellplete the working routine, as it would make him stronger anyway.

    However, before he did that, Lyrian wanted to find out what was in that second box.

    He first peaked out of his room to spy on Rosa, only to see her quietly preparing dinner.

    Looking at her made Lyrian''s eyebrows droop slightly in sorrow, but at least she wouldn''t hear him perform hismotions.

    Now, learning magia wasn''t only for his sake, but also for the sake of his family. He realized that he wasn''t the only one that needed protection.

    After closing his door, he pulled the box out from under his bed and ced it on the table before picking up the other box and mming it into the second box lock.

    The lock fell apart in one hit. It was nearly destroyed by rust, but still, Lyrian felt a little disappointed with how easy it was.

    He could have just opened it the other day had he known of this.

    Nheless, none of that mattered now. Opening the box, he found another book just as expected.

    This time he swept the dust off of the cover with his hand instead of blowing, learning from his previous mistake that nearly cost him his life, before finally catching a glimpse of the title.

    "Mana: The Founding Essense Of All Life"

    ''Mana? What in the world is that?'' Lyrian had heard of magic before, but mana waspletely unheard of.

    In size, the book was not nearly as big as the first one, probably half the size.

    Immediately, he opened the book and began to read without wasting any more time.

    Another ten days passed by quickly, this time, Lyrian made sure to not be so suspicious when reading to let his parents rest easy a little and not have to worry about him.

    Although the book was smaller, it was much more confusing, but Lyrian made sure to read it multiple times over in order to fully grasp its knowledge.

    In the end, he understood all about mana.

    In the book''s words, mana was the source of all life. Originating from the core of the, it was a powerful substance that allowed beings to act and behave, essentially like a primal energy.

    He even learned the thing that he had sought after the most, how people learned to use magic.

    ording to the book, one would have to use some sort of method to absorb the mana around them inside of themselves.

    This was probably the most difficult part of it all, as the method could vary extremely depending on the ss, culture, race, religion, and so many other factors of the person trying to absorb the mana.

    Hence why there were so many methods to gather this mana inside of them. These methods were called Mana Cultivation Techniques, or in short, cultivation techniques.

    From there, the mana would travel through things called meridians in one''s body, and finally end up in their core where it was stored.

    Once enough mana had entered the system, one would somehow be more powerful, however, the book didn''t go into too much detail on that.

    Still, learning this much was plenty for Lyrian.

    It didn''t speak about any method in general, as that wouldn''t be so readily avable formoners or those without the capability of magic, but it did speak about ways in which people would usually use these methods.

    Without wasting any time, Lyrian copied these ways. Sitting down on the floor, his legs crossed in a lotus position and his eyes closed.

    Imagining his surroundings, he could see himself after a few minutes of concentration from almost a third-person perspective.

    Except, he was an outlined ck figure in pitch darkness. After another few minutes, however, weird waves and blobs of colorful gaseous liquids began to flow alongside him.

    After a few more minutes, his body began to glow a slight white color, as the color essences around him began pulling towards him like he was suctioning them in.

    [Body hase in contact with mana]

    [No mana core found]

    [... Mana core created]

    [Gaining 0.00001 mana per second]

    [Mana needed to break through into the next rank: 100]

    As the mana went into his body, he could feel its warm feeling travel through his meridians and enter the core of his stomach, finally settling down.

 Chapter 7 Status Menu

    ?Lyrian fell into a type of meditative trance and cultivated for a few more minutes before opening his eyes once again, breaking his concentration from the cultivation.

    After opening his eyes he could no longer feel the mana in his system. Clenching his fists, however, Lyrian felt a hint of newfound power.

    Although it was barely recognizable, it was definitely there.

    This caused a small grin to appear on his face. He wanted to cultivate more right now but also knew that it would be too dangerous if his parents found out.

    Lyrian thought that there was a clear reason why they were hiding the books from him, and no matter what that reason was, letting them find out that he had stolen them would cause him to feel guilty, and might even result in some sort of punishment.

    He didn''t care about the punishment, however, as he had gone through enough of that, and these people were his parents after all.

    What he did care about was the bad impression that they would have of him. He wanted to avoid making his parents feel disappointed at any cost.

    Although this was true, what Lyrian did not know was that creating his own style of mana absorption was something that no normal person could do.

    In fact, it hadn''t been in the records of humanity for several millennia��

    He was able to do this not with the help of the system, but due to his ill knowledge of the subject, and also his sheer will, something unique to only him.

    ''I will have to find a ce and time to cultivate on my own.'' Lyrian thought to himself.

    ''Gear.''

    [Yes?]

    ''Open up the quest menu.''

    Lyrian took a look at the Workout sub-quest that was a part of the main quest of Bing Stronger before beginning toplete each task one by one.

    Of course, he was only a child, sopleting them wouldn''t be easy. It wasn''t like he had a choice anyway though.

    <Two yearster.>

    Seasons passed by like feathers in the wind. During that time, Lyrian had focused on bing stronger,pleting his tasks every day, while also making sure he cultivated here and there when he had the time.

    Currently, he stood inside his room afterpleting his second tost set of push-ups for the day, hands on his bare waist with sweat dripping down his body.

    For a 6-year-old, his body was definitely toned. Nothing extreme, but athletic.

    He stood at the height of 3ft 11in (119.38 cm), with blonde hair and a pair of brilliant azure eyes.

    ''Gear, tell me how much progress I''ve made with the mana.''

    [Current mana in core: 10.00231/100]

    Lyrian sighed in exasperation. The progress with his body had been good so far, but his mana was far behind.

    His cultivation technique, which he named ''Gale'', wasn''t horrible, as he had made enough progress to feel it in his body whenever he moved, but that might have just been from the workouts themselves.

    Mostly, he med not having the time to cultivate, as he rarely was allowed to leave the house.

    But recently, his mother had begun to be more lenient with him leaving on his own.

    Just the other day, Grasus and Rosa were having a conversation with each other about the things they disagreed with. It was something they did often to resolve any conflicts between them.

    That''s when Grasus brought up the fact that I was inside too much.

    "Listen, the boy needs to get out and make some friends. You can''t just expect him to stay inside all day."

    Rosa wasn''t pleased to hear this, being the over-protective person that she was.

    "Why can''t I expect that? Don''t you know how they treat us? How do you think they will treat him?" He said in a worried tone.

    Grasus paused for a moment before speaking. He knew that she had a point, but also knew that there were other, more important things.

    "We just have to ask him to be careful. He is a very smart boy, a genius in fact! He will understand. And besides, having a little trouble here and there will toughen him up a bit."

    As he said this, Grasus noticed Rosa''s face turn to one of confusion. It was almost screaming ''Are you serious right now?'' to his face.

    He quickly tried to make up for it.

    "You know what my father used to say to me? Take a spoon, dig it into some gravel, take a bite, and toughen the hell up, brat!"

    He proudly proimed, but quickly realized that he made a mistake when he saw Rosa''s disappointed look.

    "Your father was a war general!" She yelled, making Grasusugh nervously and scratch the back of his head as he thought of other ways to make up.

    Their conversation continued for a while, but in the end they had decided to let Lyrian go out on his own from time to time, of course, not without time restrictions and other rules.

    Lyrian had left the house and explored the city a couple of times by now. In truth, all he was doing was looking for a ce to cultivate.

    Friends? What even were those? How does one make friends? He didn''t have a clue.

    Right now, he was focused on power and power only.

    After resting enough, Lyrian dropped back down andpleted his final set of the day.

    ''98��99��100!''

    *Ding* [Congrattions! You havepleted your Workout quest for the day]

    ''Hmm? Gear doesn''t usually congratte me for this task.''

    *Ding* [365th workoutpleted!]

    [1 Hidden reward received!]

    [Reward: Status menu]

    [Click the Status tab to ess]

    On thetest panel, Lyrian noticed a new tab at the top named "Status".

    On opening it, a new panel appeared in front of his retinas.

    ��������Status��������

    Name: Lyrian Theageld

    Title(s): None

    Species: Human

    Bloodline: Unknown

    Age: 5 Years

    Overall Power (OP): 1

    Vitality: 100 Years

    Health: 11/11

    Stamina: 12/12

    Strength: 13

    Agility: 11

    �Ѧ���d��s����vel.c��m Defense: 10

    Body: Normal

    Rank: None

    MP: 10/100

    ����������������������

 Chapter 8 Finding A Place To Cultivate

    ?Lyrian was happily surprised at what he saw. Now, he could track his progress verily without having to worry about whether he was getting stronger or not.

    Right now, he had around double the stats of a normal six-year-old body due to his increased intelligence, giving him greater control over his body, and also his training and mana cultivation.

    After taking a shower and putting on some clothes, Lyrian decided to head out into the city for a breath of fresh air and also to look for a ce to cultivate.

    He had been looking for a while now, but there was no ce that wasn''t extremely crowded, or that wasn''t covered in civilization.

    This time, he wanted to go even further out in hopes of a cultivation area. From books, he had learned that Ilstria was a smaller city than most, being on the outskirts of the kingdom where not many resources reached.

    Yaltas consisted of two different regions, the Outer District and the Inner District. These names referred to the district inside of the wall surrounding the kingdom and the district outside of that wall.

    Ilstria was outside of the wall. Therefore, Lyrian knew that if he went far enough, he would be able to get out of civilization, eventually.

    As long as there wasn''t a wall to climb over, he could just walk straight out.

    He walked for a solid hour before the surrounding city slowly began to change from a bustling city to a quieter vige.

    Tall buildings made of stone and y began to fade into smaller, more humble homes with not many merchant stalls.

    The cobblestone streets began to fade into dirt, and people began to lower in poption as well.

    Before he knew it, Lyrian was in the middle of a ce that looked like a vige, rather than a city.

    Finally, he found an opening where he saw arge hill and went that way. At the top of the hill was arge tree that he rested under, seeing the view of the city below him.

    The hill was secluded from the city, as it was a few hundred meters away. The view was breathtaking, however, as Lyrian took a moment to take it in.

    It was almost too good of a location to be so isted.

    After resting, he walked over to the other side of the hill to find the entrance to arge forest down below.

    "Eade forest."

    It was a popr mass ofnd that stretched from shore to shore of the continent, unconquered by any empire but known by all. The mother of all forests, they called it in the books.

    There had been attempts to conquer it before, and some were even sessful, but eventually, all civilization that dared to build inside of it was ruthlessly ravaged to dust by the various dangerous creatures that lived inside.

    The outskirts didn''t harbor any such monsters, but the further you went, the more dangerous it became.

    Lyrian sat down on the back side of the tree, facing opposite to the city so that no one could see him, and crossed his legs in a lotus position before beginning to use Gale.

    [Gaining 0.000012 mana per second]

    The mana gain looked to be a little better as he was closer to nature, but not enough to take note of.

    Lyrian knew he had to get home by sundown, so he continued to cultivate.

    As the sun finally began to set, however, he began to hear some voices nearby, immediately alerting him and shocking him out of Gale.

    He was slightly annoyed, but more so, he was wary of who was there.

    The voices were getting louder, so they were definitely getting closer, but then Lyrian noticed that the voices were of children.

    Before he could do anything, a group of three kids around the same age as him ran up the hill and faced him.

    "What th�Cwho the hell are you!?" a fat one on the left shouted.

    "Wait�� I think I know that boy. Isn''t he the son of the mayor''s younger brother?" A red-haired kid in the middle said.

    "Oh yeah, it''s him! I always see him walking around mindlessly all alone. What a loser!" Another one on the right, tall andnky, yelled beforeughing.

    Lyrian stood up. Most likely, he had been caught in the act of mana cultivation.

    "What the hell was he doing up here, anyway? Doesn''t he know it''s my area?" The fat one said.

    "Our." Red hair interjected with an angered look.

    "Oh right! Right! Our��" Fatty said nervously.

    Red hair''s face twisted into a sneer as he looked Lyrian up and down. "Hey, loser. Get the hell out of my sight. This ce is ours," he growled in a serious tone.

    Lyrian was taken aback by the hostility in the boy''s voice. He seemed to be the leader of this little rag-tag group, so Lyrian answered him with a calm tone, trying to diffuse the tension.

    "Leave? Can''t we share? I won''t be here all day, just�C"

    "Didn''t you fuckin'' hear me? You''re a loser. I don''t want to be seen with you. Don''t you know who I am?" Red hair interrupted him, his voice rising in anger.

    Lyrian looked at the boy with a confused expression, which only seemed to irritate him further.

    "I''m the son of Galvian Greystone, Cedric Greystone!" he proimed as if that should mean something to Lyrian.

    "Huh?" Lyrian replied, not recognizing the name.

    "You�C! Haven''t you heard of the Greystones!? We are the highest-ranked noble family within Ilstria behind the Theagards!" the boy yelled, clearly angry at being ignored.

    "Greystone��" Lyrian tried to think if he had ever heard that name before, but it didn''t ring any bells.

    Seeing the loser start to realize who he was speaking to, the red-haired boy felt a bit more relieved.

    "Nope, never heard of ya''. But, liste�C" Lyrian continued to try to negotiate, but he had pissed off red hair far too much.

    "Are you making fun of Cedric? You? A noble only by name?" thenky boy spoke out, trying to defend his friend''s honor.

    "A noble only by name? Isn''t that what a noble is though?" Lyrian said, genuinely confused as to what the boy meant when he said that.

    "That''s it�� I was going to forgive him and forget this, but it looks like he thinks we are just a bunch of clowns that he can make fun of," Cedric paused, his face twisted into an expression of pure malice. "Fuck him up."

    As the boys moved closer to him, Lyrian''s heart began to race for some reason.

    He had never been in a fight before, and the only physical situation he had ever experienced was the abuse in his past life.

    He wanted to be stronger, but he had never thought about what he would do if someone attacked him.

    But Lyrian was not one to give up without a fight, and he knew that he had to defend himself.

    Just then, another message from Gear appeared out of nowhere.

    *Ding* [New quest: Defeat the three bullies]

    [Questpletion reward: +1 on all stats]

    [Quest failure punishment: -10 on all stats for one day]

 Chapter 9 A Newfound Resolve

    ?As the boys moved closer to him, Lyrian felt a surge of fear and adrenaline. He knew he had to act fast if he wanted to get out of this with only a few scratches.

    In a quick motion, he swung his fist and managed tond a solid punch on the fat boy''s jaw, sending him crashing to the ground, unconscious.

    For a moment, Lyrian felt a glimmer of hope, but it was quickly extinguished as Cedric delivered a crushing blow to his temple, sending him tumbling to the ground in a daze.

    Immediately, horrific memories of abuse from his past life shed in front of his eyes, causing a fear of trauma to ovee him.

    He couldn''t think straight anymore and curled up into a ball as the two dealt another few painful blows to his stomach and head before dashing away, leaving him bruised and bloodied.

    He was barely conscious but realized that he had been foolish to think that he could win a fight against a group of seasoned bullies without any actualbat experience.

    But more than that�� he realized that he was too weak. Maybe not physically, but mentally.

    He clenched his teeth and dug his nails into the skin of his palms, angry at himself for being so pathetic.

    He had promised himself never to be a victim of abuse ever again, and yet there he was, battered to shit without the ability to do anything.

    Suddenly, a flurry of emotions overcame him, and for the next few moments, hey there�� and wept.

    He wept about his weakness. He wept about his past. He wept about his inability to be a normal human being. He didn''t even know what that was.

    After this, he raised his right hand into the air and held it there for a few seconds beforeunching it down onto his nose.

    *Crack*

    Blood spurted across his face and he winced in pain, but he kept his hand on his broken nose.

    "Never again!" He said quietly, his voice struggling from the lingering sadness in his voice.

    "I won''t ever fucking lose again."

    After staying in that same position for another few minutes, he finally stood up.

    Clearly, the training he was doing right now wasn''t enough. Not at all. It not only needed to be much more grueling but also more effective.

    Lyrian had realized the importance of actual experience during a fight.

    If only he could have kept hisposure, he might have had a chance, but the nerves of the fight got to him, ending up in his loss.

    Maybe the experience was the thing he wascking, the thing that could help him forget about his traumatic past.

    He took in one deep breath, turning his mind away from those things and back to the situation that he now had in his hands.

    His clothes were messy, and more importantly, he was beaten to a pulp.

    Hell, he broke his own nose in frustration.

    How would he exin this to his parents? Just thinking about it was making his head hurt.

    "The chance they let me out of the house ever again is zero��"

    As he said this, looking down at the forest in front of him, he heard some rustling from his side.

    After turning to take a look, he realized that the fatty from before was still knocked out, and finally seemed to be waking up.

    "What the hell? They didn''t take him with them?" He originally thought, but figured that they wouldn''t want to hang out with the boy who got knocked unconscious by a Theageld in one go, so it made sense.

    Just as the fat boy sat up, Lyrian suddenly kicked him square in the nose, sending him into anothera in an almostedic fashion.

    After a little pickpocketing session, Lyrian left the hill, jacking the fatty blind.

    As he went back into town, he had a different aura to him. His promise to not lose ever again was resolute.

    Instead of being emotional, Lyrian was now going to put all his efforts into bing stronger, and that included doing whatever he had to in order toplete his goals.

    No longer was he going to be gullible. After realizing that his trauma was still just on his doorstep, this time he was going to crush that trauma into nothing through sheer force.

    After heading into town, he used the sum of the money he stole from the fat kid to buy the best healing elixirs he could.

    That meant that the elixirs would be a low grade, of course, as not many 6-year-olds would have a bunch of money lying around, no matter if they were of noble descent or not.

    Still, all Lyrian had were a few small injuries, nothing a few weak healing elixirs couldn''t fix.

    He even had some money left over: 2 silvers and 60 coppers in total, which was the equivalent of 26 dors in US currency.

    The currency system in Yaltas and many other kingdoms and empires in the continent of the Mortal ins followed the same rule of 10 coppers making 1 silver coin and 10 silvers making 1 gold coin.

    From there the currency rose to tinum tes, spirit stones, and other things, but Lyrian wasn''t going to be dealing with that anytime soon.

    After arriving home, he found time to sneak in, quickly throwing his dirty clothes in the magic cloth-washing-machine before putting on a new pair without his mother noticing. (Author note: How convenient...)

    After getting into his room andying down, he thought to himself as to what he should do next.

    Many things were bing problems recently.

    Food was one of the main things that he wascking. With his intense training routine that he was fixed on making even more rigorous after today''s encounter, the food currently given to him was simply not enough.

    Along with that, cultivation wasn''t going to be usible on that hill anymore, and his new training that would be increased in difficulty wouldn''t be able to be performed at home.

    And so, there was only one solution to all of this��

    However, just before he said the solution out loud, revealing his new, grand n, a notification from Gear suddenly popped up.

    [For failing the previous quest, your punishment will now begin. For the next 24 hours, your stats will be all -10]

    Instantly, Lyrian felt his limbs weaken, and his entire body became limp. Before long, he had lost consciousness��

 Chapter 10 Mana Alcove

    ?The next day Lyrian spent totally in bed. He was far too tired to do any physical activity, but he could still talk, allowing him to make the excuse to his parents that he was "sleepy" that day in order to avoid any doctor visits.

    He wanted to start his new training n with no dys.

    The next day finally arrived when Lyrian felt anew once again.

    After not using his brain or body at all, he was even a bit more bright than the days prior, having time to think about his training n in the meantime.

    After finalizing some ideas in his head, he had finished the entire scheme.

    His training area would be: The Eade Forest. During 6 hours of the night, he would go into the forest and use Gale there to cultivate mana.

    Not only would this boost his mana growth, but it would also allow him to train without the worry of getting caught.

    His n was to enter the forest at 11 pm and cultivate for six hours before returning home, as his family would always be sound asleep at these times.

    In the daytime, he would go into the forest again in the allowed times and train physically, also cultivating mana if he had spare time.

    For food, he wanted to hunt animals during the day. He already knew how to cook, and if he were to eat his fill at home, there would be no food left over for his family.

    It would not be easy by any means, but Lyrian didn''t care about that.

    He wanted it to be difficult, so that the difficulty could forge him into a stronger being.

    Hunting would also give him the fighting experience he had been looking for.

    Although animals were not humans, their reaction times and strength would be far greater, acting as good training objects.

    Of course, Lyrian would make sure that he got sufficient sleep during this routine.

    He was still young and had the most potential for growth.

    Cutting out sleep would severely hinder his progress. Happy with his n, Lyrian got ready and left his house.

    After several minutes, he arrived at the top of the hill once again and looked down at the entrance of the forest.

    The treeline expanded past the horizon, seemingly endless. It was as daunting as could be, but Lyrian squeezed his fists and marched forward.

    Weakness was no longer a consideration.

    The dull feeling of civilization faded away as Lyrian delved deeper into the forest.

    The chirping of birds, rustling of leaves, and the distant howling of wolves became the only sounds he could hear.

    It was a stark contrast to the hustle and bustle of the city, where noise and activity were constant.

    Lyrian took in the natural beauty surrounding him. The trees towered above him, their branches stretching towards the sky, forming a canopy that allowed only dappled sunlight to filter through.

    The ground beneath his feet was mostly hard, covered in grass, but some spots were soft and spongy, the thickyer of leaves and moss muffling his footsteps.

    After walking for ten minutes Lyrian came across a small cave entrance on the mountainside.

    It was just what he was looking for. Lyrian wasn''t just walking blindly this entire time, no, he was looking for a ce to not only cultivate, but also set up a trap for any small critters that wandered by.

    If he hunted near his base camp, it would be like killing two birds with one stone.

    Not only would he hunt from a good, hidden area that would in theory allow him to hunt more efficiently, but it would also clear out future pests from wandering near his home.

    Lyrian took a deep breath and stepped into the cave, squinting his eyes as they adjusted to the dim light.

    The first room was surprisingly spacious and bright, with sunlight filtering in through the opening.

    �Ѧ���d��s����vel.c��m Lyrian''s mind was buzzing with ideas as he looked around, imagining all the ways he could turn this ce into his new basecamp.

    But he didn''t want to get ahead of himself. As promising as the cave seemed, he had to make sure it was safe and suitable before he could start making ns.

    So he cautiously made his way down the sloping hall that led deeper into the cave.

    The air grew cooler and the light grew dimmer as he descended. Soon, he found himself inplete darkness, unable to see more than a few inches in front of him.

    It was creepy as hell, but Lyrian didn''t let it get to him.

    After a few seconds he finally made it to the end of the dark and winding tunnel.

    He stepped forward, and suddenly he was standing in front of a fairlyrge opening that felt like the entrance to a grand cathedral.

    The round walls were covered in small orange amber crystals that radiated a soft and warm glow, filling the entire space with light.

    Right in the middle of the opening was arge undergroundke that shimmered with a blue light.

    Lyrian couldn''t believe his eyes. This was a Mana Alcove, a ce where the mana of the earth was concentrated and amplified.

    He had read just a bit about it in books but the chance of actually finding one was considered to be nearly impossible.

    As he got closer to the edge of theke, noticed that there were no actual mana crystals inside.

    ording to the book, even the weakest of mana caves had a single mana crystal, but this cave looked like it was already looted.

    This was a bit disappointing, but there was no doubt that Lyrian could still feel an enhanced amount of mana in the atmosphere.

    Even though the cave had been looted, that didn''t mean it wasn''t a mana amplification site.

    It would probably take another few decades for the next mana crystal to form, but Lyrian was still happy that he had ess to this empty mana alcove.

    At the very least, it would progress his cultivation speed by double.

 Chapter 11 First Blood

    ?Lyrian wanted to sit down and use Gale right then and there to test out the speed of mana gain for himself, but his grumbling stomach reminded him that he needed to hunt and eat first.

    After fully surveying therge cavern, which was probably somewhere around 100-100 meters in length and height, he made his way back up to the surface and immediately began his hunt.

    He had seen hundreds of wild squirrels, rabbits, and other small creatures scurrying around as he made his way to the cave, so he decided to hunt them first.

    First, he found severalrge leaves and sewed them together with some vine, making arge but light bush which he could cover the entrance of the cave with.

    This would allow him to hide inside the cave, waiting for any iing prey without worrying about his own back.

    Next, he scavenged around for a little while before finally finding a few wild root carrots and some edible-looking wild berries.

    After setting the bait right outside of the entrance of his cave, he hid behind the fake bush and began to wait.

    While waiting, he thought how pitiful this looked. What he actually wanted right now was a shit ton of meat from somerge predatory animal.

    However, he knew that there would be no way he could defeat any such creature''s right now.

    His ''trap'' was pretty bad as well. In most circumstances, no prey would ever actually go for some random berries in a random area like that.

    But why Lyrian still decided to do it because of the sheer number of animals he had seen in the jungle.

    When he walked anywhere, he could feel the jungle walking with him. One could sense the surrounding life just by existing.

    He knew that statistically, a creature would eventually have to cross the front of his cave entrance.

    When that did happen, he just hoped that it would notice the bait and at least poke at it for a split second.

    Lyrian''s stomach grumbled one more time, as he looked through the opening of the fake bush, noticing the sun start to go down.

    He didn''t have arge amount of time left, and he surprisingly hadn''t seen a single animal except for birds for a long while.

    But just when his hopes began to dwindle slightly, arge rabbit the size of a small dog jumped out from the brush and approached the bait.

    Immediately, Lyrian''s eyes opened wide as his heart started to race. Sweat formed on his fingertips and adrenaline began to course through his veins.

    This was it. He was going to do it! He was going to hunt this animal.

    Lyrian''s body trembled with anticipation as he crouched behind a bush, his eyes fixed on the unsuspecting rabbit.

    He held his breath, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. And then it came.

    The rabbit lowered its head to sniff the bait, and with a burst of energy, Lyrian pounced.

    Hended on top of the rabbit and squeezed its neck with all his might, silencing its writhing screeches.

    *Ding* [Achievement Unlocked! First Blood]

    [Achievement Reward: Scan (Ability to inspect any being or object)]

    Lyrian''s heart was pounding in his chest as he stared at the lifeless rabbit, but was surprised to hear what Gear said.

    He couldn''t help but feel a tinge of regret for taking his life, but he knew it was necessary to be stronger.

    "I''m sorry," he whispered to the dead rabbit, before picking it up by the scruff of its neck and standing up.

    ''Inspect any being or object? How is that supposed to work?'' He questioned in his head rhetorically.

    [All you have to do is identify something by looking at it, and say the word "scan" within your mind]

    Suddenly, he heard rustling noises from the spot where the rabbit had first appeared.

    He turned to see two baby rabbits peering out from the bushes with curious expressions.

    There was no doubt that the two were the now orphans of the rabbit he held in his hand.

    ''Scan.''

    ��������Scan��������

    Name: Baby Rabbit

    Species: Rabbit

    Age: 2 Months

    Overall Power (OP): 0.12

    Health: 3/3

    Stamina: 2/2

    Strength: 1

    Agility: 4

    Defense: 1

    Rank: Normal

    ����������������������

    [Without the help of their mother, these two will die within the next 3 days due to extreme dehydration]

    ��

    Lyrian''s face remained stoic as he looked at them for a few seconds longer, before turning around and heading into the cave, knowing that this was simply the cycle of life.

    There was no point in dwelling in sorrow for something he had already done.

    He set to work building a fire inside the first room of the cave, gathering dry twigs and branches from the forest floor.

    Once he had a good pile, he used his flint and steel to start the mes.

    The fire crackled and hissed as it grew, sending flickers of light dancing across the cave walls.

    Next, Lyrian set to work preparing the rabbit. He used a small knife to skin and gut the animal, taking care to remove all the innards.

    Once it was cleaned, he skewered it on a sharpened stick and held it over the mes.

    After a little while, the rabbit was finally cooked to perfection.

    Lyrian took it off the fire and let it cool for a few moments before taking his first bite. The meat was tender and juicy, filling his mouth with vor.

    Although it wasn''t seasoned at all, his prolonged hunger was sure to make almost anything taste good.

    As he ate, he thought of what to do next. Although many thoughts popped up in his head, all that there was left to do was to work his ass off.

    He decided that tomorrow, he would finally begin his advanced and rigorous physical training.

 Chapter 12 Rigorous Training

    ?After cultivating Gale throughout the night, Lyrian entered the forest once again at the dawn of the following day.

    Without wasting any time he began making his training supplies from dawn to dusk.

    Cutting vines and weaving them into durable ropes, cutting trees, and foraging rocks.

    Just like that, days began to pass, which soon turned into weeks. After a month''s hard work, Lyrian finally finished making all the things he needed for his training.

    During the weeks he created a makeshift ax to help him, but other than that, a small dagger was his only useful weapon when it came to hunting.

    By now he probably killed over 50 rabbits, finding they were much easier to hunt than he first thought.

    With his daily training routine quest that he was still doing, he was quicker and stronger than before, having the ability to run down rabbits without the need for an ambush.

    On the morning of the 30th day, he left to go back to the forest. Thankfully, his mother was happy to see him leave the house ande back each day looking happy and uninjured.

    She assumed that he was having fun out there, making friends, and learning to live. Although it was far from the truth, her heart was at ease from this knowledge nheless.

    When he arrived at his base camp, it lookedpletely different from before. The small trees near the mountainside werepletely wiped out, along with all of the bushes and other foliage.

    The ground was mostly t, covered with the things that Lyrian built.

    First off was a training dummy made of wood. It was a thick and long pole around 6 feet in height that stood straight up, having multiple wooden joints popping out of it that acted as its arms.

    Although it wasn''t much, Lyrian still wanted to incorporate some sort of experience training into his n.

    It wasn''t as if he could already fight predators, far from it in fact.

    During his time in the first Lyrian saw his fair share of leopards, crocodiles, and dire wolves and other predatory animals from a distance and knew that their ferocity was enough to easily ovee him as he was right now, especially the wolves.

    They hunted in packs, and even alone they looked extremely powerful.

    Lyrian predicted that to fight them, he needed to be over twice as strong as he was right now.

    Next, Lyrian created a way to train his endurance and overall strength via a way of rigorous pull.

    It was a rope that went around Lyrian''s forehead while he walked or climbed up the side of the mountain, with a giant rock attached to the bottom of the rope.

    The thought process behind it was simple. If he made gravity stronger in training, he would feel much more light and agile in real life.

    Along with those, he created a few other pushing and pulling types of machines using levers, making sure to train the entirety of his body.

    Chest, back, shoulders, arms, legs. He needed every muscle and tendon in his body to grow more, to be stronger!

    After taking a final, prideful nce at his work, Lyrian decided that it was finally time to begin training.

    [New Training Routine established]

    [Complete Workout Routine subquest has been updated]

    Just like that, his training finally began.

    Lyrian''s daily routine for the next two years was filled with intense training and in-depth cultivation.

    He challenged himself to the max, every day pushing himself to be quicker, more agile, and stronger than he was before.

    He began his training with a wooden training dummy butter moved on to training withrge boulders.

    His kicks and punches became more forceful and precise, and he developed far better bnce and footwork.

    To enhance his endurance, Lyrian took long hikes up and down the mountain, hauling multiple heavy logs and rocks.

    He also swam in the nearby river, battling against the current to improve his stamina and strength.

    By now he discovered how to construct shelters, ignite fires with sticks, and recognize edible nts.

    He experimented with creating traps and hunting small game, gradually bing more proficient with each attempt.

    As time passed, Lyrian''s body underwent a significant transformation. His muscles grewrger and more powerful, and his reflexes were much quicker.

    Through the opening of the treetops of Eade forest, a young, 8-year-old boy could be seen climbing up the mountainside with a boulder the size of a beach ball attached to his back.

    This was Lyrian''s final exercise of the day, one more repetition than he did the day before in order to never stop progressing.

    He arrived at the tree that stood only feet away from the final destination of his climb, marking where he got to yesterday.

    There was no doubt about it, he was at his limit. Veins popped out of his head, making it seem like his red, tomato-like dome was about to burst.

    His entire body quivered with fatigue and stress, but Lyrian didn''t give up. Gritting his teeth together he continued to take more steps.

    After getting one step past the tree he lost his fitting due to exhaustion, causing his body to suddenly go limp for a moment, as all strength felt like it escaped his body.

    The heavy rock leaned him back, almost causing him to fall backward before he let out a burst of energy and ced his right foot forward.

    His eyebrows furrowed as an angry expression overcame him. He was going to get to the top, no matter what!

    If he didn''t, then he wouldn''t qualify for it, the thing he challenged himself to qualify through the two years of training.

    At this point his eyes rolled back into his head, his body was at itsplete limit, but his soul was not.

    Pushing past his limits, he took multiple grueling steps forward before finally reaching the top, firmly nting his foot down as he let go of the boulder and fell to the ground.

    As hey there with his arms and feet out, heavily panting, a grin suddenly appeared on his face.

    "Finally! I finally qualify to take on a dire wolf!"

    *Ding* [New quest founded: Kill A Direwolf]

    [Quest reward: Creature-link]

    [Ability description: ��]

 Chapter 13 Defeat...

    ?[Ability Description: Can only be essed when this ability is gained]

    [+1 Hidden quest reward]

    ''Huh? That''s an interesting name. I wonder what it does?'' Lyrian thought to himself, noticing the name of the ability for a brief moment before continuing to rest.

    The hidden reward was also a mystery. ''I guess I''ll just have to find out what it is once I''vepleted the quest...''

    After a few minutes, he jogged back down the mountain and ate a hearty meal full of meat, fruits, and wild vegetables.

    He wasn''t some 5-star chef, but his food always tasted amazing due to the hard work he put in beforehand. Each meal was like a prize for his efforts.

    After eating, his energy went back up to full and he decided that it was time to take on a dire wolf.

    This goal that he set for himself about one year ago was very illustrious and always seemed to be too far ahead of him.

    However, Lyrian now noticed that he didn''t seem to be getting much stronger from his training. At eight years old, his body reached its supposed limit.

    He could only wait for puberty now in order to grow quickly in strength, but other than that, there was no point in simply training any longer.

    Since he knew this was his temporary limit, he might as well not waste any time and take on a dire wolf.

    Why a dire wolf?

    Because it was the strongest predator he had evere across.

    He fought and defeated several leopards before. However, they barely weighed 100 lbs and weren''t really a match for Lyrian.

    Jaguars, on the other hand, were much more powerful, but even they were a sure win to him now, whose strength stat was in the 20s ording to the system.

    However, he was yet to defeat, or even challenge, a dire wolf yet. It wasn''t just for any reason, either.

    Usually, wolves were weaker than their big cat counterparts, but dire wolves were like a different species altogether.

    Their jaws were stronger�Cteeth and ws longer and sharper than any other creature Lyrian came across.

    After grabbing his trusty dagger, Lyrian left on the hunt for a lone wolf that he could fight.

    It didn''t take long for him to find dire wolves as they dominated the grounds near him.

    As he came upon an opening in the forest, he located a pack of around 15 dire wolves right in the middle of the field through a bush.

    Just like he remembered, the wolves looked ferocious, muscles and striations menacingly covering each creature.

    Just standing there, over 200 meters away from the pack, was enough to trigger Lyrians body to shake ever so slightly.

    The shaking was uncontroble, a natural instinct of human fear within the brain.

    However, it was safe to say Lyrian was just as excited as he was scared.

    As he continued to look at the pack, he noticed amotion going on the side.

    A few wolves, all with thick gray fur and dark ck eyes, looked to be gathered around a smaller wolf that looked different from the rest.

    While the other wolves wererge, reaching about 4 feet in height, it was probably closer to 3 feet.

    Its limbs seemed smaller, and along with that, its most noticeable features were its white fur and one missing eye with a red scar covering it.

    The three normal wolves circled the white one, growling in disdain and anger as they threatened to attack.

    They randomly bit and scratched at them as they stalked, causing the wolf to whimper in fear.

    ''Oh?'' Lyrian said in his head as he saw this happen. This seemed like an opportunity arose for him out of sheer luck.

    He decided to keep an eye on the situation to see where it escted to.

    ''Scan.''

    ��������Scan��������

    Name: Garm

    Species: Dire Wolf

    Age: 5

    Overall Power (OP): 3

    Health: 27/33

    Stamina: 39/39

    Strength: 31

    Agility: 35

    Defense: 28

    Rank: Normal

    ����������������������

    ''What�� a beast.'' Lyrian thought, seeing its beefy stats.

    It looked like the OP stat reflected the creature''s power in tens. Since most of the white wolf''s stats were in the 30s, its OP was 3.

    Most of the other wolves appeared to be level 3s as well, with some even being level 4.

    Currently, Lyrian had an OP of only 2.

    After a few pushes and shoves, the white wolf was kicked out of the pack, and quickly darted out of the open area, happy to leave with its life.

    At that exact moment, Lyrian perked up and darted right behind it, his eyes locked on the target.

    The wolf was extremely fast, but Lyrian wasn''t going to give up so easily.

    Jumping over logs and under vines, he soared through the rough terrain he''d been training in for thest two years.

    Finally, the wolf ran to a dead end in front of a mountainside before finally stopping and licking some of the wounds that it had previously got from the other wolves.

    Without any hesitation, Lyrian jumped out at that exact moment, sprinting towards the wolf at full speed with a focused expression and dagger in hand.

    Seeing the young boy, the wolf immediately gained its guard and pounced at Lyrian as well.

    The two met at the exact same time as a stter of blood sshed in the air.

    The wolf''s sharp ws dug into and sliced through Lyrian''s left arm, leaving it limp and useless.

    However, Lyrian also managed to deal a blow himself, leaving a deep wound on the chest of the creature.

    There was no time to rest, as this wasn''t a fight against another human, but a feral beast.

    The beast pounced at Lyrian once again with full aggression, intending to tear the boy''s head off when Lyrian leaned back to dodge the bite.

    With a swift motion, he thrust his dagger toward the wolf''s neck, but the wolf quickly moved out of the way before it couldnd.

    Although Lyrian was able to dodge the wolf''s attacks, it was merely by a hair, while the wolf seemed to have no problem with Lyrian on the other hand.

    This time, he began running around the trees as the wolf continued to chase him, thinking of what to do.

    He was in a high-stress scenario, but right now, it looked like he was going to lose.

    The beast was too strong and quick for him. It seemed he wasn''t ready after all.

    Just as he turned around a tree and struck the wolf''s shoulder, it quickly turned its head, taking the dagger and breaking it in half with its jaw before pushing the boy down to the ground,pletely immobilizing him...

 Chapter 14 Reap

    ?Right at that moment, time froze for Lyrian.

    He was��. going to die? Here? Like this?

    No, there was no way. That couldn''t be true. He did so much to get here.

    The promises he made to himself to get stronger and the years that he spent training would all be in vain if he were to perish here.

    With a surge of ruthless conviction filling his bones, Lyrian grabbed both sides of the wolf''s jaw just before it was able to bite down and crush his face.

    Its sharp teeth dug into the skin of his palms, but he didn''t care. This was a primal cry for survival. Nothing mattered anymore except for getting out alive.

    Even with his barely working left arm, he continued to push the maw of the unrelenting beast away from him, his forearm muscles popping out from the exertion.

    Finally, with a final burst of energy that ruptured his lungs, he pushed with all of his might, coughing blood from his mouth as he screamed.

    The rampaging wolf''s jaw was torn in half as Lyrian stood up and threw its body to the side before standing victorious.

    *Ding* [Quest: Kill A Direwolf has beenpleted]

    [Quest rewards gained]

    [New ability: Creature-link (Ability to create a new creature from the souls of two past creatures that the user has killed]

    [Current soul storage: 0/2]

    [Hidden quest reward: 1 full he-]

    Before Gear could finish talking, Lyrian passed out from exhaustion.

    ''Shi�C''

    When he finally woke up after some time, he found himself to be in the exact same position asst time.

    ''Im�� still alive?'' These were his first thoughts, knowing that he was bleeding profusely before he passed out, inside and out.

    He fully expected not to wake up, but for some reason, he was awake and didn''t even feel any pain.

    Rubbing his left arm and squeezing his palms, it felt like they hadn''t even been scratched.

    After taking a deep breath, his lungs and other organs seemed to be intact.

    In fact, he had a lot of energy right now, probably even more so than before fighting with the wolf.

    A little hesitant, he got up and hopped up and down a few times, and just as he thought, he was light on his feet.

    [Since you missed the announcement of the previous quest reward, I will restate that the reward was a full heal]

    [Due to your body not being able to survive without it, I was forced to use it automatically]

    ''I see.''

    After this, Lyrian opened up his skills tab to look at the description of the Creature-link ability more thoroughly.

    It was an interesting ability, but since the name of the system was "The Creation System", it kind of made sense.

    From the "Soul Storage: 0/2", Lyrian saw that he needed to collect two different souls beforebining them.

    However, that meant that it was only a ime skill, which slightly confused him.

    ''Gear�� Is this skill able to be used more than once?''

    [Yes. After two souls arebined, the soul storage will only have one soul left]

    ''Doesn''t that mean that I will only be able to have two creations at max?''

    [Yes. However, with the advancements of power and skill proficiency, this limit will eventually increase]

    Lyrian was satisfied with this knowledge, and that''s when he noticed the body of the white wolf he killed was still there.

    Its blood was still quite fresh, so he must not have passed out for long. However, this seemed like a perfect opportunity to use his new skill.

    Although he thought of saving it for something even stronger in the future, there really wasn''t anything stronger than a dire wolf in this part of the forest.

    And if there was anything stronger, it would be levels above Lyrian, since he barely beat this one that was even weaker than normal dire wolves.

    He already reached his current limit in strength, so he knew that he wasn''t going to be able to beat another full-power dire wolf any time soon.

    He went over to its body and knelt down.

    "How do I use it? Do I just say Creature-link in my head?"

    [For soul harvesting, you, as the owner of the skill, have the right to name it whatever you please]

    "Name it? Hmm��"

    �Ѧ���d��s����vel.c��m After a few seconds, Lyrian came up with what he thought was a perfect name for soul harvesting.

    "Reap."

    As soon as he said this, a white orb emerged from out of the wolf''s dead body and entered Lyrian''s chest.

    Automatically, a stream of memories and thoughts pooled in his brain.

    Since he held the soul of the creature, he also essed the knowledge of its previous life.

    After this, the body of the wolf disintegrated into ash before eventually disappearingpletely.

    Lyrian looked up at the sky and noticed that he still had a few hours left before needing to go back home.

    So, he decided to cultivate some more back at home.

    Recently, something had blocked the entrance to the mana alcove and Lyrian didn''t have a clue what it was.

    The object that blocked the entrance was bumpy but smooth, but it was almost immovable.

    So, for the past few weeks, he had cultivated in the initial small room of the cavern.

    Although he could have spent time trying to remove it, he was simply too excited to train for his Dire wolf fight.

    Now that he had taken care of that, though, he could focus on getting back down into the mana alcove.

    After arriving at the cave, Lyrian lit a torch and approached the weird object.

    With the light of the fire, he saw that the surface of it had multiple diamond-shaped patterns littered all over it.

    It was ck and slightly gray, but extremely durable.

    Previously, Lyrian tried to kick it open, but seeing as how that failed, this time, he decided to fully shoulder ram into it.

    With one impact, some dust fell from the ceiling and it seemed as though nothing happened, but Lyrian noticed that the object had moved slightly.

    He continued to ram into it several more times, before it finally let up and fell down, revealing the inside of the mana alcove.

    As soon as Lyrian walked inside, his eyes widened, and his jaw gaped in shock.

    ''3... 10... 16... 26... 40!?''

 Chapter 15 Creature-Link Successful!

    ?Lyrian''s eyes widened as he gazed at the brightly-lit alcove. What he saw left him in shock - a writhing mass of slithering snakes entangled in a grotesque tangle covered the entire expanse.

    The putrid stench of their musky odor filled the air, and he felt like he had stumbled into a nightmare.

    Despite the overwhelming sight before him, Lyrian continued to survey the room.

    It was then that he noticed something unusual - theke was glowing less brightly than usual.

    He took slow, cautious steps towards the pond, carefully avoiding the snakes that continued in their slithery quarrels, paying him no mind.

    As he approached theke, he saw that the floor was covered in snake sheddings - ck in color and resembling the thing that blocked the entrance.

    Suspicious of what was going on, Lyrian walked up to theke and saw an outline of a creature inside.

    Lyrian noticed the long and coiled creature in front of him, resembling a snake.

    Without a doubt, it was an Obsidian Serpent - a rare reptile found in the outer Eade forest known for its strength and beauty.

    Overwhelmed with awe, Lyrian decided to use the "Scan" skill to confirm its identity before making any rash decisions.

    ��������Scan��������

    Name: R?r

    Species: Obsidian Serpent

    Age: 55

    Overall Power (OP): 5

    Health: 25/53

    Stamina: 15/54

    Strength: 57

    Agility: 43

    Defense: 60

    Rank: Normal

    ����������������������

    The results showed that it was indeed an Obsidian Serpent.

    Despite its power, R?r''s health was incredibly low, which gave Lyrian a new idea...

    However, the only issue was that the serpent was in a mana alcove, which was unusual.

    Lyrian pondered and concluded that the serpent must be either pregnant or have given birth recently.

    That exined Its presence in a mana alcove, where life could thrive.

    If that were true, however,  then that meant that every serpent around him must also be an Obsidian Serpent, which was a terrifying thought.

    As Lyrian slowly turned his head to scan the other snakes, he realized the magnitude of the situation and how frightening it was.

    ��������Scan��������

    Name: None

    Species: ck Snake

    Age: 0.3

    Overall Power (OP): 1

    Health: 5/5

    Stamina: 12/12

    Strength: 2

    Agility: 1

    Defense: 15

    Rank: Normal

    ����������������������

    He let out a sigh of relief when realizing they weren''t. From this, he assumed that multiple snakes were drawn in by the Obsidian Serpent''s pregnancy pheromones, but wasn''t entirely sure.

    Nheless, that didn''t really matter. As Lyrian gazed at the Obsidian Serpent''s stats once more, a small grin appeared on his face.

    "I just so happened to be looking for another soul."

    [Health: 24/53]

    ��

    [23/53]

    ��

    [22/53]

    ''What? Why is it suddenly losing health so fast?''

    [15/53]

    ��

    [8/53]

    The rapid drain in health rmed Lyrian. If he wanted to Reap its soul, he knew that he needed to be the one to kill it.

    From the looks of it, the Serpent was going to die on its own without his assistance.

    �Ѧ���d��s����vel.c��m He thought of what to do but realized he had no choice but to dive into the water.

    Forcefully swimming through the warm water, Lyrian finally arrived at the coiled-up snake.

    Its hardened obsidian scales were the exact ones blocking the exit, so he knew there was no way he was going to be able to prate through it.

    [4/53]

    After finally swimming to the underside of its belly Lyrian saw what might have been a weak spot and stabbed his dagger into it, his breath almost running out by now.

    [You have failed to kill the Obsidian Serpent]

    [0/53]

    Lyrian gasped for air as he pushed himself back up to the water''s surface, struggling to catch his breath.

    Although he was briefly disappointed at wasting a valuable soul, he quickly shrugged it off.

    After all, stumbling upon the snake was a lucky coincidence.

    As he swam towards the shore, something strange caught his attention. The smaller snakes, which previously paid him no mind, were now slithering towards him with their fangs bared.

    Even though they were weak, their venom still posed a threat.

    Suddenly, a loud hiss echoed through the cavern, causing Lyrian to turn his head in rm.

    On the other side of the alcove was a six-foot-long serpent, with a half-foot-long face and an obsidian exoskeleton, ring at him with the eyes of an Obsidian Serpent.

    The snake hissed angrily, ready to attack.

    ''...Scan''

    ��������Scan��������

    Name: A??

    Species: Obsidian Serpent

    Age: 0.2

    Overall Power (OP): 1

    Health: 15/15

    Stamina: 12/12

    Strength: 20

    Agility: 8

    Defense: 30

    Rank: Normal

    ����������������������

    Lyrian''s heart raced with excitement as he realized he still had a chance to capture the serpent''s soul.

    Without hesitation, he drew his dagger and charged toward the snake, which was already heading his way.

    Despite the smaller snakes'' attempts to stop him, he managed to evade them and reach the Obsidian Serpent a few feet away.

    Lyrian leaped into the air, aiming to strike the serpent''s skull with his knife and close the distance quickly.

    But his strike failed to prate its armor, and the knife simply bounced off.

    ''Huh�� so if my strength stat is weaker than something''s defense stat, It seems I most likely won''t be able to defeat what makes it durable.''

    Undaunted, Lyrian darted behind the serpent and seized the back of its head with one hand while shing its neck with the other.

    Fortunately, the snake''s underside was unprotected, and Lyrian was able to dispatch it on the spot.

    *Ding* [You killed an Obsidian Serpent!]

    Lyrian swiftly spoke, "Reap," and held his hand over the dead serpent''s body.

    A white orb flew out and entered his chest, flooding him with a few fleeting memories.

    He dashed up to a nearby ledge, trying to avoid the ck snakes that were slithering around.

    Despite a few snakes blocking his path, Lyrian kicked them away and sat down on the ledge.

    "Gear, use the Creature-link skill to fuse the two souls I have in storage."

    [Creature-link: Unique Direwolf + Obsidian Serpentmencing]

    ''Unique? Is that because of its white color?'' Lyrian thought to himself before a purplish haze of mist suddenly appeared in front of him.

    *Ding* [Creature-link sessful! You have created a new creature!]

    [New Creature: Obsidian Wolf]

    The misty cloud morphed into a wolf-shaped figure, only to solidify shortly after.

    And lo and behold, a pint-sized critter resembling a puppy appeared before Lyrian.

    It dozed off, yet Lyrian couldn''t help but notice its unique features.

    The little thing possessed the body of a white wolf but with obsidian armor on its back, shins, and noggin - basically, the spots where it was most vulnerable.

    [Please name your new creature]

 Chapter 16 Genesis: Layer 1

    ?[IMPORTANT NOTICE: Due to some confusion, the [Vitality] stat for creatures upon using Scan has been removed.

    -

    "Your name will be," Lyrian said as he neared his hand to the wolf to pet it.

    "Garmr," Lyrian stated, using the names Garm and Arr as references. He wasn''t exactly the best when it came to naming yet.

    *Ding* [Obsidian Wolf name has been formed: Garmr]

    As soon as his hand reached the wolf''s belly, it quickly opened its eyes before jumping up and biting into the side of Lyrians face.

    Lyrian blinked a few times in shock�� before jumping up himself and yelling in pain.

    After removing the wild wolf''s grip on his face, Lyrian held it in front of him while it rambunctiously moved, trying to bite at his fingers and get loose.

    "Hey! I created you, you little bugger! How about you show some respect!?"

    Lyrian thought that his creature was going to respect him because he created him, but it seemed that was definitely not going to be the case.

    [Due to your low OP, a creature of this magnitude will not automatically respect you]

    ��������Scan��������

    Name: Garmr

    Species: Obsidian Wolf

    Age: ~0

    Overall Power (OP): 1

    Health: 11/11

    Stamina: 12/12

    Strength: 8

    Agility: 10

    Defense: 15

    Rank: Normal

    ����������������������

    "Tsk! How annoying," Lyrian said, staring at the rowdy pup in his hands with an irritated expression.

    *Ding* [New skill obtained: Shadow (Ability to hide your creatures within your shadow)]

    "Huh? Well, then that''s perfect. This is what you get, you little shit! Come out when you''re ready to behave." Lyrian said before using the Shadow skill.

    Immediately, the wolf turned into the same purple haze that it formed out of and entered Lyrians shadow without a trace.

    After this, Lyrian sat down and closed his eyes. He was going to stick to his original n of cultivating, even with everything that had just happened.

    After all, what else was there to do? The snakes weren''t going to be a problem either, as nowadays, he could sense their presence if they got about 10 feet near him when using Gale, as their bodies also contained a bit of mana.

    ***

    Cultivating and training away, a year passed. Lyrian was now 9 years old and was an average height for his age.

    His body progressed nicely over time, but most of all so did his cultivation. At this moment, he was on the brink of finally breaking through into a rank.

    So far, his stats always showed [Rank: None], but after this, he was going to rank up to an actual rank, which he was yet to know what it even was.

    Sweat poured down his forehead as he sat inside the mana alcove, cultivating away with Gale.

    [Mana: 98/100]

    He had been waiting for this day for far too long. Soon, he knew he was going to have to get an actual darn cultivation technique somehow, since Gale was simply too slow.

    [Mana: 99/100]

    In fact, a few months prior he checked some of the more expensive stores in the marketce and found some low-level cultivation techniques for sale, but the price nearly made him faint right then and there.

    [Mana: 100/100]

    By this point, Lyrian had the entire day cultivating without eating or sleeping, and since he did itst night as well, he was extremely exhausted but kept going.

    Finally, a green aura began to form around him before encircling him in multiple directions.

    Out of nowhere, his body began to float slightly as the green aura hastened, and before he knew it, his entire body was off of the ground.

    It seemed to have some sort of glow, but all Lyrian felt was an immense pressure at his core.

    Finally, the core burst its mana throughout the body, instantly empowering bones, flesh, tendons, and veins while expanding the meridians as it coursed through.

    The feeling was satisfying yet painful at the same time, but in the end, Lyrian opened his eyes to a beautiful sight.

    All the colors around him were vibrant and everything was more clear. Right now, it felt like he could smell the rocks around him and hear the bugs on the floor.

    Standing up, he felt as light as a feather, driving a smile to his face. He could feel the new power in his body.

    *Ding* [Congrattions! You have broken through into the Genesis rank, Layer: 1]

    "Hahaha! Finally!" He grinned.

    This was monumental for him, as it was a goal he was trying to reach for ages. Now, so many doors that were previously closed were opened up for him.

    Out of everything that this new rank meant for Lyrian, he most of all wanted to try magic, right now!

    Since the beginning, the purpose of cultivating was to learn magic. Now that he had broken through into the first official rank, he wanted to see if he could actually do it.

    Before that, however, he quickly opened up his stats to see where this new Genesis rank ced him.

    "Gear, open up stats."

    ��������Status��������

    Name: Lyrian Theageld

    Title(s): None

    Species: Human

    Bloodline: Unknown

    Age: 9 Years

    Overall Power (OP): 4

    Vitality: 110 Years

    Health: 44/44

    Stamina: 46/46

    Strength: 50

    Agility: 49

    Defense: 42

    Body: Normal

    Rank: Genesis: Layer 1

    MP: 0/200

    ����������������������

    His eyes widened in shock as he stared at the numbers. Just moments before, he was at an OP of 3, but now it was at 4.

    Almost all of his stats looked to increase by about 10 entire points!

 Chapter 17 Goblin Den

    ?He was expecting around 5 points into each stat at the very maximum, since gaining that much would easily take him another 2 or 3 years at his current rate of progression, but 10 wasn''t even on his mind!

    Happy with these results, Lyrian went outside of the cavern to try out magic for the first time.

    Now, he knew that one needed to use spells to perform magic from the books he read, as spells were the trantion devices that mana used to be objective magic in the real world, but right now, spells were not so easily obtainable.

    Just like cultivation techniques, spells came in the form of scrolls or books which one could learn from, but those were also very expensive, far too expensive for his wallet.

    Still, from what Lyrian knew, spells were only words of encouragement and knowledge to help one conjure magic. He didn''t think one exactly needed it to cast different spells.

    So, he wanted to see if his pure willpower and imagination were enough to do the job.

    Nearing a tree, he looked at it with an intense gaze as he put his two hands together and pulled them back behind him.

    In his entire two lives, he saw something simr to magic a few times back on Earth. Things that his stepbrothers used to watch on tv, and so, he decided to try them out.

    "Kaaameee..."

    He bent his knees slightly, cocking his hands back as he imagined all the mana in his body flowing directly into his palms.

    "Haameee..."

    In thest moments, he fully envisioned how the spell would work, and let go!

    "Haa!!"

    He threw his hands out in front of him, expecting a giant blue beam to shoot out from his palms and instantly evaporate the tree... but nothing happened.

    The silence was so striking that it felt like the birds in the trees mockingly stared at the boy.

    A tinge of embarrassment came to him when it suddenly failed, but he wasn''t willing to give up just yet.

    For several additional minutes, he tried out a few other spells which he saw on tv before.

    "Rasengan!"

    "Gomu-gomu... pistol!"

    "Ban-kai!"

    ...

    All failed.

    Tired of imagining spells and squeezing his muscles only to bare to fruit, Lyrian sat on the ground, panting.

    "Why the heck are none of these working!?"

    [First of all, you currently do not have any mana in storage, as you have recently ranked up]

    [Secondly, even if you were to have mana, you are not capable of creating spells out of thin air yet]

    [Obtaining a written spell scroll is currently your only option when ites to learning magic spells]

    Lyrian felt a bit dumb after hearing this from Gear.

    "Well, it makes sense I guess."

    Lyrian stood up, slightly defeated. How in the world was he going to get a magic spell scroll?

    Stealing wasn''t an option in such a bustling marketce, and he didn''t know if it was the right thing to do morally either.

    Just because he wanted to gain power over everything else... did that mean he should take things away from others? Even those who were innocent?

    He was yet to know the answer to that question, as it needed much more experience and overall understanding toe up with a reply.

    His entire life, he did everything for the sake of others only, but did that mean he could now freely do things only for his sake without any consideration for others?

    For Lyrian, these were questions that bared no answers as of yet.

    Although he was a little distressed, he decided to head out into the forest and explore a little, maybe even find something to fight against.

    With his new rank, Lyrian grinned at the fact that he could probably even take on a fully powerful Dire wolf.

    After these few years of training in the forest, he grew ustomed to his surroundings.

    Now that he had grown so significantly in power, however, he decided to go a little further than usual.

    Not to uncharted territory, but simply the farther parts of the forest which he rarely saw.

    After some walking, he came across the goblin den that he saw a few times before.

    Previously, he saw many goblins going in and out of the cavern, but he never challenged them as they were at the OP of upper 2.

    This wasn''t higher than his, but he knew that the high amount of goblins that always seemed to stick together would no-doubt quickly ovee him.

    Now, however, maybe he had a chance to ovee them instead, but Lyrian wasn''t sure ofmitting to that n just yet.

    Spying at the den from a few hundred feet away, Lyrian saw a few green goblins enter the cavern.

    He calmed his breathing andpletely stopped moving, slowing his heart rate which in turn hid his presence a lot more.

    �Ѧ���d��s����vel.c��m This trick was something he learned after hunting a ton.

    The 3 foot, skinny things with protruding round bellies and long, ugly noses walked into the den with a deer on their shoulders.

    From what Lyrian could see, they each had a rusty dagger attached to their rag which they wore over their private parts.

    He made sure not to make any movements especially around goblins because of their long and pointy ears that gave them excellent hearing.

    ''Scan.'' Lyrian said in his head out of curiosity. If they were weak enough, he would make up his mind on whether to attack the den or not.

    a��?a��?a��?a��?Scana��?a��?a��?a����

    Name: Tolkok

    Species: Goblin

    Age: 14

    Overall Power (OP): 2

    Health: 24/24

    Stamina: 24/27

    Strength: 19

    Agility: 30

    Defense: 12

    Rank: Normal

    a����a��?a��?a��?a��?a��?a��?a��?a��?a��?a��?

    Just like he thought, they were quite weak, their agility being the only slight problem.

    He waited until they went inside some more before finally standing up from his crouched position, but just then, he heard some rustling from the bushes right next to him, forcing him to immediately crouch back down.

    Had goblins already seen and surrounded him? It wasn''t an exaggerated concern, as he knew they were quite smart...

 Chapter 18 Adventurers

    ?While being cautious, he stared in the direction of the rustling, when suddenly, a human head popped out of the bushes.

    It was a girl, probably around 17 years of age, and a bright expression. She hopped out of the bushes and looked left to right, clutching her small metal wand.

    On her head was a mage''s hat and her body was adorned with a white mage robe with a pink outline.

    After making sure the coast was clear, she nodded at the bushes as multiple other people suddenly hopped out themselves.

    One was arger boy whose height was 10 inches taller than the girl at 6''2. He wore some chainmail armor and an ax attached to his back.

    The other was a few inches shorter and was of a slimmer build, wearing leather armor and a sword sheathed on his waist.

    All three appeared to be the same age and grinned wide.

    "Okay, team! Are you ready to take on your first goblin den?" A voice came out of nowhere before an older-looking gentleman suddenly appeared out of the bushes.

    He was probably in his early thirties, wearing sses atop the ride of his nose and a long mages outfit with a wooden staff in his hand.

    "Yes!" They all eagerly replied.

    Quickly scanning them all, Lyrian noted that the girl had an OP of 2 and the boys were barely on the 3 mark.

    The older man on the other hand had an OP of 5, slightly surprising him.

    "Now, remember, this den is a very easy one. It''s meant for rookie adventures like you three."

    The man with sses, Stafon, said.

    ''What?'' Lyrian immediately thought to himself in confusion.

    He was saying that the den was meant for them, but he knew that the three alone wouldn''t possibly be able to defeat it ande out alive.

    All of them were barely past halfway through breaking into Genesis Layer 1, and so even if they could conjure spells, there was simply no way for them to win.

    "At max, there are probably 5 to 8 goblins inside, so don''t worry and just know that I will always be by your side to help you in case anything goes wrong. Now, how about we begin?" He grinned.

    Lyrian thought he might have been misunderstanding the situation at first, but now, he was slightly suspicious.

    ''5 to 8 goblins? What a tant lie. I know from experience that there are easily over 30 inside of that den. What is that man''s purpose?'' He questioned.

    The group entered the den shortly after and after thinking to himself for a minute or so, Lyrian decided to follow them inside.

    He was curious about the situation, a main question was whether magic was so powerful that it could ovee such arge gap in strength between the adventurers and the horde of goblins.

    He was still skeptical but it wouldn''t hurt to see. On top of that, maybe he could learn some stuff from these adventures, and if not, they would still be a help in defeating the goblin den in general.

    Beforemitting himself to go deep inside the cave, he gathered together some sticks and created a small torch.

    The cave was quiterge and spacious the whole way through, around the size of two entire buses stacked up on each other.

    The shape was like a tunnel going downwards.

    After ten minutes of walking Lyrian came across a two-way fork in the path with some goblin corpses scattered around as well.

    Looking at the bodies, Lyrian noted that a few were burned, some mangled, and some frozen. There was no doubt that the adventurers could use magic after this.

    Taking a closer look at the cement of the corpses and the footsteps around them, Lyrian decided to take the right path as the adventures followed the same one.

    After walking for another ten minutes or so, Lyrian finally came across a few straggling goblins that the adventures left behind.

    Lyrian thought that the purpose of the adventures was to train and also to gain monster materials, so leaving some behind was quite odd, but he quickly brushed it off.

    Right now, that wasn''t important.

    The goblins weren''t too difficult to defeat either. Since they were few in number, Lyrian simply ran up to them and sliced the back of their necks.

    It was an instant kill since it paralyzed the body and they bleed out soon afterwards.

    Finally, he reached what looked to be a dead end.

    "A dead end?" He said, noticing the footsteps of the adventurers simply disappear into the wall.

    "HELP!" A muffled voice suddenly sounded out of nowhere, immediately alerting Lyrian who quickly put up his guard and scanned the room.

    No one was in his immediate vision, and as several other blood-curdling screams resounded, he felt like he was hearing the cries from inside the walls.

    Lyrian turned his head to look at the ''dead end'' once again.

    "The screams sound like they''reing from the other side of this wall... a hidden room?" He surmised, looking for a way to get to the other side.

    More screams and booming noises sounded as Lyrian looked around. Thankfully with his new rank, his vision was much better, and he was quickly able to spot what looked to be a lever hidden amongst a pile of rocks in the corner.

    He quickly ran over to it and pulled it back as the wall in front of him began to slowly open, dust and debris falling from the ceiling...

 Chapter 19 Horde Of Goblins

    ?Finally, the opening revealed arge cavern room inside. Lyrian quickly dashed inside to a shocking reveal.

    30, no, over 50 living goblins were scattered all over the ce, with the adventurers from the previous situation right in the middle of the surprisingly bright room that was lit up by amber crystals on the walls.

    The group looked to hug a fountain or shine of some sort in the middle as they barely continued to fight off the overwhelming amount of goblins, their bodies heavily cut and injured already.

    Something was off though, as Lyrian squinted to take a closer look, he realized that Stafon, the older gentleman from before, wasn''t amongst the crew.

    Scanning the rest of the room, he noticed another opened wall simr to the one that he came inside from.

    ''He must have escaped through there.'' Lyrian thought, now fully convinced that Stafon was driven by evil intentions.

    Without any hesitation, Lyrian began ughtering goblins left right and center with his knife.

    In the middle, therger boy with the ax tried to stand more in front, blocking the heavier attacks with his chainmail armor simr to a tank role.

    Still, he bared several deep cuts that pierced through his armor and didn''t look like he was going to survive long.

    The other boy tried his best to attack the goblins with his sword but had tears falling down his face and an arm nearly detached from his body.

    The look in his eyes was one of despair and desperation like he just wanted to stop fighting and die at this point.

    The girl was the least injured out of the group as she stood in the back trying to cast healing spells and asional fireballs and even some ice spikes here and there, but she was much paler than before, most likely due to mana exhaustion where one used up too much mana and drained their life force.

    Their screams were relentless, enough to send shivers down a normal person''s spine. The human cry for help was something that could break anyone down mentally, but Lyrian refused to be discouraged by it.

    Just like that time when he killed the mother of those two baby rabbits, he needed to ept that this was simply the nature of the world; the strong killing the weak.

    However�� Another thought was also prominent in Lyrian''s mind.

    These rookie adventures were lied to. They were told that this ce was going to be easier and were now going to die because of it.

    This was not their fault, it was not how things were meant to go. It was not the natural order of life.

    No, a horrible person did this to them on purpose to cause this.

    Right now, Lyrian had no hopes that they could survive by the time he reached them since their injuries were far too serious.

    So instead, he decided to focus on killing the goblins here first to move on to the next room through the other opening that he saw.

    He wanted to confront Stafon. He didn''t know what for exactly yet, since it wasn''t his business to begin with, but in his mind he felt like it was the right thing to do.

    As Lyrian continued to move like a serpent through the crowd of goblins, his footsteps wlessly ced in order to avoid any mistakes and his de flowing like water, he cut down several more goblins in the span of a few seconds.

    Noticing this however, arge chunk of over ten goblins changed their attention to him instead, quickly closing in on him on all sides.

    Just as he was surrounded by the goblins, Lyrian finally yelled "Garmr! Out!"

    Out of his shadow suddenly appeared a 6-foot white wolf with an obsidian back, immediately howling ferociously as it held its master atop its back.

    "Go!" Lyrian shouted as Garmr immediately dispersed the ten goblins by ripping them all to shreds.

    Their bodies tore apart pieces of paper as Garmr''s obsidian jaws crunched down and frivolously shook them in the air, causing blood to stter everywhere.

    He jumped off of the wolf''s back as it went on a rampage, instead focusing on reaching the middle of the room.

    By the time he sliced through the leftover goblins and arrived in the middle, the three adventurers were all on the floor.

    The taller, bulkier-built boy looked to have bled to death from his chest wounds, and the other, sword-wielding boy''s head was decapitated, but the mage was still breathing.

    Lyrian approached her and knelt down, as she looked like she was trying to say something.

    "Sndra��house�C" She barely managed to softly whisper as her voice finally gave out and her eyes became dull of life.

    Lyrian had no clue what she meant by that, but he decided to keep it as a mental note in case he ever needed it in the future.

    After all, not many would say pure gibberish as their final words. It definitely contained some value.

    "Garmr!" He shouted, seeing that no more goblins were alive.

    The wolf quickly ran over to Lyrian, lifting him up by the snout and cing him on his back.

    His nose was drenched in blood, but his tail was wagging like a puppy.

    "Through that opening," Lyrian said, pointing with his finger as Garmr began running full speed towards that direction.

    Right now, curiosity was killing Lyrian. He just had to know why anyone would lead rookie adventurers to their death in a goblin den?

    If it was for simple evil pleasure, Stafon would still be around to see the adventurers get killed, but it wasn''t. Clearly, he was driven by some ulterior motive, a motive that Lyrian was only going to figure out by confronting him directly��

 Chapter 20 Skewed Justice

    ?Garmr was lighting quick, like arge horse but with stronger muscles andrger bones. He reached speeds at around 60 mph without any problem.

    After 20 seconds or so of running, Lyrian heard the nging of weapons reverberating through the cave.

    The tunnel he was going through was lit up like the previous room with the 50 goblins, but due to the angles of the hall, he couldn''t see what was in front of him.

    As Garmr sped forward, all fighting noises suddenly stopped.

    After a few more seconds, Lyrian began to hear the echoes of rushed footstepsing his way.

    To not abruptly run into trouble, he ordered Garmr to stop and jumped off his back before using Shadow to make him disappear.

    He did not need to wait long to discover what was running, as around the corner of the cave came a familiar man with sses atop the ridge of his nose.

    Stafon was running in a frantic pattern, his steps not coherent with each other at all.

    His face was covered in desperation and fear, pale as a ghost and drenched in sweat. He held his right arm which waspletely dislocated and twisted around, forming a gruesome sight.

    Right now, Stafon was running away from the final boss of the cave, the one that he sacrificed the lives of the adventurers to get to.

    However, the boss was not a normal variant, but instead, an enhanced one that he nearly died to.

    ''A boy?... I don''t know what he''s doing here but he will be enough.'' Stafon thought to himself, nning to use Lyrian as a distraction to get away from the final boss who would soon awake from the poisonous sleeping gas he used on it to get away.

    "Boy! Listen, I need your help!" He yelled, trying to hide his fear in order to not scare the child away.

    "From the looks of it, it seems like you do," Lyrian replied nonchntly.

    "--What?" Stafon couldn''t understand why this kid, who wasn''t even ten years old, was mocking him.

    It left him confused and a little worried, wondering why such a young boy would be in the cave in the first ce, but he pushed those thoughts aside because the boy was his only chance at survival.

    Stafon knew that if the boss were to wake up, there was no possible way he could outrun it.

    Closing the distance between them, Stafon desperately tried to touch the boy''s shoulder.

    However, just before his hand could make contact, his entire body froze in shock, like a deer caught in headlights.

    His eyes widened and his eyebrows raised as he witnessed a frighteningly dangerous aura emanating from the boy''s intense gaze.

    It was as if he was standing right next to a being whose power was superior to that of even the boss of this cave.

    As Lyrian stared angrily, Stafon fell back on his rear, subconsciously raising his hand in front to protect himself, whilst still gazing into the boy''s eyes.

    "Wh�Cwho are you?" He lightly spoke with fear behind his voice.

    Through Stafon''s current point of view, Lyrian looked like a demon. A god of death standing before his enemy, waiting to cast final judgment.

    No matter how much he wanted to move, he simply couldn''t.

    ''This is�� killing intent.'' Stafon thought to himself.

    "Why?" Lyrian asked with a simple yet piercing question.

    Stafon stammered, caught off guard. "Wha-what?"

    "Why did you sacrifice those adventurers?" Lyrian pressed, though he already had a good idea of the answer.

    Despite his two lifetimes, he still struggled to grasp the depths of human behavior.

    There was a glimmer of hope within him, however small, for a usible exnation.

    Confusion washed over Stafon. To him, the answer should have been obvious to anyone with a shred of decency.

    He was a fraud, a murderer who exploited others for his own gain.

    But then, it struck him: the person before him was just a child.

    A sly smile formed on Stafon''s face. Lying came naturally to him, and he believed he could survive this dire situation with a few well-crafted falsehoods.

    "I swear I''m innocent! We thought this cave would be a cakewalk, but it deceived us! We encountered a goblin horde, and I did my best to fight, but they drove me away while the others stayed to battle. You have to understand, you''re my only hope!" he pleaded, pouring conviction into his words.

    Lyrian''s expression darkened. "No," he whispered silently.

    "No?" Stafon replied, bewildered. "I--" His words were abruptly cut off.

    "That''s not a good enough reason," Lyrian interjected, his eyes revealing a ruthlessness previously unseen. "You led them to believe it would be easy, and when it wasn''t, you should have stayed and faced the consequences with them."

    "Fair... It''s only fair," Lyrian dered, his skewed sense of justice contrasting sharply with the world.

    In the blink of an eye, a knife swept across Stafon''s neck, swiftly severing it in a clean cut.

    As his lifeless body slumped to the ground, Lyrian summoned Gramr once again before continuing through the tunnel.

    He clenched his jaw while looking forward. He just killed someone. The feeling wasn''t like killing an animal or seeing other people die, it was indescribable.

    But after a deep breath, Lyrian made a choice. He couldn''t dwell on what he had done.

    In his mind, killing Stafon was the right thing to do, and there was no room for regret or turning back.

    The only path ahead was to keep moving forward.

 Chapter 21 Hobgoblin Shaman

    ?Normally, a person close to death would not act so afraid. Fight or flight would be the appropriate reaction.

    This was, however, not the case when it came to killing intent. A desire to kill paired with the life/spiritual aura of another being was enough to cause people to faint, go limp, or simply freeze in the eyes of death.

    Currently, however, Lyrian had no clue about this. It wasn''t included in any magic book he read because not everyone had the ability to use it.

    After a minute or so, Lyrian came across another opening around the same size as the one with the goblin horde.

    On entering, he saw a sleeping giant in the middle. He wondered what was able to defeat Stafon, who wasn''t exactly weak, but this wasn''t what he expected.

    He thought to himself how he never saw any other creatures but goblinsing in and out of the cave before while scouting. ''Scan.''

    ��������Scan��������

    Name: Gak Kok

    Species: Hobgoblin

    Age: 36

    Overall Power (OP): 6

    Health: 65/65

    Stamina: 60/60

    Strength: 62

    Agility: 55

    Defense: 67

    Rank: Normal (40/100)

    Special: Goblin Shaman (Title)

    ����������������������

    ''Huh? What''s this?'' Lyrian said to himself, noticing the new ''Special'' stat.

    [The Special stat is added to a creature who holds a title or special ability]

    He also noticed that its rank was 40% of the way to the first Layer of Genesis, or at least he assumed that''s what it would be, thinking monsters and humans had the same cultivation rankings.

    There was no doubt that its stats were intimidating, but despite that, a grin formed on Lyrian''s face.

    ''Your soul will be mine.'' He immediately thought to himself.

    Instead of seeing the high stats as a threat, he thought of it as a benefit for himself.

    This wasn''t necessarily out of overconfidence, but simply: Confidence.

    Deciding not to waste any more time, he picked up a stone from the cavern''s floor and cocked his hand back before hurling the rock at the Hobgoblin at full force.

    [Hobgoblin Health: 60/65]

    *KREEII*

    The creature abruptly screeched, quickly standing up to its final stature of 10 feet.

    It wore colorful regalia, a few feathers arched on the top of its head. There was no doubt that it was a part of the goblin mega-species, as its abnormallyrge face resembled that of normal goblins.

    In its right hand was a dark drum made of deerskin and on its right a metal drumstick.

    Out of nowhere, the creature spread both of his hands out into the air like wings, before quickly mming the drumstick into the drum in the middle.

    A loud, powerful booming noise resonated through the cave at once, sending a woozy feeling down Lyrian''s spine and causing him to fall to one knee.

    His eyes widened in shock as he looked at the ground. ''Was that�� a magic spell?'' He confusedly thought, assuming a chant was needed before any spell could be conducted.

    Without hesitation the Hobgoblin leaped forward toward Lyrian, appearing before him in what seemed like just a split second.

    Lyrian was shocked at this immense speed, but most of all, he also knew that he couldn''t control his body right now.

    Clenching its fist around the drumstick, the Hobgoblin released a powerful punch toward Lyrian''s skull.

    Just by the breadth of a hair, however, Lyrian was pushed out of the way by Garmr, as he instead took the brunt of the blow.

    [Garmr Health: 24/50]

    At once he was thrown several feet back by the force of the blow, tumbling a few times before catching his bnce.

    Lyrian knew that Garmr was powerful, but he wasn''t at his full potential just yet. Right now, he was still weaker than the Hobgoblin.

    Just as he regained his ability to move, the Hobgoblin blitzed toward him, appearing before him once again almost like teleportation before sending another powerful blow, but this time, Lyrian bent backward, nearly dodging a deadly attack once again.

    A strong gust of wind followed shortly after from the force of the blow, surprising Lyrian.

    ''Even with that high of a strength stat, that power shouldn''t be normal!'' He thought to himself before quickly dashing back a few times to create more space.

    Again the Hobgoblin appeared in front of Lyrian, but this time, before it could attack, Lyrian noticed that it charged up its punch for a split second before releasing it.

    ''Body enhancing magic? It must be.''

    This time he stepped to the side to avoid the blow, sessfully dodging it once again.

    Just a few seconds prior, he felt as though the difference in speed between him and the Hobgoblin was far too much to ovee, but now, he was more confident.

    This was because he noticed that although the creature moved fast, its attacks were much slower since they needed time to be charged up, giving him time to react.

    It was a bit of an exploit but Lyrian wasn''t going toin whatsoever.

    If all it could do was move fast, he knew that the best time to attack would be right after its attack.

    And so, after barely dodging one more deadly punch to the torso, he stepped to the side and drove his dagger across the Hobgoblin''s chest, causing a gush of blood to stter all over him as he backed up some more.

    Just then, Garmr seemed to have recovered and joined the battle as well, biting into the creature''s shoulder and mming him to the ground.

    ''Wait!'' Lyrian thought, knowing that the Hobgoblin was still in high health.

    Unlike him, Garmr didn''t know about the exploit on the Hobgoblin, giving it the time to charge up its attack andunch it directly at Garmr''s snout.

    Just before it could make contact, however, Lyrian quickly pulled him back into his shadow.

    Since he had control over Garmr''s soul, he didn''t know if Garmr could actually die or not, but he wasn''t going to take any chances either.

    While the Hobgoblin was turned around to face Garmr who was no longer there, Lyrian drove his dagger into the back of its neck, severing its nervous system cords from its brain.

    In thought, any normal creature should have died here, but the Hobgoblin let out a loud shriek instead before wrestling Lyrian off and standing back up.

    Looking at his dagger, Lyrian noticed that it waspletely bent like a piece of stic.

    ''What!? I''m certain I made contact with its nervous system.'' He thought to himself, shocked.

    That''s when the thought came to him that the creature had used its ability to strengthen a certain part of its body on its nervous system cords, therefore being able to protect it.

    Up until now, it had been using it to power up his fists, but for that split second it used it on its nervous system.

    ''What a stupidly overpowered ability��''''

    The Hobgoblin stared Lyrian down, knowing that the boy''s greatest weapon was now useless.

    The look was menacing, one of dominance and victory.

    However, the young boy noticed this and matched his gaze, throwing away the busted dagger.

    ''Does this brute really think he has already won?'' Lyrian thought to himself, almost offended at that fact.

    "I don''t need a dagger to defeat you, my bare hands are enough!" He yelled, knowing that the creature didn''t understand a word he said.

    Although it had strengthened its nervous system cords just in time, Lyrian knew that since it took a short second to charge up the spell, he must have cut through at least some of the cords.

    Without those cords, the Hobgoblin''s ability to use its body and strength properly was no doubt lessened, if notpletely diminished.

    He didn''t really have much of a choice now anyway, since his dagger was fucked up, so he decided to risk his chances and go head-to-head with the arrogant creature.

    He was going to prove that in a justified world of nature where the strong killed the weak; he was superior in all ways.

    With lightning speed, they charged at each other like a couple of raging storms, eyes locked in a showdown that oozed pure animosity.

    Their palms collided, creating shockwaves that reverberated through the battleground.

    It was a contest of raw power and unyielding will.

    It was a pure contest of strength, but after just a few seconds, Lyrian stepped to the side and picked up the giant, mming him onto the ground.

    Without hesitation he leaped onto the creature''s massive chest, his battle-worn body pulsating with adrenaline.

    His palms converged, forging a makeshift weapon akin to a formidable wrecking ball.

    With every ounce of his being, he thrust the destructive force downward, aiming for the heart of the fallen Hobgoblin.

    A thunderous BANG resounded, echoing the finality of the strike.

    The weakened beast, already on the brink of demise, sumbed to the merciless blow.

    Drained and breathless, Lyrian copsed backward, his body crashing onto the unforgiving ground in a symphony of exhaustion.

    As hey there, gasping for air, beads of sweat mingling with the dirt and grime upon his brow, a flicker of realization illuminated his weary eyes.

    "That was too damn close," he muttered betweenbored breaths. "This is not enough. I must get to even higher levels of power!"

    With an unyielding spirit burning within him, Lyrian knew that the path of strength he had embarked upon was one that would push him to his limits.

    And so, he resolved to grow stronger, to surpass all boundaries, for he understood that in this unforgiving world, the pursuit of power was the key to survival and freedom from pain.

 Chapter 22 New Abilities

    ?After a few seconds ofying down, Lyrian slowly rose to his feet before looking over the dead body of the Hobgoblin.

    "Reap."

    A white orb immediately flew out of the creature''s body before entering Lyrians chest.

    [Soul sessfully captured]

    [Soul Storage: 2/2]

    "Gear, is it possible for me to merge the two souls I have in storage?"

    [No. Your affinity for the ability "Creature-link" is not sufficient enough yet to merge a previously fused soul with any other soul]

    Lyrian was a bit disappointed at this fact, but it wasn''t too big of a deal. In the end, he still had the soul of a powerful creature.

    [However, due to this rule, I, as a fair system, must also implement the rule that previously merged souls do not count toward the storage limit of the soul storage stat]

    [Current number of souls that are eligible to merge is 1/2]

    ''... Gear, from now on, only tell me the number of eligible souls, unless I specify otherwise.''

    [Request epted]

    After hearing this, Lyrian inspected the dead body of the Hobgoblin and noticed that an object was poking out of its robe.

    He was going to check if it had something before it turned to dust anyways, so he reached in and took out arge scroll the size of his torso from inside.

    The material was old, brown paper, but its handles were made of bright wood that was red in color.

    Curious, he opened the scroll to see that it was covered in hundreds of small words that he couldn''t read.

    "What is this?"

    Suddenly, the scroll began to disintegrate into green sparkles of light before entering Lyrian''s be.

    Out of nowhere, information began to pour into his head.

    This scroll was a spell. Many spells were written down in books, but others were written down in scrolls.

    Scrolls, most of the time, had a unique traitpared to books with spells in them. They had incantations that forced the information on the scroll to immediately transfer to the holder when opened.

    This made them efficient and easy to use. Lyrian was slightly surprised as to how the creature had such an item.

    *Ding* [You have learned your first spell: Enhance (Ability to fortify your physical body using Mana for a limited time)]

    [Congrattions! By learning a spell, you have met the requirements for a hidden achievement!]

    [Achievement reward: Skill Convergence (Ability to merge two previously mastered skills in order to create a new one)]

    His eyes widened in shock, but then a feeling of excitement overcame him.

    The Skill Convergence ability gifted to him by the system was great news, but he now finally had a real spell that he could use.

    Enhance. ording to the information that previously poured into his head from the scroll and also the description of the system, it sounded just like what the Hobgoblin Shaman was using.

    Except, the Hobgoblin was only enhancing one part of its body at a time.

    He wanted to try it out immediately but also didn''t want to waste his mana right then and there.

    Right now, Lyrian assumed that when he used mana, the only way he could retrieve it would be by cultivating it all back, which was going to be a really big pain.

    ''I guess I''ll have to use it in dire situations only...'' He thought to himself for now before moving on.

    Searching some more, Lyrian found a pouch of coins in the creature''s robe as well.

    After looking through and finding nothing else, Lyrian gazed at the creature''s robe.

    "This material..." He whispered as he touched the cloth the robe was made out of. Although it was dirty, the robe was by no means ripped or old looking.

    He stripped the robe from the creature, leaving it naked, before also taking its drum and drumstick.

    ''If I remember correctly, it used this to paralyze me in the fight.'' He thought as he yed the drum himself.

    However, nothing happened. Only, a loud noise reverberated through the cavern.

    [The (Drum Wind) spell that the Hobgoblin Shaman used was something that it cultivated on its own through many years of trial and error. These material objects do not have power over it]

    ''Ah, I see. How unfortunate.'' Lyrian thought but still held onto them, as they weren''t too battered either and could be sold.

    Soon after, he left the den, ensuring he didn''t miss out on looting the rest of the bodies inside.

    There wasn''t much point in searching the goblin corpses since they rarely held anything valuable. However, he didn''t hesitate to loot Stafon, who had a fat pouch on him, along with the adventurers.

    Among their belongings, they had a few coin pouches, but what really caught Lyrian''s attention were their weapons, wand, and potions.

    It didn''t feel great to strip their bodies of their possessions, considering they were different from Stafon, who deserved his fate. Nevertheless, Lyrian understood that death didn''te with dignity.

    "I hope you three find peace," he quietly said to them before departing, "but these items won''t be of much use in the afterlife."

    As the sun began its descent, painting the sky with hues of gold and pink, he knew it was time to head back to base camp.

    To keep things safe, he decided to store everything inside the mana alcove for now.

    After freshening up, he embarked on his journey homeward, aiming to reach his destination before the sun disappeared beyond the horizon. However, he couldn''t help but notice an unusual sight along the way.

    The main street of the city, which he usually walked through, waspletely blocked by a massive crowd.

    The air was filled with uproarious cheers and apuse as if something extraordinary was happening within.

    Intrigued, Lyrian maneuvered his way through the enthusiastic crowd to catch a glimpse of the spectacle.

    And there it was, revealed before his eyes--a majestic chariot slowly approaching, surrounded by hundreds of people lining the street as far as his vision could stretch.

    "What''s all themotion about?" Lyrian shouted to the man standing beside him, struggling to make himself heard amidst the boisterous atmosphere.

    The man nced down at Lyrian, taken aback by his apparent ignorance. With a mixture of surprise and excitement, he eximed, "Don''t you know? It''s June 25th! The day when Master Theagard graces our streets!" After sharing this revtion, he returned to his exuberant cheering.

    "Theagard?" Lyrian muttered, his interest piqued by the uncanny resemnce of that name to his ownst name.

 Chapter 23 Bastards

    ?The chariot moved closer as Lyrian finally caught a glimpse of it through themotion. Immediately, his eyes widened slightly in shock as he noticed the four people carrying the chariot on their backs.

    They had rusty chains around their necks and feet, looking to be dirty and scar-filled, with faces of pure despair and eyes that were rid of any emotion.

    This sent a slight shock to Lyrian''s system, as he found it peculiar that people weren''t even batting an eye to the ves under the chariot, but instead were directing all their attention to those on top.

    Speaking of which, there were four people atop the chariot that Lyrian immediately noticed as it approached closer.

    First, he saw a luxuriously robed man with a tall stature and a long brown beard. From the looks on his face that smiled slightly and waved to the people down below, he seemed to be in his mid-thirties.

    Just from first impressions, Lyrian could tell that this man possessed some sort of power behind his eyes.

    He didn''t know exactly what it was, but it almost felt like the aura around the man was denser than usual.

    ''Scan,'' Lyrian said in his mind.

    [Error! The target''s power level is too high to scan]

    [Increasing your mastery of the Scan skill will enable you to scan individuals with higher power levels]

    ''...''

    Standing beside the man was a woman in an elegant ck dress, her polite smile captivating the crowd.

    Like the man, she appeared quite young, leading Lyrian to assume they were a married couple.

    Beneath a regal umbre, they stood tall, projecting an air of authority. However, behind them sat two children of the same age, around nine years old, who seemed disinterested and unaffected.

    Their expressions remained neutral, neither smiling nor waving, revealing nothing of their true emotions.

    A quick nce was enough for Lyrian to make assumptions about the children''s nature.

    They reminded him of his "family" back on Earth��people who harbored disdain for those they deemed inferior.

    As the chariot finally made its way right in front of Lyrian, he first gazed at the eyes of every individual below the vehicle.

    He took a short moment to stare curiously at their eyes, bodies, and faces.

    His gaze lingered on them for a brief moment, his curiosity driving him to observe every detail.

    As Lyrian carefully observed each person, a glimmer of recognition shed in the man''s eyes perched atop the chariot.

    He couldn''t help but notice the peculiar boy, the sole individual in the crowd who dared to divert his gaze from the man himself and instead fixate on the ves.

    After thoroughly examining everyone, Lyrian''s eyes finally lifted, locking directly with the man in an unexpected connection.

    Because of the slight distress, Lyrian felt from looking at those humans who had pure despair in their eyes, his eyes narrowed, and his brows furrowed, unintentionally revealing his inner turmoil.

    This wasn''t a great look to have when staring directly at the eyes of a man who looked back with a curious intensity of his own.

    Seeing that man''s face for even a split second made Lyrian slightly angrier, as he imagined only the worst of scum using other people to carry him.

    Because of that slight anger, some of Lyrian''s aura was directed towards Theagard, causing killing intent to be solely shown to him as well.

    The man''s eyes widened just a fraction, a glimmer of realization dancing within them as he sensed a faint but unmistakable air of danger radiating from the boy before him.

    A question formed in his mind,ced with intrigue and a touch of caution. "Bloodlust?" he mused silently, recognizing the raw, untamed essence of deadly intent emanating from Lyrian.

    �Ѧ���d��s����vel.c��m As the chariot passed, Theagard switched his gaze to the rest of the crowd and began to smile and wave once again, and Lyrian carried on his way home through an alleyway.

    ''Hees every year? June 25th huh?'' He decided to mark it in his head.

    It was interesting to see that, but Lyrian didn''t really care too much about it either. Right now, he simply wanted to get home before darkness settled.

    As Lyrian strolled down the alley that branched off the bustling main street, he came across a group of familiar kids blocking his path.

    Giving their faces a closer look, he couldn''t help but recognize them.

    There was a chubby, short one, a tall and skinny one, and a pompous-looking redhead in the middle with a head full of spiky hair.

    "No doubt about it," Lyrian thought.

    The trio seemed engrossed in their little game, oblivious to Lyrian''s approach.

    But as his footsteps echoed through the alley, they all turned in unison. Their eyes locked with Lyrian''s as he casually made his way toward them.

    For a moment, all three of them just stared, but then the chubby one burst intoughter.

    "Well, well, well! If it ain''t mister ''I got the crap kicked outta me''!" he jeered,ughing his ass off.

    "What''s that, tubby? He knocked you t on your rear thest time, don''t think I forgot!" Cedric, the red-haired boy, retorted, quickly shutting down theughter.

    "Look at him strutting so confidently! Does he think he can take us on now that he''s grown a bit taller and..." Thenky one trailed off, his confidence wavering as he noticed Lyrian''s surprisingly toned physique.

    "And a little more muscle, I guess," he added with slightly less bravado.

    "Hah! Are you getting scared, huh? Don''t you know whose side you''re on?" Cedric chimed in.

    "You know what? You''re right!" thenky one conceded.

    As Lyrian drew nearer, he caught sight of a small dog tied up behind them, its limbs bound with rope and its mouth gagged with a cloth to stifle its barks.

    Instantly, a shock ran through Lyrian. "These... bastards."

    The chubby one stepped forward, just likest time, ready to halt Lyrian''s progress.

    "You can''t just walk past us like that. Your lucky punch won''t work this time, Theageld," he sneered, confident that he could stop Lyrian in his tracks.

    But without warning, Lyrian unleashed a powerful punch straight into the chubby bully''s gut.

    The air was forcefully expelled from his lungs as his arms iled and his eyes rolled back into his skull.

    With a thud, his hefty body slumped to the ground, a deep fist mark etched on his belly.

    "I''ve been wanting to meet you three again," Lyrian said with a sudden grin spreading across his face.

 Chapter 24 Beatdown

    ?Suddenly, Cedric''s face, which was almost yful before, changed to a serious one as he turned to face Lyrian.

    Lyrian looked at the fat boy''s body.

    ''Good. This level of strength should do.'' He thought to himself as he clenched his fist, seeing that there hadn''t been any serious damage done to the boy.

    Cedric furrowed his brows in confusion before tapping thenky kid lightly so that he would step up and fight.

    The boy looked back at Cedric with a confused expression, expecting the two of them to fight Lyrian just like before.

    To be frank, the tall kid was actually slightly scared of Lyrian right now. Before, he had 2v1ed him, but right now Cedric was clearly wanting to use him to test Theageld''s strength.

    After taking a look at Cedric''s serious expression, thenky boy knew that if he didn''t fight right now he would get beaten up rightter on, so reluctantly, he steeled himself and took a determined step towards his opponent.

    Convincing himself that the boy was just a fake noble weakling, the boy released a kick toward Lyrian''s side--just then Lyrian took a back-step, avoiding it easily.

    A flicker of worry crossed thenky boy''s face, but there was no turning back now.

    He mustered up the courage and attempted a swift punch, but once again, his fist missed Lyrian''s mark.

    ''Huh... I wanted to gauge how strong I waspared to normal kids my age, but I think these idiots will be way too weak for that.''

    Lyrian muttered to himself, stepping to the side. With force, he mmed his fist down on thenky boy''s neck, sending him crashing to the ground with a solid thump.

    ''Scan.'' He said in his head whilst looking at thenky kid''s body.

    ��������Scan��������

    Name: Bokus Laus

    Species: Human

    Age: 9

    Overall Power (OP): 1

    Health: 14/14

    Stamina: 15/15

    Strength: 17

    Agility: 16

    Defense: 15

    Rank: Normal (23/100)

    ����������������������

    ''I guess I was right. They won''t be good test subjects...'' He said, seeing how weak the boy was.

    But just in case, he decided to scan Cedric as well, who was quickly storming over to him with an angry expression.

    ��������Scan��������

    Name: Cedric

    Species: Human

    Age: 9

    Overall Power (OP): 2

    Health: 27/27

    Stamina: 26/26

    Strength: 28

    Agility: 31

    Defense: 25

    Rank: Normal (76/100)

    ����������������������

    �Ѧ���d��s����vel.c��m Lyrian''s eyes widened slightly in surprise at these stats. Cedric was far stronger than the other boys.

    Most notably, his agility was above 30, indicating that dodging his attacks might actually pose a challenge.

    Without warning, Cedric threw a punch at maximum power toward Lyrian.

    Lyrian swiftly leaned to the side, narrowly avoiding Cedric''s powerful punch as it whizzed past him.

    The force behind the strike created a tiny gust of wind that ruffled Lyrian''s hair, a testament to Cedric''s strength.

    Realizing that dodging alone wouldn''t be enough, Lyrian decided to put his agility to the test. He swiftly ducked under Cedric''s follow-up punch, feeling the rush of air as it sailed over his head.

    As he rose back up, Lyrian countered with a quick series of punches and kicks, aiming for Cedric''s exposed sides. Of course, none of his attacks were at full power.

    Cedric, however, proved to be a formidable opponent. He deftly parried Lyrian''s strikes, his movements fluid and precise.

    The two engaged in a fast-paced exchange of blows, their fists and feet moving with astonishing speed.

    Lyrian couldn''t help but be impressed by Cedric''s skills. Despite his arrogant demeanor, Cedric possessed a solid understanding of martial arts and exhibited a level of proficiency that surpassed his age.

    "Where did you learn how to fight like this?" Lyrian suddenly asked amid their fight.

    "What?" Cedric said with confusion before pausing for a moment.

    "Obviously I learned it from my martial arts teacher! As a noble, I''m different from you peasants. I have a duty to be strong so that I can enter a prominent academy and honor my family by making a name for myself!" He yelled.

    ''An academy?'' Lyrian thought to himself, remembering that kids in this world began schooling at the age of ten, which he was only one year away from.

    "An academy will help you make a name for yourself huh?" Lyrian asked rhetorically.

    In reality, he was actually just asking himself that question in consideration.

    "Wha- stop saying such stupid things. Why do you care anyways!? It''s not like you are going to get into a prominent academy! For you, I guess you can''t make a name for yourself!"

    ��

    "Is that right? And what If I do get into one?"

    With a confident smirk, Lyrian decided it was time to put an end to the exhrating showdown.

    He shifted into a higher gear, unleashing a rapid onught of strikes that left Cedric struggling to keep up.

    Bam! Lyrian''s fist found its mark, connecting solidly with Cedric''s jaw. The impact reverberated through the air like a crack of thunder.

    Cedric''s eyes widened in a mix of surprise and frustration, his mouth agape as if he were trying to catch his breath.

    Seizing the opportunity, Lyrian pressed on, his movements flowing seamlessly from one devastating strike to the next.

    He weaved around Cedric''s feeble attempts to defend himself, delivering a perfectly timed roundhouse kick thatnded with a resounding thud against Cedric''s chest.

    The force of the blow sent Cedric hurtling backward, his body spiraling through the air.

    Cedric crashed to the ground with a heavy impact, a cloud of dust billowing around him.

    Despite the sudden increase in power, Lyrian still hadn''t gone all out.

    ''An academy! That might be what I''m needing the most right now.'' Lyrian began to think to himself, remained of the existence of schooling.

    He never attended school back on Earth, and for years he didn''t attend it on Zaryn either, so he nearly forgot about its existence.

    But seeing as how his progress was teauing recently, a school that gave him resources to further gain strength, especially when it came to information on magic, was pretty much just what he was looking for.

    Making up his mind to look into academies, Lyrian freed the dog that was tied up, giving it a pat on the head before it ran off.

    Before leaving, however, he made sure to loot both the fat and skinny kids and finally Cedric as well.

    Unlike the other two, however, he wasn''t unconscious. Still, he could barely move his body due to the trauma it induced from the fight.

    "Don''t touch me! You bastard! You''re filth!" Cedric screamed in an arrogant rage as Lyrian walked over to him.

    To his dismay, however, Lyrian showed no mercy, looting him of everyst coin he had.

    As Lyrian made his way back home, he solely thought of the thing that was going to be his new obsession: Academy.

 Chapter 25 Library

    ?After returning home, Lyrian wanted to learn about academies as much as possible and as soon as possible.

    ording to Cedric, getting into an academy seemed like a great way to grow stronger.

    The best way for one''s name to spread, after all, would be by being superior to many others. And in this world of magic, being superior to others in terms of strength seemed the most likely.

    So, going to a ''prominent'' academy meant you could grow stronger, and then spread your name through that.

    Right now, Lyrian didn''t see any value in spreading his name per se. He didn''t dislike it either, but his opinion could be swayed either way.

    That argument would have to be had once he actually got into the academy, but for now, he wanted to know exactly what these academies were.

    What did they teach? How did they work? How does one even get into one? At home, Lyrian noticed that his father was at home early.

    Both Grasus and Rosa had darkened expressions on their faces, almost as if they had been told horrible news.

    Rosa''s eyes looked red and teary while preparing dinner, and Grasus simply sat down on a chair looking out the window with a sloped back and saddened eyes.

    Although Lyrian didn''t want to waste time and immediately get onto academy information browsing, he knew that all of the books he read at home didn''t really have the stuff he was looking for.

    Because of this, he wanted to ask his parents about it when he got home, but right now it didn''t seem like a good time.

    He decided that the only way to progress now was by going to the library.

    Lyrian went to his room, got out 5 silver coins, and put them on the table.

    Thinking back, the poor kid from thest time he visited the library had the same amount of currency with him to enter the library.

    Of course, he was cheated out of entering, but Lyrian wasn''t going to just let that happen to him...

    He then formted a n, deciding to go there without his family knowing.

    He wouldn''t be able to go with Grasus because of his job, but he also didn''t want to go with Rosa, as he didn''t feel like letting her experience anything like what happened the previous time.

    With this set in mind, Lyrian went to ''sleep'', of course, waking upte that night to cultivate in Eade.

    Just because he had new priorities didn''t mean he was simply going to skip out on free cultivation.

    Later that day, it was the perfect time to go to the library. So, as the sun reached the middle of the day, he left.

    On his way there, Lyrian noticed Cedric and his crew talking to a few other kids in an alley.

    Cedric instantly gave him an arrogant, angry look, stepping up to him without hesitation.

    ''Huh... I guess I hurt his pride.'' Lyrian thought to himself, preparing to quickly beat up the suckers before moving on.

    However, thenky kid, Bokus, suddenly put his hand on Cedric''s shoulder.

    "What the hell are you trying to do!?" Cedric immediately turned his head and yelled. He was furious.

    Bokus'' face slightly winced at the screams, but he still stuck by his decision and kept his hand on Cedric''s shoulder.

    Looking at Lyrian, who just stood there, unfazed and clearly ready to fight, Bokus said "C''mon man... don''t make us go through that again. You know we can''t beat him. He''s a different beast."

    "What did you-" As Cedric argued back, Lyrian switched his gaze to a pair of eyes seemingly hiding behind Cedric.

    As their eyes met, the eyes behind Cedric popped out of his head like a cartoon and a fat kid suddenly fell t on his back, interrupting Cedric''s argument with Bokus.

    The fat kid had fainted from just looking at Lyrian, remembering his traumatic experiences.

    Cedric began to get mad at the two of him, as Lyrian simplyughed. "Cheh!" Before moving on.

    Clearly, he wasn''t going to have to deal with those clowns any longer. Still, he wanted to jack them of their coins today, but decided he wasn''t going to waste his time.

    Right now, he was eager to learn. Small temptations weren''t going to deter him. After all, he could steal from them at any time. They were like walking banks.

    Lyrian finally arrived at the library where he got in line simr tost time. Fanus, the previous guard looked to be there just likest time.

    After a few minutes, Lyrian finally arrived at the front of the line, walking up thest step before facing Fanus.

    "Here''s the fee to enter. Five silver''s right?" Lyrian calmly said, holding out five coins in his palm.

    Fanus ignored him and took his time scanning the boy with his baton in his hand, causing whispers toe from the people in the line behind Lyrian.

    "Theageld''s kid? Puh-ha! Hahaha!" He suddenly broke out intoughter. "What kind of balls did you grow toe here to brazenly? Aha!" He said before suddenly swiping his hand across Lyrian''s palm.

    Both Lyrian and Fanus hastily closed their palms. It was so quick that no bystander could see who still had the coins.

    "Yea, five silvers, brat. But there''s a problem here, you don''t got the funds! Are ya'' trynna cheat the kingdom or somethin''? Ya'' know, there''s arge fine for that." He maliciously smirked.

    "You sure?" Lyrian said, opening his palm back up to reveal five silver coins still in there.

    A few gasps and ''wow''s resonated from the growing crowd behind Lyrian.

    Whenever Fanus started these stunts, people quickly gathered. It was moremon than one would assume.

    Fanus'' face immediately became red from a mix of embarrassment and anger.

    "You little! Do not disrespect the guards of Illstria!" He yelled, suddenly swinging his baton toward Lyrian''s head at full force.

    Noticing the speed of the baton, Lyrian knew that Fanus wasn''t holding back even a little.

    ''To think... he is so flustered that he would use deadly force against a child.''

    Almost any kid would have suffered horrible brain trauma from the brunt of the attack, but Lyrian wasn''t like most.

    He blocked the blow by grabbing the baton before it mmed against his head, causing a small sound toe from the force.

    Again, this thought of Lyrian''s caused his aura to suddenly be unleashed, and since his anger was directed towards only Fanus, a spine-chilling bloodlust suddenly assaulted him.

    In the next second Fanus suddenly let go of the baton and fell onto his rear, his eyes wide of fear as he looked up at the monster in front of him.

    "De--demon!" He said with a shaky voice as Lyrian let the Baton go and also dropped the coins on the ground before walking inside, leaving Fanus frozen in shock.

    Not even Lyrian fully knew what had just happened, but he also wasn''t going toin either.

    Sounds of surprise and shock also resounded from the crowd, who were utterly bewildered by what just happened in front of him.

    Despite all of this, however, Lyrian had a simple grin on his face.

    ''It''s time to learn.'' He thought, entering a ce that he had been wanting for entire an eternity.

    The reservoir of all knowledge: A Library!

 Chapter 26 Boiling Point

    ?As soon as Lyrian entered, the sheer size of the building''s interior struck him. The inside of the library was enormous, with bookshelves lining up over 50 feet up to the ceiling.

    There were lounges and tables ced around the room, with the walls covered with books all around.

    The sun shined through the colorful ss dome on the roof, casting a magical glow to the ce that made it seem almost fantastical.

    Faint whispers echoed through the shelf halls as well, making the ce seem lively.

    Looking around, he noticed a sign that read "magic" and decided to head there immediately.

    Once he arrived, he saw a giant hall with books lining the walls, all of them looking almost ancient and much thicker than most other books.

    Arger book caught his interest, and he quickly began reading it. Thankfully, his memory was quite good, so he had mostly no problems remembering the contents.

    While reading, however, Lyrian noticed that no one around him seemed to be reading.

    Instead, they put their books on theirps or n the table and closed their eyes, their hands situated on some sort of blue crystal orb that was on every single table in the room.

    Curious, he decided to do the same. cing his open book on the table in front of him, he calmly ced his hands on the crystal ball and closed his eyes.

    *Ding* [An unknown object is trying to absorb a minor amount of mana from you]

    [Do you wish to oblige?]

    ''Huh? Yes�� I guess.''

    [Confirmed]

    Just then, Lyrian felt a slight pull on his hands that felt like a ma. In an instant, a tiny amount of mana began to leave his hands and enter the orb.

    Soon after that, information suddenly started to pour into his mind in the form of words. However, Lyrian did not need to read the words, they simply read themselves and memorized themselves into his head.

    Continuing, he noticed that the speed at which he memorized the contents of the book was far greater. Most likely even 30x faster than normal, which was insane!

    Content with the information, he fully finished and understood therge book he picked up in only about an hour or so.

    After finishing he put the book back and quickly moved on to the next, this time one based on academies, as that was what he was originally here for.

    However, he decided to also read some books about how magic worked here and there as well.

    With book after book, the entire day passed. By the end, Lyrian noticed that none of the magic-based books seemed to hold any more information than the books he had in his house, which was quite odd.

    However, he learned a lot about academies! He still needed to read more, but for now, this progress was going to keep him pretty content.

    If the pace of learning continued, he knew that by the time he reached the age of ten, he would be perfectly knowledgeable enough to pass any ''entrance exams'', a concept that he had most recently just learned about.

    With a grin of excitement on his face, he promised himself ''One more year�� in that time, I will be ready to join even the most prominent of schools!''

    And just like that, a year quickly passed.

    His training routine was nearly the same, except he spent a few hours in the day reading as well.

    He didn''t need to be there a lot, as the orb allowed him to read many books extremely quickly, so his progress in strength didn''t lessen by arge chunk either.

    June 25, 8719. Illstria City, situated on the outskirts of the grand Yaltas Kingdom:

    Almost an entire year exactly passed by that day. Today was the day that Lyrian felt ready for the uing entrance exam for the  Anaviotis Magic Academy.

    It was known to be one of the best schools in the entire kingdom,peting with the likes of Vasu Academy of Magical Arts, and z Sorcery Academia.

    Although his goal was a very ambitious one, as no kid, especially one that wasn''t a big noble, from the outskirts of the kingdom would usually even have a chance of joining, Lyrian didn''t care.

    To him, the one who aimed for the tip of the universe could maybe even soar above into the heavens, but the one who aimed for the skies might not even graze the mountains.

    Lyrian was returning home from Eade forest after he finished his training for the day.

    Currently, he was at the power level of fairly beating two entire adult Dire wolves, which was a very powerful feat, considering he could have barely beaten one just a year ago.

    �Ѧ���d��s����vel.c��m His stats were:

    ��������Status��������

    Name: Lyrian Theageld

    Title(s): None

    Species: Human

    Bloodline: Unknown

    Age: 10 Years

    Overall Power (OP): 5

    Vitality: 110 Years

    Health: 59/59

    Stamina: 61/61

    Strength: 55

    Agility: 64

    Defense: 58

    Body: Normal

    Rank: Genesis: Layer 1

    MP: 25/200

    ����������������������

    And Garmr''s stats were now:

    ��������Scan��������

    Name: Garmr

    Species: Obsidian Wolf

    Age: 2

    Overall Power (OP): 7

    Health: 65/65

    Stamina: 70/70

    Strength: 85

    Agility: 68

    Defense: 90

    Rank: Normal

    ����������������������

    Considering Dire wolves matured at 4 years of age, this wolf was insanely strong, able to cripple even an alpha wolf at only a juvenile age.

    As Lyrian arrived at the main street of the city once again, he noticed a crowd blocking the way to the entrance.

    That''s when he remembered that today was coincidentally the day that vigers celebrated the city mayor, Theagard,ing to town.

    ''Gracing the streets.'' Or so they called it.

    Thest time this happened, he beat up those brats, who by now were bat shit scared of him, all of them except Cedric of course.

    And on top of that, his parents were in a bad mood for an entire week afterward, barely even talking to him.

    He didn''t know whether that part was just by chance, but he sure as hell didn''t want to have to deal with that again.

    By the time he entered the crowd, it seemed that people were already starting to disperse, Theagard having been long gone.

    Not minding it, he went straight home without any distractions.

    As his hand was about to open the door after arriving, a sudden yell came from inside, making him instantly freeze to hear what was going on.

    "Please! Allow him to at least take the entrance exam! Let him have a chance at a future!"

    Lyrian heard his dad yelling, his voice seeming to be shaky and emotional.

    "Did you not say you wanted to shield him from all magic!? How dare you attempt to fake your intentions, now that he is old enough to join an academy!"

    Another voice yelled back, this one rough, but almost familiar to Lyrian.

    "Braakan, please understand! We tried to keep it a secret from him, but we can sense the mana from him. We know that he has already learned about all of it!"

    Rosa also desperately yelled.

    "Even if we failed to shield him from learning magic, that does not mean that we are now allowed to fail his future! So please, brother, just this one time, allow my son to enter an academy!" Grasus pleaded.

    "What did you say!? Brother!? You are vermin! You do not deserve to share my blood, let alone address me as your brother. Why should I waste my money on a peasant who won''t ever be able to pass the entrance exam to even the worst of academies!?"

    *BANG*

    The door to the room suddenly mmed open, releasing a powerful gust of wind inside.

    At once, everyone turned their heads to face the enraged expression of a young boy, his aura already having spread throughout the entire house for everyone to witness.

    Since his aura wasn''t directed toward anyone, it simply existed, spreading everywhere inside the house.

    Braakan immediately widened his eyes and put his guard up, noticing a powerful, dangerous aura that he once felt before, but now it was even stronger.

    Quickly surveying the room, Lyrian saw Theagard and his entire family inside, along with his mother who was standing by the side, and his father who was on both of his knees, bowing to Theagard.

 Chapter 27 Bet

    ?"This child... why does he make me feel such unease?" Braakan thought to himself, sensing the dangerous aura emanating from Lyrian.

    Lyrian didn''t say anything at first, but his anger was palpable, indicating that he had overheard their conversation.

    "Son��" Rosa began, only to be abruptly cut off.

    "Failed to hide magic from me? Why would you want to do that in the first ce?" Lyrian questioned calmly, unsure of what to think.

    Most of his mind was convinced that there must be a reasonable exnation for this, but a surge of emotions simr to the betrayal he had experienced back on Earth clouded the rest.

    "If you care so much about my future, why did you want to block me from learning magic? Isn''t that how I build a future?" Lyrian questioned, his voice filled with confusion.

    "We didn''t want you to learn magic... because we thought you couldn''t!" Grasus suddenly yelled.

    "What?" Lyrian eximed, taken aback and confused.

    "Lyrian, neither your mother nor I have been able to use magic, so we believed youcked the ability as well. We didn''t know how to tell you, so we hoped you would eventually discover it on your own through interactions with others. But we were wrong. Instead of finding out you didn''t have magic, you began to conjure it," Grasus exined.

    Lyrian remained silent for a few seconds, astonished by what he was hearing. "Why didn''t you tell me once you realized I could conjure magic? Why continue to hide it from me?"

    "The truth is... we have only recently sensed the magical aura emanating from you. We still don''t know how you learned this magic, but since you didn''t have a proper tutor, you don''t know how to conceal your aurapletely," Rosa chimed in.

    Lyrian paused, unsure of how to respond. Meanwhile, Braakan stood silently, his face contorted with disgust.

    "What a pathetic family quarrel. My business here is finished. Grasus, make sure to tell your boss to finish making me that mana-infused obsidian de by dawn tomorrow. I reject staying here any longer," Braakan dered, taking a step forward. Suddenly, Grasus grabbed onto one of Braakan''s legs, pleading for a chance for his son.

    "Get off me! You manaless vermin!" Braakan yelled, kicking Grasus away. Grasus was sent flying toward the ceiling but was caught mid-air by Lyrian, who seemingly teleported there.

    A surge of immense bloodlust emanated from Lyrian, directed solely at Braakan, causing him to freeze.

    Lyrian gently ced his unconscious father on the ground before speaking. "Oi... you bastard. What the hell do you think you''re doing?" Lyrian''s voice dripped with anger as his brows furrowed.

    Rosa gasped and rushed over to Grasus, while Braakan, closest to the door, allowed his family to exit, remaining behind to face the young boy.

    "You dare to insult me, boy? No one has insulted me in over a decade. Do you know the status of whom you are speaking to?" Braakan''s tone was quiet but clearly infuriated.

    "I don''t give a damn who you are. If you hurt my family, I will kill you," Lyrian stood up, his piercing gaze fixed upon Braakan with unwavering intensity.

    His vibrant azure blue eyes shimmered with a dangerous blend of determination and peril. Every subtle movement of his body spoke of restrained power, like a predator meticulously plotting its next strike.

    The tension in the air grew palpable as Lyrian''s stare bore down on Braakan, a silent warning of the confrontation thaty ahead.

    "Hmph! What a measly threat. You believe that you, a vermin from a mana-less family, can intimidate me?" Braakan scoffed, emphasizing his own importance.

    "And don''t worry about me hurting your family. You are not of such importance. Once your father finishes crafting that mana-infused obsidian de, I won''t have a reason to contact him ever again," Braakan continued, clearly angered by Lyrian''s threat. The boy''s words, even from someone so young, managed to anger him, unused to being spoken to in such a manner.

    "Do you know why your life is like this? Why you are seen as peons, vermin who don''t deserve to even lick at my feet, while I am treated as a god��my very presence blessing this city with joy? Because I am of noble birth," Braakan proimed, as if trying to convince himself of his greatness.

    "Nobles are born with the pure blood of humanity. We are the beings who conjure mana and save the rest of you from trouble. Boy, do not dream of passing the entrance exam to any magic schools. You will learn that they do not ept you non-noble scum whock mana."

    ...

    "Do you want to make a bet that I will fail?" Lyrian''s voice dripped with arrogance.

    "You don''t know when to lose, do you? Fine! I will ept your bet. If you pass an exam to the greatest academy of magic arts within this kingdom, Anaviotis, I will go down on my knees and beg for your forgiveness!" Braakan''s voice grew louder toward the end of his statement.

    "And if I fail?" Lyrian questioned.

    "If you fail... well, it''s quite simple, isn''t it? I will mercilessly ughter you, your entire family, and those whom you hold dear," Braakan dered without hesitation.

    Without wasting a second, Lyrian responded, "I ept!"

 Chapter 28 I Will Die Trying

    ?With a scowl of resentment, Braakan abruptly turned around and stomped out of the house. After watching him leave, Lyrian walked back to his father, who was now awake in Rosa''s hands.

    "Are you alright, Father?" Lyrian asked with a concerned voice as he knelt down beside him.

    After coughing a few times, Grasus answered. "Don''t worry about me son, I''m perfectly fine!" His tone was very joyful, with a broad smile on his face.

    "How about a smile on your face huh? You now have an opportunity to enter an exam!" He loudly said.

    "No! Things aren''t just all happy and well now! Son, why would you make that bet with Braakan!?" Rosa suddenly yelled, her words being out of concern for her family and child, whom she loved.

    Lyrian didn''t say anything, simply looking at his mother and understanding her concern for him.

    "The entrance exams to high-ranking schools are not like just any others. No one can tell what it might be, since it changes every year, and people even die inside of them! This bet you made... if you fail, you will die!" Rosa spoke in distress, her mind filled with negativity.

    "Mother..." Lyrian began to speak. "If I cannot be strong enough to protect us from dangers and free us from the restrictions that being weak puts on us, then what would be the point in living? Our lives would continue to be the same as it is, and I can''t allow that to happen."

    On hearing these words, Rosa paused, acknowledging the insight that her young son had on this world. Suddenly, she broke out into streams of tears as Grasus sat up and held her head close to his shoulder.

    "Son... we are sorry to have put you in a situation where you feel like you need to bear the responsibility of taking care of us. But, going along with this beta���trying to pass the entrance exam to Anaviotis. It is a death sentence." Grasus said, knowing full and well that his son currently had no other choice but to take the exam.

    What he was trying to do right now was see Lyrian''s viewpoint on this. As he cared about his son''s life more than his own, he wanted to know why Lyrian would risk his life, when he did not need to.

    "I promised myself that I will live a life of no restrictions, and if I die trying, then at least I tried," Lyrian said, the profoundness of it taking Grasus aback in awe.

    He was shocked that a kid so young could even have such thoughts and aspirations, but it would be false to say that even he wasn''t inspired by those words.

    Currently, Lyrian didn''t have a clue on what his ultimate goal was, however, he knew that when he achieved it, he would also gain freedom from all restrictions and pains.

    Right now, if his family was in danger, then he would not have that freedom from pain that he wanted, so he had to protect them.

    If he did not pass the entrance exam to Anaviotis Magic Academy, he didn''t know whether he would ever have the chance to be free ever again, so he had to pass the exam.

    Or at least, he had to try. His mind was already set, and now, death wasn''t something to be afraid of.

    After this, the three talked about many things together for the first time in their lives. Who was Braakan to them? What was their family history and lineage?

    What was magic? Why was magic hidden from him? And even how Lyrian learned to conjure magic as well.

    However, Lyrian didn''t tell his parents the whole truth about that. He told them some about his strength training and the creation of Gale, but not about the system or its abilities.

    When they heard about Gale, the two were gobsmacked. All existing cultivation techniques were created by their founder''s thousands of years ago, but to create it by yourself, and at such a young age as well, waspletely unheard of.

    It wasn''t even a legend, but more so seen as impossible. At that moment, they realized that their talented young son was actually a one-in-a-million prodigy.

    The talk continued on until the night, and in the end, it was closed off with a warm embrace between the three with words of affection.

    They all fell asleep on the floor together that night, and as the sun rolled around the next morning, they quickly began to get prepared.

    For what exactly you ask? Well, it was simple. One who took the entrance exam to any magic school first needed a certification of magic affinities from the adventurer''s guild.

    The adventurers guild was a privately ownedpany, but it also worked hand to hand with the government and school board in the kingdoms where it resided.

    To get the certification of magic affinities, one had to take a test to see what magic affinities they held. The requirement to participate in the exam was an affinity to at least one magical element out of the four majors ones:

    Fire, water, earth, and wind.

    Getting one affinity wasn''t seen as a bad thing, mostly because that was the norm. Getting an affinity to more than one magical element was undoubtedly remarkable, but many masters of cultivation were said to have one magic affinity as well.

    Rosa wore a long, flowing dress in a muted color, made of sturdy wool, adorned with modest embroidery.

    Over her dress, she wore a fitted bodice, cinching at the waist to entuate her figure.

    Her hair was neatly pulled back and covered with a linen coif, with a few loose tendrils framing her face.

    Grasus wore a in, knee-length tunic made of coarse fabric, paired with a sleeveless leather jerkin and a wide leather belt holding a small pouch and a sheathed dagger.

    His feet were covered with sturdy leather footwear, and he donned a simple, brimmed hat made of felt.

    Lyrian''s attire was much more simple, his torso adorned in a white t-shirt and on his legs a pair of brown shorts.

    After catching a cheap-looking wooden carriage to carry them, they began their journey to the adventurer''s guild.

    The main building of the guild existed in the inner kingdom, where most of therger noble families lived.

    However, smaller branches also existed in the outer cities, and the one that Lyrian and his family were heading toward wasn''t too far away.

    It was a local building, so they arrived in under an hour of horse travel.

    As Lyrian approached the grand entrance of the adventurers'' guild with his family, a sense of awe washed over him.

    The imposing building stood tall, adorned with intricate carvings depicting legendary creatures and heroic figures.

    The guild''s emblem, emzoned above the entrance, showcased a stylized sword crossed with a shimmering wand, symbolizing the union of martial prowess and arcane might.

 Chapter 29 The Adventurers Guild

    ?As he stepped inside, Lyrian found himself surrounded by a bustling atmosphere. The air was thick with anticipation and the sound of animated conversations filled the hall.

    Adventurers of various races, d in a colorful array of armor and garments, mingled and exchanged tales of their exploits.

    Lyrian had seen a few people with animal body parts before, such as tails and ears, but here existed beings that were lizard-like humanoids, dwarfs, and tall ones with pale skin and pointy ears.

    Warriors, mages, rangers, and rogues alike shared their experiences, forming a vibrant tapestry of knowledge and skill. The guild hall was a vast space, divided into different sections.

    On one side, a robust notice board adorned with parchments and posters caught Lyrian''s attention. It disyed a myriad of quests and contracts, ranging from simple fetch quests to perilous monster hunts and treacherous dungeon delves.

    Each parchment was meticulously detailed, outlining the rewards and dangers associated with the task.

    Nearby, a bustling tavern area provided a hub for adventurers to unwind and socialize. Laughter and merriment filled the air as tales of triumph and narrow escapes were shared over tankards of frothy ale.

    Further inside, a training area was filled with warriors engaged in friendly sparring matches. The sh of swords, the crackle of magic spells, and the twang of arrows echoed in the chamber.

    Seasoned mentors offered guidance to novices, honing their skills and preparing them for the perils that awaited beyond the kingdom''s walls.

    Lyrian noticed that at the back was a horizontal line of desks where guild clerks diligently recorded the details ofpleted quests, ensuring proper payment and recognition for the adventurers'' achievements.

    The clerks also provided valuable information, guiding members toward reputable suppliers of equipment, magical artifacts, and potions.

    Following his parents, he went to one of the desks that didn''t have a line of people behind it.

    Their clerk was a young woman who looked to be in her twenties, wearing a buttoned white shirt and ck skirt as her work clothes.

    She introduced herself with a bright smile. "Wee to the adventurer''s guild! How may I be of assistance to you?" She politely asked across the counter.

    "Thank you very much for greeting us! We would like to let our little man here take an element affinity test today if that''s alright." Grasus replied with a kind smile, gesturing towards Lyrian.

    "Why of course! Let me get that scheduled and you are on your way--" The clerk was suddenly cut off by a yell from the desk over.

    "What do you mean you can''t let me skip in line!? Don''t you know who I am!?" A young girl screamed at the male clerk at her booth, her tone that of a spoiled child.

    She looked to be the same age as Lyrian, wearing a luxurious purple dress with an ore-encrusted wand attached to her waistband.

    She was apanied by a gentleman in his 40s who wore a butler''s outfit, his expression looking worried.

    "Ma''am, please understand. I know your family background but I would get fired if I allowed you to take the affinity test ahead of everyone else who has already made an appointment." The clerk spoke, his face blue from nervousness with beads of sweat pouring down his head.

    ''Ma''am?'' Lyrian thought to himself in slight confusion, his attention now carried over to the incident happening a few feet away from him.

    This little girl certainly did not look old enough to be addressed as "Ma''am."

    Coincidentally, the butler behind the girl had the same expression of anxiety on his face.

    Surveying around, many other adventurers and people nearby looked like they were purposefully not directing their gaze toward the girl.

    "Who cares if you get fired!? I am a royal! You should be happy that you get to serve my family before dying your pitiful life!" The girl humphed in a pampered tone.

    The clerk paused, finding it hard to get out words as he didn''t know what to do or say.

    "My apologies sir, please, take a look at my token." The girl''s butler stepped up, showing the man a metal te of sorts.

    "Just let her take the test, I promise you under the authority of the Sndra household, your job will not be taken from you." He said as the little girl stepped to the side, closing her eyes and crossing her hands with a stern and confident stance.

    As he heard what the butler was saying, Lyrian realized that he recognized that name.

    ''Sndra?... Oh yea. That mage girl told me about that household as her final words before dying.'' Lyrian remembered.

    After this realization, he used Scan on the girl without a second thought.

    a��?a��?a��?a��?Scana��?a��?a��?a����

    Name: Glis Sndra

    Species: Human

    Age: 10

    Overall Power (OP): 5

    Health: 50/50

    Stamina: 51/51

    Strength: 52

    Agility: 50

    Defense: 49

    Rank: Genesis: Layer 1

    a����a��?a��?a��?a��?a��?a��?a��?a��?a��?a��?

    As Lyrian took a look at her stats, he didn''t realize that he was staring right at her face, until she suddenly opened her eyes, realizing a strange aura around her.

    Upon first opening her eyes, she immediately noticed a random weirdo staring directly at her with a face of interest, to say the least.

    "Who do you think you''re staring at like that!? You creep! Don''t you know who I a--" She nearly finished her statement when Lyrian realized that his family was moving to the waiting room, so he nonchntly ignored her and followed them instead.

    It was interesting to meet someone that went by the name of Sndra since he heard those as dying words.

    But it wasn''t enough for him to care really. He especially didn''t like giving arrogant people the satisfaction of thinking they were above him, so he didn''t mind ignoring the girl.

    From his point of view, she was was annoying little spoiled twerp who was causing problems for no reason.

    "You--! How dare you ignore me!" She yelled as onlookers gaped their mouths in shock at the boy who just ignored the girl.

    From the loud noise that was already resounding from the room, Lyrian''s parents didn''t notice that the girl was yelling at Lyrian since he didn''t talk back either.

    So, following the directions of the clerk, they entered a room to the side of the desks.

    ''I need to learn how to hide my aura as soon as possible if I don''t want to get caught using Scan...''

 Chapter 30 Clowns

    ?As they stepped inside, they were greeted by arge hall-like lobby full of people who looked to be waiting for the affinity test as well.

    The room was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. Most people were in their own heads, nervous to see if they held any affinities for magic.

    �Ѧ���d��s����vel.c��m As Lyrian and his family entered, many eyes attached to them and followed them through the room as they walked.

    In the city of Illstria, it was rare to not know of the Theageld family.

    Before Braakan took over as city mayor, and the Theagard part of the family became known and celebrated, it was the Theagelds who ruled.

    Now, Grasus Theageld was a name undermined by many as a mana-less failure, but never forgotten for that same reason.

    The stares that some people gave were enough to evoke embarrassment in many people, but by the looks on his parent''s faces, Lyrian could tell that they weren''t bothered whatsoever.

    Thinking on it, they must have gone through this for many years by now, even before he was born.

    After walking for a bit they found a small row of empty seats lined up against the wall and sat down.

    "Puh-hahaha! What the hell are they doing here?" A random young man sitting 15 or so meters away from them suddenly burst out into augh amongst his friends.

    "Don''t tell me they are trying to get their kid an affinity test. Are they that delusional to think their bloodline still has a chance at magic."

    The young men - three in total - began tough to themselves as they caught the attention of many people inside the waiting room.

    They all appeared to be in their early twenties and were most likely rookie adventurers judging from their amateur adventurer clothing and garments.

    As this happened, a woman from the far left side of the room called out names behind a podium, the named person then had to stand up and go into the testing room.

    Although Lyrian was a bit annoyed at the bullies, he didn''t want to randomly start summoning Garmr and beating up those losers straight up in front of everybody.

    He still didn''t know whether he wanted to showcase his power to the world. Right now, it didn''t seem like the safest idea.

    Peeking at the faces of his parents, he saw that they weren''t very bothered by it either, so he decided to leave it alone.

    After a while of waiting, one of their names was called. The tallest one out of the bunch who was also the first one to start mocking them.

    "Hugen Jeiner, please enter the testing room."

    The young man stood up, smirking slightly at Lyrian''s family to flex knowing full well that he was going to pass the affinity test and have an affinity to a certain element.

    He arrogantly walked into the room with his chest out and chin up. In a few moments, his name was called again to exit the room.

    "Hugen Jeiner, fail." The announcer woman said before beginning to call in another person.

    Suddenly the door to the testing room opened up once again, but it looked like an entirely different person walked out this time.

    Hugen slumped back to his seat with a gloomy expression on his face. He could almost sense the eyes of everyone looking at him, so he couldn''t muster up the courage to look anywhere else but the floor.

    His friends didn''t seem as confident as before either, and seeing the drastic change in demeanor, Lyrian couldn''t help but burst outughing.

    Suddenly all of the attention in the room went to him, and even his parents were surprised. However, unlike everyone else in the room, Lyrian didn''t find a need to hide his emotions about those clowns.

    He put his hand on his face andughed his ass off, causing a few others who were trying to hold in theirughter to join in as well.

    Surprisingly, Hugen didn''t say anything. Failing this test wasn''t a small deal. Not only was the embarrassment bogging down him, but the failure of this test meant that he was never going to be able to use magic.

    His entire life, his hopes, and dreams were flushed down the toilet at once.

    "Uriel Joan, fail. Glis Sndra, please enter the testing room."

    This clearly caught the attention of the people in the room, as even the people who were most nervous looked up from the ground to see if the person who was just named would actuallye up.

    From the entrance door, the young girl from before walked inside with her butler following close behind.

    As she made her way across the room to the testing room, she walked with her eyes closed and her chin pointed towards the ceiling, as many onlookers gasped in awe at her presence.

    Lyrian still didn''t care, but his parents looked to be shocked as well. Since they were talking to the clerk, they didn''t recognize her in the main lobby.

    As she arrived at where Lyrian was sitting, she suddenly stopped and turned towards him.

    The butler''s eyes widened as he noticed this.

    "Ma''am! Pleas--"

    He said before being cut off by Glis.

    "You!" She yelled, stomping her foot down on the ground.

    Lyrian didn''t expect her to stop like this. Now, he really wanted the ability to hide his aura.

    Now, all of the eyes in the room were on him.

    "Who''s that boy she''s talking to?"

    "Theagelds kid?"

    People started to whisper.

    "Wow... he gets to talk to a royal?"

    "What do you want?" He said out of nowhere, thinking it waspletely normal.

    Everyone''s jaws suddenly fell to the floor in shock.

    "Did he just say that to a member of the Sndra family!?"

    "Is he that close with her?"

    People began to whisper.

    His parents exchanged surprised nces, not quite sure how to react to their son''s boldness.

    They had never imagined him casually exchanging words with a member of the prestigious Sndra family.

    The air crackled with a mix of curiosity, disbelief, and a tinge of envy.

    Glis, on the other hand, fumed with anger, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

    She stomped toward the testing room, her butler trailing behind, struggling to contain his own astonishment.

 Chapter 31 Rainbow Sun

    ?As Glis disappeared into the testing room, the lobby buzzed with spection. Whispers and murmurs spread like wildfire, fueled by the gossip-hungry crowd.

    The room had transformed into a theater of curiosity, with all eyes fixated on Lyrian. He had inadvertently be a source of intrigue, his interactions with the Sndra girl igniting the imaginations of those present.

    Amidst the sea of astonished faces, Lyrian leaned back in his seat, soaking in the attention with a show of nonchnce, but also some excitement.

    He couldn''t wait to see what awaited him beyond the doors of the testing room, eager to discover his own affinity.

    The room held its breath as Glis emerged from the testing room a few minutester, her expression nowposed and confident.

    The atmosphere shifted, anticipation radiating from every corner of the lobby. All eyes were fixed on the young girl, awaiting the revtion of her affinity.

    The woman behind the podium cleared her throat, her voice carrying a sense of authority. "Glis Sndra," she announced, "Pass."

    A collective gasp rippled through the room, followed by a chorus of whispers and excited murmurs.

    The mere confirmation of Glis''s sess sent waves of awe and admiration throughout the crowd.

    The Sndra family''s reputation for magical prowess was well-known, and Glis had lived up to those expectations by fulfilling these bare minimums.

    With her newfound confidence that was fueled by the mesmerized eyes of the people in the room, she walked over to Lyrian once again to say what he failed to say thest time.

    As Glis approached, a flicker of worry crossed Lyrian''s face, intermingled with a growing annoyance at the girl''s persistent attempts to rile him up.

    "Creep!" She stood in front and addressed him, pointing her finger in his direction, "What is your name?"

    Confusion painted the faces of those around, Lyrian included, as he never expected those words to escape her lips.

    He was expecting to be bereded as some sort of pervert, but this odd statement waspletely random.

    In a steady voice, he replied, "Lyrian Theageld," without a hint of hesitation.

    Usually, one would ask for another''s name as a sign of mutual respect when greeting one another, but Lyrian purposefully refused to do that.

    He didn''t just want the girl to not see him as inferior, but to see him as superior. It was a way to give her a taste of her own medicine.

    "Fine!" She said as she heard his name, her face seemingly bing more and more flustered as she stood in front of him.

    ''This boy, why won''t he stop looking into my eyes!'' Glis thought to herself, noticing Lyrian''s gaze not lower from her own.

    Throughout her life, not many had ever dared to keep direct eye contact with her like this, and since she was a kid, it was enough to get her unsettled.

    "My name is Glis Sndra, remember it! This won''t be thest time you see me!" Glis bellowed in her signature arrogant tone before storming off once more.

    Just from his presence, she knew that he was indefinitely going to pass this affinity test and eventually meet her once again in a more prominent field.

    Lyrian''s face remained unimpressed as Glis departed. "Gah... what an insufferable brat," he muttered under his breath.

    A few more minutes passed by, and in that time, 2 of the 3 clowns got their affinities tested, and both of them failed.

    "Lyrian Theageld, please enter the testing room." The announcer''s voice suddenly sounded, as Lyrian quickly rose from his seat and began walking.

    His parents followed behind him, and as he confidently strutted past the clowns, it was clear to see that they werepletely embarrassed by his presence, especially after they saw him talking to Glis Sndra so easily.

    However, they still stared at him with an angry gaze, spiteful of their own failures.

    As he stepped inside of the testing room he noted that it was dimly lit, with a mysterious aura that heightened his senses.

    Rows of magical artifacts adorned the shelves, whispering secrets of ancient powers.

    A stern-looking examiner greeted him, his eyes filled with a mix of curiosity and skepticism.

    Lyrian couldn''t help but feel a surge of determination bubbling within him, wanting to see what affinity he had.

    The examiner handed him a slender wand, polished to perfection. It felt cool and smooth in his grasp, tingling withtent energy.

    Lyrian''s heart pounded in his chest as he prepared himself for the defining moment.

    "Focus, young one," the examiner urged, his voiceced with both encouragement and expectation. "Tap into the depths of your being and let the magic flow through this wand. It isced with a spell that shall release whatever affinities of magical element that you have."

    Lyrian closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He felt the power of the wand resonating with his own mana, intertwining like a dance of mingled destinies.

    With a surge of resolve, he concentrated a good bit of his mana into the wand before finally releasing it.

    In an instant, the room erupted into a dazzling disy of lights and elemental energy.

    Fire began to swirl around in the air a few feet in front of Lyrian like a miniature inferno, flickering with a mesmerizing ze.

    The examiner''s eyes widened as a smile appeared on his face. "Magnificient! Such fire-power... I haven''t seen anything like it in ages! It looks like the goddess of the me has truly chosen you. Your elemental affinity is fir--" Before the man could finish his sentence, something that urred in the room caused him to shut his mouth in shock.

    Suddenly, several small sprouts of azure water began forming around the fire inferno before quickly surrounding it to create a disy simr to that of a fire tornado.

    But wait, there was more! Several gusts of wind suddenly began to flow around it as well, causing the spell to dance all across the room in a random path.

    Everyone in the room had their hair blown back as if they were on a roller coaster, and the examiner was left speechless.

    Even more, several pebbles of rock and leaves formed from thin air as well, following the spell as it was performed.

    Finally, the spell returned to the center of the room, continuing to elerate its spinning speed before finally exploding into a brilliant sun of rainbow colors and astounding effects.

    By this point, the examiner was on the ground, his legs giving up the ability to stand from his sheer shock.

    20 minutes after this, Lyrian and his family walked out of the room just as they had walked in.

    As the announcer read the results of the exam on her pedestal, her eyes widened with astonishment, a flicker of admiration crossing her face.

    "Lyrian Theageld," she spoke, her voice tinged with awe, "Pass!"

 Chapter 32 Paragon Magus

    ?*In the 20 minutes prior to Lyrian and his family leaving the testing room.*

    Lyrian''s parents stood beside him, beaming with pride and amazement. They knew their son was special, but this exceeded even their wildest expectations.

    "You-- you''re a paragon magus! You hold control of all four major magical elements! This... I have to report this immedia--" The bewildered examiner said before beginning to fiddle with his coat to retrieve amunication device to ry this information.

    "Wait! Stop that now!" Rosa suddenly said, seeing what the examiner was trying to do.

    "What? But why ma''am? This is amazing news. No, this cannot be defined by such petty words... a paragon magician is like a god!" The man spoke, not being able to contain his astonishment.

    "That is precisely why this information cannot be released... our family is already targeted within this city as you know. We don''t want our boy to be targeted even more in the future." Rosa said as Grasus joined in.

    "We are more proud of our son than words can express but seeing another''s sess will lure many envious eyes who wish to crush that winner''s glory for their own sake. My son is not going to be a victim of that." He said sternly, causing the examiner to lower hismunication device.

    Before this, Lyrian didn''t if whether to hide his power or not, but it looked like his parents had already made the decision.

    Of course, he wasn''t going to simply obey everything they said just like that. If he deemed it was beneficial to showcase his power, then he would do so, since in the end what is beneficial to him is beneficial to his family.

    However, currently, their reasoning was solid enough for him to listen to them.

    "How do you know that I will keep this information to myself?" The examiner questioned.

    "We do not know that, we only have the option to trust you... will you plea--" Before Grasus could finish, Lyrian interjected.

    "You said yourself that a paragon magician is like a god, no? Would you want that god to be against you?"

    The examiner paused, realizing that although he held some power at the current moment when it came to this conversation, soon, he would not.

    ''This boy is truly a paragon magus. He will likely go on to be close-knitted with the kingdom and possess extreme power... I wouldn''t want to have an enemy like that.'' He thought to himself.

    "If you keep this information to yourself, I personally give you my word that in the future, you and I will be friends." Lyrian confidently stated.

    Being friends with a kid wasn''t something that many would consider a prize of any sort, but the examiner knew how much value was behind those words.

    "Alright! I ept! My name is Galdro Murus, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." The examiner quickly said before slightly bowing his head. "If you have any questions or requests for me, I will be happy to fulfill them."

    Hearing this satisfied both of Lyrian''s parents, putting a smile on their faces as they looked at each other, impressed by their son''s wordy.

    The next moments were spent learning about what exactly a paragon magician was, and also some other basic information that had to be ryed to Lyrian for passing the exam.

    By the end, he also received a small silver te with words inscribed on it that read "Pass: Fire"

    *Present moment.*

    Many amazed sounds and faces of awe mixed with shock were cast all across the room as people heard of Lyrian''s victory in the test.

    As Lyrian and his family walked across the room to exit, the three rookie adventurers from before couldn''t help but lower their heads in shame, not being able to face the Theagelds any longer.

    It looked like they had their fair share of embarrassment for the day and didn''t want to continue to dig a deeper hole of cringe for themselves.

    As Lyrian and his family left the adventurers guild, Glis Sndra watched from a distance, her eyes narrowed with a mix of awe and determination.

    The arrogance that once radiated from her had been slightly tempered by Lyrian''s power. At that moment, a seed of respect was nted within her, alongside a fierce desire to surpass him.

    For Lyrian, his preparation for the exam consisted of training and learning, but he couldn''t be as prepared as he had hoped since the entrance exam to Anaviotis was different each and every year.

    Still, he did what he could. Now, all that there was left to do was to wait until the day that the uing entrance exam finally arrived.

 Chapter 33 Grand Magic Ship

    ?After Lyrian and his parents returned home, they settled into a rather uneventful week. Nothing much happened except for one noteworthy discovery that Lyrian made: using spells didn''t actually deplete his mana permanently, or at least that''s what he found out.

    During the affinity test, Lyrian noticed his mana stat decreasing when he cast spells. But to his relief, it gradually restored itself over time, returning to its original level.

    Curious to confirm this, he conducted a few experiments using the Enhance spell he learned from the ancient scroll. Each time he tapped into his mana, the stat went down temporarily, only to bounce back to its previous state.

    This revtion brought a sigh of relief to Lyrian. Now he knew he didn''t have to fret about conserving his spells to save his mana.

    A few dayster, something interesting arrived in their magical mail.

    It was a letter containing an entrance exam ticket to Anaviotis, the renowned academy. The ticket had been anonymously paid for and sent by Theagard. Braakan couldn''t help but feel a tinge of pain in his ego when he heard the news that Lyrian passed his affinity test, but he wasn''t entirely surprised either.

    Having witnessed firsthand Lyrian''s magical prowess, Theagard had recognized the young boy''s talent. Still, he doubted Lyrian''s chances of passing the entrance exam.

    The following morning, just a few hours after Lyrian had returned from his nightly cultivation, strong gusts of wind began rattling their house. Oblivious in his deep slumber, Lyrian was suddenly jolted awake by Grasus.

    "Hey, Lyrian! The ship''s here!" Grasus yelled impatiently, scooping Lyrian off the bed and plunking him on the floor.

    Rubbing his eyes and still half-asleep, Lyrian groggily muttered, "What ship?" He yawned, "Let me go back to sleep," as he rolled over and closed his eyes again.

    Grasus shot back, his voice exasperated, "What ship? Obviously, the ship for the entrance exam! What other ship would I be talking about?"

    Confused but now fully aware of themotion outside, Lyrian hastily slipped on his shoes, grabbed his bag filled with essentials, and rushed toward the exit.

    As he swung open the door, a gust of wind whipped through, tousling his hair and causing his clothes to flutter. In front of his house, an enormous wooden ship hovered in the air, magically sustained by floating paddles on either side.

    The ship was colossal,parable to a massive yacht, around 80 meters in size. Its grand sails gracefully danced in the wind. Lyrian also noticed a crowd gathering outside, astonished by the sudden appearance of this extraordinary vessel.

    "Holy cow!" a person eximed amidst the blustery winds. "What in the world is this? A magical ship!"

    Within seconds of stepping outside, a rope gracefully descended from the ship''s top, swaying about 20 feet above the ground.

    Lyrian took a moment to scan his surroundings, trying to recall if he had missed anything. Finding nothing amiss, he steeled his resolve and stepped toward the waiting rope.

    "Lyrian!" Rosa''s voice suddenly rang out from behind him as she held her hair away from her face.

    Drufus, standing beside her in the doorway, extended a sheathed sword toward Lyrian. "Take this," he said, his voice filled with pride. "I crafted this obsidian de to assist you. Use it wisely, and good luck, son."

    Gratefully epting the sword, Lyrian felt a surge of determination. He embraced his parents tightly, their farewell filled with love and a touch of bittersweetness.

    "Don''t worry, Mother, Father. I won''t fail. I have to go now," Lyrian reassured them, his voice brimming with resolve. With steady steps, he headed toward the ship, bidding his final goodbyes.

    His determination intensified, knowing that this was thest time he would see his parents for a while and the beginning of his journey beyond the city limits.

    "There''s no way I''m going to fail this exam," he affirmed within himself with unwavering determination. He sheathed the sword at his waist, slung his bag over his shoulder, and began to climb the rope leading to the ship.

    In a mere five seconds, he reached the top, where a mysterious green light enveloped him, working its magic on his entire being. It cleaned his skin, tidied his hair, straightened his clothes, and even boosted his energy a bit. It was a surprising touch, but Lyrian had noints.

    The aura was a cleansing effect, ensuring that all the students were presentable for the entrance exam.

    To the left, Lyrian spotted two flights of stairs leading to the main deck, while to the right, he noticed the ship''s head, featuring a magnificent dragon carving.

    In the center stood tall poles holding the ship''s sails, and the rest of the deck was t, dotted with around a hundred kids his age, scattered about, awaiting the journey ahead.

 Chapter 34 Class Hierarchy

    ?Immediately Lyrian noticed a few eyes on him, which quickly lowered as he gazed at them. From the looks of everyone else, he was already an outcast.

    Since Anaviotis was such a prominent school, only high-ranking nobles and royals would find themselves attending there. For Lyrian however, it was clear to see that he wasn''t of any such origins as his clothes alone looked like what average people would wear.

    Inparison, the other kids wore jewelry in the form of rings and bracelets, with surcoats and robes made of fine fabrics like velvet or silk.

    On top of that, everyone on board must have noticed the sudden stop in some old city on the outskirts of the kingdom where no high-ss nobles would find themselves stepping foot.

    Lyrian''s immediate feeling when standing there was the sense of everyone''s egos being caressed by simply standing next to him. They must have all felt like they were better than him, seeing his ces of origin.

    Although all of this was true, it wasn''t like he waspletely the only one out of onerge group. He could see that there were multiple different groups of students on the ship that had already been formed.

    Near the head of the ship looked to be where the royals and the highest-tier nobles gathered. They were of course the rarest among everyone, so there were probably only around 10 of them in total.

    Out of everyone else, they were the quietest and also the most nonchnt looking when it came to their facial expressions, most of them looking out into the sky with emotionless eyes.

    �Ѧ���d��s����vel.c��m They came from families with important backgrounds, so Lyrian assumed that they were probably taught to be very restrained in order to not damage the family''s image.

    One step below them were the normal nobles, who still came from very prosperous families whenpared to anyone in Illstria since they most likely originated from the inner kingdom. These kids were the mostmon, consisting of around 60% of the total kids on board.

    After them were the lower-tiered nobles who came from inside the walls of the kingdom, but not exactly from the very luxurious inner kingdom.

    There were of course some other kids from ces not listed, but for the most part that was the bulk of the kids that Lyrian could see.

    Out of everyone on board, not a single person was sitting down. it was clear to Lyrian why this was as well.

    The intensity in the atmosphere. He didn''t know exactly what to describe it as, but it felt like he was in some sort ofpetition just by existing there.

    No kid wanted to rx, all of them subconsciously battling their egos together in apetitive environment.

    Knowing this, Lyrian decided to be the first one to sit down.

    ''Why be bothered bypetition... the exam hasn''t even started.'' He thought to himself, seeing it foolish to try and battle egos with other kids for no reason.

    Instead, he crossed his legs and began cultivating. It looked like the journey was going to be a while, so why waste time when he could instead be getting stronger.

    Seeing him sit down, a few kids nced at him, surprised at what he was doing. To them, sitting down seemed like someone was giving up just a few seconds ago, but now, seeing Lyrian, it felt like a direct challenge to everyone on board.

    Almost as if to say "I don''t feel intimidated by any of you."

    "Che! Who does that bastard think he is?" A voice suddenly sounded from the crowd of nobles, as arger kid stepped out from the mix.

    The kid was tall and also bulky, looking to have an equal mix of muscle and fat. To the average kid, he looked intimidating as hell.

    "Oh no... here he goes again..." Another kid that was nearby said, seeing therge kid step out from the crowd and walk towards Lyrian.

    "Did Bardon find his new victim?" More people began to join in the conversation.

    "Oh... it''s that peasant kid."

    "That poor guy... he shouldn''t have sat down so casually."

    "I wouldn''t want to be him..."

    Bardon, therge kid, smiled menacingly as he made his way to Lyrian. From his first moments of being on board, he had already bullied a few kids to tears in order to assert his dominance early on.

    In fact, he had already made a name for himself, "Iron Press Bardon," by pressing his hand down on the kids'' shoulders, causing them to be crushed to the ground from the weight of the brute.

    Bardon walked right in front of Lyrian, as many eyes from around the ship carried over to the two, along with the eyes of some of the kids from the group near the head of the ship as well consisting of royals and high-tiered nobles.

    "Hey peasant, stand up and greet your superior." Bardon smiled, standing over Lyrian.

 Chapter 35 Arrival

    ?Amidst the growing anticipation and nervousness among the crowd, Lyrian finally opened his eyes. It wasn''t like using Gale made him deaf; he knew exactly what was happening.

    With an impressed expression dawning on his face, he slowly rose to his feet. An exasperated thought interrupted Bardon''s speech as Lyrian let out a sudden yawn. "Why does this keep happening to me? It''s getting pretty annoying."

    Gasps rippled through the onlookers, taken aback by his audacity. "What the hell do you want?" Lyrian blurted out, locking eyes with Bardon, his expression carefree.

    The students'' faces twisted in shock at his brazen words. They couldn''t believe their eyes.

    "Oh, right... You wanted me to greet my superior, huh?"

    A hushed silence fell over the crowd as all eyes remained fixed on Lyrian.

    He nced left and right, then refocused his gaze on Bardon. "Nope, don''t see anyone superior to me around here."

    It was a direct challenge to everyone present, even catching the attention of a few royals who turned to glimpse at Lyrian.

    "So how about you leave me alone no--" Lyrian''s words were cut short as Bardon suddenly gripped his shoulder.

    "Oh no... He''s done it now," whispered a kid in the crowd.

    "You''re dead," Bardon calmly stated, a smile still stered on his face but with visible signs of anger brewing beneath the surface.

    Bardon applied pressure, his grip tightening, and a powerful force descended upon Lyrian''s shoulder. To everyone''s astonishment, Lyrian didn''t flinch an inch.

    The eyes of a few royals widened in disbelief as they observed the spectacle.

    "He''s not budging!" a kid from the crowd eximed, utterly shocked.

    "Is that peasant actually withstanding Bardon''s Iron Press!?"

    With a hint of fury in his eyes, Lyrian red at Bardon with an intense gaze. Without warning, he grabbed the brute''s face, exerting a fearsome amount of force.

    Unable to bear the pressure, the bully dropped to his knees in an instant, releasing his grip on Lyrian''s shoulder.

    As the crowd watched in awe, a ripple of astonishment swept through their ranks. They couldn''t believe what they were witnessing--a mere peasant defying Bardon''s dominance.

    Lyrian''s grip remained unyielding, his fingers digging into Bardon''s flesh with an intensity that mirrored his determination. The bully''s knees buckled under immense pressure, forcing him down to the ground.

    Bardon''s face contorted with a mix of pain, surprise, and indignation. The nerves on his forehead stood out like raised ridges, reflecting the turmoil brewing within him.

    Despite the agony, he mustered a strainedugh. "Impressive... but you''ll regret this, peasant."

    Lyrian''s eyes zed with an unspoken challenge. He released his grip, allowing Bardon to copse onto the floor, gasping for air.

    The onlookers were stupefied, their whispers filling the air as they struggled toprehend what had just unfolded before them.

    The sudden shift in power had left everyone in a state of disbelief. It was an unprecedented disy of strength and defiance, defying the established hierarchy.

    The nobles nced at each other, their expressions a mix of curiosity and unease.

    "That''s enough! What is going on here!" A voice suddenly sounded as a figure seemingly appeared in thin air between the two fighters.

    The figure was that of a guard meant to ensure safety among the students until the time of the entrance exam arrived.

    She was a woman in her early thirties, d in polished armor with a sword sheathed on her waist.

    "Bardon! This again!? How many times have I told you to stop messing with kids," The woman paused, noticing that he was the one on the ground this time instead of some other poor kid.

    "Oh, so it looks like you met your match. No more free chances for you, you''reing with me to the detention, get up!" She yelled, picking him up by his elbow before dragging him away into the lower cer of the ship.

    As he pulled away by his ear, he stared at Lyrian with a wave of ruthless anger, which Lyrian simply dismissed. After the two disappeared, Lyrian looked down at his hand.

    ''That was too much force... if I had continued, that kid would have been killed.'' He thought to himself.

    This was, of course, a bad thing, as if he killed that kid, his chances of participating in the entrance exams would be slim to none. As for the innate value of Bardon''s life... Lyrian didn''t give a snot about that.

    Bardon wasn''t some savior or saint, so killing him may even better the world, at least, that was Lyrian''s current point of view.

    As the small crowd of eyes that had gathered began to disperse and calm down, Lyrian sat back down before beginning to use Gale.

    Eventually, he fell into a tranquil state of mind where time was nonexistent, and before he knew it, several hours of peace passed by.

    As the ship finally began to lower, Lyrian opened his eyes, the difference in altitude disturbing his cultivation. Looking around, everyone on the ship was leaning over the railings of the ship, looking down with awe and amazement in their eyes.

    Curious as to what they were all seeing, Lyrian did the same. Down below them, through the thickyer of white clouds, existed a giant dome made of transparent material in the middle of the forest.

    The size of the structure was enormous,rge enough to cover an entire vige. It looked to be made of magic, as no ss could have such patterns feely flowing through it.

    Entering the dome looked to be several other ships that looked identical to theirs, and from Lyrian''s point of view, the scene was remarkably beautiful.

    "We did it!" Some kids began to cheer.

    "We have arrived at the entrance exam spot!"

    Hearing this confirmation, Lyrian subconsciously grabbed onto the railing of the ship, a slight grin on his face.

 Chapter 36 Julius Reinhardt

    ?Following the trail of the other ships, the one Lyrian stood on also entered the dome. From the outside, everything looked to have a small blurred effect, but all of that changed as Lyrian feasted his eyes on what was inside.

    Although the outside of the dome was an endless horizon of trees, the inside looked to be mostly just a patch of grass.

    All of the shipsnded in an organized space to the left of the dome, feet away from each other.

    On the other side of the dome were several small half-dome houses made of white stone scattered about, and in the middle was arge stage with hundreds of seats in front of it.

    As their ship descended andnded ordingly, people began to eagerly jump off and make their way to the seats right in front of the stage.

    Lyrian noticed that apart from those seats, which faced toward the stage, there were multiple rows of seats on the sides that faced the seats in the middle, instead of the stage itself.

    As Lyrian stepped down from his boat and began following therge line of students heading over to fill the seats, he saw the sheer number of kids that were present.

    Counting the ships, he estimated that there were no less than 1100 kids gathered there.

    Eventually, the seats facing the stage filled up perfectly with the total number of kids. Lyrian sat in the upper middle row, closer to the stage.

    For a while all that could be heard was quiet whispers. Everyone was in a dome in the middle of nowhere, without anything to expect. One could simply feel the nervous energy in the air.

    After a few minutes of waiting, therge red curtains which enclosed the stage finally opened...

    Silence spread throughout the crowd of kids as anticipation and nervousness situated themselves.

    In the middle of the stage was a podium, and a few feet behind it were multiple seats as well, with faces on them that were unfamiliar to Lyrian.

    A flutter of ps suddenly erupted throughout the crowd upon the curtains fully opening and revealing everyone inside.

    Future teachers of the kids down below, many well-known while others not so much, were sat on the stage.

    All their faces were garnished in delighted smiles, taking in the apuse from those who they would get to teachter on.

    Although they looked at the students joyfully, their eyes also scanned through the crowd, looking for any kids with outstanding potential. They would continue to do so throughout the exam, as it was their duty in order to ensure good candidates.

    After the apuse calmed itself, a thunderous bolt of lightning suddenly descended from the sky, striking the stage right behind the podium with immense power.

    As the smoke cleared, a mythical-esque figure slowly collected out of thin air, looking over the kids.

    "Greetings, esteemed young aspirants! Wee to the entrance exams of the grand magical academy of Anaviotis!" Julius Reinhardt''s voice boomed with enthusiasm, capturing the attention of the eager crowd.

    His youthful energy radiated from every pore as he stood before them, his vibrant blue eyes shining with excitement.

    Julius extended his arms wide, embracing the anticipation that filled the air. A mischievous grin tugged at the corners of his lips, revealing his friendly nature. The students couldn''t help but be drawn to his charismatic presence.

    "As the Vice Principal of this illustrious institution," Julius continued, his voice carrying a touch of formality, "it is my utmost honor to stand before you today. I have witnessed countless talents gracing these vibrant grounds, and I have no doubt that among you, lie the future leaders and mages of our realm."

    The crowd erupted in cheers and apuse, their enthusiasm fueled by Julius''s words. He paused for a moment, allowing their excitement to subside before continuing.

    "Throughout history, Anaviotis has nurtured and guided countless gifted individuals, unlocking their hidden potential and shaping them into extraordinary beings. But remember my young friends, it is not only raw talent that sets one apart. It is the unwavering dedication, the burning desire to grow, and themitment to honing the skills that will propel you towards greatness."

    Julius''s gaze swept across the crowd, his eyes sparkling with genuine admiration for the students gathered before him. He knew the weight of their dreams and the challenges they would face.

    "During your time here, should you be fortunate enough to join our esteemed academy, you will discover a world of knowledge, a multitude of disciplines, and endless opportunities for growth. We will be your guides, your mentors, and your supporters as you embark on this remarkable journey of self-discovery and magical prowess."

    A wave of determination washed over the students, their gazes filled with unwavering resolve.

    "And so, my youngssies andds, I implore you to seize this opportunity, to embrace the unknown, and to embark on a journey that will shape your destinies. Let your spirits soar, your magic ignite, and your dreams be reality. The halls of Anaviotis eagerly await your arrival!"

    With a flourish of his hand, Julius stepped back, his smile widening as the crowd erupted in thunderous apuse. He had set the stage, instilling hope and excitement in the hearts of those who stood before him.

    "And now, introducing the venerable guests invited here today to  view and judge your performance in this exam!" He finally said as the empty seats to the sides of the students were instantly filled with over 50 figures.

    These faces were from separate academies and institutions, only there to understand the power of theirpetition.

    "Now, I know you are all excited to take on the entrance exam, but before that, we must see who here is fit to enter this academy in another way," He paused, taking a moment to look at the nervous faces of the students. "The magic potential test!"

    As soon as Julius said this, Lyrian noticed the nervousness in the air grow.

    The faces of many students caved in, their expressions bleak. While looking around, he also noticed a familiar face.

    Bardon was sitting only a few feet away from him, staring at him with a furious expression. He was clearly looking to get back at Lyrian for his humiliation.

    Seeing this, a light frown appeared on Lyrian''s face along with an unimpressed look.

    ''Not this again...''

 Chapter 37 Vermillion

    ?Ignoring the bully for a moment, Lyrian pondered to himself, ''The magic potential test? I''ve nevere across that in any of my books.'' He couldn''t help but notice the anxious aura it stirred among the other kids, indicating that it was likely a challenging hurdle to ovee.

    Just as he was contemting this, a random student raised their hand amidst the crowd. Catching sight of the eager questioner, Julius beckoned them to speak, his smile warm and inviting. "Do we have a question?" he inquired, encouraging their curiosity.

    "Yeah... What exactly is a magic potential test?" the student stood up, voicing their query with genuine interest. Julius''s eyes twinkled with enthusiasm as he seized the opportunity to exin. "Ah, an excellent question! The magic potential test is designed to assess your inherent magical abilities. Sounds straightforward, right? Well, there''s a bit more to it," he began, striding across the stage, fully capturing the attention of the attentive audience.

    "You see, there are nine realms of potential that a person can possess," Julius borated, meticulously detailing each realm''s significance. In summary, the first realm represented ''nothing,'' indicating an inability to awaken any magical abilities throughout one''s life. The second realm denoted ''brown,'' where awakening was possible, but magical prowess remained severely limited--a mere glimmer of potential.

    While potential didn''t necessarily define an individual''s ultimate growth, for most, it was an urate gauge. Only the most exceptional wizards and influential figures had ever surpassed their initial magic potential. The third realm, ''green,'' signified an average magical potential among the students of Anaviotis, a respectable standing among the general public who couldn''t conjure any magic.

    Then came ''blue,'' an advanced potential that hinted at a promising future. Following blue was ''red,'' an exceedingly rare magic potential that often birthed prestigious noble families and influential figures within society. Beyond red were the final four realms: ''golden,'' ''crimson,'' ''jade,'' and ''vermillion.'' The golden potential was incredibly scarce, asionally appearing every century or so, with Julius himself possessing this exceptional potential.

    Beyond that, however, the next realm was estimated to ur in about one out of a billion individuals. In the vast Yaltas Kingdom, home to hundreds of millions, only the supreme emperor possessed a crimson magic potential, surpassing even golden. Realms higher than crimson remained shrouded in myth and legend. No one had ever encountered a potential above crimson, leading many to assume it was an age-old tradition devoid of genuine meaning.

    Lyrian''s understanding of magic potentials deepened as Julius exined further, shedding light on why the test instilled such fear in people. Unlike the entrance exam, which offered a fair opportunity for kids to showcase their skills and abilities, the magic potential test was an entirely different beast, relying solely on luck.

    From birth, an individual''s magic potential was determined, seemingly predestining their path in life. That''s how the world viewed magic potentials, and that''s how the children perceived this test. The weight of its implications loomed heavily.

    "Now, let usmence the qualification stage of the entrance exams! Before each one of you, an empty mana crystal will appear. To qualify for the uing preliminaries, you must ce your hand on the crystal and produce a magic grade of green or higher! Your grade will be disyed on this board!" Julius announced, turning to point at arge holographic board that materialized beside the stage.

    "And for the top ten performers, there will be prizes." As he concluded his statement, rigid, transparent crystals, norger than watermelons, materialized in front of every student''s face. Eventually, one appeared before Lyrian as well. Suspended in the air, it resembled a mere rock, yet the trepidation it instilled in the students was palpable.

    For Lyrian, the crystal didn''t evoke the same fear, but he wasn''t entirely confident about acing the test either. Nevertheless, with unwavering determination gleaming in his eyes, he raised his hand towards the crystal, ready to give it his all.

    No one knew what exactly the final test was going to be like this year, as it was always changed, but, for a fact, the requirement of magic was not needed to pass any of them.

    Only here was it needed...

    As Lyrian''s palm met with the crystal, a small group of kids to his left suddenly erupted into a cheer, causing him to look that way for a moment.

    The person being cheered was Bardon. His crystal showed a bright blue light as his name showed up as blue on the leaderboard. Out of everyone, Lyrian could see Bardon staring directly at him with an evil grin on his face.

    Lyrian ignored the fat bastard and mmed his palm against the crystal.

    [Calcting realm...]

    *Ding* [Realm calcted!]

    [Magic Potential Realm: Vermillion]

    On hearing this, Lyrian almost choked on his own spit, his eyes widening his shock.

    *Ding* [An error has urred]

    ''What?''

    [This mana crystal is not able to correctly disy the vermillion realm]

    Before Lyrian could think, he heard an outburst ofughtering from where Bardon sat. Several kids wereughing at him, seeing that even after a solid ten seconds, nothing had shown up on his crystal.

    "Look! He''s still going at it! Ahaha!" Bardonughed in vengeful joy.

    ''Look''s like he''s going to be a bother... I''ll have to teach him a lessonter on.'' Lyrian grumbled in his mind, sporting an annoyed expression before refocusing on his own crystal.

    ''Gear, what can I do here?''

    [You have the option to choose which magic potential realm to show]

    [Highest magic potential realm that this crystal can support: Golden]

    [Which realm will you choose?]

    Lyrian thought seriously about it for a few seconds. ''I don''t like the idea of hiding my strength, but right now, I don''t think I really have a choice. Showing the highest possible realm would only make me a huge target. Right now, this realm is nothing but potential to me, not actual power, so I won''t be able to do anything when someone does target me for it... for now, I will stick with this.''

    Out of nowhere, an extremely bright red glow began to shine from Lyrian''s crystal, like it was some sort of disco ball nearly getting ready to explode.

    Although he went the safe route this time, Lyrian knew that when he had a good amount of strength, he wouldn''t shy away from showing everything he had... well not everything. Get your mind out of the gutter!

    Bardon went from aughing bozo to a snot-nosed fool. His eyes were widened to the size of twos and his jaw was nearly on the floor.

 Chapter 38 Prizes

    ?As the board illuminated with colors representing the magic grades, Lyrian''s name zed in vibrant red, shining like a beacon of extraordinary potential. Gasps of disbelief rippled through the gathering of students and adults, each face mirroring the shock of witnessing an exceptional disy.

    Even the ones who had mocked Lyrian moments ago were left stunned, their own scores paling inparison. He met their surprised expressions with a mischievous grin, relishing the sweet taste of victory.

    Whispers of awe and admiration swept through the crowd as Lyrian''s feat spread like wildfire. There was no doubt that his name was going to be perceived as a threat moving on.

    Just then, three other names shot up to the second, third, and fourth ce on the leaderboard, their names nearly as vibrant as Lyrian''s.

    The leaderboard read:

    ??--------?��a?��?��--------??

    �Ѧ���d��s����vel.c��m 1. LYRIAN THEAGELD: RED

    2. SILVUS YALTAN: RED

    3. GLIS SILANDRA: RED

    4. ENDRA YUUIN: RED

    5. LEO---

    ''Glis Sndra?'' Lyrian suddenly thought to himself as he looked at the board, shocked at what he was seeing.

    ''Isn''t that the annoying girl from the adventurer''s guild?''

    Noticing bright red lights simr to his in the sides of his vision, he stood up and looked around.

    There were 6 different red crystals that he saw, all with a different shade of brightness.

    The red crystal that shone the brightest, apart from Lyrian''s of course, was Silvus'', as stated by the leader board.

    Looking for that bright crystal, Lyrian found the holder of that potential quite close to him.

    He wore some of the finest clothing amongst all those present, his eyes showing no emotion as he simply stared at the leaderboard nonchntly.

    Lyrian noted his appearance and then switched his gaze to the third brightest crystal, and shockingly, the holder of that crystal was staring back directly at him.

    From afar, Glis Sndra''s eyes met with Lyrian''s with the gaze of a hawk. From her expression, she already looked angry.

    ''How could someone like him possess such potential?'' Glis pondered resentfully, her gaze lingering on Lyrian. ''I was supposed to be second, right behind Silvus... Who is he?''

    After identifying the other prominent names on the leaderboard, Lyrian settled back into his seat, a wave of excitement coursing through him.

    He couldn''t help but break into a momentary smile.

    As the potential evaluations concluded, approximately 300 kids,cking potentials beyond the green realm, were escorted back to the ships with gloom weighing heavily on their faces.

    They were to return home, disappointment shadowing their spirits.

    On the other hand, for the remaining candidates,ughter and joy filled the air. This segment of the entrance exam had been dreaded by many, making their sessful passage a cause for celebration.

    Once themotion subsided, the top ten students with the highest potentials were summoned to the stage, one by one. Eight names were called, and then Julius announced, "And surprisingly, our long-favored contender for the first-ce spot has been relegated to second ce! Nevertheless, it is an impressive achievement for the heir of the esteemed supreme royal family. Let''s give a warm wee to Silvus Yaltan!"

    Silvus''s name reverberated through the crowd, prompting him to ascend the stage, his expression unchanged and indifferent. Though Julius''s words tried to frame Silvus''s aplishment in a positive light, many present knew that congratting a member of the supreme royal family for anything less than first ce was a subtle insult.

    The teachers and representatives from other schools held their breath, uncertain of what might unfold. Such a situation had never urred before.

    Whenever a member of the Yaltan family, the esteemed rulers of the Yaltas Kingdom, participated in the magic potential realm tests, they consistently imed the top spot. But this time, the oue had taken an unexpected turn.

    A hush fell over the crowd as Silvus ascended the stage, positioning himself at the far right, symbolizing his superior standingpared to everyone else.

    No one could anticipate Silvus''s reaction, nor the response of the Yaltan family to this unprecedented turn of events.

    "And finally, the winner of this test, cing first, is an unfamiliar name! Please wee Lyrian Theageld!" Julius dered.

    The majority had never encountered Lyrian''s name until it emerged at the pinnacle of the leaderboard. Unaware of his background, no one dared to question his capabilities.

    Lyrian confidently stepped onto the stage, positioning himself on the right side of Silvus, officially signifying his superior status and cing the member of the Yaltan family in an unexpected position of inferiority.

    At this moment, the entire crowd fell into a deafening silence, unsure of what awaited them.

    The crowd remained in a state of uncertainty, the silence stretching on until Julius broke the tension. "Alright, everyone, listen up!" he called out,manding their attention. "Sometimes things don''t go as nned, but that doesn''t mean it''s an upset! Let''s continue this ceremony as we would normally. No need to treat this any differently just because the supreme family didn''te out on top." Julius directly addressed the elephant in the room, unafraid to confront the issue head-on.

    Not many individuals would dare to broach such a controversial topic, let alone have the support to do so.

    But Julius was a different breed. Not only did he hail from a prominent family in the kingdom, but his prodigious talent in magic had propelled him to be the vice principal of Anaviotis before the age of 30--an achievement unheard of. Even the supreme family didn''t want to sour their rtionship with him, allowing Julius the freedom to act as he saw fit.

    With Julius''s words, the tension dissipated, and the atmosphere returned to normal. Gifts were presented to the top winners, while the remaining seven contenders received Riftstones in decreasing increments of 100, starting at 700.

    In a concise exnation, Julius introduced Riftstones as the exclusive currency within the school premises. These unique stones served as the medium of exchange for all transactions within the campus, be it services, markets, or restaurants.

    The purpose of implementing Riftstones was to foster a fair and equal environment for all students. They could only be earned through achievements aplished within the school, eliminating the need for external assistance.

    This system created a level ying field where everyone had an equal opportunity to acquire Riftstones.

    Uponpleting their tenure at the school, students were rewarded with the chance to convert their umted Riftstones into real-life currency.

    This ensured that the value of their efforts within the school tranted into tangible benefits beyond the confines of the academy.

    Essentially, Riftstones provided a seamless currency system within the school, promoting fairness and enabling students to reap the rewards of their aplishments both during their education and in their future endeavors.

    Glis, who secured third ce, received 800 Riftstones and a low-grade storage ring with a capacity of 10 by 10 feet. While storage rings weremon in the kingdom, especially among royals, it initially didn''t seem like an exciting reward.

    However, Julius pointed out that all magic equipment from the outside world wouldn''t function within the academy''s jurisdiction, including storage items.

    Silvus, the second-ce finisher, received 900 Riftstones, a low-grade storage ring, and Orlon''s Bracelet--a magical item that increased magic damage by 6%.

    Finally, Lyrian, the victor, was rewarded with 1000 Riftstones, a medium-grade storage ring capable of holding 20 by 20 feet, and Syan''s Mana Ring--a magical item that provided a boost of 50 mana.

    The distribution of these prizes marked the culmination of their achievements and set the stage for their future endeavors within the school.

 Chapter 39 Royalties

    ?Amidst the prize distribution, Julius took center stage once again and addressed the gathered crowd, his voice ringing out with excitement.

    "Congrattions not only to these exceptional individuals but also to each and every one of you for sessfully passing the magic potential test!" His words elicited a collective cheer from the audience.

    "I know you''re all eagerly anticipating the preliminary rounds tomorrow, but before we dive into the entrance exam, I want to grant you a day of well-deserved rest. Use this time to fully recover and fine-tune your skills onest time. It''s your chance to recharge and showcase your best when thepetition begins. And, of course, good luck to each and every one of you!" Julius concluded, his words filled with genuine enthusiasm.

    The announcement set off a wave of anticipation and relief among the students, who eagerly embraced the opportunity to rejuvenate themselves before the uing challenges.

    As the crowd of over 800 kids dispersed, they were led by guards to the half-circle camps made of white marble that were located to the left of the dome''s campus.

    After arriving, each person was assigned to a single camp with one other roommate, and the guards stayed behind to protect the area. As it was already 10 pm, Lyrian decided to clean himself off in the shower before going to sleep.

    Since he wasn''t going to be able to cultivate at nighta���the entrance exam preliminaries starting the very next daya���he decided to use it efficiently and actually get a good night''s sleep for once.

    Lyrian stepped into his camp and was pleasantly taken aback by what awaited him inside. Despite its unassuming exterior, the interior held a surprising charm.

    The space was adorned with a collection of homely items and furnishings that instantly lifted his mood. The walls were adorned with woven tapestries, their intricate patterns adding a touch of color and warmth to the camp.

    Soft lighting emanated from flickering candles, casting a gentle glow that created a cozy atmosphere. The air carried a subtle scent ofvender and herbs, creating a soothing ambiance.

    Comfortable cushions and inviting chairs were scattered throughout, inviting him to rx and unwind. The crackling firece served as the focal point, radiating warmth and emitting aforting flicker of light across the room.

    With haste, he quickly got in the shower and cleaned himself off. Unlike his home, where everything was slightly broken and damaged, all things inside the camp were spotless and unwed.

    The luxury of the camps disyed the magnitude of the academy''s wealth, and Lyrian assumed it was on purpose at least somewhat.

    After finishing, his stomach grumbled with hunger, but taking a look around, there was nothing to eat. Being the hungry beast that he was, eating more than three times anyone else his age, he even went into the room of his roommate who he had yet to see.

    When he entered, however, no one could be seen inside. ''Huh... that''s odd,'' Lyrian thought before scrounging through the entire camp. Still, he found nothing.

    Frustrated, and with hunger gnawing at his stomach, Lyrian decided to go ask one of the guards that stood outside, but just as he left his camp, a potent smell of delicious food entered his nostrils and alerted his brain at once.

    Like a hungry predator, his head turned towards that direction in a split second, as he began walking.

    Soon, he came across a giant firece that was located in the middle of the camps. ''I guess I left too early to be informed of this...'' Lyrian thought to himself, seeing the hundreds of kids that were there.

    A massive firece dominated the campsite, spanning an impressive 10 by 10 feet and towering over 20 feet in height. Around it, kids gathered, sitting on logs, enjoying meals while engaging in lively conversations.

    Nearby, several food stalls were set up, providing a continuous supply of delectable dishes for everyone''s delight. The stall area was brimming with an abundance of appetizing food.

    From freshly baked loaves of bread and steaming hot soups to tantalizing meats, juicy fruits, and vibrant vegetables, there was a feast to satisfy every craving. It was a haven for food enthusiasts, where the enticing aromas and vibrant disys tempted even the most restrained appetites.

    Lyrian was undoubtedly one of these food lovers, as he quickly picked up over 10 tes and filled them all up with every type of food there before returning to the logs near the firece and beginning to feast.

    His eating even brought the attention of onlookers, as they mused at how fast he devoured all of the food, but he only cared about how delicious the food was.

    At that moment the atmosphere was bright and lively, with everyoneughing with each other as they enjoyed themselves. Lyrian didn''t mind such an environment either, as it only created less trouble for him.

    However, all of that changed as a certain figure made his way into the scene, walking toward the stalls.

    It was none other than Silvus, the prince of the kingdom. As he nonchntly looked at the food items ced in the stalls, his personal guard walked behind him--a man in his forties who wore a butler''s outfit, with a monocle on his left eye and a dignified posture with a stern expression.

    Everyone immediately quieted down, eventuallypletely ceasing to create all noise in his presence. Many kids had their self-worth and ego, but trying to showcase it in front of the supreme royal family was not a good move, and even they knew so.

    No amount of self-satisfaction could be more rewarding than punishment from the kingdom.

    As he walked through the stalls, everyone he neared quickly tilted their heads down in fear, their bodies frozen still.

    Silvus didn''t care about this reaction, as he was used to it by now and knew that it didn''t affect him in any way.

    "Hey... that kid!" A few voices on the other side of the firece began to whisper.

    "Why is he feasting so loudly and not stopping when the young master is too close to him!?"

    "He looks like a peasant from a middle-ss family... does he have a death wish?"

    Thesements were extremely quiet, in order to not be heard by Silvus or his guard, but Lyrian still noticed them.

    That''s when he paused his feast and looked around to notice that the bustling environment from before had disappeared.

    With a stick of meat in his mouth and his hands full of food, he looked at everyone and Silvus with an eyebrow raised.

    "Why did everyone quiet down all of a sudden?"

 Chapter 40 Sudden Confrontation

    ?Hearing Lyrian, kids nearby nearly fainted from shock. There wasn''t a written rule that stated talking like this within the supreme royal family''s presence was a crime, but everyone already knew to not do so anyways.

    There were many instances in the past where people got their tongues cut off, prison time, and even the death penalty for disrespecting the presence of the Yaltan family.

    Of course, Lyrian didn''t have a clue about any of this, and nor did he really care. To him, seeing another person, let alone family, as superior simply because of their forefathers and name was nothing but a silly practice that people did to make themselves appear better to others.

    In truth, he despised it. The idea of royalty, nobility, and all the other "tys" associated with them irked him to no end. Nheless, after posing his question, Silvus seemed topletely ignore him and continued perusing the food stalls. However, his guard couldn''t help but notice and approached Lyrian with an air of authority.

    "Boy, could your inquiries not wait until you are no longer in the presence of the young master?" he asserted, standing over Lyrian with a sense of self-importance.

    His hands were sped behind his back, and his calm tone signified his superior position in the conversation.

    Many kids began to remember Lyrian''s face from what he did on the ship on the way over here, and word had also spread throughout the campus by now.

    Rumours had already spread about him, how he was rambunctious and daring, not having a care in the world for getting in trouble. Of course, he was still seen as a mysterious figure, everyone having no clue what he would do or say next.

    Nheless, it seemed none of that mattered right now. In their eyes, simply begging for forgiveness and moving seemed like the best option right now for him.

    He nced up and down at the guard, unimpressed by his pompous appearance.

    "Why should I? Does my eating food disrupt his ears so much that he cannot stand it? Just tell him to go somewhere else then, if he hates it that much." He spoke indifferently.

    Hearing this, the guard immediately closed his eyes and forced a smile on his face.

    "Boy... do you know whose authority you are questioning?" He said, seemingly trying to control his anger.

    "Why should I care? I have done nothing wrong. Now leave me alone so I can enjoy my food."

    Hearing this, the old man''s eyes flew open with a newfound fury. "You dare to disrespect his honor?! Understand that peon''s like you must behave your status before the presence of the supreme royal fam--" The old man red at Lyrian as he began to bark, but was swiftly cut off.

    "Oh shaaad'' aap! Your yelling is causing spit to go all over my food," Lyrian said, guarding his food against the man''s spit cannons. "Just leave me alone already. I''m not disrespecting shit. If you want to take it as disrespect, go ahead, but as I see it, that boy over there and I are equals." Lyrian spouted, his tone almost yful, adding to the humiliation that the guard already felt.

    Never in his career had hee across such a daring brat. It was too much, even for him who had worked as a guard for years.

    For a split second, he stopped holding his hands behind his back and reached for a hidden weapon in his waist, fully intent on beating and arresting this boy out of spite.

    In that sliver of a moment, Lyrian noticed the aggressive intent that came from the man and readied himself to grab his sword as well, his killing intent spewing out in an instant.

    The older gentleman immediately paused, an unfamiliar feeling of doom suddenly washing over him as he felt a sword slice clean through his neck out of nowhere.

    ''What was that!? Was I hallucinating it?'' He thought to himself, sweat beginning to pour down his forehead.

    He quickly clutched his neck, only to feel that it was still intact, and then he looked at the boy, staring directly back at him with a gaze that pierced through him.

    "Alfron, that''s enough." A calm and quiet voice suddenly sounded from Silvus.

    The guard quickly turned to face him while panting in distress, his face slightly pale.

    Silvus, with his eyes still inspecting the food items, said to the guard behind him. "Your squabble is getting annoying. You should have finished your business by now, but instead, you''re just beginning to irritate me." He finally looked back and gazed at the guard with a sharp stare of his own, causing the guard to quickly return to his side.

    After a few moments, the two departed, leaving everyone else in a collective sigh of relief.

    "What in the world just happened!?" a kid beside Lyrian eximed, impressed by his bold words and bravery. The kid, who seemed to fit the "nerd" archetype, was dressed less impressively than the others, suggesting he wasn''t from a particrly prestigious family.

    "What are you talking about?" Lyrian replied, wanting to get back to his meal.

    "You were so confident! And that aura... What was that aura!? It felt like we were in the presence of a monster or something!" heughed, while Lyrian noticed several faces behind him reflecting the same awe-inspired expression.

    "They felt it too? Is my mana aura bing too overwhelming to contain?" Lyrian wondered, growing concerned about inadvertently revealing the extent of his power. Now, he was determined to find a way to conceal his aura...

 Chapter 41 Fizzle

    ?Trying to ignore the several kids that continued to try and talk to him, Lyrian began to eat once again.

    Although his mood was now slightly disturbed by the peopleing up to him, the food still tasted as good as ever.

    Once finished, he entered several extra tes of food into the new storage ring that he received from the magic potential test and returned back to camp, as other people also began leaving the cookout and going back to their camps as well.

    As soon as he stepped into the door and entered the living area of the camp, he noticed a boy sitting down on the floor near his own room, sharpening a long katana.

    He wore clothes that resembled Lyrian''s except maybe even a bit worse quality, had short, buzz-cut hair, and had a somewhat serious expression on his face.

    "Oh... you''re my roommate right?" Lyrian said, deciding to introduce himself to avoid any awkward situations between the person he was going to live with for the next several hours, if not more.

    The boy looked him up and down, not showing too much interest or emotion, before standing up and turning around, heading back into his room, and mming the door shut.

    Lyrian stood there, utterly perplexed. "What the...?" he thought, bewildered by the boy''s response.

    Sighing, he resigned himself to the probability of more awkward encounters and proceeded to enter his room, cing his belongings on the table.

    Lyrian decided to practice a spell that he had been trying to perfect for quite a while nowa���throughout the days that he waited for the entrance exam ticket to Anaviotis.

    The idea was to concentrate his mana on a specific body part, be it his leg or his fist, to significantly amplify his attacks and fortify his defense in those areas.

    He had been inspired by observing the Hobgoblin, the original user of the skill, and now sought to perfect it before the entrance exam at Anaviotis.

    Taking a deep breath, Lyrian closed his eyes and focused his mind on the task at hand. First, he used Enhance to infuse his entire body with mana.

    Then, he visualized the mana flowing from his body to his tightly clenched fist, the designated focal point. Gradually, the mana coursed through his meridians, obediently following his mentalmand.

    His palm grew warmer with each passing moment, and eventually, all the enhanced mana converged in his fist. This stage had been reached before, but Lyrian had consistently faltered afterward.

    Determined not to fail this time, he squeezed his fist tighter and unleashed a punch, causing the mana-infused strike to surge forth with heightened speed and power.

    However, as his fist flew through the air, the mana dispersed throughout his body once again--a fizzled attempt.

    ''Another fail,'' He thought to himself. Confused, and exhausted, hey on the bed. ''I wanted to perfect this by the time the entrance exam actually started, and I had to do some real fighting. But it looks like that''s not going to happen.''

    Not wanting to waste any more of his precious time to sleep, Lyrian dozed off right there. He knew full well that even if he tried for the entire night, by the way, things were going, he was going to fail to execute the spell properly.

    ...

    The next morning arose, and as magic horns seemingly sounded from the heavens, Lyrian was suddenly jerked awake.

    Looking outside, he realized that it was nearly noon already. After quickly scrambling to get ready, he left his room and noticed his roommate about to leave through the door.

    "Hey waita���" Lyrian began to shout when the boy stepped outside and mmed the door shut on him.

    All Lyrian wanted to do was know his name, but it seemed that he wasn''t going to be able to learn it anytime soon.

    He shrugged it off and began to make his way out and toward the stage located in the middle of the dome once again.

    As walked there with hundreds of other kids surrounding him, he noticed where the horn sounds wereing from.

    Each guard looked to be blowing horns as loud as they could, and Lyrian had no doubt that those were magically infused horns, seeing as how loud they were.

    Finally reaching the stage, Lyrian settled into his seat, noticing that the curtains were already open, revealing an empty stage.

    No one upied the sides either. Once everyone was situated, a vibrant feather materialized in the distance, growing closer as it approached.

    The feather, resembling a peacock plume, proved to be massive, almost the size of a modern-day car.

    It captured the students'' attention as Julius appeared atop it, eximing, "Examinees! Follow me to the preliminary testing arenas!" With those words, he ascended into the sky once more.

    Without a moment''s hesitation, the students leaped from their seats and dashed toward Julius. Curiously, Lyrian observed them running at full speed, their faces brimming with determination.

    ''Huh?'' He thought to himself as he began to walk towards where Julius was flying, far in the distance. ''Why are these kids trying so hard?''

    "Do not forget! Those of you who arrive at the preliminary arena''s first will receive a prize that will undoubtedly help you! Never let your guard down kids, the entrance exam started the moment you got on those ships!" Julius suddenly hailed from the clouds.

 Chapter 42 Magic Race

    ?''What!? No wonder they were running so quickly,'' Lyrian thought to himself on hearing what Julius said. ''I might as well be the first one to get there. There isn''t any merit in avoiding prizes after all.''

    With this, Lyrian firmed his feet on the ground, positioning himself to burst out into a full-blown sprint, before finally dashing forward.

    The serious faces of the kids farther behind turned perplexed as they saw the blur of a figure whiz past them in an instant, their eyes widening in shock.

    In a few seconds, Lyrian had entered the small forest inside of the dome that Julius had flown over. Here, he surpassed even more kids who struggled with the density of the trees and shrubbery.

    To Lyrian, who practically lived in the forest for years, traveling through there made him even faster, allowing him to use the branches and vines to propel himself forward like an ape.

    Bolting from tree to tree, he finally made it out of the forest area andunched himself to where the leaders of the race were in an instant, his eyes filled with seriousness.

    Sndra, who was the next in front of him, looked to be using ice skates made from her own magic to skate through to victory.

    The boy in front of her was who Lyrian recognized as Endra Yuuin, the fourth-ce prize winner in the magic potential testing.

    He was running on all fours like a wild beast, his nails stretching out into ws to help him dig into the ground and get more force.

    Finally, the person in the first ce was, as expected, Silvus. From afar Lyrian saw that he rode atop a small log most likely from the forest that looked to be imbued with some sort of magic that made it fly.

    No matter who he saw, Lyrian noticed that they all used magic in one way or another to help him run, while he on the other hand was simply using his sheer natural power.

    Still, no matter how fast he ran, it didn''t look like he was going to surpass any one of them anytime soon, as their magic propelled them to heights almost unattainable by natural standards, at least, for themen.

    Lyrian didn''t want to waste any mana before the preliminary fights began, but it looked like he was going to have to right now.

    ''Enhance.'' He said in his mind. Instantly, vibrant green energy surged through his body, invigorating him with newfound strength. With a burst of speed, he swiftly passed Sndra, leaving her astonished and eximing, "What in the world? You again!?"

    Endra looked back behind his shoulder, noticing that someone was quickly approaching him. Determined to not be overtaken, he let out a wild scream, turning his hands into the paws of a white tiger.

    Just before Lyrain could reach him, Endra''s speed suddenly increased, leaving Lyrian in the dust.

    With Endra now in the lead, Lyrian refused to let him stay ahead. He focused his mind and tapped into his well of mana, feeling its energy course through his veins.

    The green aura intensified around him as he summoned an even greater surge of power. His legs propelled him forward, his strides lengthening as he closed the distance between him and Endra.

    Endra nced over his shoulder, his eyes widening in disbelief as he saw Lyrian rapidly gaining on him.

    A mixture of surprise and frustration crossed his face. Determined to still try and defend his position, Endra channeled his mana and unleashed a powerful burst of speed. Unfortunately, Lyrian''s speed was far too overwhelming. The two runners raced side by side for only a moment, the air crackling with their magic-infused movements.

    In an instant the wind whipped past Endra as Lyrian shot ahead, leaving Endra momentarily stunned.

    Noticing a powerful aura approaching him at extreme speeds, Silvus gazed forward towards the finish line with an indifferent expression, his speed suddenly increasing by two folds.

    The change in speed was enough to surprise Lyrian slightly, seeing that the finish line where Julius and the race announcer were waiting was only about 50 meters away from where Silvus was.

    Silvus looked confident. ''At his current speed... It''s impossible for him to pass me,'' He thought to himself, only 5 meters away from the finish line.

    At that moment, Lyrian turned around, facing opposite to the finish line before suddenly putting his hands together.

    ''GO!'' He yelled in his mind as a powerful burst of fire exploded from his hands, catapulting him to the finish line in an instant.

    ''I wina���'' Silvus'' thought was interrupted by a sudden blur that jolted past him, as his eyes widened in shock.

    The two looked to cross the finish line at the exact same time, no one behind them knowing who came in first ce.

    "The winner of the race!" the race announcer yelled. "Isa���"

 Chapter 43 The Winner

    ?"The winner of the race is!"

    The race announcer began to dere, standing at the finish line next to Julius. "Silvus Yaltan!"

    "... Hahaha! I knew it! There was no way that peasant could have won!" A kid who had recently finished the raceughed.

    Many other kids had relived reactions, the announcer assuring them that royalty could never truly lose.

    This not only affirmed their faith in Silvus but also in their own blood--to think that they were better than peasants with no noble bloodline.

    Silvus panted heavy breaths with his hands on his knees on the other side of the finish line. ''I... won?'' He questioned to himself.

    He could almost swear to himself that he saw that boy go past him. It was like that moment yed again and again in his head.

    Just as he reached the finish line, that peasant''s face appeared next to his, looking at him with a smile before blitzing past him.

    Still, the results were in. ''I won!'' He inwardly rejoiced.

    ''Ahh shit... I guess I should have gone all in. But that''s fine, It doesn''t matter if I don''t get a prize, that won''t stop me from passing the exam.'' Lyrian thought to himself, not very tired, but slightly disappointed.

    Julius on the other hand was silent. ''Lyrian clearly won that race...'' He looked at the announcer, his eyes slightly closed in confusion.

    That was when he noticed that on the announcer''s robe was the emblem of the Yaltan family; the symbol of a soaring phoenix. From this, he knew something was off.

    His eyebrows furrowed with a stern demeanor as he thought to himself, ''It seems I''ll have to talk to the chancellor..."

    After a few minutes, when everyst kid finally made it through the finish line, Julius presented himself in front of everyone with a bright smile on his face.

    "Congrattions to the winner; Silvus, foring in first ce! Your prize for winning this race is very simple yet also very valuable. Unlike everyone else here," He said to Silvus who was in the front row of the crowd, gesturing to everyone else.

    "You get to decide who your opponent will be!"

    Many in the crowd gasped as they heard this. Although it didn''t sound like a very grand prize, for most of the kids it meant a direct pass in the preliminaries, since you could always just choose someone weaker than you.

    "The choice is yours young man, go ahead, choose," Julius said as Silvus walked out of the crowd and stood beside him, overlooking the mass of kids.

    There were many weak ones, strong ones, ones proficient in magic, and others greater at physical activities, the choices seemed endless.

    For most kids in the crowd, standing before Silvus like this and potentially being chosen by him was scary enough. Their hearts pounded out of their chest in fear that they would choose him.

    �Ѧ���d��s����vel.c��m Since he won the race, if he picked them, they knew that they would just have to act like a sacrificialmb and lose the fight.

    It wasn''t like they would win anyways, even if they tried to fight back, but no one was actually going to try to cause any harm to his majesty. That would only get their family targeted by the royal magistrate.

    On the other hand, some actually wanted to challenge Silvus. Those only who had a strong connection to the Silvus family via kin and other rtion of course.

    Sndra was no doubt one of these figures, as she readied herself to be picked by Silvus. She saw him as her rival, but Silvus wasn''t exactly of the same opinion.

    "To be my opponent for the preliminaries, I choose," His eyes darted across the crowd, causing shivers to go down the backs of all the eyes he nced at.

    "Him." He finally said, pointing directly at a peasant-looking boy to the side who was nonchntly picking his nose, looking to not have a care in the world.

    Lyrian looked up from his business to something he waspletely ignoring, only to see Silvus'' finger pointing directly at him.

    "What?" He said out loud in surprise.

    Sndra immediately furrowed her brows in anger, "What in the world! Him!?" she eximed loudly.

    Others were also shocked at the fact that Silvus picked Lyrian. They didn''t exactly know what to think, seeing how much of a peculiar figure Lyrian was, but it sure as hell was enough to instill shock into each and every one of them.

    If Silvus were to pick just any other peasant, many would understand his decision, as it was a logical and smart thing to do with his prize. But Lyrian was a different story.

    From what they had seen of him, he didn''t look like some easy fight to pick to easily pass the preliminaries.

    Silvus stared at Lyrian''s face, which was now quite obnoxious to him, as he spoke, "I''m going to showcase to everyone that you are nothing special. You might be a ck sheep in the herd of peasants, but you''re still a sheep at the end of the day. No matter what, you cannotpete with the apex predators of the world, us royals!''

 Chapter 44 Preliminaries Begin!

    ?Hearing the young master speak, many high-status nobles who followed his every step celebrated his words.

    "Hell yeah!"

    "The young master is right! We are the apex predators!"

    They yelled, their egos inted.

    "Yeah, you''re right! No matter how much of a ck sheep you are, you''re still a pathetic little sheep born from your sheep parents!" A boy quite close to Lyrian yelled in the heat of the moment.

    "What did you say?" Lyrian immediately spoke out, offended by the disrespect towards his parents.

    The boy''s expression quickly turned worried as he stopped cheering in an instant, not willing to confront Lyrian directly.

    As the cheers from others calmed down, Lyrian spoke back, which was somethingpletely unexpected and even rude for a peasant to do.

    "If you think that you are an apex predator and I am just your prey, I''d be happy to change your opinion." He grinned, indifferently epting the challenge as if it meant nothing to him.

    Upon hearing this exchange, Julius quickly intervened between the two kids to move on with the preliminaries and prevent any fight from breaking out.

    "Alright, alright folks. Let''s not get too carried away. These fights are only preliminary duels. There should be no ill will between the duelers. Now, let us get started!" he said, turning around to face thend behind him.

    The surroundings were nothing but t grasnd, but suddenly, smooth stone tforms began emerging from the ground, each measuring 10 by 10 meters and spaced 10 meters apart.

    In total, nine tforms rose from the ground, creating a 3 by 3 pattern of arenas.

    Alongside them, giant stone stands began to emerge as well. They consisted of tiered rows of horizontal seats, with every other step providing ess to another row of seats.

    Seemingly out of nowhere, the seats were filled with spectators. Upon closer inspection, Lyrian noticed that representatives from other schools were seated there, along with some of the teachers from Anaviotis that he had seen upon his arrival.

    However, among the crowd, there were also hundreds of unfamiliar faces, all eagerly anticipating the preliminary fights.

    Unbeknownst to Lyrian, these additional spectators in the stands were other nobles who had gathered to witness the preliminary rounds involving their children. It would be thest time they would see their children for a long while, after all.

    "Mother! Hey!" a kid suddenly shouted from the crowd where Lyrian stood, as hundreds of other kids began noticing their parents and calling out to them.

    Upon hearing all this, Lyrian was okay with not meeting his parents there. They had responsibilities at home and likely couldn''t afford toe here, considering the presence of only wealthy nobles.

    He had already bid them a final goodbye, so there was no need to see them. All he needed to do was pass the exam.

    There were three stands in total, positioned on three sides of the arenas, while the crowd of examinees stood on the final side.

    On the side facing away from the kids, there was a balcony overlooking the stages. Atop that balcony were a total of three seats.

    In an instant, Julius disappeared from his position near the kids and appeared in the left seat atop the balcony, maintaining a smile on his face.

    He was reced by several announcers who would call out the names of the dueling participants.

    After Julius, the seat on the right was filled by an older gentleman whose long white beard signified his wisdom and age.

    This man held the esteemed position of head of the royal magistrate, a governing body that stood just below the supreme royal family in the kingdom''s hierarchy.

    And finally, the seat in the middle was upied by one of the representatives of the supreme royal family of the kingdom. He was Zysrial Yaltan, the current eldest son of the Yaltan family.

    Zysrial stood tall, easily over 6''8" in height, with broad shoulders and a chiseled face, d in golden armor. His eyes exuded dominance, casting his presence across the entire field as he calmly overlooked the arenas.

    Lyrian immediately noticed him, recognizing his power. ''Scan,'' he tried out of interest.

    [Error! The target''s power level is too high to scan]

    [Increasing your mastery of the Scan skill will enable you to scan individuals with higher power levels]

    ''Huh... as I expected.''

    Before long, the announcers began calling out the names of the first fighters.

    "Ouil Petres and Jennas Nigh, pleasee to arena 2x3!"

    "Sen Kalo and Marumi Tani, please..."

    .

    .

    .

    An hour passed, as duels raged on nonstop. In order to see the ability of their opponents, the kids were allowed to walk through the outside portions of the areas and spectate the fighters.

    Most of the time, two or three arenas with the most interesting figures would be covered with spectators, leaving out the rest of the kids to fight without any eyes on them, as they were seen as nothing but fodder by most.

    As the kids passed their exams, they breathed heavy sighs of relief and moved on spectating themselves, a new smile adorned on their faces.

    While spectating, Lyrian noticed a few figures that stood out from the rest as well, some who had red magic potential.

    Right now, he was interested in Endra''s power the most, as he had never heard of such an ability to transform into a beast-like creature. He caught a glimpse it during the race and wanted to see it in action.

    "Endra Yuuin--" A fight announcer near Lyrian suddenly began to speak, catching his attention as he heard those words.

    "And Leonidas Serroa, pleasee to arena 3x3!"

    ''Hmm? Why does that name sound familiar?'' Lyrian thought to himself as he quickly made his way over to the 3x3 arena where almost every other kid was also heading, intrigued mostly by Endra''s name.

    Lyrian thought that this boy named Leonidas was just another unfortunate peasant, but when he arrived at the arena and made his way past the crowd of students to see the fight, he saw that he recognized his face, quite well actually.

    ''...My roommate?'' He thought to himself, slightly surprised.

 Chapter 45 Iron Maiden

    ?Finally, there was a fight he was actually interested in for once. As the two fighters made their way to the stage, Lyrian noticed that Leonidas'' face was still as stoic as he remembered from his camp.

    He grasped the hilt of his sword, preparing for battle. However, as Endra also made his way to the arena, Lyrian noticed something different about one of the two.

    Unlike Endra, who you could clearly sense possessed magic, Leonidas didn''t have any mana exuding from him.

    This alone caused some of the kids to begin berating the person who they thought was just a peasant, seeming to match his clothes.

    "What the heck? That kid has no magic aura!"

    "He''s just some street rat! I guess we won''t get to see young master Endra''s special power."

    Another eximed in disappointment, as Lyrian continued to think about where he had seen Leonidas'' name before.

    ''...That''s right!'' He finally remembered. ''Leonidas was the 5th ce finisher in the magic potential tests.''

    Although Lyrian was beginning to think that Leonidas wasn''t anything special as well, following the thought process of everyone else, this realization made him think differently.

    Now, he was interested equally in both Endra and Leonidas'' powers. ''How did he ce so high in the tests without any magical aura?'' He thought to himself.

    "Alright! Three, Two," The fight announcer began to count down as Endra put his palms on the ground, going into a quadrupedal stance simr to an animal.

    As he looked at Leonidas with ferocious eyes, hisrge k-9s sticking out from his mouth, his gaze was met by a stern, yet calm one.

    Endra''s demeanor going into the fight was one of a wild beast getting ready to attack, while Leonidas'' was like a warrior getting prepared to battle.

    Lyrian could sense the disciple honed into Leonidas'' hands as he gripped the hilt of his sword tightly.

    "One! Fight!"

    "Iron Blitz." Leonidas quietly said under his breath.

    In a split-second, he disappeared from his spot and reappeared right in front of Endra''s face--his now unsheathed sword only millimeters away from reaching Endra''s neck.

    Endra widened his eyes in shock as he witnessed the eyes of Leonidas. They werepletely white, devoid of all color and emotion.

    In that sliver of a moment, he managed to sway backward, narrowly avoiding Leonidas'' sword, before quickly dashing away to the other side of the arena, allowing space between the two fighters.

    Many gasps of awe and bewilderment echoed through the crowd as they saw Leonidas'' sudden and powerful attack.

    Endra was left panting and his heart beat quickly. ''What the hell was that!?'' He thought to himself.

    What Leonidas did waspletely unexpected from his calm demeanor. In the beginning, Endra wanted to be the first one to initiate the fight, but Leonidas nearly actually killed him before he could even move.

    He knew that he wouldn''t have actually died, under the gaze of many powerful sorcerers, but at that moment it felt like death itself was staring directly at him.

    After finding his grounding, Endra regained hisposure and realized the gravity of the situation. He couldn''t afford to underestimate Leonidas any longer.

    The crowd was on the edge of their seats, their earlier dismissive remarks now reced with a newfound respect for the young swordsman.

    Endra decided to tap into his own unique power, the magic passed down to him via generations of his family that he had honed over the years.

    In a mesmerizing disy, his hands elongated and grewrger, morphing into powerful tiger paws.

    His once-human fingers gave way to fierce, razor-sharp ws that glinted menacingly in the light.

    The texture of his skin transformed, now resembling the supple, striped fur of a majestic tiger.

    Simultaneously, Endra''s feet underwent a stunning alteration. They stretched and lengthened, taking on the characteristics of the springy legs of a gazelle.

    Muscles rippled beneath his new feline-like limbs, granting him enhanced speed and agility while retaining an elegance reminiscent of the graceful gazelle.

    With a fearsome roar that reverberated throughout the arena, Endra unveiled hisplete transformation.

    His eyes burned with an intense, amber glow, mirroring the predatory instincts that now coursed through his being. His presence exuded a primal aura,manding attention and respect.

    Leonidas observed Endra''s disy of magic, his white eyes unwavering. Without a trace of fear or panic, he raised his sword and took a defensive stance.

    His body seemed to emanate a subtle aura of concentration and control.

    Without wasting any time, Endra sprang forward with his gazelle legs, closing the distance between him and Leonidas instantly.

    Once close enough, Endraunched his ferocious paws toward Leonidas, who will continue to stay still, even in the midst of such danger.

    The disy was enough to cause the anticipation of the crowd to max out.

    As Endra''s sharp ws reached only inches away from Leonidas'' skin, again, Leonidas whispered something under his breath. "Iron Maiden."

    Without warning, Leonidas suddenly unleashed a barrage of sword strikes toward Endra, the speed of his blows causing a gust of wind to blow on the faces of all of the spectators.

    Endra tried to parry the sword jabs for a couple of seconds but it was clear to see that he was no match for Leonidas'' speed.

    Just as a strike that he failed to parry neared his abdomen, the fight announcer suddenly appeared between the two, stopping the fight in an instant.

    "Winner, Leonidas!" He yelled, his hand pointing towards the victor.

 Chapter 46 The Final Duel

    ?After his loss, Endra was left shocked and confused, a mix of anger, disappointment, and bewilderment filling his expression.

    Endra wasn''t like other high-status nobles who cared about his superiority or bloodline. All he wanted was to make his family proud by achieving many aplishments in Anaviotis, eventually bing the heir to the family head.

    But, even with all the expectations bound on his shoulders and aspirations, he lost to a no named kid. There were no retakes to Anaviotis. Now, his entire family would suffer because of him.

    As he continued to drown in his sorrows, Leonidas on the other hand sheathed his sword calmly, and as he did, his eyes quickly regained their color, his pupils finally reappearing.

    The crowd also began to disperse, but not without being threatened by a new fear, that being Leonidas the ''peasant''.

    As Lyrian witnessed some of those walking away, he could see on their face that their egos about their noble superiority were crushed right then and there. Most, however, were still ignorant, but wary nheless.

    Following Leonidas'' victory, Glis also began her match with another person who happened to have blue magic potential.

    Needless to say, she dominated her opponent and swiftly ended the match without a scratch on her body.

    Even though it was a quick match, Lyrian got to see just how she used her magical powers, namely ice ones.

    Finally, after many hours of waiting around, when everyone looked to have just about finished their fights, a fight announcer eximed, "Silvus Yaltan and Lyrian Theageld, pleasee to arena 2x2!"

    With this, a roar of cheer reverberated from the crowd of nobles. They wouldn''t go on without celebrating the name of a member of the supreme royal family after all.

    ''I guess it''s time...'' Lyrian thought to himself, nearing the arena at the same time as Silvus.

    Nearly all of the kids also gathered around their arena to see the bout, no one willing to miss this spectacle of drama.

    Lyrian looked up at Zysrial who sat at the pinnacle of the balcony.

    The young man rested his head on his palm, calm andposed with his sword leaning against his thigh. From the looks of it, he wasn''t doubtful at all of his younger brother''s victory.

    ''He probably think''s going to be a clean sweep.'' Lyrian said in his mind, finally arriving at the arena before hopping up onto it.

    Seeing his face and clothes, many whispers began to spread throughout the crowd of nobles, teachers, and representatives from other schools.

    Although his name was thrown around here and there during the magic potential testing, not everyone had gotten to know him.

    As he stood there, confidently staring his opponent in the eyes with a slight grin of excitement on his face, many were thrown his by odd behavior.

    "Is that a way to act when facing the young lord?"

    Some began to spout in the crowd.

    "Hey, kid! Drop down on your knees and start praying, this is going to be depressing for you!"

    "Ahaha! Don''t be so rude, maybe he has a chance..."

    "Puh! Ahaha! Yeah right! What the heck could that ragged-clothed little snot do to the young master!?"

    The mockery was clear, loud enough for Lyrian to hear, but he couldn''t give less of a shit about that.

    Right now, he just wanted to focus on winning this match, and also try to use the fist-enhancing technique that he tried to perfect the night before.

    As the sound slowly calmed down, everyone settling in for the duel to begin, the announcer finally began to speak.

    "Alright, get ready duelers. 3! 2!" He began to yell out, as the tension and anticipation began to grow throughout.

    "1! Fight!"

    As the duel began, none of the two moved.

    Lyrian wanted to first gauge his opponent''s techniques, not wanting to barge in suddenly while being unprepared, while Silvus had other ns in mind.

    "As I said before, even though you are a ck sheep, you are still just a sheep." He spoke, causing silence to hush over the crowd.

    "Do you know what happens when a sheep tries to attack an apex predator?" He said in a demeaning tone.

    "They die a painful death! If I wanted to I could end this fight right now. All I would have to do is use a single spell right there," He said before beginning to point to different areas on Lyrian''s body.

    "There, there, and even there. It wouldn''t take much, but before I do that, I want to teach you a real lesson on why someone of your calib-"

    As he continued his speech that captivated the entire crowd, Lyrian thought to himself ''Is he going to start to lecture me? How boring...'' With a disappointed expression.

    "-er can not ever dare and oppose me. Ie from a long generation of power--" Before Silvus could continue, he was abruptly cut off.

    "Alright buddy, there is no need for an entire spiel of what you feel is important. How boring could you possibly be?" Lyrian blurted out of nowhere.

    Hearing this, Zysrial intensified his eyes just slightly on Lyrian, while the entire crowd erupted into a cacophony of astonished gasps of astonishment.

    "Do you think I care about how you feel? How could you possibly assume that I would just sit here and take this like some little coward? What you say makes no difference to me,"

    Lyrian paused for a slight moment, allowing Silvius, who was currently taken aback by shock at his words, to catch up.

    "You make no difference to me," Lyrian said, emphasizing "you" to really dig deep into Silvus'' nerves.

    "All you are is just a stepping stone to the actual entrance exam. So, now that we got that established, how about we actually do what we came here for? Let''s have a fair fight."

    The jaws of everyone present were dropped to the floor, including the fight announcer, examinees, nobles, royals, school representatives, and teachers.

    Silvus was at a loss for words, even his mouth slightly agape.

 Chapter 47 Its Now Or Never; Shock Fist!

    ?In the next seconds, Silvus'' almost nonchnt face from before morphed into one full of anger and humiliation.

    "You! What did you say to me!?" He yelled out, raising his voice for the first time in this manner, not being able to control himself.

    "How dar--" Again, Silvus was cut off, but this time not by Lyrian.

    "Begin." Zysrial calmly spoke from his throne, seeing Silvus start to be too flustered.

    His younger brother''s heart immediately sank into his chest as he heard Zysrial speak. Slowly, Silvus turned to face him.

    He looked at his elder brother, frustrated by the fact that he didn''t want him to speak any more to the peasant that clearly just insulted him in front of everyone.

    His look was met by a stern one from his brother, causing him to quickly turned back around. Suffering humiliation here was one thing, but actually irritating his brother was a whole other, much worse deal.

    "Fine! I will make you regret those words, you scum." He stared directly at Lyrian as he spoke.

    "Go ahead and try." Lyrian retorted.

    "Dentro Wind!" Silvus quickly spoke, raising his right hand in the air as a wooden log suddenly summoned beneath his feet, elevating him in the air.

    "Aeras st!" Silvus yelled once, again, raising both of his hands in front of him this time as several power gusts of wind conjured out of his palms, shooting toward Lyrian at extreme speeds.

    Lyrian narrowly dodged the sts, noting that their power was no joke. Even with his current power, he would certainly take some serious damage.

    A small number of gasps and whispers waved through the crowd as they saw Lyrian dodge the sts.

    Without wasting time, Silvus began to circle around Lyrian on his log,unching several spells toward him as he did so.

    "Aeras Slice!" He yelled, sending a de-shaped st of wind.

    "Aeras Ball!"

    Lyrian dodged the attacks quite easily, but he was slightly confused at the level of their strength. Even for someone like Silvus, they were quite weak.

    Still, the crowd became surprised at his ability to not be taken out by a single hit.

    Silvus finally stopped circling Lyrian, flying back to his original spot as he witnessed his final creation.

    Without even noticing, Lyrian had been encased in a wind tornado. He thought that it was just the debris of wind from the flying log that Silvus was circling him with, but that wasn''t the case.

    "Hahaha! You fell for my trap, fool! Those spells I used on you were just decoys, now, behold the power of my real spell!" Silvus finally shouted, arge grin on his face.

    The crowd was mesmerized, impressed at Silvus'' battle intelligence.

    Silvus raised both of his hands into the air, "Aeras," He channeled the most amount of mana that he could into this spell as he spoke, "Coffin!"

    Upon hearing this, the wind tornado around Lyrian sped up to a powerful degree, causing him to lose his footing just a little bit.

    Suddenly, a spike of wind darted out of the tornado and shot right toward Lyrian''s face.

    His eyes widened as he noticed the bolt of wind aiming right for the middle of his head at the veryst moment, just barely being able to dodge it as it scraped the side of his cheek.

    Feeling the warm blood run down the side of his face, Lyrian''s eyebrows furrowed in anger.

    ''I didn''t want to get hit even once, but I failed so quickly. I should have been paying more attention.'' He thought to himself, ''Enhance.''

    His body suddenly began glowing in a slight green aura, as he sensed another spike of wind darting at him from the back.

    This time, he dodged it without a scratch, but following those spikes came several others.

    In just a few seconds, hundreds of spikes darted at him like he was in some sort of pinball machine, as the darts flew back into the tornado only to be thrown out once again.

    Finding some time when no dart wasing at him, he tried to quickly jump out of the tornado but to no avail.

    With a powerful push, he was thrown back into the middle of the arena, forced to begin dodging the spikes once again.

    The astonished gasps from the crowd grew more and more as they witnessed Silvus'' powerful ability.

    Lyrian''s stats were higher than Silvus'', so he had confidence going into the fight, but this spell threw everything off, and the 6% magic attack bonus from his prize he got from the potential tests wasn''t helping his cause either.

    ''If I try to escape, I am thrown back in, only making it harder for me to dodge the spikes. If I try to stay here, my mana and stamina will eventually run out... what do I do?'' Lyrian thought to himself as he continued to dodge the spikes.

    After multiple minutes of dodging, it seemed the tornado was getting even faster, as the outside waspletely blurred to Lyrian.

    Right now, both his stamina and mana were running low already. He thanked the magical item he got from the potential tests, however, as it was the only thing keeping his mana alive at the moment.

    Finally, he caught a glimpse of Silvus outside of the blurry tornado. From the looks of it, he was still moving his hands around, seemingly quite frantically.

    ''I see... he''s the one controlling the darts.'' Lyrian thought.

    He also noticed that Silvus wasn''t too far away from the tornado, if only he got the chance to power up his fist-enhance skill, he could stillunch off an attack towards Silvus.

    "Hey, you royal!" Lyrian suddenly yelled from inside of the tornado spell as he continued to dodge, catching the attention of the crowd and also Silvus.

    "My mana is still nearly full, but I know that you are close to running out right about now!"

    "Hah! What a bluff! Do you think I''d actually believe that? There is no way you''re mana could finish faster than mine, while whilst dodging for so long under immense pressure!" Silvus called out the bluff.

    "Oh really? Did you forget about the magic item that I won when I came first ce during the magic potential tests? That''s right, Syan''s Mana Ring!"

    Silvus'' face lost its color upon hearing Lyrian''s threat, his expression filled with both fear and desperation.

    Meanwhile, he continued conjuring the wind spikes, his actions bing more frantic.

    Silvus knew that his mana was dwindling, and though he would run outter than Lyrian, uncertainty clouded his mind. He couldn''t be sure of anything anymore.

    "Once I get out of here, and you no longer have any mana left, you''re dead!" Suddenly, Lyrian''s serious voice pierced through the chaos of the tornado, filled with determination and a hint of killing intent.

    The word along with the killing intent struck Silvus with reality, causing a momentary pause in the onught of spikes.

    In that crucial moment, Lyrian made a risky decision. He un-did his full-body Enhance, disregarding the danger of the spikes impaling him.

    With every ounce of mana he had left, he focused all his power into his fist.

    The risks weighed heavily on Lyrian''s mind. Would he have enough time to charge up his attack before being pierced by the spikes?

    Could he muster enough strength to break through the tornado''s barrier? And most importantly, would his punch finally seed, unlike his countless failed attempts in the past?

    With a sense of urgency, Lyrian knew he had no choice but to seize the opportunity. Gathering all his determination, he unleashed his punch with a surge of energy.

    "Shock Fist!"

 Chapter 48 Black Sheep

    ?*BOOM*

    With a soul-shaking rattle, the force of Lyrian''s punch tore through the wind tornado and mmed into Silvus, making his eyes roll back into his head as he was sent flying across the arena.

    As hended, he coughed up blood trying to refill his lungs with the air that Lyrian''s punch rushed out.

    An opponent on the floor was enough for the other side to im victory, so as the fight announcer stumbled with his words, in shock, he stammered loudly.

    "Wi-winner! We have a winner! Lyrian Theageld!" He pointed to Lyrian, who barely stood on his feet, nearly all out of energy and mana with his clothes torn and his body scratched up.

    As Lyrian raised his hand in the air at the sound of victory, the crowd went wild in an array of gasps and mixed emotions.

    Many wanted to cheer but knew that it was foolish to do so in this situation where the heir to the throne had just suffered defeat.

    Others were just frozen in shock, astonished at how the young master was defeated in such a manner right in front of their very eyes.

    All the students were stunned as well, as Lyrian caught the eye of several onlookers at that point.

    He wanted to hide most of his power in order to not get targeted too easily, but it looked like that wasn''t going to go exactly as nned.

    Still, he hadn''t shown the extent of his true power. Garmr alone was far stronger than him at this point.

    If it was Garmr versus Silvus, Garmr would have lost the match in a total of 10 seconds; via disqualification from killing his opponent.

    After the match concluded, Silvus was carried away into the infirmary, knocked unconscious by Lyrian''s attack with several rumors of serious inner organ injuries as well.

    Lyrian on the other hand, who didn''t suffer nearly as much as his opponent, was given a healing elixir and was allowed to join the group of kids once again.

    Looking around, Lyrian definitely noticed the far fewer number of kids in the crowd. After the preliminaries where half of the students failed, there were close to only 400 now.

    As the noise and activity from the crowd calmed down, Julius finally arose from his seat, capturing everyone''s attention.

    Next to him, was Zysrial Yaltan who remained indifferent, and Alzen Olstrid, who was still overwhelmed by shock mixed with a hint of fear for what would happen next.

    "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls! Our preliminary disqualification rounds for this entrance exam have officially ended! As you all know by now, tomorrow will be the day the real exam begins!" He shouted out, his voice reaching all crevices of the field.

    "There will be no more retakes nor chances. What you have all witnessed here today is the final showcase of the talents of these bright young embers before they face their true challenge. And for you, kids who aspire to join our prestigious academy of magic, Anaviotis, please prepare yourselves for tomorrow''s exam, which will be exined to you in-depth that day!" Julius paused, making sure everyone could catch up to what he was saying.

    "Understand that apart from your group, there will be one more group of students who are around the same size of 400 kids that will be joining you tomorrow for your exam. They have tested separate preliminary exams in a separate ce, only for you to find out once actually in the exam. Now, with all this being said, I bid you all fair and good luck!" He finally proimed to end his speech, lighting a cheer from the crowd.

    ''400 more kids? I had no clue of this...'' Lyrian thought to himself, looking around to see that no one else knew of this surprise either.

    After the crowd of kids started to disperse, some wanting to meet their parents, and others following the guards back to their camps, there was a group that came up to Lyrianposed of lower-ranked nobles.

    "Hey, could I please be your friend? You seem really strong and you''re the ck sheep out of all of us. Pleaa���" A kid began to say before being cut off abruptly.

    "Nope. I want to go get some rest, please, leave me alone." Lyrian said, walking towards his camp as the group followed him.

    "Hey! The way you defeated Silvus was amazing!"

    "I don''t want to be your friend!"

    �Ѧ���d��s����vel.c��m "You really are the ck sheep out of us lower nobles!"

    "What? What are you talking about? Not not a lower noble, I''m not even a noblea���"

    "ck sheep!"

    "ck sheep!"

    "ck sheep!"

    The crowd began to eagerly chant.

    Lyrian, frustrated and tired, stared at the camera and broke the fourth wall. "What the hell is this?" He said, unimpressed and exhausted.

 Chapter 49 Leonidas Serroa

    ?Eventually, Lyrian lost the crowd and quickly escaped into the woods, finally breathing a sigh of relief as he walked back home alone.

    Looking at his hands, scraped and bruised, he thought to himself, ''I thought this would be a breeze, but I haven''t even made it to the entrance exam and nearly got eliminated. I guess I''m still way too weak.''

    The only reason for him wanting to join the academy was to gain strength. The close call of today reassured him of that goal, making him even more determined to be stronger.

    When he arrived back at the camp, he entered and saw Leonidas outside in the living room once again, sharpening his sword with a rock.

    Unlike the previous time, Leonidas looked at Lyrian and stood up before walking up to him and greeting him.

    "My name is Leonidas Serroa, it''s good to meet you." He said, pushing his hand out toward Lyrian.

    Lyrian shook his hand, slightly confused. "Ly-Lyrian Theagled. It''s good to meet you as well. What''s with the change up all of a sudden? Thest time I tried to talk to you, you ignored me like I was nobody."

    "Oh right�� that. I just thought you were like all the other nobles, bigoted and egotistical. I don''t blend in well with those types of people, but now that I know you aren''t like that, I want to make you my acquaintance, since you are pretty strong."

    Leonidas spoke directly, seeming to not have any underlying meanings. Although Lyrian was slightly taken aback at his straightforwardness, he epted the proposal.

    "Sure, you are pretty strong as well. We can be acquaintances." He smiled, allowing Leonidas to return tending to his sword.

    "Hey uh, Leon," Lyrian said, wanting to be a little more familiar.

    Slightly stunned at the fact that someone had nicknamed him, Leonidas looked up. "Don''t call me that�� Leonidas is fine." He said, ufortable to ept a familiar nickname.

    "How do you conceal your mana so well? I''ve actually been looking for a way to do that for a while now."

    "My mana?" Leonidas said, pausing for a moment as if thoughts raced through his head.

    "Oh�� it''s just a breathing technique I learned from my family. They are swordsmen, so hiding their magic aura is a given need. I can teach you if you want, it isn''t too hard."

    Lyrian was slightly wary of Leon''s pause, but shrugged it off as nothing, simply eager to finally learn how to conceal his mana.

    "Sure! Can you please teach me?"

    ***

    The two spent the following couple of hours in conversation whilst Lyrian learned how to conceal his mana.

    It wasn''t a spellbound technique, but more so a physical change in one''s breathing pattern that blocked the meridians from spewing mana outside of their walls.

    After Lyrian finally learned it, he wanted to go out into the forest to try and see if there were any animals there that he could hunt.

    It wasn''t to train or to even eat, but to feed Garmr, as heined about food frequently.

    It wasn''t like he could get hungry when inside of Lyrian''s shadow, but he still could grow to miss the vor of meat every so often.

    Leonidas also decided to tag along, saying he wanted to train his sword in the forest, and Lyrian wasn''t really in the position to deny him so he agreed.

    ''Ahh shit�� I''ll probably just have to say I gotta take a piss or something to feed Garmr.'' He thought to himself as the two began heading towards the forest.

    Once inside, the two walked around for a bit, looking for a ce to train as Lyrian tossed some pebbles at birds sitting on trees, making them fall down into his hands.

    "I''m hungry, these might help me during the entrance exams." He awkwardlyughed, trying toe up with a feasible exnation for Leonidas, who just thought that he was a weirdo.

    Finally, after a little while longer, Lyrian said that he needed to pee and quickly ran into the jungle, leaving Leonidas alone in a fairly open area where he already began his sword training.

    After running quietly for 20 seconds, Lyrian finally stopped. Looking around, he seemed to be in as good a ce as any to feed Garmr.

    "Garmr,e ou--" Suddenly, his speech paused as he heard some noise from close by.

    He immediately crouched, concealing his aura while also doing the breathing technique he learned from Leonidas to hide his mana,pletely erasing his presence.

    Looking around, he traveled through some bushes toe across another open area where he saw five kids randomly talking to each other.

    ''What the heck!? What is my luck? I just had toe to a ce where a whole group of kids were?'' Lyrian thought to himself as he slowly tried to back away.

    ''I''ll just find another spot I guess...''

    "What the hell do you think you''re doing? Glorifying that bastard Lyrian!?" A familiar voice suddenly rang from the group of kids.

    ''My name? What''s going on here.'' Lyrian thought to himself again, quickly going back into the bushes to spy on the kids.

    "ck sheep? Is that the nickname you gave to your little peasant goons?  I know what you are trying to do, you''re trying to make Lyrian seem like the good guy here and want others to support him." Bardon yelled at another kid, three other delinquents behind him all ganging up on one kid from Lyrians point of view.

    "So what if I want to glorify him!? Would it hurt you so much if Lyrian represented us low-status nobles and actually stood up for us?" The kid that was being ganged up on yelled back.

    Upon closer inspection, Lyrian also recognized him.

    It was the kid from the campfire ce yesterday, the one that talked to him after he spoke back to Silvus'' assistant brashly.

    That was also the same kid that came up to Lyrian first after his fight with Silvus where he beat him.

    And now, It looked like he was going so far as to get beat up by Bardon to defend Lyrian''s honor.

    Seeing this unfold, Lyrian couldn''t help but feel bad for the poor guy.

 Chapter 50 Bardons Beatdown

    ?"We have been abused and bullied for far too long! With his help, we can finally be free from you and you''re malicious tactics! So just leave us alone!" The nerdy kid yelled.

    Bardon replied, clearly enraged, "You see... you got one thing wrong there. There is no ''us'' where you currently stand. Right now, there is just you and me. Did you think Lyrian your lord and savior would rescue you even from this situation?"

    Hearing this, the kid took a few steps back. "I... I don''t know. I don''t care! Just leave me alone!" He yelled before trying to sprint away but was quickly grabbed by two of Bardon''s friends.

    They held him on both sides, not letting him move as he flung his legs in the air in an attempt to escape.

    "What is your problem!? Why do you hate Lyrian so much! Why do you have to establish that you are greater than us!?"

    "Again!" Bardon suddenly yelled. "There is no us here!" He eximed before unleashing a powerful punch toward the kid.

    Lyrian noticed the force of the punch as it was released, causing his eyes to widen slightly from surprise.

    Clearly, Bardon was beyond enraged, as the punch carried enough power to break a kid''s ribcage.

    Seeing how seriously Bardon was taking this, Lyrian wanted to intervene, not wanting a kid to die for such petty reasons, but he was simply too far away to do anything from where he was.

    Just as the punch reached only a few millimeters away from the kid''s chest, Bardon''s fist was pushed away.

    The kid opened his eyes, surprised at why he wasn''t dead right now, only to see a sword blocking Bardon''s fist.

    Looking at the wielder of the sword, he was shocked. "Leonidas?" He said, as the delinquents that held him immediately dropped him and ran in fear.

    Lyrian was equally as surprised, not at all expecting Leonidas of all people to somehow show up out of the blue.

    Before the other kids could escape, Leonidas quickly ran over to them and mmed the hilt of his sword on the back of their back, causing them to faint instantly and stumble to the ground.

    Finally, only Bardon and Leonidas stood, even the nerdy kid being forced on his rear from his legs giving up strength, as he was fully expecting to die right then and there.

    "You!? What the hell are you doing here?" Bardon yelled at Leonidas.

    "That''s not important. What we really should be talking about here is why you nearly just killed this kid." Leonidas said, looking at the nerdy kid who was still on the floor.

    "That''s none of your business!" Bardon yelled.

    "It''s because of Lyrian, he didn''t like that I was creating support for him." The nerdy kid finally regained his senses.

    "Lyrian? I was just with him a second ago." Leonidas said, nothing thinking much of it.

    "What!?" Both the nerdy kid and Bardon said in unison, as Bardon quickly began to look around, his face turning pale with a hint of fear.

    "Where!? What are you talking about? Where is that bastard!?" Bardon yelled, a mix of fear and resentment in his tone.

    "What''s going on here? I go to take a piss and suddenly I have people talking about me behind the tree I''m peeing on?" Lyrian suddenly emerged from the shadows, showing his elite acting skills.

    Seeing Lyrian, the nerdy kid fainted on the spot from shock.

    �Ѧ���d��s����vel.c��m "Yo--you! How in the hell are you here!?" Bardon yelled as Lyrian began to walk closer.

    "Oh, that''s right... I just so happen to remember that I wanted to deal with you once and for all so that you would stop bothering me. This looks to be the perfect time to do that." Lyrian said, encroaching on Bardon who frantically took a few steps back, nearly tripping and falling.

    Lyrian had humiliated him on multiple asions and had even shown strength that surpassed Silvus himself.

    It wouldn''t be a stretch to say that he was very scared of him, and right now, Bardon saw that he was going up against Leonidas too, someone who defeated another high lister on the magic potential boards.

    "You''ll regret thister!" Bardon tried to use one of his trusty lines before quickly turning around and making a run for it.

    However, Leonidas and Lyrian appeared where he was in a moment.

    Leonidas didn''t want Bardon to run away simr to the other goons he had knocked out.

    But Lyrian on the other hand simply wanted to beat the crap out of him so that he would be too scared to bother him ever again.

    Before Leonidas could even hit Bardon with the hilt of his sword, Lyrian mmed his fist into Bardon''s stomach, sending him flying; with his flight blocked by a tree that caused him to crash down to the floor.

    With that single gut-wrenching punch, Bardon was out for the count.

 Chapter 51 The Entrance Exams Begin!

    ?

    "He should be able to remember that punch whenever he sees me from now on," Lyrian paused, looking toward Leonidas, "Leon-"

    �Ѧ���d��s����vel.c��m Before Lyrian could continue, Leonidas tried to cut him off, "Hey! I said don''t call me that-" But he waspletely ignored.

    "How did you manage to stumble here?" Lyrian asked.

    "Well, truth be told, I too had to pee when I suddenly heard thismotion here."

    "Hey, you guys! Thanks so much for saving me! Lyrian, you are my savior!" The nerdy kid from before suddenly cried, getting up onto his feet.

    "Looks like he''s awake," Leon said.

    "Wha-? I''m not even the one who saved you. If you want to thank anyone, thank him," Lyrian said, looking at Leon, "And how about you introduce yourself as well so that we also know your name instead of you just knowing ours."

    "You''re right! My apologies," The nerdy kid stood up and put his hands t on his legs before bowing his head deeply, "My name is Alten! Alten Velos. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance and forgive me for my rudeness earlier. I recognize now that you don''t even know who I am when I know your names," He loudly said before looking back up.

    "Leon! I want to thank you for saving me, and Lyrian, I want to thank you as well for beating up Bardon, you have fulfilled a long-term wish of mine." He gleefully spoke as he stared at the two as if they were some sort of gem.

    "Uh�� right," Lyrian said, slightly weirded out by the boy''s awe-filled stare.

    After this, Lyrian and Leon went back to their open area to practice, and Alten joined them, saying he had nothing else to do and wanted to hang out with them anyways.

    As he looked at them from afar, Lyrian decided to pull out his obsidian sword and train it.

    He didn''t get to use his sword in the preliminary rounds, and he barely even knew how to wield it.

    With some help from Leon, he figured out some of the basics of swordsmanship such as striking your opponent.

    He tried to parry some of Leon''s attacks, but only to miserably fail as he quickly learned that parrying was an entirely different level of difficulty that would take him much longer to master.

    By the end of their training session a few hourster when it started to be darker, Lyrian had managed to feed Garmr and also learn a few things about the sword.

    He also got to know Alten a bit more as well, but not to his will. Finally, the three returned to the camps where Alten went his own way.

    After arriving at their camp, Leon and Lyrian went into their own separate rooms as well, both wanting to rest for the night.

    Without anything else to do, Lyrian quickly slumped into bed and fell asleep, only to wake up again the next morning via the magical horn.

    This time it was a bit less abrupt, but forcefully being awoken from his sleep was never something Lyrian liked to do.

    After getting ready, he left the camp alongside Leon who happened to be leaving at the same time, and the two followed the rest of the kids to their destination.

    After walking a while, Lyrian saw that today''s destination was the stage. As the seats slowly filled in with students, Julius finally showed himself behind the opening curtains.

    Again, teachers sat behind him simr to the first time Lyrian witnessed the curtains of the stage opening, and the representative guests from the other schools were also present this time.

    "Wee once again, examinees!" Julius announced, "I hope you all have gotten your fair rest, as today we will begin the long-awaited magic entrance exams!"

    With this, a roar of cheer and apuse sounded from the crowd of students who seemed lively and excited for the exam, a mix of nervousness also brewed into the atmosphere.

    "Before we begin, I will take this time to exin this year''s entrance exam, something that as you know is ever-changing," He said, everyone''s attention now focused on each and every one of his words.

    "This year''s entrance exam is called�� Survival Of The Fittest!" A buzz of whispers and wow''s waved through the crowd as they heard this name that immediately intrigued everyone.

    "When the exam begins, all of you will be transported into the Tasnan Wildends! What are the Tasnan Wildends you ask? A giant expanse of wildnd that is purposefully uninhabited by any humans for the purpose of training use." He said, walking across the stage for his voice to reach all corners of the crowd.

    "The Tasnan Wildends consist of vast and glowing ins to harsh and thick forests, containing a wide array of beasts and monster creatures within. Normally, only creatures that exist within ces of high mana density have beast cores, but note that each and every magical creature inside of the Tasnan Wildends possesses a beast core for the purposes of this exam."

    As he said this, another wave of surprised and impressed expressions waved through the crowd.

    "Throughout the beast-cores of the creatures, there will be a total of five different tiers of core which you can attain by hunting them down. A tier 1 core; worth 1 point, a tier 2 core; worth 5 points, a tier 3 core; worth 10 points, a tier 4 core; worth 20 points, and finally, the tier golden core; worth 500 points, or in other words, an automatic pass. Within the entire exam grounds, there exists only one golden core which belongs to the most fearsome creature. If you manage to retrieve the golden core, you will also be permitted to a grand prize of a high grade spirit pet. Dare to take it on if you wish, but know that all consequences will be ced upon you, and no one else!"

    "What!? 500 points!?" A kid said from the crowd.

    "That core must belong to the Diamond-Crest Tiger!" Another kid eagerly said, trying to flex his knowledge of Tasnan creatures.

    "No! It has to be the Ember-back Ape!" Another blurted, as arguments between kids about what creature held the golden core continued.

    "Your goal inside of the Tasnan Wildend in order to pass this exam is extremely simple! Receive 500 points via way of beast cores, and return to the epicenter of the Tasnan Wildends within 30 days! Know that you will not be permitted to enter the epicenter, or the finishing point of the entrance exam if you do not possess 500 points. Along with this, also keep in mind that the way in which one retrieves a beast-core is not taken into ount, meaning no matter how you get points, you will pass regardless!"

    "I, along with the heads of the royal magistrate and school board will be watching over and judging all of your performances! For now, that is all that you must know about the exam, soon there will appear in front of you a transportation device. Once the exam begins, you will not be able to leave the Tasnan Wildends, so do not attempt to!"

    Julius finally said his ending words as small devices appeared in front of everyone''s faces that looked like a metal trinket of sorts.

    "Now, before we begin the exam, are there any questions?"

    As his gaze swept through the crowd, not a single hand raised up.

    "Then, let us begin!" He said, swiping his hand in the air as everyone disappeared from their seats at once.

    From Lyrian''s point of view, one moment he was sitting down in front of the stage below Julius, and the next, he was traveling through a white vacuum of extreme speed!

 Chapter 52 Introduction To Tasnan

    ?

    Within the blink of an eye, all Lyrian could tell was that he was in a daze, the white light he was in for only a moment seemed to have already disappeared.

    Opening his eyelids, bright rays of sunlight immediately assaulted his vision, causing him to shield his face from the light.

    After a few seconds, his eyes became ustomed to the new lighting, as he lowered his hand and looked around, surveying where he was now at.

    All around him was a lush vibrant forest, unlike any other he had ever seen. Compared to the Eade forest, this one was much more open and spacious, while still having a wild atmosphere.

    The towering trees, adorned with rich green foliage, stretched towards the heavens, their branches forming an intricate canopy that filtered sunlight, casting scattered patches of warm glow upon the delicate ferns and wildflowers that carpeted the ground.

    Lyrian could hear the gentle rustling of leaves as a soft breeze whispered through the forest, creating a symphony of nature''s melodies.

    The air was infused with the sweet fragrance of blooming flowers, mingling with the earthy scent of moss and damp soil.

    It was a sensory feast that enveloped him, drawing him further into this enchanting realm. The forest was teeming with life.

    Colorful birds flitted among the branches, their melodic songs resonating through the woond.

    Squirrels scampered yfully, leaping from tree to tree, while rabbits darted across the underbrush, their fluffy tails disappearing into the verdant tapestry.

    As Lyrian ventured deeper, he discovered a crystal-clear stream meandering through the heart of the forest.

    The stream was home to a variety of aquatic life, from tiny fish darting between pebbles to elegant dragonflies skimming across its surface

    "I have a total of 30 days�� getting 500 points shouldn''t be impossible, but what I really want to go for is that golden tier core creature," Lyrian said, having already set his eyes on the creature before the exam even began.

    Not knowing his chances of ever finding the creature, however, Lyrian first decided to begin hunting magical creatures already so that he would have some cores stocked up.

    During the exam, there would be no way that the cores would only be used as points to pass the exam.

    By nature, the points would automatically be transformed into a type of currency, or at least that was what Lyrian''s current mindset was.

    So, as he began making his way toward what he thought was the epicenter of the Tasnan Wildends, he also looked for creatures along the way.

    Soon enough, Lyrian came across a small pack of two creatures from atop a cliff that overlooked arge part of the forest.

    The creatures looked like green leopards and had giant leaves attached to their backs.

    ''Scan.''

    ��������Scan��������

    Name: None

    Species: Leaf Leopard

    Age: 15

    Overall Power (OP): 4

    Health: 4/45

    Stamina: 40/40

    Strength: 41

    Agility: 43

    Defense: 46

    Rank: Genesis: Layer 1

    Special: Tier 2 (Exam Tier)

    ����������������������

    Seeing this, Lyrian''s eyes widened in shock. ''So this is the power of tier 2s huh? I wonder how powerful tier 4s are then.'' He thought to himself, seeing the powerful stats on the creatures.

    ''Still, even without the help of Garmr, I should be able to--'' His thought paused for a moment as he noticed a person walking towards the direction of the leopards from far away, unbeknownst to the fact that there were Leaf Leopards in front of him.

    Recognizing him from the preliminaries, Lyrian noted he wasn''t a very strong examinee. On his back was a long spear and he wore normal noble clothing.

    He tried to use Scan, but the system prompted him a separate message when doing so.

    [Error!]

    [The exam barrier is not allowing Scan to bepleted on an examinee]

    [Upgrade the proficiency of Scan to use it past certain magical barriers]

    ''Damn... what a letdown,'' Lyrian thought. ''Not being able to use Scan is going to make my experience much harder. It looks like I''m going to have to be careful of who I fight...''

    Just at that moment, Lyrian also noticed from afar that another kid was also walking toward the Leaf Leopards from the same distance away as the first guy, only this time, he didn''t recognize him at all.

    ''Is he from the separate group of 400?'' Lyrian thought while immediately noticing a separate aura of manaing off of him.

    Even the first kid had some mana exuding from him, but this one was different, matching that of Endra''s or Silvus''.

    As he walked, his expression was... happy. A delighted grin showed on his face as he made his way toward the Leaf Leopards, causing Lyrian to be slightly caught off guard.

    He had a sword sheathed on his waist and wore a dark attire, having ck hair and a set of red eyes.

    After a few moments, the two finally met in the middle, surrounding the Leaf Leopards between them.

    The first kid was immediately surprised by the Leaf Leopards, causing him to step back slightly at the sight of them.

    The other one however didn''t seem to have a care in the world, simply continuing to walk towards them as if they weren''t even there.

    "Hey! Don''t you see the leopards! Watch out!" The first kid quickly yelled as the leopards put up their guard and began to growl at the second kid who was still about 50 meters away.

    "Why don''t we team up to defeat them? We should be able to do it if--" The first kid was suddenly cut off by the second.

    "Can you shut the hell up already!?" The second kid, his smile slightly less happy now.

    "What? What do you mean? I was only trying to help us--"

    Before the first kid could finish his sentence, the second kid suddenly boosted himself forward, dashing towards the Leaf Leopards before slicing clean through their necks with only his fingernails.

    The first kid was taken aback by shock as he saw this and fell onto his rear.

    The second kid swung his hand in the air, cleaning off the excess blood before reaching into the bodies of the leopards and pulling out two monster cores.

    "You... you had a sword! Why would you use your hand?" The first kid yelled, still in shock from what he just witnessed.

    The second kid quickly turned his gaze onto the first kid. "These weak cats don''t deserve to face my de." He said before beginning to walk towards the first kid.

    "Hey... hey! What are you doing!? Get away!" The first kid yelled, getting back on his feet to face the second kid, "What do you want!?"

    "Your cores, hand them over to me."

 Chapter 53 New Adversaries

    ?

    "My cores!? The exam just started, I don''t have any cores, and even if I did, what the hell makes you think I''d just hand them over to you!?" The first kid said, standing his ground.

    "Oh... is that right? Well, then I''ll just eliminate you from the exam. The fewer people, the better chance I have at seeding." The second kid calmly spoke.

    "What? What are you? The devil? Why do you care if I am eliminated or not!?" The first kid yelled, flustered and frustrated at his situation.

    Seeing the kid in front of him already having killed things that he didn''t even think he could kill, he was scared, but he also didn''t want to get eliminated from the exam so early, especially for something so stupid in his eyes.

    "Like I said, the fewer examinees, the better chance I have at passing."

    Hearing this, the first kid pulled out his spear from his back and ran toward the second kid, thrusting it forward with a cry, "Take this, you bastard!"

    The spear came at the second kid pretty fast, but with a side-step, he easily dodged it.

    Without a second thought, the second kid formed his hand into a sharp shape once again and swung it toward the first kid--but just before itnded, multiple bamboo darts came out of nowhere, instantly sticking into the first kid and knocking him unconscious.

    Unsharpening his hand, the second kid looked toward the direction of where the darts came from.

    "Syanr... you didn''t need to do that. I had it under control." The second kid said as he began to scrummage through the first kid''s clothes.

    "What a liar! He did have some cores!" He was delighted, finding some tier 1 cores within one of the first kid''s pockets.

    After this, he swung his hand at the kid''s head, fully intent on bursting it open and killing him.

    Before that, however, his body instantly disappeared. He was officially eliminated from the exam.

    "Spade... what is your n for moving forward with the exam?" The kid addressed as "Syanr" said as he emerged from the brush of the forest.

    He had some of the same fancy clothing on but had face tattoos and held a bamboo shoot.

    "Well..." Spade, the dark-clothed kid said as he put the cores into his own pockets.

    "First, I guess we have to take care of that pest."

    "That pest? What are you talk--"

    At that moment, Spade turned to face Lyrian directly, their gazes contacting each other instantly.

    Chills ran down Lyrian''s back as he was caught off by this sudden acknowledgment.

    ''Did he know I was here the entire time? I am hundreds of meters away... he looks to be very powerful.'' He thought to himself as he stood up from his crouched position.

    "Woah, I didn''t even notice him... there you are again, showing off your skills, hahaha!" Syanrughed.

    ''I shouldn''t have underestimated him and hidden my aura as well.'' Lyrian thought.

    "So what do you want to do with him?" Syanr questioned, readying his bamboo shoot.

    "Well, eliminate him of course." He said, releasing a fearsome killing intent toward Lyrian with a smirk on his face.

    Looking down at the two, Lyrian also released his own killing intent, mixed with Garmr''s which extenuated it even more.

    Suddenly, the smirk on Spade''s face was gone as he bared the brunt of Lyrian''s spiritual aura.

    "What the hell?" He suddenly said, looking at Lyrian in disbelief.

    "Who the fuck is that kid? I know he''s not from our 400." Syanr said, his limbs slightly limp from fear.

    After this, Lyrian waved goodbye before disappearing into the woods behind him and activating his aura conceal what he learned from Leon as well so that there wouldn''t be a chance that anyone could notice him.

    "What should we do!? Go after him?" Syanr immediately eximed.

    "No! Leave it. We will just have to deal with him in the future. Right now, we have more important things to deal with," Spade quickly replied, "Even if we chased him, I don''t know if we would be able to catch him at his speed."

    With this, the two disappeared into the forest in the opposite direction of Lyrian.

 Chapter 54 Unpleasant Reunions

    ?

    A day passed as Lyrian continued to travel through the Wildends, hunting a few creatures along the way for cores and also for food.

    All of these new and somewhat powerful magical creatures led him to want to Reap their souls to fuse with the Hobgoblin''s soul, but he also knew that he could only store one more soul right now, so if he was going to Reap one to fuse with the Hobgoblin''s, it was going to have to be a good one.

    For this reason, he decided that he was going to wait it out a while longer until he could find what he thought was the best soul candidate to reap.

    Potentially, he could even reap the soul of the golden-tiered creature, however rare that may be.

    Currently, on day 2 of the exam, he had a total of 7 points. His constant movement didn''t allow him to hunt too much, so his pointscked a bit for now.

    As he continued on his way to what he thought was the epicenter of the Tasnan Wildends, Lyrian suddenly came across an opening in the forest.

    Jumping through it, he realized that it wasn''t just an opening, but the end of the forest altogether.

    Outside was a vast expanse of t ins with only a few trees littered here and there, mostly standing alone like sentinels against the sprawling emptiness.

    The ins stretched out before Lyrian, seeming to extend endlessly in every direction. Thendscape was a masterpiece of simplicity and serenity.

    The ground beneath his feet transformed from the lush forest floor to a mosaic of golden grasses, gently swaying in the breeze.

    As far as the eye could see, waves of tall grasses waved like a sea frozen in time.

    Their warm hue created aforting nket that covered the ins.

    The sky above was a breathtaking canvas of azure blue, stretching infinitely to the horizon.

    Fluffy white clouds floated effortlessly, casting shadows that danced yfully across the vastness below.

    The sun, a radiant orb of warmth, shone down with a gentle touch, casting its golden rays upon the ins.

    ''This is it?'' Lyrian thought, imagining the forest to be muchrger, ''Maybe I got summoned close to the forest''s edge.''

    "Good question! Okay listen up everyone, Cedric here just asked how the cores will be split up amongst the group!"

    Lyrian suddenly heard a kid yelling from his right. ''Cedric?'' He questioned, noticing the familiar name.

    After jumping across a few tree branches, Lyrian came across arge group of kids just across a small hill right next to the forest''s edge.

    In total, there must have been no less than 100 people.

    Atop the hill stood a few kids with one in front looking to do all the talking, with the rest standing below on the t ground.

    "The cores that we all hunt and gather up will be split up equally among everyone so that all of us can pass this exam without any worry!" The boy on the hill yelled to everyone.

    His clothes were quite luxurious, blue in color with a set of sses atop the ridge of his nose.

    He talked dignantly, seeming like a higher-status noble that everyone could listen to.

    Looking through the crowd, Lyrian noticed that Leon stood near the back.

    "Leon!" Lyrian said, jumping down from the tree branch towards Leon.

    "Lyrian? So you finally arrived huh? I was wondering when you would show up." Leon said, looking back at Lyrian who didn''t seem to catch the attention of anyone.

    From the looks of it, kids entering the group randomly seemed to be normal.

    "Lyrian!" Another voice cried from behind Leon.

    Alten suddenly jumped out from Leon''s back and attempted to embrace Lyrian, only to be kicked several feet back.

    "Ow! What the hell was that for!?" Alten eximed in pain as he clenched his stomach.

    "I thought you were assaulting me! You can''t just jump up on somebody like that out of the blue, you''re lucky I noticed that it was you before my attacknded." Lyrian retorted.

    The three had a smallugh before another butted themselves into the conversation.

    "You! How dare you anger my rival Silvus!" Glis suddenly yelled from the side as he walked toward Lyrian.

    "What?"

    "What do you mean, ''What?''" She mocked, "You heard what I said. You humiliated Silvus by beating him in the preliminaries, and now he won''t even give me a slight chance to win! We are rivals you know, we are supposed topete with each other!" She spoke indignantly.

    "If you''re rivals, should him not wanting to let you win make sense?" Lyrian replied, causing Glis to blush in embarrassment.

    "You! What did you say!?" She eximed.

    "Wait, isn''t Silvus eliminated from the exam anyways since he lost? Who cares if he allows you to beat him or not? You already won." Alten chimed in, confused at the drama.

    "Eliminated!? Of course not! He is the heir to the throne, what makes you think he could be eliminated? Did you expect him to just go be a cksmith or something after failing?" As Glis replied, suddenly, another voice butted in once again.

    "You bastard! What the hell are you doing here!?"

    Lyrian turned his head again to face the left when he saw a red-haired boy with a frivolously angry expression, "Cedric?"

    "I still haven''t settled my score with you..." Cedric suddenly became serious, clenching his fist as he red at Lyrian.

    "Fight me right now!" He suddenly burst into another yell.

    "Woah! Let''s all calm down!" Alten tried to calm down the fury but no one seemed to listen to him.

    "Hey! What''s going on back there? Are you all listening or not?" The kid who spoke on top of the hill suddenly called out the bunch.

 Chapter 55 Threat Level: HAVOC

    ?

    "Look, I''m trying to make this work for everyone, but if you guys are just going to interrupt me and attempt to fight with each other, there is no point in you being a part of the group." The kid standing atop the hill said calmly.

    "Yea, Arthur is right! If you don''t want to listen, just leave!" Another kid yelled from the crowd, followed by a few others.

    �Ѧ���d��s����vel.c��m Hearing this, Cedric turned back to Lyrian, "This isn''t the end of this," He said, his face teeming with anger, "Even if it''s thest thing I do, I promise you that you won''t pass this exam... peasant."

    He said before walking away, enraged.

    After a few seconds of silence, Leon spoke, "Who was that?"

    "Oh nothing, just an old... pal?"

    "Alright, if you guys are done quarreling with each other, I''m going to continue saying my n!" Arthur, the kid atop the hill, continued.

    "For eight hours each day, we all will go on hunting missions throughout the forest and return here in the ins by night. All cores we collected will be equally shared to make sure everyone passes, and all food and shelter needs will also be met by everyone''s contributions. This way, there isn''t a shortage of anything!"

    On hearing this, nearly all of the kids cheered and apuded, seeing it as a surefire way to pass the exam.

    Lyrian on the other hand thought differently. ''On paper, it seems like a great idea... but it is unlikely to actually work. With a person''s greed and impatience, who''s to say someone won''t just take all the cores they need to pass from the group and leave without warning.''

    Although this was true, Lyrian decided to stay with the group and see how things went for at least a few days.

    After all, Leon and Alten were here, making for a bit of a better experience in the exam.

    If worst came to worst, he knew he could just leave, so there was no real risk.

    For the following 20 minutes, Arthur exined how food, protection, shelter, and many other aspects of this camp group would work, and everyone was assigned separate tasks.

    Lyrian was assigned to gather food for the group, which he didn''t mind since he would always be collecting food to eat or to feed Garmr anyways.

    Finally, the group decided that it was time to go on their first-ever hunt.

    Everyone was split into 10 teams of 10 people each and were told to retrieve as many beast cores as they could for the day.

    Thankfully, Lyrian, Leon, and Alten ended up in the same group, but Cedric and Glis were coincidentally a part of it too.

    As they made their way further into the forest, away from the other groups, Lyrian could almost feel Cedric''s hateful re burning his back as he walked.

    "Hey, peasant!" Cedric called out abruptly.

    Everyone stopped to look at him as he said this. They were all silent due to their confusion as Lyrian turned around and replied.

    "Don''t start this again. Our team has to get cores."

    "Shut the hell up! Screw the cores, you are going to get eliminated right here and now!" Cedric retorted, clearly burning with rage.

    "Hey, are you sure this isn''t a big deal? He sure looks to hate your guts. Just what did you do to piss him off so much." Leon asked rhetorically with a nonchnt tone.

    ''He talks big but his magic prowess seems quite small. Unless he has a magic aura hiding ability, there''s no way he could seriously be wanting to fight Lyrian head to head.'' Leon thought to himself.

    "I don''t know how you managed to pass the preliminaries, you probably got one of the weakest opponents, but you won''t pass the exam, I won''t allow it!" Cedric continued to spew out his anger.

    ''Hmm... how odd. Sure, I humiliated him a lot in Illstria, but would he really want to eliminate me this bad just for that reason... and speaking of passing the preliminaries, how did he even manage to enter the exam?'' Lyrian questioned himself.

    ''Surely his parents could not have afforded such a thing...''

    "Hey, are you guys sure this is the time to be fighting it out? Arthur said that if we collect a really small number of cores then we wouldn''t be given as much, remember?" Alten chimed in, wanting to diffuse the situation and focus on the mission.

    "Shut the hell up! Nerd!" Cedric yelled.

    "Hey! Do you want to pass this exam or not!" Glis also joined in at this point, "We are losing precious time!"

    "Bitch! Don''t tell me what to do! If I am going to do anything, it is to eliminate this bastard!"

    "No... it doesn''t make any sense." Lyrian suddenly broke some of the tension by finally speaking.

    "What!?" Cedric said, followed by a bunch of other confused expressions by other members of the group.

    As he looked to think to himself, Lyrian spoke again, "Although you were quite the idiot, you shouldn''t want to prioritize eliminating me over passing this exam. I can''t tell exactly what''s going on here, but it isn''t normal, nor does it make any sense."

    There was no doubt in Lyrian''s mind that something was amiss, but he couldn''t pinpoint exactly what that was.

    "But fine, since you want to fight me so badly, we can do a small duel, and then you have to promise that we will move on."

    "I ept!" Cedric immediately replied, "You think you are going to move on with this test after we fight? How stupid!"

    Just as the two got ready to fight, the others began to walk away and give them some space, a deafening roar suddenly sounded from the depths of the jungle.

    The roar sounded powerful, clearly having mana infused inside of it. A sudden burst of killing intent also spread throughout the air, causing gravity to feel slightly heavier.

    Just at that split moment, as everyone looked around with their eyes wide open, their guards up for anything that might attack, a giant tiger the size of an elephant jumped out of the thick bushes.

    Its eyes were domineering, like a king looking down upon a peasant.

    Its ws were long and razor-sharp, with serrated teeth, red fur with white stripes, and a scorpion stinger attached to its back as well.

    [Warning! A creature with a lethal threat level has bloodlust over you!]

    ''What!?'' Lyrian thought to himself on hearing the message, never having heard it before.

    [Creature threat level: HAVOC]

 Chapter 56 Emperor Tiger

    ?

    *ROAR*

    The giant beast let out another ear-screeching roar as everyone buckled slightly to the pressure.

    "That-!" Alten yelled, "That''s a tier-four beast!!"

    Seeing this, Lyrian immediately activated Enhance to not be crushed by the pressure of the creature''s bloodlust roar.

    ''Scan!''

    ��������Scan��������

    Name: None

    Species: Emperor Tiger

    Age: 40

    Overall Power (OP): 7

    Health: 72/72

    Stamina: 75/75

    Strength: 82

    Agility: 74

    Defense: 70

    Rank: Genesis: Layer 1

    Special: Tier 4 (Exam Tier)

    ����������������������

    ''What a beast! It''s nearly as powerful as Garmr!'' Lyrian thought to himself on seeing the creature''s stats.

    "R-run!" A kid from the group suddenly yelled.

    "Fight that!? Who do you think I am!?" Another random kid retorted, shaking in his boots from fear.

    You couldn''t really me the guy, since any normal being standing in front of such a powerful creature would easily send shivers done one''s spine.

    "Exactly! There''s no way!"

    "Shut the hell up and stay put!" Lyrian suddenly yelled, "We can''t escape it with the debuff it''s given us from its roar, and even if it hadn''t done so, there''s no way we can outrun it, so we have no option but to fight or be eliminated!"

    The other kids were speechless, half from Lyrian''s words and also from the tiger itself.

    "He''s right, stop being such scaredy cats!" Glis yelled, also understanding the magnitude of the situation.

    "Yahhh!" Cedric suddenly yelled as he stormed towards the beast with the sword in hand.

    "Wait! What are you doing!?" Alten yelled out on seeing him.

    After getting only a few feet away from the beast, Cedric jumped up into the air attempting to stab his sword right into the skull of the creature, but right before his sword reached the tiger''s head, the stinger of the beast mmed onto his torso, instantly propelling him over 50 feet away, only for his flight to be broken by a tree.

    He was instantly knocked unconscious but seemed to have not suffered enough damage to be eliminated.

    From what Lyrian understood, an examinee would only be eliminated if they were at risk of danger, as he saw this happening to the first kid he saw get eliminated at the beginning of the exam.

    "Great, now we have one less person to help us," Glis spoke, her tone irked.

    "If we fight one by one, we will all get eliminated. We have to go in all at once so that it can''--" Before Lyrian could finish, the tiger pounced at him, attempting a swing that Lyrian managed to narrowly dodge with the help of Enhance.

    With another pounce, a kid fell into the tiger''s jaws, only to be eliminated straight afterward.

    "I can''t do this anymore!" A kid wailed as he ran away from the group into the jungle.

    This caught the tiger''s eye, making it pounce for the run-away kid, mming its paw at him as he was quickly eliminated.

    "Stop getting taken out one by one, we have to all attack at once on mymand!" Lyrian shouted as he ran.

    "Everyone, start running around it so that it gets dizzy!" He yelled out.

    Following hismand, Leon took out his sword, and his eyes became fully white once again, and he began to run around the tiger a few feet behind Lyrian.

    Glis also listened, fusing his feet with ice before beginning to run around it.

    Alten and the other kids followed suit, finally stopping the frequency of the tiger''s pounces as it gradually became increasingly confused, simr to a lion being circled by a herd of zebra.

    "Aim for its weak spots!" Lyrian shouted as everyone got prepared, "Attack!"

    Upon hearing this, Leon whispered under his breath "Iron Blitz!" As he dashed towards the Emperor Tiger and shed each and every one of its ankles.

    "Ice Spears!" Glis yelled, pointing her wand towards the beast as severalrge spikes of ice summoned from it and flew at the tiger''s abdomen, most of them piercing through.

    Alten pulled out a bow and shot several arrows at the beast''s stinger, and the other kids used their appropriate weapons to attack it as well.

    Amid the chaos, Lyrian jumped up above the creature, its stinger now distracted by the arrows for a split second, its body already injured, and its mobility disrupted by Leon''s ankle shes--unsheathing his obsidian sword before channeling all of his mana into his arms, allowing him to thrust the de down on the creature''s spine with utmost force.

    With a powerful puncture that prated through the tiger''s back, its spinal vertebrate was instantly severed, causing it to fall on its stomach due to paralysis.

    It still tried to swing its arms and bite at the kids, but Leon, Glis, and Alten quickly stopped its endeavors with their following attacks.

    Finally, the beast''s head mmed onto the ground, marking the victory of the kids.

    "We actually did it!" Alten cried in exhration as he celebrated.

    Lyrian stood up from the back of the creature, cleaning off his de in the air as he sheathed it.

    ''Should I use Reap on this?'' He pondered.

    "How the hell did such a powerful creature end up here?" Leon said, back in his normal form after sheathing his own de.

    "Oh, you don''t know?" Another kid suddenly said, "It must be from the forbidden area down south. From what I can tell, we are pretty close to it."

    "Forbidden area?" Lyrian said, intrigued by what the kid was saying.

    "Yea, there is a forbidden area in the Tasnan Wildends because of the exam. It holds higher-tiered creatures, but no one actually goes there because the amount of high-tiered creatures inside is far too dense to handle."

    "Some even say the golden-tiered creature is inside of there." Another kid added.

    "Oh... is that right." Lyrian calmly spoke, jumping off of the back of the Emperor Tiger,pletely forgetting about the idea of reaping its soul.

    "Where exactly is this forbidden area?"

 Chapter 57 Indirect Threat

    ?

    "I don''t know exactly where it is, since I wouldn''t ever dare to go there, but from what I''ve heard it''s near the south of the Wildends. As I said, I''m pretty sure we are close to there."

    Hearing this obviously spiked Lyrian''s interest.

    ''The golden-tiered creature... it must be there. Not only will I get a prize and pass the exam guaranteed, but I could also Reap its soul.'' He thought to himself as the countless possibilities pondered in his mind.

    ''But if I were to actually get such a powerful creature''s soul, should I only fuse it with the Hobgoblin''s?'' He doubted, ''If only I had more storage for souls, I wouldn''t need to worry so much about saving a soul for future Creature-links...''

    After this, Cedric soon awoke from his unconscious state and joined the group, although he wasn''t much help as he was injured.

    Some of the other kids wanted to go back now that they had collected a tier 4 core worth 20 entire points, but Lyrian denied them.

    "If we took down a tier 4 creature, why not continue? What''s the point in taking a break just because we got enough points?" He questioned, which seemed reasonable enough for everyone to follow along.

    On top of that, they clearly weren''t in the safest of areas looking at the beast that just ambushed them, so going alone without the help of their stronger teammates would be way too scary anyways.

    The group hunted until sundown and returned to camp where stuff was already being prepared by those assigned to build shelters for everyone to live in.

    It was right outside of the forest so they had quick ess to beasts, but far enough so that the chances of a wild beast attacking them would be much lower than if they were smack-dab in the middle of the forest.

    Lyrian deposited the meat he gathered from the hunt to the food stations and returned to his camp that was already set up.

    It was a lean-to shelter made of sticks, vines, andrge leaves, but for protection from most of the natural elements, it did its job.

    Even though this exam seemed unreal, there was no doubt that it was still real life and that he still needed to get proper sleep.

    Considering his encounters for the day, Lyrian was at first slightly worried that he might get ambushed in the middle of the night, be it by wild beasts or even by some specific kids, but soon he was reassured by Garmr that he was safe to doze off.

    Since they shared the same body, Lyrian could understand Garmr''s thoughts directly, so it wasn''t hard to understand when Garmr insisted on protecting him.

    After all, he didn''t sleep within Lyrian''s shadow, so there wasn''t much of a better job for him anyways.

    With that, the moon flew over the base camp that night as Lyrian fell sound asleep, ending day one of the Anaviotis Entrance Exams.

    ***

    Outside of the Tasnan Wildends, inside of the academy of Anaviotis in an unknown, dark room, several figures sat around a long table, atop which were multiple orbs that disyed different kids inside of the exam.

    Out of all of the seats, two looked to be missing.

    Right outside of the room, another figure with a bright expression neared the door to enter.

    He wore a white robe with the crest of the Yaltan royal family, holding arge white feather in his right hand.

    As his hand touched the doorknob, a sudden voice called from behind him.

    "Yesan! Long time no see buddy!" It was Julius who was quickly approaching.

    The man addressed as Yesan ced his feather over his mouth as he replied, "Julius! Indeed it has, old friend," He said calmly, his eyes closing slightly.

    "Yes, before we enter, I wanted to address something with you."

    Hearing this, Yesan removed his hand from the doorknob. "What may that be?"

    "About Silvus," Julius said, instantly alerting Yesan.

    "What about him?" Yesan asked his tone ever so slightly dismissive sounding.

    "Well, let me cut straight to the chase, I don''t want to miss out on grading this exam, especially since I have an eye on a certain candidate," Julius smiled.

    "I''m sure you know just as much as I that Silvus did note first in that race. For my exam, this is a bit concerning. I understand that he is the young lord, but you must understand that Anaviotis is a separate organization from the kingdo--" Julius was suddenly cut off before he could continue.

    "Silvus? Oh my, I hadn''t a clue as to how he performed during the race. Did hee in the first ce? How delightfu--" Yesan was also abruptly cut off.

    "Yesan," Julius said in a serious tone, his expression sterner thanst time.

    "Oh my! There is no reason for you to get mad, vice principal!" Yesan grinned behind his feather as he spoke, his eyes closed more than before. "If you were to get mad at me, I wouldn''t be able to recover from it..."

    "If anyone would examine and look over Silvus'' every step, it would be you, chancellor of Yaltas. I take this matter very seriously, Yesan." Julius spoke, his gazemanding respect.

    "You have caught me, vice principal," Yesan closed his eyes and paused for a moment, "If Silvus would have lost the race after losing even the magic potential test, I''m afraid the other nations would mock our heir to sphemy. Even though it is his own endeavor, you know as much as I that there is no such thing as private for the supreme royal family, the other kingdoms always find out what we are up to."

    Julius did not interrupt, allowing Yesan to fully exin himself.

    "His aplishments and failures directly corrte to the supreme royal family, and therefore, to the kingdom itself. I decided that we must save face over other responsibilities."

    Hearing this, Julius finally responded, "You have no decision nor say when ites to my exams." Julius said sharply, before suddenly regaining a vibrant smile on his face.

    "Please, try to make sure it does not happen again. After all, our school board would love to keep its ties with the kingdom." He politely said with a warm expression as he entered the room, followed by Yesan who now wasn''t so bright.

    Although it sounded light, what Julius just said was a direct threat to the kingdom, implying that they would possibly cut ties if anything like this happened again.

 Chapter 58 Revolt

    ?

    The golden arches of the morning sun swam over the air, creating a golden hue within the atmosphere. Lyrian awoke that day with a simple n.

    Firstly, although he wanted to go into the forbidden area and retrieve the golden tiered beast core, he knew that it would be foolish to do so without any n of action or information beforehand.

    So, for another few days he decided that he was going to continue to hunt with the group. As he hunted he would get better at using his skills and sword, preparing him more for the golden tiered creature, and also, he wanted to learn more stuff about the forbiddennds.

    Two days quickly passed by after Lyrian''s second day in the exam, making it now the fourth day.

    He woke up and went to the middle of the camp where there was a meeting held each and every morning.

    "Folks! We have made great progress for these past few of days! If we continue this, I have no doubt that we will all pass this exam wlessly!" Arthur proimed from atop the hill.

    Many kids rejoiced upon hearing this, their woes of passing an ever-so-feared test slowly dwindling away as they continued to be in this group.

    Out from the happy crowd however, one sour voice suddenly spoke up.

    "How many points do we have in total?!" Cedric yelled, his tone angry.

    As the crowd silenced, Arthur looked at him, pausing only a moment before speaking, "Why do you want to know? Like I said, we are already well on our way to passing, so there is no reason for you to worry." Arthur calmly stated.

    Hearing this, a small murmur of whispers amongst a few in the crowd began to sound. Although Arthur tried to seem calm, there was no doubt to some that his words did not sound perfectly reasonable.

    "What the hell are you talking about!? If we were on track to passing, what would be the problem in you telling us how many points we had!?" Cedric snapped back.

    "Oh god, here he goes again with this bull crap!" A sole kid shouted out from the crowd, expecting matching reactions from everyone else.

    "No... I think he''s right." A kid next to him suddenly said.

    "What!? How could you possi--" The kid who dissed Cedric quickly interrupted by the several voices that began to speak up against his views.

    "Yea, if we were going to pass, there wouldn''t be any real risk of any sort by revealing the number of points right?" Another kid agreed, as over 30 kids began to state their opinions agreeing with Cedric.

    The crowd of kids agreeing with Arthur were also still present, causing a loud dispute amongst the crowd.

    "Everyone, listen!" Arthur yelled out abruptly, causing everyone to fall silent again to hear what he was going to say.

    "There is actually a risk. If I were to say the exact number of points, a theif wanting to steal the cores could simply go in at the right moment and take all the cores for themselves, ridding us all of our chances to pass. Would anyone like that!?" He also raised his voice to the crowd, who remained silent.

    Right as Cedric was about to reply, another voice chimed in.

    "That''s a wed argument." Alten suddenly said from the back amid the crowd, catching the eyes of many beside him.

    "What?" Arthur questioned.

    "If one was going to steal the cores anyways, knowing the amount that there was would make little to no difference on their likability to steal. All they would need to do is some hypothetical math, or just wait a few more days before taking the cores. So, hiding the number of cores for such a reason would suggest that you aren''t hiding them for such a noble reason as you prelude."

    Alten''s tone was calcted and precise, reinvigorating Cedric''s side of the group as they began to assult Arthur with insults and concerns.

    "Exactly! What the hell are you hiding!?" A kid shouted.

    "Just show us the cores you coward!"

    ...

    Lyrian already knew what Alten said was true. It was apparent from the start that Arthur was clearly trying to keep his calm, implying that he was lying.

    "Thats it! You said that no one should enter the forbidden area, but I feel like that''s just another one of your propaganda! I''m going there where you like it or not! Who''sing with me!?" Cedric suddenly yelled, as several other voices supported behind him.

    "What!? No! Don''t be stupid! You will all get eliminated instantly! Use your stupid brain for a moment and think damnit! If we just continue to hunt, we will pas--" Arthur began to get flustered as he was suddenly cut off.

    "Shut the hell up! We are going to pass with the golden tiered beast core and other high tier cores!" A kid from the crowd shouted against Arthur, as many gathered behind Cedric.

    Without any dy, Cedric began to storm towards the forbidden area, with a group of over 50 kids following alongside him.

    Although Cedric was a buffoon, Lyrian couldn''t help but ept that he was right in this situation, and that Arthur did seem quite suspicious.

    So, he decided to follow along. As it turned out, Leon, Alten and Glis also found Cedric''s point reasonable, so they also came.

    ''I wanted to go there but... I didn''t expect this to be so easy.'' Lyrian thought to himself as he made his way to the forbiddennds.

 Chapter 59 Forbidden Area

    ?

    It turned out that the forbidden area wasn''t too far away, as after walking only for about two hours or so, the crowd had reached there.

    The entrance to the area was marked by arge, almost holographic barrier that surrounded all four sides of the forbiddennds, looking like thin ss walls.

    Thankfully on their way there, the group hadn''te across any escaped creatures, so after arriving, everyone stopped at a ce near the entrance and began to formte a n of action, which caught Lyrian off guard since it was Cedric after all.

    Where they currently were was in the midst of the jungle, far thicker than before, and from what he would see, the forbiddennds, which seemed giant looking at how the holographic walls extended far past what the eyes could see on the left and right, was even more dense of a jungle, with trees that reached over 3x the height of normal ones, and shrubbery that covered the floor like an infestation.

    "Here''s the n! If wee across a creature, we will all use our strength to hunt it down. I don''t care how strong it is, there are 50 of us here!" Cedric announced, causing a roar of cheer amongst the kids.

    "And if we find that golden-tiered creature, the person who kills it will get the core and no exceptions!" He also said, causing another burst of apuse.

    ''Hmm, well that''s unfortunate for everyone else. I have to be the one to kill it since I also need to Reap its soul.'' Lyrian thought to himself on hearing this.

    After another small pep talk, the group began to enter the forbiddennd through the holographic magic barrier slowly.

    Once inside, the walk was cautious and ever so silent, everyone on the edge, anticipating what could happen next.

    Finally, the crowd suddenly came to the ledge of a small hill. It was about a 20-foot jump down into an open area of the forest that stretched to about 100 by 100 square meters.

    Cedric gave the silentmand to stop as he saw this as an opportunity to scout out the area just a little, but that''s when a giant creature suddenly leaped into the open area below them from the trees.

    Lyrian immediately knew what it was from the looks of it, ''An Emperor Tiger,'' He said to himself, looking at the beast.

    "Is that what I think it is?" Alten said in shock as he looked down at the ferocious beast.

    "Yes, and it''s even bigger than the one we previously fought," Leon replied.

    In the following split second, a giant white bear nearly 1.5x the size of the tiger stormed into the scene, taking a hefty bite into the back of the tiger''s neck, killing it instantly as it stood up on its hiend legs�Cnow staring at the kids on the ledge who it was now taller than.

    [Warning! A creature with a lethal threat level has bloodlust over you!]

    [Creature threat level: HAVOC]

    "AHHH!" A random kid in the group suddenly let out a girlish scream before fainting on the spot.

    Lyrian noticed the kid, then looked back at the bear, ''I guess fighting our way through here won''t be an option��''

    At that precise moment, an enormous gori with red fur and a gold-colored back emerged from the trees, charging into the bear that was the same size as it with a wild roar.

    As the beasts tumbled away whilst they fought, several giant blue and yellow birds the size of cars flew over the group, screeching loudly as they marked their presence.

    After the chaos finally somewhat settled, everyone in the group was left speechless.

    Needless to say, this wasn''t what anyone was expecting in the slightest. The ferociousness of the forbiddennds lived up to beyond what it was cut out to be.

    "Alright! After those tier-four beasts!" Cedric suddenly yelled, jumping down from the hill before beginning to run toward where the beasts had moved their fight.

    Many of the kids mindlessly followed his order, even though they were too scared. The only reason they came to the forbidden area in the first ce was because they were part of arge group.

    Coming alone was a death sentence, and so staying alone whilst here made no sense.

    Lyrian and a few others stayed behind, however.

    "What are you nning to do?" Leon asked, walking up to Lyrian.

    Looking turned his head past his shoulder, "I''m going for that golden-tiered creature." He confidently spoke.

    "Will you hunt other creatures on your way there?" Leon asked as Alten, Glis, and a few other kids listened to hear Lyrian''s answer.

    "Naturally. But for the most part, I will search for the golden-tiered creature of course."

    "Alright, then I wille along with you. I don''t see much of a better option here anyways."

    "I have no problem with that, just don''t slow me down." Lyrian smirked, "So, any clue where it is?"

    Leon paused, no answer in mind.

    "I think I can help with that." Alten stepped up, "ording to the Tasnan Wildends map that I studied, there should be a t mountain range a bit further down south. If I were to guess, the creature would be there, since that''s where the highest rate of dangerous creatures are reported to be spotted."

    "Then how about you join us? I don''t know my way there, so I need a navigator." Lyrian suggested.

    "I''d be delighted to! Lyrian!" Alten said, happy to be helpful to someone who he looked up to.

    After this, the three suddenly turned and looked at Glis in sync, who was still just listening.

    The sudden acknowledgment made her blush in embarrassment, as she eximed, "What! What are you staring at me for?!"

    "Are you going to being along?" Alten asked.

    "O-of course not! I just stayed behind because following that idiot is stupid and dumb!" She said,pletely flustered before activating her ice skate and jumping away into the forest.

    The rest of the kids looked to be shocked with fear, one of them even having pissed their pants.

    "Are you guys insane!? You want to continue after seeing that! I''m outta here!" A kid said as he made his way to the exit, while the leftovers followed.

    The three looked back at each other.

    "Well, I guess it''s just us three," Alten said.

    "That''s fine, this should be plenty." Lyrian lightly grinned as the three decided to head on their way to the t mountain ranges down south.

 Chapter 60 Flat Stone Mountains

    ?

    "Who do you think will be able to find it?"

    Back in the darkened room in Anaviotis where the exam graders sat, an examiner proposed a sudden question to everyone.

    "It? Hmm, I''ll say, I have a candidate that looks worthy. He might even just disrupt thews of nobility and royalty withinmoners." Juliusughed while giving his answer.

    "That ck sheep huh?" Another examinermented with a disdainful tone.

    "Currently, nearly all of the promising examinees are within the forbidden zone, including Silvus," Yesan, the chancellor of Yaltas said, widening the scope of his orb to show the forbidden area from a bird''s eye view.

    There, Lyrian, Silvus, and several other examinees could be seen rushing toward the same exact ce.

    "They all seem to know exactly where to go," Yesan grinned.

    "Looks like it will be an all-out rumble," Julius said excitedly, looking at Yesan''s projection.

    ***

    Back in the forbidden area of the Tasnan Wildends,  a few hours passed as the three dashed through the tree tops, led by Alten who headed toward the most dangerous area of the Tasnan Wildends as stated by the books of information he read before the exam.

    Of course, he never knew that the exam would be held here, or even what the exam was, but knowing about certainnds was a part of his homeschooling curriculum, and the Tasnan Wildends wasn''t the most unpopr of ces.

    "Alten, do you have any clue which creature the golden-tiered beast could be?" Lyrian asked, noting that Alten clearly already had some information on this.

    Alten paused for a moment to think before replying.

    "Out of every creature in the t-stone mountains, there are a few who stand out from the rest. The Diamond Lizard is one. Its defense is absolutely maxed out, and it is one of the apex predators of the t mountains, it''s eye sight is notably bad, however. Mostly, it only relies on vibration and sound to locate things."

    He paused again, thinking for a few others, "Then there''s also the Poison Tarant with its venom that can melt through solid steal, it''s weakness being it''s limbs in proportion to itsrge abdomen, the Hydro Serpent with it''s powerful water st and giant body, it''s weakness being that it thrives only in the water, and I suppose even the Lightning-Mane Lion," He continued, listing a bunch of names and weaknesses.

    As he spoke, the group suddenly exited the canopy of the forest trees and arrived at the bottom of a giant stone wall towering over the forest.

    "We''re here!" Alten announced, as the three nearly broke their neck looking up at the top of the mountain which seemed to reach the heavens.

    The mountain looked to be made of pure stone, slightly light brown in color and was rough in texture but smoothed out by the dust atop it.

    It stretched straight up vertically, with no signs of any slope or incline to climb on.

    Looking up, it didn''t seem to end anywhere, literally reaching above clouds.

    "This is impossible to climb, there must be an easier way," Leon said, surprised at the sheer steepness of the mountain.

    "No... I''m sure I read that there is no other entrance except for this. There''s a reason why weak creatures can''t get to the top of it." Alten replied.

    "So then, you''re saying that the golden-tiered creature must be at the top of it from that logic," Lyrian asked.

    Alten paused and looked up at the mountain range for a moment before replying, "I can''t say for certain, but if it is anywhere, it is there."

    After a short second of silence, Lyrian spoke, "Then it''s settled, we will have to get there by any means possible. Let''s start trying to find a way." He said, immediately beginning to walk along the bottom of the mountain.

    Leon quickly followed, with Altening along shortly after as well, being paused for a moment from the awe of Lyrian''s willpower.

    If it was any normal person, simply looking at the steep cliff of the enormous mountain would easily be enough to deter all of their motivation in getting the golden core, but Lyrian was clearly different.

    With Lyrian, Alten felt a sense of respect and admiration.

    After walking for a little while, Lyrian stopped, signaling for everyone else to do so as well with his hand as they hid behind some bushes.

    In front of him was a flock of 3 wild ostriches that looked to be double the size of normal ones, having rocky shells as torsos andrge ws made of stone.

    "Rock Ostriches!" Alten whispered at the sight of the creatures, "They are known to be some of the tastiest delicacies of thisnd, I can''t believe they are found here!"

    Looking at Lyrian''s focused expression, Leon gripped the hilt of his sword, feeling like he knew what was next on Lyrian''s mind.

    "We have to hunt them down." He said seriously.

    �Ѧ���d��s����vel.c��m Suddenly, Lyrian ced his hand on Leon''s, making it so that he could not take out his de, "No, not kill," He said.

    This confused Leon, and even Alten who retorted, "If not kill, then what?"

    "Tame. We are going to tame them." Lyrian said, his eyes widened with anticipation.

 Chapter 61 Beast Taming

    ?

    "Tame!?" Alten quietly eximed, surprised, "What do you mean, tame?"

    "Look at their ws, they looked to have evolved for the specific purpose of climbing up and down these mountains. If we could tame them, it would be a perfect way to reach the top."  Lyrian said, fully determined on taming the birds.

    Alten was fully taken aback by shock, never having even thought of such a thing.

    "That is the most absurd thing I have ever heard," He said.

    "But, it might just work," Leon chimed in, seeing the legitimacy of the idea.

    "Yes... it might actually be crazy enough to work." Alten agreed.

    "Then, let''s do it," Lyrain said, nearly standing up before behind stopped by both Alten and Leon who put their hands on his shoulder.

    "Wait! How about we review how to tame them first! Let''s make a n, not just go in there foolishly and hope for a good result." Alten eximed.

    "He''s right, what were you nning on doing?" Leon asked.

    "Oh me? Simple, I was just going to beat them to a pulp and force them to follow mymand, or be beat up some more." Lyrian proimed proudly, not understanding theedic irony of his words.

    "What!? What in the world are you talking about? Do you not know how to tame creatures?" Alten said, bewildered by what he was hearing.

    "Is there a specific way? I thought anything that worked was the way." Lyrian replied, slightly dumbfounded.

    "Of course, there is a way! Beast Taming is a learned art of magic that is taught to nobles from an early age in homeschooling. I guess you never had any lessons on it. Beast Taming is a very advanced type of magic that requires many years of honing one''s skill, so I was shocked when you said to tame them so easily, but now I realize that you were just being silly. One cannot just tame such a high-tier creature so easily. Even for those who know a bit of Beast Taming, it will still be hard."

    Upon hearing this, Lyrian simply said, "Hmm," before pausing and saying, "So, teach me it then."

    "Wha-what!? Here? Now? There''s no way you will be able to learn it!" Alten said.

    "It''s fine, it''s worth a shot."

    "...Fine, but don''t me me if you fail at learning it," Alten replied, knowing that it was simply futile.

    No human, no matter even if he was a Hero blessed by the gods, could learn to tame a creature of such a level in a few minutes, no one! At least, in Alten''s mind.

    "Firstly, I''ll exin what it is so that you have a good understanding of it. Beast Taming is when one coats his own with the perfect amount of mana and also the soul of the beast he is taming with the perfect amount of mana to link the souls together and form a soul bond. This, of course, takes a bunch of mana and a lot of practice. Mostly, it is a process of learning via trial and error."

    Lyrian listened intently as Alten continued to exin.

    "To do it, one must first send mana into his soul, which requires you to find your soul in the first ce, which is already difficult enough on its own. After this, you must find the soul of the other creature. This is much easier if your body is in contact with theirs as it allows for your souls to connect more. After this, you must coat both souls with the perfect amount of mana and finish the process."

    After hearing this, Lyrian was ready to try it out. "Alright, let me go--" He said, nearly standing up again before being stopped by the two for the second time.

    "Wait! First, try to find your soul and coat it with mana. This is one of the hardest parts, and if you can do it, you have a good chance ofpleting the Beast Tame." Alten said, wanting a bit of insurance.

    "Alright," Lyrian replied as he began to follow Alten''s order.

    For Lyrian, finding his soul was much easier than normal, since it was already soul-bonded with Garmr''s soul.

    Closing his eyes and concentrating, he instantly found it and was even able to coat it with mana within seconds.

    Both Leon and Alten could sense this and were immediately shocked.

    "You! You''re a phenom!" Alten eximed in shock.

    However, the coating around Lyrian''s soul suddenly dispersed back into his core.

    [Error! Your body cannot perform this type of Beast Taming]

    "What happened?" Alten immediately said, realizing that Lyrian''s soul was no longer coated with mana.

    "I don''t think it''s meant for me." Lyrian quickly made an excuse, equally confused at Gear''s message.

    "What?" Alten said, slightly confused.

    "It''s fine, I''ll just stick to my first idea. It''s sure to work." Lyrian smirked.

    ''Gear, why can''t I use that type of Beast Taming?''

    [The soul bond used in Beast Taming does not support Creature-Link soul bonds, therefore, it does not work within your body]

    ''Hmm... I''ll have to look into this more in depthter.'' Lyrian thought to himself, finally getting up and approaching the Rock Ostriches as Alten cried tears of agony, wailing at the confusion that Lyrian creating for him.

    "Fine! You can use your own taming tactics, and we will use Beast Taming!" He yelled, quickly following behind Lyrian with Leon not far behind.

 Chapter 62 Rock Ostrich Taming

    ?

    Lyrian appeared in front of the three ostriches, immediately causing them to all suddenly perk up and be on guard.

    As he approached them, only about 50 feet away, Leon and Alten stayed behind slightly.

    They closed their eyes, focusing on coating their own souls with mana.

    The ostriches stayed stagnant, not moving at all at the imminent threat approaching them.

    Seeing as only one human with a power level that seemed defeatable wasing after them, they didn''t see it necessary to escape, so they stood their ground, getting ready to pounce at their victim.

    After a while, Leon and Alten disappeared into the bushes, nearing the ostriches from the shadows where they couldn''t be easily spotted.

    Lyrian on the other hand made almost direct contact with the ostriches, being only 10 feet away before the three quickly dashed towards him, ready to bite his head off or trample him down with their giant ws.

    As one got near him, it swung its razor-sharp ws at Lyrian, as he quickly stepped to the side and managed to avoid it.

    Still, the attack was only inches away from hitting him, and if it had, it would have undoubtedly been lethal, with such ws capable of disemboweling or killing a person with a single blow.

    With this in mind, Lyrian made sure to not underestimate the power of these beasts in the forbidden area.

    Still, he needed toplete his goal, which was to tame one of the beasts.

    After side-stepping, he ran around to the back of the middle ostrich and jumped up on its back, grabbing onto its long neck for bnce.

    It immediately began to dance around frivolously, swinging its body and neck in order to throw Lyrian off, but he wasn''t going to give up so easily.

    "You''re mine bird!" He yelled, his adrenaline pumping as he carefully avoided every dangerous situation that the ostrich put him in.

    The other ostriches tried to attack as well, but with Lyrian behind atop one of their own kin, it was almost impossible tond a shot without hurting the ostrich.

    As this chaos continued, Alten and Leon both jumped out of the bush, Leon instantly making his way to an ostrich as he ced his hand on its torso.

    Immediately, the ostrich turned to face him but didn''t attack. Its eyes changed to a different, pinkish color, looking to be mesmerized by the human in front of it.

    Leon focused on finding and coating the ostrich''s soul with the same amount of mana that coated his, and surprisingly, it worked very efficiently.

    �Ѧ���d��s����vel.c��m In just a few moments, the ostrich knelt down, allowing Leon to climb on top as its friend.

    Alten had a simrly easy experience, being able to make his own ostrich tamer as well.

    "That was... almost too easy," He confusedly said as he climbed atop the ostrich.

    "I think you were just over-hyping the difficulty of it, no?" Lyrian yelled from his ostrich, which was still rampaging around in circles trying to get him off.

    "Definitely not, It was harder to tame a dog or a mouse than to tame this giant creature. I was 101% expecting a failure." Alten said, seemingly not fully content with the tame.

    "Yea, this should have been impossible. But, I''m not going toin." Leon agreed.

    With this, Alten suddenly smiled brightly, "I actually didn''t think I''d be able to do it! Whohoo!" He yelled, raising his hand in the air as he relished in victory.

    Lyrian on the other hand wasn''t so victorious at the moment.

    "Just hurry up and tame! Don''t you understand? I need you to pass this exam, so why not just let me ride on top of you for a short while!?" Lyrian yelled, trying to reason with the creature.

    "KRAA!!" The ostrich aggressively screeched back in reply.

    "Fine, I didn''t want to use force, but you give me no other choice," Lyrian said before suddenly sliding from the back of the ostrich to under its neck, only holding on due to his hands being wrapped around the beast''s neck.

    With this, he swung his body backward, unbaling the body of the ostrich, causing it to summersault onto the ground face first.

    Now on the ground, Lyrian wrestled the bird down, holding its neck down to the ground as he jumped left and right to avoid the ws.

    Finally, with another few solid pushes, the bird stopped acting frantically and gave up.

    Seeing this, Lyrian got off of it and backed off slightly, allowing it to get back up to its feet.

    After standing, it paused for a moment, along with Lyrian who did the same before suddenly... it quickly turned and made a run for it.

    "As expected," Lyrian said with an annoyed expression as he grabbed one of the bird''s legs, causing it to trip and fall on its face once again.

    "Puhahaha!" Alten suddenly broke out intoughter.

    Leon also couldn''t help but smile.

    As the bird stood for the second time, it looked to have tearsing out of its eyes, but it finally let Lyrian ride it.

    "Trust me, if I could have it my way, I wouldn''t want to ride you either, but just deal with this for this a little and you can go back to doing whatever you want," Lyrian said as Alten continued tough his ass off.

    ***

    "Ah ha! The first group to tame the Rock Ostriches!" An examiner spoke, looking at Lyrian and the others through his crystal ball.

    "They are ahead of everyone else, as expected, that ck sheep is performing well." Another chimed in.

 Chapter 63 Rock Lizard Ambush

    ?

    <Six dayster>

    �Ѧ���d��s����vel.c��m During the six days, Lyrian and the crew spent time taming the ostriches even more, well more so Alten and Leon, since Lyrian''s ostrich was already very obedient to him.

    While giving themselves time to hunt for cores at least a few hours each day, they also used the time to allow the birds to train to get better to climb the mountain, as doing it with an added load came to be far more difficult.

    The group realized they needed to train the ostriches to do this when they tried to blindly climb the mountain on the first day, only to fall back down after a few feet.

    They saw that the ostriches could freely climb the mountain on their own, but the added load of an entire kid seemed to be just enough to offset their bnce on the mountain, as they weren''t used to it, making it too much for them to handle.

    To deal with this dilemma, they attached rocks that were the same weight as them on their backs and allowed them to train on the mountain for hours at a time.

    ***

    Finally, at noon of the present day, the rock ostriches could go all the way up and down the mountain with the rock weights with no problem, being able to do so in only a few minutes.

    During this time, at the bottom of the t mountains at a farther distance, Cedric and his crew of over still over 20 kids had finally reached their destination.

    The forbidden area had not been easy for them, causing several kids to be wiped out from the exam before they reached the mountains, but they still arrived there nheless.

    With a confident and serious expression, Cedric vowed to get to the top of the mountain no matter what.

    Glis had also arrived there a day before Cedric''s crew and was already training her own ostrich to climb to the top.

    ***

    Back to Lyrian and the others, they were now prepared to begin the journey to the top.

    After readying everything that they had beenposing for the past few days, they got atop their ostriches and lined up at the wall of the mountain.

    Now, their ostriches had make-shift rope harnesses attached to them in order to carry the rocks, which made good saddles for the three boys that were riding them as well.

    "Let''s go," Lyrian said, as the three ostriches began making their way up the side of the mountain.

    Needless to say, the creature were extremely fast, climbing up vertically at speeds that easily reaches up to over 80mph.

    Their giant rock ws the which were the width of h hoops dug into the side of the mountain as they stormed up, clearly confident in their fearsome abilities.

    After a few seconds, Lyrian and the others began noticing several holes in the mountain that looked like caves.

    After two minutes or so, his ostrich jumped right over one, allowing him to see that a giant Rock Lizard existed inside, its eyes glowing brightly, seemingly ready to pounce.

    "Guys! Don''t go over the cave holes! Some of them have liza--"

    Lyrian tried to quickly warn Alten and Leon, who was slightly ahead of him, but as he looked up he saw a giant lizard suddenly throw its tongue out and grab Alten and his ostrich, pulling them both into the cave instantly.

    Leon and Lyrian immediatelymanded their ostriches to stop, "Go to that hole!" Lyrian yelled, as both his and Leon''s ostriches rushed towards the hole that Alten had been snatched into.

    The two quickly got off of their ostriches and jumped into the cave. The inside was nothing but a long hallway that was 10 by 10 square feet, already lit up with several amber crystals.

    "Where the hell did it go?" Lyrian said, confused at the speed at which the lizard seemingly disappeared.

    Finally, after a few minutes of running, the hall opened up to arger cavern room also lit up with amber crystals of various sizes.

    Looking around, several cave holes from the outside seemed to lead to thisrge cavern which was enormous in size expanding 300 feet backward with a height and width of 100 by 100 feet, and just from a nce, Lyrian counted over 30 Rock Lizards the size of pickup trucks inside.

    As they arrived at the opening, both Lyrian and Leon instinctively hid their presence.

    Thankfully, most of the lizards seemed to be asleep, so the two jumped down from the hall they came from and quickly began making their way further into the cave.

    In the end, there were fewer lizards, but two that looked to be awake. Leon and Lyrian quickly hid behind some rocks as they noticed this.

    Peeking up, they saw one was a normal Rock Lizard like the other''s, but the other was a good bitrger and emitted a dangerous aura.

    "It has to be a tier four," Lyrian whispered, for Leon to nod in approval.

    Therger one wasn''t made of rock, but blue crystal that looked to be extremely durable.

    ''That must be the Diamond Lizard that Alten spoke about when he was talking about the potential candidates of the golden core.'' Lyrian thought to himself as he witnessed it.

    Right below the two creatures, they also saw Alten and his ostrich.

    ''The Rock Lizard got them so he could feed them to the Diamond?'' Leon thought to himself as he observed this.

    As the two saw the Diamond Lizard getting ready to chow down on Alten and the ostrich, they looked at each other.

    Somehow, they seemed to already have a n in mind,municated through their own thoughts.

    Neither of the two of them knew if they fully understood each other, but trying to form a n here would only make them stand out.

    After putting their trust in each other, the two nodded, signifying to begin the n to rescue Alten and his ostrich.

 Chapter 64 Through Blood & Guts!

    ?

    <30 seconds earlier>

    ''So Rock Lizards don''t like direct confrontation? What did he want us to do with that information,'' Lyrian thought to himself on hearing what Alten said, ''It''s not like we could pose a threat to the lizards...''

    He continued to think as hard as possible, trying to figure out what Alten was trying to say before he got mmed.

    ''Wait! That''s right! Whening here, Alten said that the Diamond Lizard''s eyesight was terrible. It only relies on vibration and sound to tell whether something is a threat or not! This means, all we have to do is mimic and powerful creature to scare it! That is if it is like the other Rock Lizards and dislikes confrontation as well...''

    After half-assedlymunicating their n with each other, Leon took out his sword for a few seconds, his eyes immediately erasing into a pure white, as Lyrian used Enhance to strengthen his vocal cord muscles.

    Lyrian counted down from three on his fingers, as the two suddenly jumped out into the view of all the lizards.

    *ROAR!*

    Lyrian let out a thunderous roar powered by magic that boomed throughout the cave, as Leon swung his sword to create several loud, powerful vortexes of wind that mimicked the force created by the roar.

    With this, the two also let out their spiritual aura all at once, Lyrian also allowing Garmr to fully release his.

    The culmination of all of this created a menacing feeling of fear and chaos, instantly awakening all of the Rock Lizards in the cavern as they quickly fled through their holes in a frivolous rampage.

    The one holding Alten also fled, letting go of his prey.

    Unfortunately, the Diamond Lizard quickly picked them back up, before backing away from the imminent threat.

    After only 20 seconds, all of the Rock Lizards had exited the cavern, only the Diamond Lizard staying back.

    ''It isn''t running away... Did it not work?'' Lyrian thought to himself as he saw the Diamond Lizard standing its ground.

    After all the noise subsided, the Diamond Lizard stepped up and let out a roar of its own, seemingly challenging the beast that confronted it.

    "Damn it, so it isn''t like the other lizards," Lyrian said out loud.

    On hearing this, Leon immediately looked at him with a shocked expression.

    ''Why is he talking?'' Leon thought to himself.

    "What? It''s only it and us now. There is no longer any point in hiding." Lyrian said in response to Leon''s expression.

    Leon turned his head to look forward and paused for a moment before speaking, "You''re right..."

    "Let''s go!" Lyrian shouted out, as Lyrian unsheathed his sword and dashed at the creature from the side, while Leon also unsheathed his de once again and stormed straight forward.

    Feeling the loud vibrations of their footsteps, the lizard quickly put its guard up.

    On reaching only 15 feet away from the beast, Leon mmed his right foot on the ground and jumped up in the air with his hand on his sword--beginning to spin around in the air like a swirling tornado.

    As he neared 5 feet away from the lizard, he whispered under his breath, "Iron Tornado."

    With his increasing spin speed, the swirling de struck the lizard''s back abdomen, releasing a loud twang through the cave as Leon''s spin was instantly canceled out by the incredible density of the creature''s diamond back.

    Without hesitation, the lizard quickly swung his front hand at the small boy,unching him several feet away.

    At this moment, Lyrian jumped behind the beast with his obsidian sword in hand, Enhancing his arms so that his de could have strong attack damage.

    Just as he thrust his de at the lizard''s side, it suddenly turned around in an instant, facing Lyrian.

    In a split second, it let go of Alten and the ostrich--now grabbing Lyrian tightly.

    This time, the Diamond Lizard did not hold onto the human, because he was not prey, but an enemy that must be dealt with then and there.

    It dragged Lyrian into its stomach with its tongue, mming its mouth shut as it fully swallowed him.

    "Lyrian!" Alten shouted in shock and fear, witnessing Lyrian get swallowed whole.

    Seeing Lyrian get eaten, Leon stood up and blitzed towards the lizard at extreme speeds, causing a streak of white light from his eyes to follow him, seemingly using all of his strength whilst still holding a stoic expression on his face.

    As he got close to the Lizard, he said under his breath, "Iron Barrage," Before unleashing several powerful thrusts and strikes from all directions at the belly of the beast.

    At this moment, Alten took out his bow and also tried to attack it, but his arrows bounced off of the creature''s durable diamond exoskeleton, simr to what happened with Leon''s de as well.

    Instead of piercing through the lizard, Leon''s de suffered dents instead, not being able to even scratch the beast.

    Lyrian on the other hand, now inside the belly of the beast, smiled to himself.

    "You really just had to go and make it easier for me huh?" He said, being squished by the meaty, slimy area around him.

    With his sword still in his hand, he gripped it tightly--Enhancing his arms with nearly all of the mana in his body.

    "It was a bad move to swallow me and put me where you are most vulnerable." He said as he threw a powerful sh into the inside of the Diamond Lizard''s organs.

    *HISS!!*

    The lizard loudly hissed in distress as it felt its insides being cut open.

    With this, Lyrian shed once again, and again, and one more time! Before long he was creating enough space for himself to unleash a flurry of shes within the stomach of the beast.

    With enough space, he let out arge barrage of shes,pletely drenching himself in blood and guts as he tore through the being from the inside.

    Finally, with all the energy left within his body, he unleashed hisst sh--cutting through the Diamond Lizard''s neck--decapitating it as he arose from underneath, gasping his first breath of air after he began his attacks.

 Chapter 65 Reached The Top

    "Lyrian!" Alten yelled from the floor, his voice mixed with a tone of shock and bewilderment.

    "You''re alive," Leon said after sheathing his sword, relieved that Lyrian made it out safe.

    "Oh course I''m alive," Lyrian immediately replied, "I wouldn''t allow myself to die here to such a stupid thing, I have many things to do in this life," He smiled before showing a core that he held in his hand.

    "We got the core, let''s get out of here." He said jumping down from the corpse of the Diamond Lizard as the other two followed along.

    As they made their way out, a few stray Rock Lizards also scurried away at the sight of them.

    Before the three were only blurry figures of prey, but now, they were blurry figures that killed their ruler.

    Or In other words, predators.

    "What should we do with them?" Leon asked, looking at the final few scurrying away.

    "We could fight them for cores... but so many of them would be too much to handle. For now, we should just focus on getting to the top of this mountain." Lyrian said as the three exited from therge cavern room.

    Thankfully, Rock Lizards had either left the cave entirely or ventured deeper down into the cave system via smaller holes, so the three had no trouble getting out from the cave holes on the sides of the mountain.

    "I thought I was a goner there! I can''t thank you enough for saving me!" Alten eximed towards Lyrian as he walked, nearly in tears from a mix of gratitude and relief that he wouldn''t fail.

    He already felt like he owed Lyrian from being saved from Bardon and also being allowed to journey with him, but now he felt guilty, as though he was nothing but a liability that dragged Lyrian and Leon back.

    Disappointed, he inwardly spoke, ''Damn it, I need to show that I''m not just a burden... I won''t be in such a pathetic situation again,'' he vowed to himself.

    He felt quite bad about his situation, but for now, all he could do was try and improve so that Lyrian and Leon didn''t see him in a bad light, that is, if they didn''t already do so.

    ''Damn it, I have to get clean. All this blood is going to dry and stink up pretty soon.'' Lyrian thought to himself, oblivious to Alten''s concerns.

    "Hey, Alten, do you know if there are water sources on the top of the mountain? It''s a huge mass so I''d imagine there would be some." He asked, shocking Alten out of his gloomy daze.

    "Oh- Yes! There are manykes and river systems at the top of the mountain. Actually, there is an entire ecosystem up there, and these caves are also a part of that. It''spletely separate from the ecosystem at the bottom of the mountain." Alten quickly answered, happy to help.

    "Okay then, theres no more points in worrying about anything else, let''s get up there!" Lyrian finally proimed.

    The three eventually made it out back onto the mountain atop their ostriches.

    Needless to say, Lyrian''s ostrich, which was already feeling like it was a poor ve to its horrible and ruthless master, extremely disliked the fact that it now had to carry a load of blood and guts.

    Nevertheless, after seeing a glimpse of Lyrian''s clenched fist, it quickly obliged.

    They were back on their way to the top of the mountain immediately. This time, they made sure to avoid any and all holes, not wanting to make the same mistake as before twice.

    After a few more minutes, they reached about 8000 feet into the air, flying through the clouds in the sky.

    As they passed through, it felt like they were washed with a thick mist of water.

    Lyrian hoped to be showered in the clouds, but instead his blood simply became more wet and dropped onto his ostrich.

    Seeing this, Alten and the other two ostriches couldn''t help but crack up.

    The air was noticeably denser up there and it was slightly more difficult to breathe, but for those who cultivated magic before like Lyrian and the other two, their constant breathing techniques and higher rank had allowed their lungs to be more powerful.

    Because of this, the increase in altitude wasn''t a huge problem.

    At around 12000 feet, they finally reached the top of the mountain. After the ostriches climbed over the cliff, the three got off and feasted their eyes upon the top of the mountain for the first time.

    Undoubtedly, the area was enormous. None of them could see the other side of it.

    Not only because it wasrge, but also because it wasn''t exactly t as its name portrayed.

    Sure, the floor was t, but there were multiple different ledges with different heights, creating step-like hills that made it impossible to see what was on the other side.

    One of the first things that Lyrian noticed however was a small trickle of watering down from a higher cliff on the mountain.

    "Let''s follow this small river, it might lead to a body of water I can bathe in to get rid of this blood." He said as the other two followed him.

    "Let''s be careful. As Alten said, the ecosystem here is different. Creatures are far more powerful." Leon made sure to speak, wanting everyone to be cautious.

    As they followed the river, they traveled up a hill, finally arriving over an enormouske that was situated in the middle of a t piece of mountain-topnd, with only a fewrge stones here and there.

    "Ake! It''s time to get bathed!" Lyrian said excitedly as he ran over to it, eager to wash off all of the residues of the Diamond Lizard from his body.

    The two rushed to follow him, but Lyrian suddenly slowed down as he noticed a few people were already standing beside the river.

    ''People? Here? I thought we got here pretty fast but I guess we weren''t the first to arrive.'' He thought to himself.

 Chapter 66 Prized Lake

    ?

    Making his way down from the hill to the side of the river, Lyrian realized that there weren''t just a few, but over 20 kids that were gathered there. The sun hung low in the sky, casting a warm golden glow over the scene.

    As he walked closer, Lyrian saw that they all looked to be standing over the river, staring at it contently with most of them having somewhat serious expressions stered on their faces.

    Out of the 20 kids, most looked to be from different smaller factions looking at their clothes and demeanors, along with how they stood in ordance with each other. Their outfits ranged from simple tunics to ornate robes, and their postures revealed a mix of excitement and anticipation.

    ''Why would they gather here out of all ces though?'' Lyrian thought to himself, nearing theke, ''Well, who cares. Right now, I just want to wash myself of--'' Suddenly, Lyrian''s thoughts were interrupted by a shout that came out of nowhere.

    "Hey! Surely you aren''t thinking of bathing in this river, are you?" A kid yelled out to him, seeing that he was messy and b-lining it straight towards the water. He wore a white robe with a light blue lining, had long, dark-blue hair in a messy man-bun, and a slightly taller stature than most 10-year-olds.

    Lyrian paused, his curiosity piqued. "Yea, that''s the n. Why, should I not?" he questioned upon hearing the boy speak. Out of nowhere, another kid that was right next to the first kid who spoke yelled out, "Just let him go in there, aha!" He burst out into augh, "Maybe he will lure it out."

    Multiple kids near him also beganughing as they heard this. ''Lure it out? What are they talking about?'' Lyrian thought to himself, intrigued by the crypticments.

    "Tell me, why shouldn''t I bathe here?" he directly asked, genuinely interested in their response.

    The boy with the man-bun stepped forward, his voice tinged with nonchnce. "You really don''t know? It''s the same reason why we are all gathered here. A rumor, you could call it. Someone leaked some so-called hidden information to the students saying that at thiske, a monster would appear holding a powerful item that a student gets to use even outside of the exam. That''s why we are all here to try and get it for ourselves," The taller kid, who introduced himself as Silong of the prestigious Zole family, paused, a glint of ambition in his eyes.

    "I see... thank you for informing me, Silong. My name is Lyrian," Lyrian replied, intrigued by the unexpected turn of events. He nced back at Alten, hoping to gather any additional information.

    Alten shrugged, uncertainty flickering across his face. "Never heard of it myself. It must have been leaked to the other 400," he said, his voice tinged with a mix of curiosity and doubt.

    "Damn, I wanted to bathe, but it looks like there are bigger priorities now," Lyrian smirked, as a few kids called him out, sensing his nonchnt attitude.

    "You just learned about it and want to get it now? Hah! No chance, brat! That item is mine!" a kid yelled out, hispetitive spirit evident.

    "Don''t be so cocky. We have prepared for this for 10 entire days since the beginning of the exam. Today is the 10th day, the day it''s said to finally show up. You can''t just expect to waltz in here and redeem the item," another kid retorted, clearly

    upset at Lyrian''s seemingly arrogant behavior.

    Lyrian chuckled, his confidence unshaken. "Well, I don''t have to prepare for 10 days. All I need is to be stronger and faster than the rest of you," he stated nonchntly, his words cutting through the crowd, momentarily silencing them before it suddenly erupted into a cacophony of yells and challenges.

    "What did you say!?" a kid shouted.

    "You wanna fight right here!?" another blurted.

    ''Who is this? Cedric''s twin brother?'' Lyrian thought to himself as he heard the second guy.

    While waiting for the supposed beast to arrive, Lyrian ran down the riverbank and quickly found a small stream. He stripped off his dirt-stained clothes and stepped into the cool, refreshing water.

    It wasn''t asvish as his imagination of bathing in the deep pond, but it made do since all he needed was to clean himself. After ridding the blood and smelly guts from his body and hair, he emerged from the stream, feeling rejuvenated.

    To his surprise, he discovered that all of the kids were still waiting for something to happen, their eyes fixed on theke with unwavering anticipation. Everything and everyone seemed to be in the same ce as they were before, the air thick with excitement and nervous energy.

    *Shing*

    Suddenly, theke began to slightly glow, emitting a bright light. Many gasps of awe resonated through the crowd of kids as they saw this. Now, there was no doubt amongst anyone that there was indeed something in the pond.

    "Ah, that''s right! I remember now, young master," the boy standing next to Silong, who had previously mocked Lyrian, suddenly said.

    Silong turned to look at him, as some other kids also perked their ears to hear what he had to say, curiosity evident in their eyes.

    "From what I heard, there were 3 possible lights that thiske could glow, signifying the level that the item held within would be," the boy exined, his voice filled with a mix of excitement and knowledge.

    �Ѧ���d��s����vel.c��m "Is that right... What are those?"

    "The worst one would be brown, the medium one blue, and the best color to get would be red. A redke would mean that the treasure inside would be of the highest level."

    After the boy said this, theke suddenly began to emit a mesmerizing reddish luminescence, causing the crowd to hold their breath in anticipation.

    "Huh, would you look at that," Silong scoffed, seeing the color of theke, his eyes glittering with ambition.

    "What amazing luck!" the boy next to him eximed, unable to contain his excitement. "This means the item is going to be extremely powerful, don''t you think, young master!?" he eagerly asked, turning towards Silong.

    "Oh? So what are you waiting for? Go and check," Silong spoke, suddenly kicking the boy in the back, causing him to trip and fall into theke.

    "What the hell--!?" the boy eximed, his voice filled with surprise and confusion, his unexpected plunge met with a mix of gasps andughter from the surrounding kids.

 Chapter 67 Hydro Serpent

    ?

    The boy was shocked for a moment, but after looking at Silong''s face, he realized that this was a serious request and took a deep breath before diving into the water head first. Everyone waited in suspense as silence spread through the crowd, anticipating the boy''s return to the top.

    After over thirty seconds of waiting, a head suddenly popped up from under the water. "I don''t think there''s anything in her��" The boy nearly finished his sentence, before a giant set of teeth suddenly emerged from the water and swallowed him whole.

    Suddenly surprised, the kids closet to the edge of theke dashed backward as they witnessed a majestic beast of enormous proportions rising out of theke with a menacing presence. As it arose, its immense body coiled with the undting waves, glistening with droplets of green poison.

    Towering above the kids, the part of it''s body that could be seen stretched to 20 feet, its scales reflecting the colors of celestial skies��pearlescent blues, greens, purples, and shimmering with an otherworldly luminescence.

    To behold it was enough to captivate its onlookers with a mesmerizing beauty, but on top of that, its dangerous presence was also enough to send shivers down ones spine.

    Within it''s massive jaws lined rows of razor-sharp teeth and on the top of its head a crowned red jewel that glowed the brightest out of everything else on it''s body.

    Staring ruthlessly at the kids, it backed up slightly before unleashing a rumbling roar form the depths of its stomach, resembling the thunderous shes of lightning and ocean as it assaulted the atmosphere with ayer of bloodlust.

    [Warning! A creature with a lethal threat level has bloodlust over you!]

    [Creature threat level: HAVOC]

    ''As expected.'' Lyrian thought on seeing this message, keeping an eye on the ferocious beast that had appeared in front of him.

    "Hey Alten, is this not the Hydro Serpent you spoke about on our way here?" Leon questioned on sight of the beast.

    "Ye-yes! That''s right, but it seems that something is off," Alten eximed, pausing for a moment, "A Hydro Serpent shouldn''t be at this level of power! At max, it would be identical to the Diamond Lizard in strength!"

    "It''s obvious!" Silong suddenly retorted, "This creature has been boosted by the examiners, after all, it holds a powerful item, and I think I already know where it is." He said as he gazed at the beast''s crowned jewel.

    ''Scan.'' Lyrian said in his mind, wanting to ascertain the beasts power before doing anything rash.

    [Scan]

    Name: None

    Species: Hydro Serpent

    Age: 55

    Overall Power (OP): 9

    Health: 90/90

    Stamina: 85/85

    Strength: 95

    Agility: 75

    Defense: 92

    Rank: Genesis: Layer 1

    Special: Tier 4 (Exam Tier), Enhanced creature

    (Author note: The creature Scan menu has been changed due to technological issues. It will be back to normal in the following chapters.)

    ''Enhanced creature�� so Silong was right, this beast must have been enhanced by the examiners. I suppose the best way to defeat it would be to team up.''

    "Alright! Listen up everyone! I know we all want the prize, but if we act stupidly here then all of us will get eliminated and no one will get the item, so it would be best for us to team up!" Lyrian shouted out to the crowd of kids, not wanting an incident like what happened with Cedric and the Emperor Tiger to ur again.

    This situation was also more crucial than with the Emperor Tiger, as if many were to get wiped out by the Hydro Serpent, there would be no chance at getting the prized item.

    "Shut up retard! Don''t tell me what to do!" A kid suddenly retorted from the back of the crowd of kids, pulling out his giant iron hunk of a two-handed sword before dashing towards the serpent at full speed.

    ''I suspected this wouldn''t work. These kids aren''t just average examinees, they nned and prepared for this, and haven''t been eliminated on there way here.'' Lyrian thought to himself on hearing this, and seeing other kids cheer in agreement. ''I''ll just have to figure something else out as soon as possible.''

    As the kid neared theke, he jumped out and put his sword above his head, swinging it down on the serpent at max power. However, just before his de reached the face of the serpent, it spat out a ssh of green poison at the boy''s face, instantly forcing his head to roll back into his head as he fell into theke like a ragdoll.

    Without hesitation, the Hydro Serpent dove down and devoured the body of the kid whole. Of course, as they entered it''s stomach they were instantly teleported out of the Tasnan Wildends and eliminated from the exam.

    "That poison�� it didn''t work like how I expected it to. Usually snake poison does not cause such a reaction." Lyrian said, for Alten to follow up.

    "You''re right. The Hydro Serpent''s venom is not like any other reptiles in thesends. Instead of poisoning ones physical body, the venom goes straight for the mental side of things. Or in other words, it fights you mentally."

    Hearing this, Silong also gave his input. "The Hydro Serpent. A beast that attacks your will instead of your physique. One with a powerful body could survive a powerful snakes deadly venom, but even he shall fall before the Hydro Serpent if he does not posess an iron will."

    "Huh�� Is that right," Lyrian said on hearing this, "What happens if I defeat it''s venom?"

    "What?" A random kid scoffed as he heard this, "Are you stupid? You''re best off to try and avoid it''s venom, unlike that other retard. No one can defeat it''s venom. Didn''t you hear, it doesn''t attack your physique, but your mind. Don''t underestimate it. Even a normal Hydro Serpent is nearly impossible to defeat without a giant crew if the leader of poisoned, and this one''s enhanced so what makes you think you would be able to overpower that venom?"

    "I don''t want to admit it, but he''s right, Lyrian," Alten agreed, wanting the greatest situations for everyone, "It''s best��or rather, even nesseciarry to avoid it''s venom at all costs."

    Just as he finished saying this, Lyrian suddenly noticed the Serpent emerging from the bottom of theke after devouring the kid, it''s mouths clearly ready to shoot out a load of venom.

    "Everyone! Dodge!" He was able to yell out, but to his surprise, the Serpent looked directly at the sky and shot out the venom, causing it to rain down venom on top of all of the kids in a wide area.

    "That''s it''s Toxic Rain skill!" Silong said, attempting to dodge.

    "What did it use it now!? It should normally only use it as ast resort, ridding all of the venom in it''s body as a way to self destruct it''s poison capabilities!" Alten yelled.

    Although everyone tried to dodge the rain, there wasn''t anyone who wasn''t on guard enough to be able to.

    It would be like trying to dodge rain. Although one may move faster than it, one cannot shrink and expand to fully get out of it''s way.

    In moments, everyone was hit by the rain, causing their eyes to roll back into their head as they all fell unconscious.

    The Hydro Serpent also fell back slightly, it''s most powerful skill already having been used.

    Now, it couldn''t use any more poison, atleast not for weeks. However, as it attempted to regain some of it''s stamina, it suddenly noticed that one person out of the several was still moving although the venom hadn''t effect them at all.

    This was Leon. His eyes were white, although they had rolled back into his head, but his sword was also already out, causing them to go white anyways.

    ***

    Back in the examiner room.

    "Hahaha! Leonidas Serroa! What a fine specimen of a contestant!" Juliusughed at what he was seeing.

    "Indeed. One thing this snake failed to calcte was that this boy''s true power only awakened when unconscious, so attempting to make him fall asleep is only foolish!" Another examinee eximed.

    ***

    Back into the Wildends, Lyrian suddenly lost consciousness and was thrown into a ce that felt quite familiar.

    Darkness��

    Looking around, all he could see, feel, and hear was nothing. This was almost the same sensation as when he was first reincarnated into the womb of his mother.

    ''I can still think�� meaning, this must be the skill of the Hydro Serpent,'' He paused, thinking of what to do next, ''They said that the serpent attacked the mind. I wonder what they meant by that, or if even they now as well.''

    As he thought this, the darkness around clearly didn''t feel likesting for too long, as before he knew it, he could feel sensations on his back, as though he wasying down on something.

    All of his five senses returned to him at once, although he was ced back into his human body, as he finally opened his eyes.

    Looking around, Lyrian observed that he was at a familiar ce. Almost too familiar to forget. There was no doubt about it, he was back on earth.

    Looking at his arms, they were small and scrawny just like before, bruised and scratched like he remembered.

    He got up from the floor where he slept and walked to the mirror, only to see a horror inducing sight.

    Looking in the mirror, the person staring back at him was none other than despair.

    ''Zero?''

 Chapter 68 Unyielding Resilience

    ?

    Staring at the lifeless being, Zero tried to control his emotions, but his surroundings felt too surreal to be reasonable. In fact, it was more than that. It was almost as if his ability to think properly had been weakened.

    Inside of the Hydro Serpent''s illusionary spell, a logical method of thinking via problem-solving was useless.

    As he continued to stare at his damaged past self, his eyes widened in fear and shock. Feelings that had long since been forgotten began rushing back to him, pouring into his mind like a waterfall barging through a broken dam.

    He inspected every inch of his body. The paleness of his skin, the skeleton-like look of his face, the overgrown nasty hair, the ripped, old clothing, the dry lips, the dark, baggy under eyes, but most of all, he couldn''t help but notice his eyes.

    No, it wasn''t just that he couldn''t help but notice them, but it was like they were separate from him. Sole entities stared back at him with the dullness of an infinite void full of nothing but darkness. What he saw within those eyes was not human, it was not alive. It was the opposite of hope.

    As he continued to stare into these eyes, his life force and power felt like it was being sucked away rapidly, but through all this, he also knew of his promises in Zaryn to improve through his traumatic past. Although he was sure he wasn''t going to cry despite the overflow of emotions, a small stream of tears suddenly burst out of his eyes, trickling down his face as they fell to the ground.

    He did not want to cry, but he could not control those tears.

    ''How am I crying? Why am I crying?'' Zero asked himself in disbelief, not feeling as though he could cry in such a situation.

    �Ѧ���d��s����vel.c��m Even though his emotions full of despair had assaulted him, there was no reason for him to cry in his mind, yet the tears trickling down his cheeks were undeniable.

    Now, he didn''t know what to think. The tears and emotions made him question his own mind, question himself.

    Was it all just a fa?ade? The will to get better? Maybe even his entire life in Zaryn? Was that a dream? He couldn''t tell the difference, but nevertheless, the more he stared into those lifeless eyes in the mirror, the more his body lost its strength.

    After a minute, his body went limp as his legs gave in, causing him to fall to his knees. After this, it felt as though any and all confidence still left within his body had dissipated. Both his mind and body had gone almostpletely numb with gloom.

    Just then, the door to the room flew open and he quickly turned his shoulder to face toward that direction.

    Standing at the doorway was Jen, who stared at him with a perplexed wonder, her head tilted to the side with widened eyes of confusion.

    "Zero? Why are you crying? What happened?" She innocently asked, walking over to him.

    Seeing her face, Zero simply broke down into a flurry of tears, as he found himselfpletely helpless.

    He lost all hop��

    ***

    Suddenly, Zero found himself in the darkness for a second time, as he opened his eyes once again. He had awoken back on Earth in Zero''s body just like before, as though he was reliving that experience that just urred.

    However, this time things felt drastically different. Unlike the first time, Zero felt the same helplessness as he did just moments prior.

    Still, he managed to find the strength to crawl over to the mirror again, this time wanting to see a different reflection.

    However, as his gaze met with his own in the mirror, those despair-filled eyes void of any other emotion and hope began sucking away at his energy once again, almost as if it was attacking his life force.

    And just like the previous time, Jen opened the door to the room again and asked him why he was crying.

    Zero was utterly confused at this, but overwhelmed by emotion, he couldn''t help but break down again, causing the cycle to repeat.

    Once again his eyes flew open from the darkness. This time, he barely felt like he had any energy left to move.

    In fact, he didn''t even want to move anymore. What was the point? He was just going to experience the same thing again anyways, which was failure.

    What was the point ofing here anyways? It felt as though he had forgotten. His mind was in aplete haze, making him forget even his own name.

    *m!*

    Suddenly, after a few minutes, the door to the room flew open once again as Jen questioned Zero about what was wrong for the third time.

    This time, Zero didn''t even cry. There was no point in crying anymore since it wasn''t even going to do anything.

    But still, he awoke from the darkness a fourth time, and then a fifth, followed by a sixth. Before long, he had gone through hundreds of the same exact trail, of the same exact situation, each one causing him to be weaker physically and mentally.

    In the depths of his despair, Zero found himself thinking about his own existence. His purpose. What was it again? What did he promise himself so frivolously before?

    ''Oh right�� I was going to crush my trauma. I was going to get stronger so that I could protect my family... so that I could protect myself...'' Finally, Zero had arrived at his destination, ''So that I could free myself from the burden of pain, of suffering, of restrictions and binds!''

    At that very moment, distant memories of the faces of his parents began to appear in his mind like shbacks. Haunted by the faces of his loved ones, he saw the pain and worry etched upon their faces.

    ''I want to protect them�� because I want to free myself from the restrictions of life which include pain and suffering.''

    *m!*

    Jen suddenly opened the door to the room once again, questioning Zero.

    "What''s wrong? What happened?"

    Hearing this, Zero fully expected to be restarted once again, as he was used to it, now on his 263rd redo.

    However, nothing happened. He was still there, still able to think.

    Just then, out of nowhere, a newfound emotion swelled up within him, causing a grin to appear on his face. Needless to say, one could argue that this grin was out of pure mental delusion, as he had gone mad by now, but he couldn''t care less.

    It felt good to smile.

    "Why was I crying? Why did I feel despair? Because of you? Hahaha!" He burst outughing, causing Jen to freeze in shock and confusion, mixed with a tinge of worry.

    "I allowed them to silently suffer because of my own despair? For you? Have I forgotten my purpose, my reason for being?" The absurdity of it all washed over him, shattering the illusions that had clouded his mind.

    Once, he aspired to be a beacon of hope, to uplift those who had supported him. And yet, now he found himself rendered helpless by a mere collection of memories. It was preposterous!

    Amidst the depths of despair, Lyrian had overlooked a crucial truth. The reason his past held such significance was that he possessed the unwavering willpower to ovee it.

    At this point, Lyrian had gone through further in the trial than ever before, causing new things that he missed in his previous trials to ur.

    Out of nowhere, Jen''s parents, Mr and Mrs Wilkson barged into the room, along with Cole and Kane.

    "You street rat! What are you freaking out Jen for!?" Kane yelled.

    "Get up! Who gave you the permission to continueying on the floor!?" Mr. Wilkson followed up.

    They all began to bash him as he found a deep-rooted will to stand up through his despair, gritting his teeth out of anger.

    As he rose to his feet, he looked at the Wilkson family for only a moment, before looking away.

    This was because�� his anger was not directed towards them. ''You bastards aren''t even real.'' He said in his mind, looking at the mirror before walking closer to it.

    As he ignored them, their voices slowly faded away, and their bodies also disappeared. Now, Lyrian was only left with the mirror.

    "Not even close..." Lyrian''s smile stretched across his face, twisted and maniacal, as he closed the distance to the mirror. His gaze locked with the eyes filled with despair, yet his own determination burned brighter than ever before.

    "You weren''t even close to oveing my will!" His words echoed through the air, resonating with a newfound sense of liberation. A mountain of burden lifted from his shoulders as if it had never existed.

    The anger that had surged within him was not towards the trials that attempted to break him but at their pathetic nature. How stupid it was to underestimate his resolve, his unyielding spirit! The fire within him intensified, fueled by a relentless determination to prevail.

    As Lyrian delved deeper into the void of his own eyes, a glimmer of light pierced through the darkness, sending shivers down his spine. Every hair on his body stood on end, electrified by the revtion unfolding before him.

    Rather than weakening, he felt a surge of strength coursing through his veins. The eyes of despair no longer siphoned his willpower; instead, they became the catalyst for his indomitable spirit to flourish. His willpower swelled, radiating from within.

    "You weren''t even close!" His promation echoed in the chamber, his voice brimming with unwavering confidence. And in that very moment, his true eyes flew open in the real world, greeted by the breathtaking sight of a bright azure sky adorned with puffy white clouds.

    In that sublime moment, Lyrian knew that he had triumphed over the trials that had sought to break him. He had risen above, liberated from the chains of despair.

 Chapter 69 Coordinated Onslaught

    ?

    *ng!*

    The sound of hard materials shing against each other suddenly sounded from closeby, as Lyrian turned his head toward the direction of the Hydro Serpent.

    "Lyrian! You''re awake!" Leon said in mid-air as he sheathed his sword, having pushed the serpent back into the water temporarily.

    As hended on the ground, he quickly ran over to where Lyrian was, "How in the world did you ovee the hallucinations on your own?" He said as he neared him.

    "It wasn''t that hard toe back, just wake up the others while I distract the snake. Its n was probably to get rid of all of us at once, but if we get back up again we won''t have to worry about its venom." Lyrian said, taking out his obsidian de as he rushed theke.

    ''Wasn''t hard toe back!? That skill isn''t just the serpent''s illusions, but a chemical that makes your worst thoughts of despair be your biggest reality. Those who can ovee that�� they aren''t like the rest of us,'' Leon thought to himself in surprise for a split second as he went to wake up the other kids, ''Lyrian Theageld�� there''s no way he''s just some nobody from the outer city.''

    Leon quickly made his way to every single one of the kids inside the serpent''s spell and woke them up. This process was simple, to wake them up, all he had to do was input a small amount of his mana into their meridian system, making it quickly travel up to the brain and break off any mind-controlling spell.

    Of course, this only worked due to the serpent''s spell being one that was easily breakable, as it relies only on its powerful mind-controlling abilities to function, rather than its ability to stay as an active spell.

    Lyrian on the other hand immediately lunged at the beast, wanting to make sure that it didn''t go for the others while Leon woke them up.

    Gripping the hilt of his de tightly with both hands, he swung it at the side of the serpent''s neck at full force��only for it to ng right off. On his attack failing, the serpent tooshed out at him, attempting to take a bite out of him.

    The speed at which the snake lunged at him was immense, as it nearly bit into the side of his abdomen. Not only was he slower than the beast in terms of speed, but Lyrain was also in mid-air, making it impossible for him to dodge, however, he found that he could rely on his sword to deflect the beast''s attacks, using the momentum of his swings to maintain his airborne position.

    While Lyrian continued to engage the serpent, he recalled what Alten said about the Hydro Serpent on their way to the tstone Mountains.

    ''That''s right, its weakness is drynd. If we can get it out of the water, our chances of winning are going to be much higher.'' He thought to himself.

    "Alright, listen up everyone!" He yelled, catching the attention of those who had awoken already.

    "The Hydro Serpent''s weakness is drynd! Help me lure it then and prepare a trap so it can''t go back into the water!" He shouted, entrusting the kids on the ground.

    Many didn''t want to listen to him, but seeing him wake up from the illusionary spell of the serpent by himself and fight the beast one on one, they couldn''t help but want to listen to him.

    After all, what they just went through in the spell was horrible, so thest thing they wanted to do was rid themselves of the chance of even surviving this situation, let aloneing out of it with something gained.

    Many sprang into action, some used their magical abilities to create illusions or generate bright lights to disorient the creature, distracting it from Lyrian''s presence.

    Others began throwing rocks and debris near the water''s edge to catch the serpent''s attention.

    As the serpent lunged and attacked, Lyrian skillfully deflected its movements, guiding it towards the nearby stretch of drynd. Using his sword, he created a clear path, striking the ground and causing small tremors that enticed the serpent to follow.

    With the serpent''s focus on Lyrian, the group members continued their efforts to lure it onto drynd. They strategically retreated, leading the serpent away from the water''s edge and closer to the designated area.

    Their movements and distractions aimed to keep the creature fixated on Lyrian''s presence. As the serpent approached the drynd, the group quickly prepared an ambush.

    They set up traps consisting of various different kinds of elements which each of them used to create a sort of spiderweb-like. The trap was designed to ensnare the serpent and restrict its movements, preventing it from returning to the water.

    Once onnd, Leon quickly took out his sword and dashed toward the creature, allowing it to switch its attention away from Lyrian. This gave him the perfect time to jump down to the ground and make his way behind the snake.

    Gritting his teeth, Lyrian used his Enhance skill to its maximum capability, burning a heavy amount of mana per second. As he did so, his muscles grew and throbbed out of his clothes, veins bulged across his skin, and his green glow emitted a light brighter than ever before.

    Finally, he grabbed onto the tale of the snake whilst it was distracted, mming his right foot onto the ground as he swung around, dragging the snake along with him.

    His eyes nearly burst out of his skull due to physical exertion, but he still managed to lift the snake just enough to throw it on top of the elemental made by the group members.

    Of course, he wasn''t able to fully lift the serpent, but what he did was enough to get it trapped.

    Realizing this, the group membersunched a coordinated attack. Harnessing their diverse magical abilities, the kids formed a united front against the Hydro Serpent.

    The air crackled with elemental energy as fireballs soared through the sky, lightning bolts zapped with fury, and gusts of wind buffeted the serpent''s enormous form.

    The coordinated attacks disrupted the serpent''s movements, leaving it momentarily vulnerable to their onught.

    Lyrian, still engaged in his intense Enhanced form, seized the opportunity. He gathered his waning energy, channeling it into one final, devastating strike. With a mighty swing, he aimed his obsidian de toward the top of the serpent''s head, its crown jewel gleaming in his sight.

 Chapter 70 Crowned Jewel

    ?

    Time seemed to stand still as the de connected with its target. The serpent writhed in pain, its mighty form trembling under the force of the blow.

    A resounding roar echoed through the mountains, a mix of agony and defeat. The serpent weakened and ovee by the collective might of Lyrian and the others, sumbed to its wounds.

    Its massive body copsed to the floor in a loud thud, as Lyrian''s enhanced form began to dwindle as well.

    Before allowing himself to fully rest, however, he made sure toplete his true goal, which was the Hydro Serpent''s crowned red jewel. Using his sword, he carved a jewel that was the size of an apple out of the beast''s head.

    "Oi! What the hell do you think you''re doing with that!?" Silong suddenly shouted from the floor as he saw Lyrian taking out the jewel.

    Other''s also stood beside him, "Woah woah woah, let''s not get too hasty here! That jewel does not belong to you! Hand it over," They began to side with Silong.

    "Finder''s keepers, losers weepers. You should have got to it sooner." Lyrian said as he ced the jewel inside his coat pocket with a smile on his face.

    "What did you say!?" Silong suddenly said, releasing his malicious intent, "If you aren''t going to give it over, then I''ll just have to take it from you."

    ''He was the first one here, right? I guess he really wanted it then.'' Lyrian thought to himself on hearing Silong.

    ''Well... that''s just too bad. I want it more than him.''

    "Nope! I''m not going to give it to you. If you want to try and take it by force, you are wee to." Lyrian said indifferently, releasing some of his own spiritual energy.

    Feeling this, a few who stood beside Silong retreated. One''s killing intent made others fear them if they were weak-minded, and seeing the boy standing atop the head of the Hydro Serpent whom he had just killed was enough for them to call it quits.

    Silong and three others, however, decided that they weren''t going to lose the jewel by any means.

    As Lyrian jumped down from the body of the serpent and walked toward Silong and the other few, he noticed just how angry Silong was in contrast to everyone else.

    He was as red as a tomato, his fists clearly clenched in anger.

    ''Why did he want this jewel so bad?'' Lyrian thought to himself, finding this level of anger to be too much.

    As Lyrian reached within 10 feet of him, Silong said, "Get him!", making two out of the three beside him suddenly dash forward, prepared to take the jewel.

    ''Two first huh? My mana''s pretty low, but I don''t think I should have too hard of a time if I just use a little bit of Enhance and freeze their feet firs--'' As Lyrian thought of a way to defeat the two quickly, multiple arrows suddenly came into his field of view from the side,nding on the neck of one of the two boys.

    Instantly, that boy was eliminated from the exam. Looking over, Lyrian saw that Alten was the one who released those arrows.

    Alten only smiled back at Lyrian, leaving him confused.

    The other one was also quickly eliminated, this time by a white streak of light that quickly almost shed him to bits.

    Leon emerged from the end of the streak, sheathing his sword.

    "He''s got teammates too. We shouldn''t have underestimated him," The final kid beside Silong said, "But I''m not as weak as those two losers who just got eliminated," He unsheathed his dagger, dashing toward''s Lyrian with a speed at nearly twice the speed of the other two.

    This time, Lyrian also dashed forward, so fast that the kid couldn''t even see himing. Before he realized it, he was suddenly stuck in ce.

    "Huh!?" He said, looking down to see that his feet were frozen to the ground.

    Suddenly, a blurry mirage appeared in front of him, quickly forming into Lyrian''s figure as his neck was nearly chopped clean off by his obsidian sword, only to be eliminated slightly beforehand.

    ''Damn it! How does that fucker even have ice abilities!?'' Silong thought to himself on seeing Lyrian, even more so engaged than before.

    "You''re dead!" He yelled, storming at Lyrian with his fists ready, glowing a golden color.

    Seeing this, Lyrian became slightly intrigued, ''His palms are glowing simr to when I use Enhance... is it a different version?'' He thought to himself.

    "Looking at my skill huh? It''s called the Golden Hair Technique! My family''s skill handed down to me through many generati--" He was suddenly cut off before he could continue.

    "Oh... so it''s just some random skill," Lyrian said, quickly dashing over to Silong. He noted that it was the boy''s hair being coated with this golden mana and not his skin, but nheless, it wasn''t enough to interest him.

    Silong was caught off guard by Lyrian suddenly appearing in front of him, but he knew that he wasn''t just some weakling in thispetition, so he prepared for any iing attack.

    Lyrian noticed this, and quickly dashed behind the boy, only to realize that  Silong''s eyes followed him.

    ''Oh? He can still see me even though I am moving this fast? He is stronger than I thought.'' Lyrian thought to himself, as Silong suddenly unleashed a punch toward his stomach.

    The punch was unexpectedly fast, catching him slightly off guard as he barely dodged it, causing a gust of wind to blow behind him.

    "Not bad." He said, throwing his own Enhanced punch.

    To his surprise, Silong did not move. Instead, his long hair which was previously in a messy man-bun flowed down in front of his face, glowing a golden color as it stopped Lyrian''s punch in its tracks, causing his eyes to widen slightly in surprise.

    "Not bad at all." A smile formed on his face, "It looks like this fight will actually be fun."

 Chapter 71 Journey To The Center

    ?

    The two immediately went on to exchange several blows, with both seeming to go head to head-in terms of ability. Even though Lyrian was faster, Silong looked to have fighting technique, which Lyriancked, making up for his slower speed.

    Although this was true, Lyrian''s speed quickly overwhelmed Silong, causing him to jump backward and create some distance between himself and Lyrian.

    "Damn it! How are you so powerful!?" Silong eximed in frustration, mming his fists together to create a gold-colored magical shield around his body.

    Right then, the several injuries from the blows that he took while fighting Lyrian began to heal on their own inside of the barrier.

    "This is my final attack, you won''t survive it!" He yelled out before quickly beginning to run at Lyrian, his body now fully healed of all its scars.

    "This will also be my final attack." Lyrian retorted, dashing towards Silong at the same time.

    As he got within 5 feet of Lyrian, Silong yelled, "Golden Fist Of The Dragon!!" swerving his hand that was radiating with yellow before unleashing it toward Lyrian, making a small illusion of a dragon flowing through it.

    "Shock Fist." Lyrian also said, already having powered up his attack.

    Now, with the time he had trained it during the exam, there was almost no more risk of it fizzling.

    The two attacks shed in the middle, sending gasps of awe through the crowd of kids who were looking as Silong''s fist was almost instantly overpowered.

    "What in the hell! How the fuck is this possible!?" He screamed as he was propelled into the air, only tond in theke before being eliminated.

    On beating Silong, Lyrian pulled back his fist and looked around to any other kid who wanted to challenge him, since there were still a few stepping up moments prior.

    However, as his gaze met theirs, they shot away to the floor or somewhere else, not wanting to have anything to do with him.

    Before long, the kids began to leave and dissipate the area, understanding that all of this was only a big waste of time for them.

    Lyrian on the other hand was happy that he not only got the 20-point core from the Hydro Serpent, but even the cores from Silong and any other kid who had fallen to the beast.

    After retrieving all of the cores around the area, the three met up together once again to address their ns.

    "So, what do you think we should do next?" Lyrian asked Alten, curious as to what he would say. Leon also listened quietly, standing beside the other two.

    "Well, we could continue to search for the Golden-tiered creature on to tops of the mountains, but now that I have seen the Hydro Serpent boss on here, I doubt the examinees would ce both it and the Golden-tiered creature up here," Alten said before pausing, looking to think.

    "I would say that the only usible ce for the creature to be now is... within the giant and intricate cave system within these mountains." He said, seeming slightly concerned as he spoke.

    There was a small moment of silence between the three before Lyrian spoke, "Let''s not waste any time. What''s the fastest way to get into the cave system from here?"

    "Well that''s the problem, there are actually several cave systems within the tstone Mountains meant for various different creatures. All of these cave systems reach the main one of course, but we wouldn''t be able to reach the main one through different cave systems, as they are meant for beasts and not humans. We would either get devoured, or lost forever. Our only option is to find one of the four main entrances, which I have no clue where they are."

    "Hmm... if that''s the case, then how about we start walking first? Standing around won''t help us find the entrance." Lyrian said on hearing Alten''s answer.

    ''I guess there really isn''t any other choice. But, we might as well begin looking now, or someone might get there before us.'' Lyrian thought to himself as the three began trekking across the top of the mountain.

    Alten on the other hand sighed in disappointment. ''My only job to this team is supposed to be giving information, but I barely have any clue what to dopared to other people. I didn''t even know about the Hydro Serpent boss.'' He thought to himself, saddened by hisck of ability.

    The three began their walk, knowing that finding the cave wasn''t some small matter, as the top of the t stone mountains stretched several miles and held powerful creatures which they had to watch out for.

    On top of that, the ostriches also refused to go any further than the edge of the mountain, so they had to walk at their normal speeds instead of traveling on ostrich back.

    First, their n was to make it to the middle of these mountains, since they were near the edge right now. There, they hoped to have an easier chance at locating the entrance, as they could span a more extensive area rather than if they were near the edge.

    After a few hours of walking, the sun began to set for them, giving them time to rest for the day.

    Thankfully, they had brought foldable tents and extra supplies of food and water with them, which they expected wouldst a few days.

    As the sun set and stars began to take over the night sky, glimmering in the distance, Leon and Alten went to sleep in their tents, while Lyrian stayed outside,ying down beside the campfire that they made as he stared at the stars.

    They looked mesmerizing, especially since he was so high up. It almost felt as though he could touch them if he were to jump high enough.

    As hey there, Lyrian thought about the illusion spell that the Hydro Serpent put him under, making him think about his life.

    ''What is my dream after all? What do I really hope to achieve? Sure... I have a purpose, which is to free myself from restrictions and suffering, but that is not a dream...'' He continued to think to himself about his dream, but before he knew it, he dozed off right then and there.

    The next morning, the gentle brushstrokes of dawn painted the sky in a delicate palette of pink and purple, rousing Lyrian from his slumber. To his surprise, he found himself awakening within the confines of his tent.

    Inhaling the invigorating morning air, he savored its crispness, perfectly attuned to soothe the depths of one''s soul. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath, and upon opening them, he dered, "It''s time to set out."

    After freshening up by a nearby stream, the trio of boys readied themselves and embarked on their journey once more. As they walked, they nourished themselves with dried meat jerky, serving as their breakfast along the way.

    They woke up early, so before noon they had already reached the center of the mountains as they quickly set up their tents near there.

    The center was nothing special, just a jagged stonend with a few crooked edges, but mostly t. However, they did not want to make their base camp right there, as they suspected others would alsoe to the middle of the mountains and that would possibly put them in danger of being attacked or robbed.

    Even now, Lyrian was surprised how he had yet to see core hunters, considering that it was allowed in the rulebook and how many examinees there were. However, he still expected to see them much more often once they left the forbidden area and returned to the normalnd.

    Their base camp was located several hundred meters away behind multiplerge rocks which hid their tents nicely.

    It wasn''t a fancy military base or anything, but it served its purpose. They had built the base so they would have a ce to return to after their long days of searching for entrances to the main cave system. They knew it would take several days to find what they were looking for.

    Once they had set up everything, the three of them split up and began scouring the area for cave entrances in every direction. As expected, they didn''t find anything significant on the first day, indicating that their search would indeed take a while.

    They persisted in their search throughout the second and third days but still came up empty-handed. They stumbled upon a few smaller orrger cave openings, but Alten was certain that none of them were the entrances they were seeking.

    Exhausted, the trio reconvened at their usual meeting spot near one another and started heading back to camp as the sun started to set. However, upon their return, they were frozen in shock by the sight that greeted them.

    "What the hell?" Leon eximed, utterly astonished by whaty before them.

    "Who could have done this!?" Alten eximed in dismay, his voice filled with frustration.

    Lyrian too stood there, perplexed, her eyes fixed on their base camp, which was nowpletely trashed and destroyed. Torn tentsy scattered, some even burnt, with remnants of their campfire strewn across the ground.

    After looking around for a little bit, Lyrian noticed that there was a message written with charcoal on one of the busted tents.

    "Look at this." He said as he read it, calling the other''s over.

    "Come to the middle." The message read.

 Chapter 72 Preparing For The Raid

    ?

    Below the message was also a small symbol that looked like one long line down the middle with two crossing it horizontally near the top.

    "A symbol? Did they want to tell everyone who they were as a sign of dominance? How na?ve, giving themselves away like that." Leon said as he saw it.

    Alten was the first to speak about the message, "What should we do about this?"

    Lyrian paused for a moment to think, while Leon replied, "I doubt this isn''t a trap. They must think we''re dumb."

    "First of all, we have to move now. This ce is far too dangerous for us now. Secondly... start looking for other hideouts while you''re out." He said calmly.

    Hearing this, Alten got slightly confused, "Hmm... why?"

    Lyrian looked back at him, "We''re going to give them a taste of their own medicine," he slightly smirked, "I don''t dislike their gamen, but I dislike that we were the victim of it, so we''re going to beat em up and steal their cores."

    Leon also slightly smiled on hearing this, "I like the idea."

    Alten was the only one who didn''t, since it would mean picking a fight with other kids which was pretty dangerous, ''Thinking on it... I guess it was them who picked a fight with us in the first ce. They shouldn''t just get away with it scott-free and expect us to do what they say like we''re some plebs.'' He said in his mind before retorting, "Fine! Let''s get them back!"

    After all of them agreed on this n, they began cleaning up the ce. They sweeped the charcoal and ash that was spread around back into the campfire pit, fixed up what was left of the tents and folded them back up, and also cleaned up any other sign that they were there in case they were being followed.

    After doing all of this, they began walking in a new direction that Alten pointed out, "I remember seeing a pretty solid ce to set up camp a few days ago when looking for cave entrances. It''s like our old one, covered withrge rocks, but even more hidden due to more rocks around it. On top of that, it''s a bit farther away from the middle as well. Maybe that will lessen our chances of getting ransacked again."

    The other two agreed to follow him and they walked for another hour or so before arriving near their destination. It was a forest ofrge rocks, which they carefully made their way through by climbing on top and jumping across the tops of the rocks.

    Finally, Alten, who was leading the group, suddenly stopped, "This should be it--" He ducked down out of nowhere, alerting the other two to duck down as well.

    "What? What happened?" Lyrian whispered.

    Alten paused, his eyes slightly widened with shock as he spoke, "It looks like this ce already has residents..." He said quietly as he saw multiple tents and a firece inside of the cove of rocks where he wanted to have their new base.

    "What? Didn''t you check if there was anyone already living there a few day''s ago when you first saw it?" Leon quietly whispered to Alten, who quickly retorted.

    "I did! I''m, sure there was nobody there. I think they must have moved in recently."

    Hearing this, Lyrian paused for a moment, "Hmm... this might actually be a good thing. Look at that symbol on their tents." He said while pointing.

    Alten and Leon quickly turned their heads at where Lyrian was pointing to see the same symbol that was written on their tents as well from the ransackers.

    A light smirk appeared on Lyrian''s face, "I think we''ve found our target boys."

    Alten was delighted, his eyebrows raised in surprise, "Wow! What are the chances of that! What should we do? This is big news with a lot of possibilities--" He eximed quite loudly before being cut off suddenly by Lyrian.

    "Hey! Shh, you are being too loud. Don''t wake them up or finding this ce will be for naught."

    Alten calmed himself down, "You''re right, I got too excited, I apologize... but, the options are many. What do you think we should do, Lyrian?"

    Lyrian paused to think before speaking, "We need a base camp, how about we make one right in their backyard?" He smirked, "They will never check there, and we can always have an eye on them to do whatever we want."

    Alten was amused at this idea, but also slightly nervous about it. "That would be quite the risky y."

    "It will only be for one day, so there isn''t much to worry about. When they leave to search for other bases tomorrow, we will do the same to their base as they did to ours, but instead of leaving a symbol, we will wait there for them ourselves. If they don''t have cores in their tent, they will surely have them on their bodies." Lyrian said before beginning to dash across rocks to get to the back of the base.

    The others followed, and they came across an open area in the middle of the forest of rocks 20 meters away from the base. It was in a perfectly secluded and blocked-off area, impossible to recognize.

    On top of that, it was also in an area with nothing nearby but stones, so the chance that the kids would check it would be nearly zero.

    �Ѧ���d��s����vel.c��m The three quickly began building their camp. Although their tents were all messed up, they sewed them together with a knife and string to make them usable again, while just being slightly smaller.

    "It''s not like we are going to be sleeping in these after today anyways." Lyrian joked as they made the tents.

    Although it was important, they decided to not make the campfire, since it would cause too much light and might potentially give away their location. That wasn''t really a big deal for heating, however, since they could limate their body temperature with mana.

    It wasn''t a problem for cooking food either, since Lyrian had fire magic. So after preparing everything, the three finally dozed off, ready to raid tomorrow.

 Chapter 73 Mission Ransack

    ?

    On the brink of the next morning, the 15th day of the exam which marked the halfway point, the three woke up early from their sleep, even before the sun had shown itself. It was pitch ck outside, but they wanted to make sure their n seeded.

    With haste, they made their way to the base camp of the other boys that had ransacked them yesterday and began waiting. They chowed down on his meat jerky as they waited, and before they knew it, the tent''s below them started to rustle.

    ''They wake up early too huh? Too bad, we decided to wake up much earlier.'' Lyrianughed in his mind.

    Out of the three tents, the first toe out was a boy wearing a leather vest with feathers on it. As he got prepared, he adorned himself with a bow and a quiver full of arrows.

    The second one wore a green robe, with long brown hair, and wielded a staff of magic. He also wore sses and looked to be the brains of the group.

    Finally, thest one that came out had spiky ck hair, wore mostly leather armor except for a red chest piece made of some sort of metal, and sheathed a sword on his waist.

    Lyrian and the others noted their appearance as they waited to go in. After drinking some boiled water, the three in the base spoke about their n''s for a few minutes before leaving.

    "Sisin, do you think the ones we ransacked yesterday near the south will show upter today?" The bow-wielding boy said to the boy in the green robe.

    Before Sisin, the boy in the robe would reply, the spiky-haired boy suddenly retorted, "Of course, they will! Their base was pathetic and didn''t even have any valuables, they are probably just some losers who barely managed to get this far. Watch theme, they will be scared shitless! Ahahah!" Heughed.

    The boy who asked the question alsoughed, "Aha! You''re probably right. What losers, they really didn''t have anything!"

    "Ceaser," The robed boy said to the spiky-haired boy before turning to the other one with the feathered vest, "Hontas,"

    The two replied in unison, "What?"

    "Stop being so goddamn foolish! Let''s get out of here already!" He abruptly yelled, stomping out of the camp as the other two followed.

    "Don''t order me around, retard!" Ceaser, the spiky-haired boy made sure to say as they left.

    Lyrian and the others looked at each other afterward, making sure they all just witnessed the same thing. Alten couldn''t help butugh slightly, "What are we dealing with here? Children?"

    Lyrian also smiled slightly, "Let''s just do what we came here to do.".

    Not wanting to waste any more time, the three quickly jumped down into the open space where the base camp was.

    Firstly, they checked what was inside the tents. Unlike them, the kids had left several food items, and also water, which was always a good thing since it was a slight hassle to get in terms of how long it took.

    With that, they also found a small bag, and when opening it, the eyes of all three glew brightly, seeing it be full of beast cores.

    "Jackpot!" Alten eximed in joy.

    "I don''t get the logic behind leaving one''s valuables behind like this, but I won''tin." Leon also slightly smirked.

    They didn''t count them all, but without a doubt, there was a mix of all-tiered cores, with even a few tier 4 cores within the bunch. Altogether, it was definitely more than 100 points.

    Alten took the bag and threw it over his shoulder, as the three folded up the tents and jacked them as well. They needed new tents, so it was only logical to take from those who took from them.

    After this, they kicked the firece around just for fun and then waited for the kids toe back. To not waste time, however, they waited in intervals, with 1 person going out to look for cave entrances at a time, and two staying behind just in case.

    They switched each hour so that no one got too bored staying around at the ransacked base. After a solid 6 hours, it was currently Lyrian''s turn to scout for cave entrances.

    Alten had gone north from their direction, Leon had gone east, and so, Lyrian had gone west. After an hour of finding nothing, he was returning back to the base.

    Just as he made his way there, however, he saw the three kids walking in that direction as well. "Oh? Are they finally returning? This is perfect timing." He said, quietly following them from behind.

    As the three made it into their base while chatting away, they all immediately stopped talking on arriving.

    Ceaser, the spiky-haired boy, was the first to speak. "You bastards! You''re all dead!" He immediately yelled, infuriated.

    Sisin, the robed boy did not speak, simply engulfed in shock, however, the boy who wielded a bow, Hontas, yelled out, "Who are you fuckers!? You will regret this!"

    The two obviously were speaking to Leon and Alten, who stood in the middle of their ransacked base, as if to tease them. Alten was the first to speak, "So, you losers have finally arrived huh? You don''t remember us? How sad, but I don''t care. I remember you."

    As he spoke, Leon suddenly looked at him with one eyebrow raised. ''Why is he speaking like that?'' He thought to himself, hearing Alten speak in aedically confident manner.

    "What did you say!?" Ceasar eximed in anger, clenching his fist.

    "If I''m correct, you are probably the ones we ransacked yesterday... correct?" Sisin finally spoke.

    "What!? How are you so sure?" Hontas replied on hearing this.

    Ceaser on the other hand didn''t seem to care, "Who give''s a fuck who they are! Im going to murder all of them!"

    "Murder? Murder my ass! You weaklings picked the wrong fight when you messed with us." Alten said in a nonchnt, mboyant tone, angering Ceaser even more. "Hey," He called out, gaining the attention of the three.

    "Look at this, I didn''t know you guys were so sessful!" Alten said as he opened up the bag of cores and showed it to the three.

    Seeing this, Ceaser turned red, all that was left was steam toe out of his ears. "You! You won''t get away with this!!"

 Chapter 74 Sudden Power

    ?

    After a few seconds of silence, Sisin fixed his sses that were on the ridge of his nose, before calmly speaking, "You two have made a major mistakeing here."

    "Oh yea? And how''s that?" Alten teased on in a mocking voice, clearly enjoying himself today.

    "First of all, you decided that you could beat us in a 2v1 situation. You should not have underestimated us so much, and on top of that, you also made another crucial mistake." Sisin spoke with his face shadowed as if he was some viin revealing his grand n.

    "And what mistake was that?" Alten said, amused at what he was hearing.

    "You two probably expected to run away if we were too strong, but you failed to understand that we know every creak and crevice around these stone jungles because we have surveyed all throughout them looking for cave entrances."

    Hearing this, Alten nearly burst out into augh, "Oh? You''ve searched every crevice huh?" He said, trying to contain hisughter while knowing that their base camp was only some meters away.

    Sisin was still serious despite Alten''s tone, "Even if you were to try and run away, we would locate you easily. This is our domain, no matter where you hide, you are always visible to us--" Just as he was about to finish his statement, a sudden sound jerked him with surprise, cutting him off.

    "Oh really? So even I was visible?" Lyrian said,ing out from his hiding spot atop the rocks a few feet away.

    "AH!" Sisin eximed in shock, caught off guard by the sudden voice, "How long have you been there!?"

    At this moment Alten fully burst into a stomach-achingugh, rolling around on the ground with tearsing out of his eyes.

    Leon put his palm on his face in disappointment at the current situation, "What is going on right now?"

    "I was following you guys for a while, I''m shocked you didn''t call me out, even though you clearly knew that I was following you, with your knowledge of thisnd and all," Lyrian said in a mocking tone.

    ''This kid fooling around, but he''s the real deal. Even if I don''t know every crevice of thisnd, I should have been able to detect his presence with my abilities.'' Sisin thought to himself, alert to Lyrian''s strength.

    "Err... that''s that! Enough of this talking!" Ceaser suddenly yelled, taking out his sword as he quickly dashed toward Alten, closing their 20-foot distance instantly.

    Alten could barely react to the speed, as Ceaser''s red de swung at his neck, reaching only a few inches away before being suddenly stopped by Leon''s de.

    *TWANGGG*

    Alten jumped backward a few feet to lengthen the distance between Leon and Ceaser, as the two began exchanging sword strikes at rapid speeds.

    "You''re mine!" Hontas suddenly yelled from afar, pulling out his bow and loading an arrow as he began circling around the t area surrounded by stones.

    "Not so fast!" Alten said, loading his own bow as he ran opposite of Hontas, both of them circling each the area as they readied their bows.

    Seeing the other four preupied, Sisin quickly turned to face Lyrian. Already, his expression was slightly bleak with fear.

    ''Of course, I had to fight him!'' He yelled in his mind as he stared at Lyrian, who smiled back at him.

    "You shouldn''t have ransacked our base, now, your''s is ransacked, and you''re going to be eliminated as well," Lyrian said as if he knew what Sisin was thinking.

    "Shut up! Don''t think that you can defeat us so easily! It may not look like it, but we have been training together for many years! We won''t lose to some petty thieves like you!" Sisin yelled as he mmed his staff on the ground, holding it with both hands.

    "Thieves huh? How ironic of you." Lyrian pulled out his obsidian de.

    Closing his eyes, Sisin suddenly began chanting several words that Lyrian had never heard. As he did this, the purple crystal on his iron staff which was the size of a pear, suddenly began glowing brighter.

    Out of nowhere, he opened his eyes, "Begone! Heathen!" He yelled, directing his spear toward Lyrian, which instantly unleashed an enormous beam of white light.

    ''I''ve never heard a spell like that...'' Lyrian thought to himself as he was suddenly epassed by the surge of light.

    He wasn''t expecting much from the spell, seeing as how Sisin didn''t seem extremely powerful, but his eyes suddenly opened wide out of shock as a powerful force instantly felt to appear atop his shoulders, pushing him down to his knees in a split second.

    ''What in the hell?'' He thought to himself, caught off guard, as he stared at the ground.

    The light became even brighter, as the weight on his back seemed to be continuously heavier, even to the point where he dug his sword into the ground to hold himself up.

    ''What is this power? The power of gravity?'' Lyrian confusedly thought to himself.

    After a difficult 10 seconds, the light disappeared in an instant, the weight on Lyrian''s back also dispersing into nothing. At that moment, without wasting even a milli-second, he sprang up from his knees and blitzed at Sisin, appearing before him in a split second.

    Sisin gasped slightly as Lyrian seemingly teleported in front of him. Lyrian on the other hand wasn''t thinking of dragging this out, his hand on his sword as it swiftly traveled towards Sisin''s abdomen.

    ''It was an interesting spell, but no matter. I''m sure I''ll see it more in the academy.'' Lyrian said in his mind, his de reaching only centimeters from Sisin''s body.

    Sisin suddenly let go of his staff and put his palms together, closing his eyes as he spoke, "Divine Protection!"

    On saying this, a thin, transparent white barrier suddenly formed around him.

    ''A barrier?'' Lyrian thought to himself but didn''t care enough to stop his de. Currently, he was Enhancing his arm to ensure the de would do its job and doubted that any such barrier could stop him.

    However, just as the de made contact with the light barrier, somethingpletely unexpected happened.

    *CRACK*

 Chapter 75 New Plan

    ?

    ''What!?'' Lyrian immediately thought to himself as he witnessed what happened, bewildered and shocked. His de was instantly stopped in its tracks by the barrier, as arge crack even spread through it like a spider web.

    "Divine Retribution!" Sisin suddenly said as he raised his right hand, as the barrier around him that absorbed the brunt of Lyrian''s blow minimized and traveled to his hand.

    Now, with a condensed mass of light, he unleashed his palm toward''s Lyrian.

    ''Im too close, I can''t dodge it!'' Lyrian thought to himself, pulling his de in front of him to block the attack.

    Sisin''s hand touched his sword resulting in a massive explosion of light energy, instantly blowing his sword to thousands of bits and pieces as Lyrian was thrown back with extreme force, his back mming against one of therge rocks behind him.

    Seeing this, Sisin suddenly smiled, "Haha..." before breaking out into a burst of maniacalughter, "Hahahaha! That''s what you get! Heathen! My Divine Protection ability allows me to absorb and reuse attacks used on me! You''ve been defeated by your own skil--" Just as Sisin was about to finish, he suddenly stopped speaking, as a ruthless energy of bloodlust suddenly loomed over.

    "What a stupid ability," Lyrian said, his tone slightly irritated.

    He looked down at his right hand, only to see that all that was left of his sword was the hilt.

    "You shouldn''t have done that..." He said as he slowly stood up, his body, coated with Enhance, beginning to increasingly glow more and more green.

    Sisin couldn''t speak, his body frozen with fear as Lyrian''s killing intent caused shivers to run down his back and all of his hair to stand up straight.

    "Di- divine protecti--!" He tried to say, but it was toote.

    Lyrian appeared before him in an instant, stabbing him directly in the stomach with the hilt of his sword, as he was eliminated on the spot.

    "Tsk... how annoying," Lyrian said, annoyed that his de was broken.

    Seeing the scattered pieces all around the floor, he began picking them up.

    Leon and Alten on the other hand were still fighting, as not a lot of time had passed since the start.

    "You''re not bad, squirt! But you still have a lot to learn if you want to catch up wit--" Before Ceaser could finish, Leon suddenly dashed toward him, unleashing a barrage of blows far superior in speed to what he was doing before as Ceaser was instantly eliminated.

    "Iron Blitz," Leon whispered under his breath, sheathing his sword.

    Hontas had been taking shots at Alten repeatedly, but Alten always managed to counter his arrows with arrows of his own. Frustrated and bewildered, Hontas couldn''t help but yell in exasperation, "What''s wrong with you? How can you be so incredibly urate?" As he continued to run around in circles, he loaded a distinctive arrow with a red feather, setting it apart from the rest of his arrows which had white feathers.

    "Explosion Arrow!" Hontas shouted, releasing his arrow while Alten simultaneously timed his shot and let go of his arrow. The two arrows collided in mid-air, causing a massive explosion that reverberated through the surrounding area.

    Determined to bring an end to the ongoing confrontation, Alten dered, "That''s it! It''s time to finish this!" He swiftly loaded two arrows onto his bow. Hontas was taken aback, a mix of surprise and shock evident on his face. "What are you doing?" he blurted out, quickly preparing his own arrow.

    In the world of archery, shooting more than one arrow at a time was considered taboo. The belief was that a single powerful arrow would be more effective and efficient than two weaker ones. However, Alten rejected this philosophy. As both archers released their arrows, two of the three arrows collided in mid-air, while the third arrow, shot by Alten, soared above, spinning through the air. It pierced straight through Hontas'' vest, narrowing him as he was instantly eliminated from the exam.

    Observing the oue, Alten put away his bow, feeling a sense of relief wash over him. "Phew!" he exhaled, relieved that the intense fight hade to an end.

    Leon and Alten walked to where Lyrian was after their fights ended, noting the killing intent that they felt from him during their fights. When they neared him, they noticed him collecting shards of obsidian from the floor.

    "You''re sword broke huh?" Alten said, beginning to also collect the shards without any hesitation.

    Leon also began collecting them at the same time, not saying any words.

    "Yeah... it was a gift. I shouldn''t have broken it so carelessly." Lyrian said, sounding slightly down.

    "It wasn''t your fault. You didn''t know the strength of your opponent, or what powers he had." Alten tried to console him.

    "It''s fine. If nothing else, we can get it fixed at my ceter on. My family are good swordsmiths." Leon chimed in.

    "Really? That would be great! The sooner the better." Lyrian said, his tone more optimistic.

    �Ѧ���d��s����vel.c��m Hearing this, Alten paused to think for a second before speaking, "Hey you know, speaking of swordsmiths. Outside of the exam, I did hear that there was a small civilization the massive cave system of the tstone Mountains, and I hear that it''s of dwarfs... master smiths of all kinds. Maybe they could also fix your sword for you."

    "A civilization of Dwarfs? Here?" Lyrian questioned.

    "Yeah! Although the Tasnan Wildends are being used as examination grounds, it is a real ce in the world you know. Inside of the even jungles and also jungles inside of the forbidden area, there are many civilizations of Lizard-men and Hobgoblins. Thesends are still wild, not conquered by humans yet, so civilizations of other species still exist."

    Hearing this, Lyrian was happily surprised, "If that''s true, then I want to get this sword fixed as soon as possible. It may dy our speed in finding the golden-tiered creature though, so if you guys want to separately search for it while I fix my sword, that ispletely understandable," He paused, "I wouldn''t want to have you guys stop simply because of my problem."

    "Not at all! It''s no problem for me! Of course, I will go with you!" Alten eximed.

    Leon also spoke, "I see no problem with visiting a Dwarf civilization for a bit."

 Chapter 76 Reunions II

    ?

    The three scavenged the camp area for anyst items to take. They also looted what the kids that they eliminated dropped, which were only some cores.

    After this, the three decided that the best course of action right now would be to start looking for the cave entrance again. It was what they were doing all this time anyways.

    Before that, however, they wanted to go and see what was in the middle. Now that they were eliminated, there was no risk in going there. Although this also meant that there might not be a reward either, it wouldn''t hurt to quickly check anyways.

    Since they weren''t too far away, it only took them a few minutes to get there. As they walked up to it, they suddenly heard the sound of distant voices.

    "We finally made it to the middle!" A kid shouted in glee and relief, wearing a white robe with a small wand on his waist. He had short blonde hair and a pair of azure eyes.

    �Ѧ���d��s����vel.c��m As Lyrian and the others came closer, they saw that there was a total of 5  kids standing in the middle of the mountain. As they walked, they noticed one taking out a scroll.

    "Okay! Listen up, everyone. This is where we will take rest for the day," The kid holding the scroll said as he pointed to somewhere on it."

    Seeing this second kid, Alten couldn''t help but say, "Wait... haven''t we seen him before?"

    The kid wore blue, luxurious clothing, having sses sitting on the ridge of his nose as he spoke dignantly.

    "Arthur?" Lyrian said, recognizing the boy.

    By now, the three were already close enough for the other five kids to spot them. Arthur quickly stopped talking and looked up from his scroll as he heard his name.

    "Oh... more examinees," Arthur hesitated for a bit, "Sorry, do I know you?" He confusedly asked.

    "You! Where did you run off to!? Were you that scared!?" Another voice suddenly came from the side.

    "Cedric?" Lyrian said again, this time in an even more confused tone.

    Cedric quickly began storming toward Lyrian, before being stopped by another kid who grabbed his shoulder. This kid was very tall in stature, reaching 5''5 ft. which was giant for a 10-year-old. He was also big in size, like a brute of meat and muscle.

    With a calm tone, he said, "What are you doing? Don''t reach for your weapon." Realizing that Cedric had his hand on the hilt of his sword in his sheath.

    Hearing this, Cedric forcefully shrugged off the brute''s hand as he continued to storm at Lyrian, "Our business isn''t finished. We never got to fight because of that damned tiger." He said, his brows curled in anger.

    Still, he was over 20 meters away from Lyrian, when Alten looked back to see Lyrians reaction to this. ''Ay yai yai, here we go again with this bufoon.'' He thought to himself as he looked at Lyrian, but just as his eyesnded on him, he was gone in the very next second.

    Lyrian instantly dashed in front of Cedric, giving him a winding punch straight to the gut that threw him in the air with an abrupt force as his eyes rolled back into his skull and he spit out the saliva he had in his mouth, all the air in his lungs driven out at once.

    Small gasps came from the crew of five as they saw this, "What the hell are you doing!?" Arthur immediately eximed, quickly running over to Cedric who fell to the floor 10 meters away.

    "He asked for it," Lyrian said indifferently, shaking the hand that he used to punch Cedric.

    Seeing this, even Alten was shocked, "What the hell? ..." He said as he stared at Lyrian. He felt afraid and confused at the same time.

    ''Hmm... did his sword mean that much to him?'' Leon thought to himself as he looked at Lyrian.

    "Even if he said he wanted to fight, you shouldn''t just beat him up!" Arthur yelled after trying to shake the unconscious Cedric back awake.

    Lyrian immediately replied, "You want to get beat up too?"

    "Wh--what!?" Alten retorted, utterly confused.

    "Okay! How about we all calm down here!" Another one of Arthur''s crew of five spoke as he walked out in between everyone.

    He wore the average leather armor and had brown hair, a spear attached to his back, "It seems you guys know each other, but we don''t. How about instead of making enemies, we first introduce ourselves, huh?" He said with an awkwardugh, trying to ease the situation.

    On saying this, everyone just looked at him oddly, no one saying a word, "Haha..." He scratched his head nervously, "Or maybe not..."

    After a few more seconds of silence, Alten finally broke the current atmosphere of tension, "Arthur, I thought you didn''t want toe to the forbiddennds... what happened?" He said, stepping forward.

    Arthur stood up and brushed himself off before letting out a heaving sigh, "Well... after so many people left we didn''t really have a chance at collecting all of the beast cores by ourselves, so the rest of the group decided to go into the forbiddennds as well." He said, looking around.

    Alten also looked around, his eyebrow slightly raised in confusion, "The rest of the group? Where are they? In fact, didn''t that idiot also have a group of his own? Where are all of them?"

    Arthur paused slightly before speaking. "That''s the thing, they all got eliminated on our way here. In fact, I and Cedric are the only other two from our original group of about 100 back in the starting ce of the exam. We met my friends here during our expedition in the forbiddennds and decided to travel together, seeing as how we all had the same goals." He said, looking at his group.

    "Okay... enough of all this! Tell me, Arthur, when are we going to take on one of the guardians?" The kid in the white robe questioned.

    ''The guardian?'' Lyrian thought to himself on hearing this.

 Chapter 77 Earth Guardian Quest

    ?

    "Ah, I suppose I should have a look at the map," Arthur replied, retrieving his scroll once more, his curiosity piqued. Just as he expected, it was indeed a map! Alten, intrigued, swiftly dashed over to Arthur''s side to catch a glimpse.

    The scroll unveiled a sprawlingndscape, adorned in shades of brown. Upon closer inspection, it became evident that it depicted the entirety of the forbidden area.

    Alten couldn''t contain his astonishment and blurted out, "Where in the world did you find this? It''s incredible!" Grinning, the boy d in leather armor pointed to a swamp on the map and dered, "We acquired it from the Swamp Hydra. We embarked on a perilous journey to retrieve this very map, and it guided us to this ce."

    Alten stood in sheer awe, unable to muster more than a breathless "Woah..." Eager to join in, Leon and Lyrian approached, their interest piqued by the tales of the boy in the leather armor.

    As Lyrian cast his eyes upon the map, his gaze was immediately drawn to the word "Guardian" sprawled across the tstone Mountains, not once, but four times. "Wind guardian, earth guardian, water guardian, and fire guardian?" he eximed in slight confusion.

    The blond-haired boy nodded, affirming Lyrian''s discovery. "Indeed, those are the four guardians stationed at the entrances to the inner system of the caves," he exined.

    Alten couldn''t contain his disbelief. "Wait a minute! So you mean to tell me that we''ve been searching high and low for these cave entrances, and there was aplete map right under our noses?" His outburst caused therger boy to chuckle heartily.

    Arthur, seizing the opportunity, chimed in, "Well, it seems this meeting was fortuitous. Since our goals align, which I assume is to reach the golden-tiered beast, how about we join forces until we achieve our objective? After all, there is strength in numbers."

    A brief silence followed as both Leon and Alten turned their expectant gazes toward Lyrian, awaiting his decision. Arthur, observing the scene, thought to himself, ''He must be their leader...''

    Lyrian weighed the proposition in his mind and finally responded, "Sure, I don''t see any problem with that. However, we do have a pit stop to make here, so we''ll have to split up." He pointed to a specific area on a smaller, separate map adjacent to the main one��the map of the cave system.

    The area on the map revealed the words "Dwarven Vige," marking their next destination. Curiosity piqued, Arthur inquired, "May I ask why we''re stopping there? If it''s not of utmost importance, our team can find an alternative solution."

    Lyrian responded, "We need to repair an obsidian sword. Do any of your team members possess the skills for this?"

    Arthur paused briefly, contemting their predicament, before admitting, "Unfortunately, we don''t have anyone with that expertise. However, it''s not a major issue. Joining forces, even for a short while, is better than facing it alone."

    The boy donning the leather armor chimed in upon hearing this revtion, "Hey, now that we''re a team, do you guys happen to know a ce where we could rest? Our tents were torn apart by some fools during our journey here, and we couldn''t catch up with them the next day."

    With an eager smile, Alten swiftly responded, "Actually, we do have amodations for all of you!"

    The boy in leather armor lit up with excitement at this news, eximing, "Really!? That''s amazing!"

    �Ѧ���d��s����vel.c��m "Absolutely! Let''s make our way there right away," Arthur dered.

    <20 Minutester>

    The bright smile on the leather armor-wearing boy''s face turned into a gloomy frown as he witnessed the tents that were in front of him.

    Torn and burned, they were the tents of Lyrian and the other two after their camp was ransacked.

    "What the heck is this!? These tents looked like they''ve been sewn together from scrap just yesterday!" The boy wearing leather armor, now known by Lyrian and the others as Han (On their walk there they introduced each other) eximed in disappointment.

    "At least we have somewhere to sleep." Therger boy, now known as Hugo, said calmly.

    "We? There are only 3 tents for the 5 of us. Some of us will have to sleep outside!" The blonde-haired kid, now known as Ss, also said with an upset tone.

    At this time, Cedric was still fully unconscious, even though Lyrian had held back drastically.

    "This dumbass looks like he won''t wake up till morning, how about we throw him outside?" Han said, looking at Cedric who was on the ground.

    Han, Ss, and Hugo continued to speak about their sleep conditions, Leon, Lyrian, Alten, and Arthur went to the side and spoke about what they would do the next morning.

    Arthur reached for his trusted scroll once more, carefully unfurling it to reveal the detailed map in front of them. With a determined expression, he extended his finger towards a marked location and shared his suggestion, "Look here, everyone. It seems that the closest guardian is the powerful earth guardian. I propose that we face this challenge first."

    Lyrian furrowed his brows slightly, his curiosity piqued. He asked, "Do you happen to know if the guardians have different difficulty levels?"

    Arthur responded promptly, eager to share his knowledge, "Yes, they are all believed to be equally powerful. So, it doesn''t really matter which one we choose in terms of difficulty. What truly matters now is if everyone in our team can fight the same guardian without their powers being weakened."

    The group pondered for a moment, considering the implications of their abilities in the uing battle. They asked each team member if they werefortable facing the earth guardian, taking into ount any limitations, particrly for those who relied heavily on fire-based abilities. Thankfully, no one objected to the idea.

    "Alright, it''s settled then. Tomorrow, we''ll embark on our quest to challenge the earth guardian," Lyrian announced, as he, Leon, and Alten settled into their tents taken from the raided camp earlier that morning. The rest of the team found shelter in their own tents, while Cedric remained outside.

 Chapter 78 Earth Guardian Arrives!

    ?

    The familiar sun rose again the very next morning, giving life to the creatures as it awoke Lyrian and the others. Today was the 16th day of the exam, with not even half left to pass.

    By this time, Lyrian had taken into ount his individual points from the cores he gathered, and in total, he had no more than 185 points. This was by no means little, but if he was to want to pass the exam with this progress, he would surely fail.

    Still, passing via points was only a n b, an insurance of sorts. His main goal was to get the core of the golden-tiered creature. He wanted its core to pass, the prize that came from it, and also the soul of the creature.

    Thinking on it, Lyrian said to himself, ''Even when I get its soul, I''m not going to fuse it with the Hobgoblins. It''s too valuable to let go to waste like that. I''ll just have to wait until there''s another soul storage slot open...''

    Lyrian packed what he needed, and so did the others. After this, they all prepared sufficient food for the journey, as they wanted this entire process to go as quick as possible. There weren''t many days left for the exam, so it wouldn''t be wise to waste time.

    After everyone was ready, they followed Arthur''s lead and headed toward the southern entrance to the main cave system, guarded by the Earth Guardian.

    To conserve time, everyone decided to lightly run there instead of just walking, which lowered their arrival time by multiple hours. In just two, they had already reached their destination.

    Arthur was the first to notice they arrived, "It should be right here!" He proimed.

    Seeing the massive entrance of the cave carved into the side of a stone hill, Alten eximed in joy, "Finally!"

    As everyone celebrated, Arthur raised his hand and gestured for them to stop right there, "Don''t celebrate too early. We still have to fight the guardian."

    In front of them was a round area that was very t, looking almost like an arena to fight in.

    "Most likely, the guardian will show up once we enter a certain distance from it, so here''s the n. Before it shows up, everyone has their attacks ready, and when it appears we will unleash everything at once to speed-kill it." Arthur announced as nods waved through the group.

    "Okay, let''s go."

    The eight slowly approached the cave entrance as they neared the middle of the stone area. Everyone had their attacks ready to go. Lyrian prepared to unleash a burst of fire using fire magic since that was the most powerful long-ranged attack he could do with his limited magic spells.

    Cedric readied to throw his sword, not caring about the consequences of retrieving it. Leon readied to take his sword out of his sheath and release a sword sh as Alten stretched the rope of his bow as aimed his arrow.

    Hugo, therge kid, held his giant ax in hand, ready to throw down. Han, the leather armor-wearer, also prepared his sword, while both Arthur and Ss, the white-robed boy, pointed their wands out, looking to cast their spells the moment something happened.

    Finally, as they reached the middle of the area, the ground began to suddenly rumble beneath them. All of them were slightly caught off guard but remainedposed while looking around.

    *BANG*

    The ground in front of them abruptly exploded, causing rocks and dust to fly everywhere. Lyrian covered his face to avoid damaging his eyes, as he saw a figure outlined within the dust.

    "Shheeeeuuuu!" A loud, ear-piercing screech that sounded like it came from multiple beings suddenly rang, clearing the dust.

    Within, a giant stone figure revealed itself, standing over 30 feet tall in the air. Upon first impressions, Lyrian noted its powerful aura, and also that it was floating off of the ground and looked to have no feet.

    Instead, its entire body seemed to be just its torso, hands, and head, everything being covered in inscriptions and deep lines filled with a golden essence. Its eyes were filled with the same essence as well, as it dominated the area with its fearsome prowess and presence.

    Lyrian realized in that split second that almost everyone was stunned, so he yelled out, "Attack!" before releasing his own burst of fire that cleared up any dust that wasn''t erased before from the guardian''s screech.

    On hearing this, everyone released their attacks consequently. All being long-ranged attacks, they flew together and hit the guardian at once, causing another storm of dust to explode on impact.

    However, as the dust cleared once again, the guardian stood tall with no scratches on its body.

    Seeing this, Arthur was taken aback by shock, "What!? How is this possible!? Even boss creatures have fallen to attacks like that!" He yelled.

    Not wasting time, the guardian formed its fists into a giant hammer and mmed it into the ground, causing a massive rumble along with a crack that flew straight below the group.

    "Watch out!" Ss yelled, noticing the ground in front of the impact zone start to suddenly rise.

    Instantly, giant pirs of stone beganing out where the crack was, even reaching all the way to the kids, as all of them quickly dashed out of the way just in time.

    The pirs immediately sunk back into the ground, before the guardian began quickly hovering towards the group.

    In distress, Alten yelled, "What do we do!? Our attacks didn''t do jack!"

    They all began to run away from the beast around the arena as Lyrian replied, "Just run for now!"

    "I''m going to get my sword back and kill that thing!" Cedric suddenly shouted, breaking away from the group and heading for his sword, which happened to be behind the guardian.

    "Cedric! What the hell" Arthur yelled in shock and frustration.

    Lyrian quickly followed up, "This might actually be a good distraction! Everyone, when it goes for him, go in for the attack!"

    "Alright!" Han replied, his agreement echoing in unison with the others.

    As the guardian approached Cedric, its hand swung toward him with formidable force. Acting swiftly, Cedric dropped to his knees and slid beneath the impending attack, cleverly evading both the strike and the floating guardian above.

    Without dy, the guardian spun around, prompting Lyrian, Hugo, Han, and Leon to unleash a barrage of long-range assaults. Meanwhile, they sprinted toward the beast, preparing for close-rangebat.

    Anticipating potential issues, Lyrian spoke before they reached their adversary. "Be quick!" he urged.

    Lyrian, charging his fist with Enhance, sprang onto the creature''s back. ''I won''t waste mana on Shock Fist just yet. It might prove futile against this creature,'' he contemted as he closed in on his target.

    Leon, brandishing his de, became the first to engage, dashing towards the creature''s rear with astonishing speed. A trail of brilliant white light followed in his wake. Under his breath, he muttered, "Iron Puncture," before forcefully driving his sword into the guardian''s back, pouring every ounce of his strength into the blow.

    However, upon impact, the sword ricocheted off, dissipating its force into nothingness. Leon was hurled backward, crashing onto the ground with a jarring thud.

    Han leaped into action, swinging his sword overhead with immense power, gripping it with both hands. Yet, as his strike connected, it too was repelled as if it had no strength, sending him flying several feet into the air before crashing face-first onto the ground.

    Hugo, wielding his colossal axe, swung it to the side, then repeated the motion, creating a whirlwind of force. With his axe now spinning with incredible momentum, he mmed it into the beast''s side. But instead of delivering a devastating blow, the force rebounded,unching him skyward.

    Finally, Lyrian unleashed a mighty punch to the creature''s back. Unlike the others, his strike wasn''t instantly repelled. For several seconds, a fierce struggle ensued, apanied by a radiant green glow. Yet, despite his efforts, Lyrian was eventually thrown back by an overpowering force.

    The magic attacks unleashed by the remaining three, who had stayed behind, proved equally futile against the beast. Meanwhile, Cedric, recovering his fallen sword, turned back to face the creature.

    "It ends now!" he yelled, storming towards the guardian before jumping up to attack it.

    Just as he entered the air, however, the beast suddenly drove his hands together to form a p around him.

    Seeing this, Arthur couldn''t help but exim, "He''s done for!"

    "There''s no way he can escape this." Ss also said.

    Just as the palms of the guardian neared only 5 feet away from each other, with Cedric in between, a sudden glow came from his shirt pocket.

    Lyrian''s eyes widened as he saw this, "A magical item?" He said in confusion.

    "Aren''t those banned?" Han added.

    As the palms came inches from mming into him, the glow from his pocket suddenly exploded into a cluster of light, forcing the palms away and even pushing the guardian back a bit.

 Chapter 79 Absurd Power

    ?

    As the light cleared, a limp body fell from the air to the floor. That body was of course Cedrics. After stumbling back due to the light, the guardian stopped and turned around, facing Lyrian and the others while ignoring Cedric.

    "It turned around because he was unconscious?" Lyrian questioned, dashing back to create space between himself and the monster.

    Seeing the bright sh of light, Alten eximed from the back "Hey! What the hell just happened!"

    "I don''t know! We don''t have time to figure it out either!" Lyrian replied hastily, as the guardian began hovering toward them again.

    Everyone near the guardian, the close-range fighters, began running away from it. They all thought of what to do next. Right now, there looked to be no hope in sight.

    "Our attacks do nothing to it! It''s too strong!" Han eximed as he ran.

    Hearing this, Lyrian thought about what Han said for a moment, ''Are we really too weak? It shouldn''t be like this. They wouldn''t put a creature so absurdly powerful in here for us to beat, no, there has to be a way for us to win.'' He began thinking even deeper, desperately trying to find a crack in the puzzle.

    ''When we attacked it, it''s not like we actually touched the stone it was made out of. It felt like we were attacking some sort of thin barrier to protect it. If I''m right, all we have to do is find what''s keeping that barrier active and destroy it.'' He guessed. But still, it was just a shot in the dark.

    On that subject, Lyrian thought of another shot in the dark to gain info, "Alright! Guys! Try attacking its arm instead of its main body this time! Maybe we can damage it like that!" He yelled to the long-range attackers who were standing on the side of the arena.

    "How are you sure it will work!? What if it fails again?" Ss yelled from afar.

    "I don''t! We just have no other choice right now!"

    ...

    Although he was unwilling, Ss felt as though he had no other choice right now, and didn''t have a better n in mind to refute Lyrians, "Alright, fine! Just distract it!" He said as the other two beside him also prepared themselves to cast their spells.

    "We got you! Just focus onnding your spells!" Han shouted to them.

    Although the guardian was fast, it seemed to be about the exact same speed as the boys. This was relieving, but still absurd seeing as how the defense was clearly its greatest stat, not speed.

    "Wild Wind sh!" Ss yelled out, swiping his wand as arge de of wind summoned out of thin air and flew toward the guardian''s right arm.

    "zing Ball!" Arthur announced, casting his own giant sphere of me that followed the wind sh''s trajectory.

    Alten charged up hisrge white-metal bow as the arrow turned into a glowing yellow bar, "Piercing Shot!" He yelled, releasing a hyper-fast bolt that quickly darted past the first two spells.

    Finally, all three spells hit the arm of the guardian at once, causing a massive explosion. As the dust cleared, Lyrian noticed that the arms of the creature, made up of several small rocks conjoined together with the golden essence, were actually flying off to the side.

    "Did it work!?" Han said eagerly, seeing this as well.

    However, in a split second, the essence connecting the rocks quickly expanded, catching the flying rocks once again as they formed back into the arm quickly.

    "What?! Is that essence alive or something!?" Hugo yelled in shock.

    Lyrian was also caught off guard by this, ''That yellow liquid moved as if it was alive. Without it, the rocks would just turn back into random stones, instead of being a part of the creature...''

    After realizing this, he called out, "Again! Do it one more time!" He wanted to see if his theory was true.

    ''Instead of fighting the golem, maybe our real goal is to fight that yellow substance!''

    Arthur was thrown off by this, "Why again!? Wouldn''t we just be wasting ou--" He was abruptly cut off before being able to finish.

    "Just trust me and do it!" Lyrian eximed.

    "Ugh! Okay, one more time!"

    The three prepared andunched their attacks again, as the same thing that happened before, happened again. This time Lyrian made sure to get a close, direct look at what happened as the dust cleared.

    As the attacks hit the arm of the guardian, the rocks tried to explode away, turning back into simple stones with no consciousness, however, the yellow essence quickly molded around them and pulled them back into formation.

    "As I thought... so that''s who you really are!" Lyrian yelled as he saw this.

    Hearing this, the guardian suddenly mmed his fists into the ground once more, causing spikes of stone pirs to rupture from the floor toward the boys.

    All of them quickly jumped to the side again, but Hugo''s leg was caught slightly with one of the spikes, causing him to trip and fall onto his face. His big size was a bit of a problem in this scenario, where currently, speed was important.

    The guardian quickly arrived where Hugo was and immediately neared its hand to pick him up.

    Seeing this, Han yelled in frustration, "Shit! Hugo!"

    As they all began to run again, Lyrian suddenly broke off from the group and headed straight toward where Hugo and the guardian were.

    "Lyrian? What are you doing?" Leon said as he saw this, slightly shocked.

    Alten was also perplexed, "Don''t be stupid right now, you''ll get eliminated!" He shouted.

    As the guardian''s arm reached 10 feet from Hugo, who was on the ground, Lyrian appeared in front and jumped up to its face.

    "I need as many people as possible to beat you!" He yelled, taking the hilt of his sword and stabbing it directly into the guardian''s eye, which was full of the golden essence.

 Chapter 80 Chomp; The Earth Guardians Defeat!

    ?

    As the hilt, which still had a bit of sharp obsidian in it, stabbed the guardian''s eye, it let out a grizzly screech and stumbled backward. It was clearly distressed from the attack. Finally, it showed some reaction to anything that had been thrown on it thus far.

    "Haha! I knew it! The stone is not the real you, but this is!" Lyrianughed with arge grin on his face.

    "What? You''re telling me that the essence is the real guardian?" Han yelled as he stopped running and turned around. The others also did the same.

    On saying this, the essence suddenly swam out of the eyesocket of the guardian and went into the arms instead.

    "You won''t escape me!" Lyrian said as he saw this, jumping over to the arms before stabbing the essence and gluing the rocks that formed the arm together.

    The beast let out another screech, swinging its arm at Lyrian to try and kill him right there, but Lyrian swiftly dodged the blow, causing the beast to strike its own face. The attack alsonded in its other eye where there was still essence, meaning that it damaged itself.

    Jumping from shoulder, to head, to arms, and to the torso at immense, speeds, Lyrian stabbed his hilt into every crevice of essence he could find, causing the creature to be overwhelmed. Finally, it went berserk, shaking its entire body uncontrobly as Lyrian was thrown off due to the unbnced force.

    Immediately, the essence spread through the golem''s body again and took full control, mming its fists into the ground multiple times as it created a giant barrier of spikes all around itself and Lyrian.

    Lyrian looked around quickly, waiting for the spikes to lower so he could escape, but unlike the other times, they stood tall. Most likely over 50 feet in height.

    "So you''re going full serious mode now huh?" Lyrian said to the guardian as he mmed its fists down toward Lyrian.

    Lyrian swiftly dodged the blow as he ran around to the back of the beast. It wasn''t easy by any means, but Lyrian found that as long as he could dodge the beast, he wouldn''t have any big problems fighting it alone.

    "Lyrian! There are spikes on these walls as well, we won''t be able to get inside for a while!" Han yelled from the outside.

    "Wait! We will try and breakthrough!" Leon also eximed.

    Hearing this, Lyrian spoke as he dodged the guardian''s attacks, "No, don''t worry about me! This ce is too cramped to hold any more people, we will all just get wiped out if everyonees inside! Clearly, it trapped itself here, so this is its final attempt to win. It has no choice but to win, so I''ll just kill it by myself!"

    �Ѧ���d��s����vel.c��m "What!? Don''t be stupid, we will help you!" Alten yelled from afar, as he and the other two who were standing back quickly came running.

    "There''s no need! I won''t lose, trust me!" Lyrian said, convinced that he knew everything that he needed to win.

    Everyone else went silent, as Lyrian powered his body up with Enhance and began dashing around the infuriated beast.

    "Your gigs up, time to die, rock!" He shouted, jumping up to the shoulder of the beast and he mmed his fist into the shoulder socket where a chunk of essence was, bursting it at once as rocks flew to the side.

    Hended back on the ground, and the guardian immediately tried to punch him again.

    "Attacking me with the same hand? You haven''t formed your shoulder joint yet, so this hand is no longer invincible!" Lyrian yelled, charging his fist.

    As the giant rock fist of the guardian neared only feet above him, Lyrian unleashed his own attack, "Shock Fist!"

    *BANG*

    The two fists collided with each other with immense force, causing a giant explosion of dust as the guardian''s rock hand was crushed into a thousand pieces, thrown everywhere throughout the enclosed space.

    The only reason why Lyrian actually damaged the beast, was because the essence had left the fist to go repair the shoulder joint, something that he learned only moments prior could work.

    However, just as he rejoiced slightly on seeing that his attack finally worked, the essence quickly took back all of the smaller pebbles as well, reforming the fist to an intact condition.

    ''Attacks won''t work on its stone body, and I don''t see how a liquid could ever die...'' Lyrian thought to himself, narrowly avoiding another punch as he began dashing around the enclosed space again.

    ''I''m going to have to trap this damn liquid!'' The guardian erected spikes from the ground again, Lyrian only being able to dodge by jumping high into the air beforending on his hands.

    ''That''s going to be easier than normal since it''s not just any liquid, but one that most likely can''t separate like other unconscious liquids.'' He said, dodging a series of rock fists from the enraged beast.

    ''But... neither I nor anyone else here has anythingrge enough to contain it! So it looks like there''s only one option!'' He finally jumped up to the top of the guardian''s skull and grabbed the essence that was nearest to him with his hand.

    Grabbing it felt slimy and warm, yet dry at the same time. His palm experienced an almost painful tingling sensation as the essence tried to escape his grasp, but he held on tightly.

    "I got you now!" He yelled as the beast tried to frivolously move its body to throw him off. After nothing worked, it tried to punch Lyrian, but just before the punchnded, Lyrian put the essence in his hands in front of him as a shield, instantly stopping the punch in its tracks.

    "Hahaha! How pathetic!" He said, seeing the guardian lower its fist as it continued to shake its body.

    "So this was it? This was all I needed to do?" He said, "It''s time to end this now!"

    He finally took a deep breath before... biting into the essence!

    [Warning! You have consumed a dangerous substance!]

    As he ate it, he pulled the essence from the rest of the guardian''s body with his hands, almost like he was eating one giant noodle.

    "KREEEAHHH" The guardian let out another screech, but it was getting toote.

    Its body ceased to have the strength that it had before, and as Lyrian finally consumed thest bit of essence, the giant body of the beast crumbled and fell, bing nothing but a pile of rocks.

 Chapter 81 Entering The Cavern

    ?

    As the Earth Guardian''s body crumbled, the spike walls also fell back into the ground. Those who were waiting inside quickly jumped in to see what happened.

    Alten was the first to speak after seeing the guardian''s new state, "You did it!" He eximed joyfully, jumping up to Lyrian who was standing at the top of the rock pile.

    The others followed, but Lyrian wasn''t as celebratory as them. Instead, he fell to his knees due to an excruciating pain that suddenly assaulted his stomach.

    ''What the hell... where is paining from?'' He questioned, gripping his stomach to try and ease the pain that only seemed to be increasing by the second.

    [You have consumed a lethal substance]

    [You''re immune system is failing to defeat it]

    [Health: 55/62]

    [Health: 51/62]

    [47/62]

    ...

    ''What!? At this rate, I''ll die!''

    [...]

    ''Gear! If my immune system can''t win against this substance right now, then don''t allow it to fight!''

    [If I did that, the substance would float around a certain part of your body until it regressed to its normal position]

    [Are you sure you want to do this?]

    ''Yes! I don''t have any other choice!''

    [Good choice]

    [The lethal substance: Molten Essense, will be transferred to your neck until it regressed to its natural possession]

    ...

    [Tranferpleted]

    Finally, the burning waves of pain conceded as Lyrian panted a few heavy breaths of relief. Touching his neck, he could feel that it was warmer than usual.

    Seeing Lyrian in this state, Leon said, "Lyrian? Are you alright?"

    The others also looked concerned, waiting to hear Lyrian''s response, "Yes, I''ll be okay for now, no need to worry. What''s important is, this bastard is dead. Now, we can enter the cave." Lyrian said while standing.

    "Hey, what the hell''s wrong with you''re neck? It''s yellow for some reason?" Han said, noticing arge yellow spot on Lyrian''s neck.

    "Oh, this? To be honest, I ate the yellow essence in the guardian. That''s how I beat it." Lyrian directly said, looking at Han with a straight face.

    Han''s jaw dropped to the floor, as everyone else that heard Lyrian was also equally shocked, "What the hell did you say?" He said in shock.

    "Hahaha!" Leon suddenly burst out into a heartyugh, "Good one! I wouldn''t think of that!"

    Alten could only sit back and facepalm. Lyrian spent a few seconds exining exactly how he beat the guardian, and after everyone had their share of surprise, they all decided to enter the cave.

    Upon reaching the entrance, Arthur stopped walking and spoke, "The cave will likely have many beasts, probably extremely powerful. Make sure you guys don''t stray from the group. Firstly, we will drop off Lyrian and the others at the Dwarfen vige, and then head on our way. Let''s focus on actually making it there first though."

    Everyone nodded, showing they understood. "Everyone ready?" Arthur said once more, as everyone entered the cave.

    Therge cave entrance that was about 20 by 20 feet in height and width stretched long and had a slight downward tilt. As everyone walked in, severalrge bats, the size of basketballs, quickly stormed out in a loud group.

    When they walked in, the cave expanded after only a few minutes, now reaching 50 by 50 feet in height and width. The walls were coarse and rough, the roof full of stctites while the sides of the floor next to the walls were full of dense stgmites. The floor everyone walked on was dry dust. There were also pirs of the two that met in the middle and spread around.

    All in all, the environment was undoubtedly creepy, but the various-sized amber crystals spread around naturally made sure to keep the cavern semi-bright, casting a dim amount of vision everywhere so no one was fully blinded by the darkness.

    After walking for an hour, all signs of daylight ceased to show, as the cave straightened out for a while. While walking, the group saw many separate directions and separate pathways of caves but stuck to the main one following the map.

    "Damn, how long is this going to take," Cedric said, now awake. For the past hour, he was carried on Hugo''s shoulders.

    "Shut up, moron! It feels like you''ve been sound asleep for the entirety of this exam by now. You were even knocked out during the fight with the Earth Guardian." Ss retorted at Cedric angrily, seemingly frustrated.

    "What did you say brat? You wanna go?" Cedric seriously replied, putting his hand on his hilt.

    "Oh yea? Just try it." Ss said, grabbing his wand.

    "Stop it! The both of you! What''s your guy''s problem anyway? Talking will only waste energy, and you guys are over here arguing away, eating at our ears. Just be quiet and walk!" Han yelled in the midst of the two, wanting peace.

    "You all really are useless." Hugo also chimed in, "Instead of arguing how about you strategize on how to fight or something."

    Hearing this, Cedric immediately retorted angrily, "What did you say fatty!? You wanna learn how to fight, ill teach you how to fight!"

    As the group argued a few, quiet but quick footsteps suddenly sounded in front of them. With the size of the cave, any such sound could echo throughout, so the group immediately heard it and quieted down, their guards subconsciously aroused.

    "What the hell was that?" Alten questioned in uncertainty as the group slowed down.

    "They sounded like footsteps, small ones," Arthur said.

    "They were quick though," Han added.

    After walking for a little while longer, they arrived at footprints in the ground.

    Seeing them, Lyrian instantly realized what the footsteps were from, "These are... from goblins." He said, alerting the group.

    *KREEE*

    A goblin ran at the group from behind as they all turned to face it. It had a rusty dagger in hand, looking like any other average goblin.

    As it jumped to attack Han who was situated at the back, Han simply grabbed it by the neck and threw its dagger to the floor. As it cried and squirmed, trying to escape from the grip, Han punched it in its long nose with a calm expression.

    It was instantly knocked unconscious, "This guy wasn''t the smartest fellow huh..." He said, throwing the goblin''s limp body in the air as he took out his sword and sliced it in half, taking the core inside and putting it into his pouch.

 Chapter 82 Dwarven Village

    After this the group waited in silence for something to happen... nothing happened.

    "A rogue goblin?" Han questioned.

    "Hmm, it might have been a scout. Let''s just be careful moving forward." Arthur said as the group continued on their way. "That''s why you guys shouldn''t argue. Who knows when something might juste out of the blue light that, and you will be too busy arguing to react fast enough."

    "Okay, Mr. Smarty pants. I was actually trying to calm down the situation you know?" Han responded.

    "What situation? Don''t act like you weren''t adding fuel to the fire!" Ss eximed.

    Arthur and the others sighed as they continued realizing that the arguing was definitely not going to end.

    ***

    Another four hours passed, as the group continued to walk. Currently, the cave looked almost identical to what it had before, the only difference being that there was more multi-colored amber spread around instead of just orange ones.

    Some were a deep blue, others a bright magenta, and some even red. They all came together to culminate a magical atmosphere. During the walk, so for they had taken out a few dwelling cave spiders, and a couple groups of goblins, but nothing drastic had urred.

    "The path to the dwarf vige should be around here." Arthur suddenly said, looking at his map. Lyrian and the others also took a peak.

    "Finally! My ears were bleeding through that!" Alten eximed in joy.

    "What did you say?" Both Ss and Cedric said in unison on hearing Alten.

    The group stopped as they came to a broken pathway from the main hall. There was a sign stating "Melos Vige" in front of the pathway. This was a surprise, seeing as how they hadn''t seen any sign of intelligent life in the cave before this.

    "I suppose this is where we part ways," Arthur spoke, "I don''t know if you guys will end up reaching the golden-tiered beast, but hopefully we get to fight it together."

    "I hope we meet again as well, and don''t worry about the beast, that core is mine so of course we''ll reach it!" Lyrian replied with a smirk.

    Arthur and the others also smiled on hearing this, "We will see about that.  Goodbye, you three," He said, departing from the main group with his other four group members.

    As Lyrian and the others waved goodbye, Cedric looked back at Lyrian, "You won''t pass this exam." He said in all seriousness before abruptly turning around.

    "Jeesh! What''s his problem." Alten annoyedly said.

    "It doens''t amtter to me. As long as I pass, that''s all I need for the best of both worlds. Winning, and also pissing him off." Lyrianughed it off as they all began making their way down the new pathway.

    The cave was double as small as the main pathway, but it was still pretty wide nheless. They walked for several minutes, noticing multiple other forks in the cave, but they stook to thergest one in the middle and eventually arrived about 200 feet away from what looked to be arge 25-foot iron gate, guarded by two people wearing adequate armor and wielding a spear.

    As they got closer, they noticed that the guards were actually dwarfs, "What!? No way, I actually got to see dwarfs!" Alten eximed in surprised joy as they neared the gate.

    On arriving 10 feet from the entrance, the guards struck the hilt of their spears into the ground in unison, "Stop right there! What reason do you have foring here?" They yelled in unison.

    Lyrian and the three stopped, "I want to repair my broken sword, and havee looking for a cksmith capable of doing that!" He yelled, speaking politely.

    The guards stared at him with serious, strong expressions, pausing for a few seconds before questioning, "You havee looking for a cksmith to repair your sword?" They asked in unison.

    Finding it odd for them to repeat such a thing, Lyrian said, "Uh... yes!"

    After another few seconds of awkward, stern stares, the dwarfs'' expressions suddenly morphed into joyful grins, "Welle right in! We would love to repair your sword? What kind of sword is it? Long sword? Short sword? Katana? Cuss? Ooo maybe even a Kukri? I love Kukris... in fact, I love all kinds of swords!" The one on the right suddenly said, pushing the gate open.

    The other also pushed the gate open with a bright smile as he spoke, "What material is it? Iron? Bronze? Don''t tell me... it''s tinum! That would be far too exciting!"

    After opening the gates, Lyrian and the three awkwardly walked in, surprised by the sudden change in expression and tone.

    "Uh, it''s actually none of those, but thanks for letting us in," Lyrian said as they said closed the gates.

    "You''re very wee! I hope your de is fixed!" They said in unison just as the gates closed.

    *m*

    "...Wow, just wow!" Alten was in a state of shocked joy, "They are much better in personpared to how they are described!"

    Lyrian and Leon on the other hand were slightly taken aback by what they were seeing in front of them. A giant, round, and open cavern room as bright as ever excited before them.

    They currently stood on an elevated tform that had a row of stairs leading down to the ground level where the streets began. As Alten, Lyrian, and Leon descended the stairs, they were greeted by a bustling scene that seemed straight out of a fantastical tale.

    The air was filled with the sounds ofughter, chatter, and the clinking of metal. The dwarven vige was a vibrant hub of activity, brimming with life and energy.

    The streets, paved with smooth stone bs, meandered through the vige, forming abyrinthinework of passageways. Lined with quaint shops and cozy homes, the streets were adorned with colorful banners, intricate carvings, and flickeringnterns that illuminated the path.

    Each building boasted unique architectural designs, showcasing the skill and craftsmanship of the dwarves. The houses stood proudly, fashioned from solid stone, and nestled seamlessly into the cavern walls.

    Some were modest and cozy, while others were grand and imposing, their facades adorned with ornate engravings and borate murals. Flower boxes adorned windowsills, filled with vibrant blooms that added a touch of natural beauty to the stonework.

    Before they knew it, they found themselves in the heart of the marketce. Stalls lined the central square, disying a dazzling array of wares.

    Dwarven artisans proudly showcased their crafts, from intricately crafted jewelry and ornamental weapons to finely woven textiles and exquisite pottery.

    The air was thick with the scents of exotic spices and freshly baked goods. The aroma of sizzling meats wafted from nearby taverns, enticing passersby with promises of delectable feasts.

    Their mouths watered as they caught glimpses of sulent roasts, savory pies, and frothy tankards of ale being enjoyed by locals and visitors alike.

    Dwarves of all shapes and sizes bustled about, going about their daily routines. Some were d in rugged armor, their muscr frames speaking of a life spent toiling in forges.

    Others wore more elegant attire, their garments embellished with intricate embroidery and precious gems.

    The sounds of merry music drifted through the air, emanating from a lively tavern at the corner of the marketce.

    "Enough wandering around, let''s find a smithy!" Lyrian said, as multiple ears of the dwarfs suddenly rose.

    "You want a smithy! Come to mine right here!" One suddenly peaked his head out of the window and yelled.

    "Noe to mine!" Another burst through his door and shouted.

    "Mine!"

    "No mine!"

    "Looks like this is going to be easier than I thought." Lyrian smiled, as the other twoughed as well.

 Chapter 83 Obsidian Blade

    ?

    Before the trio knew it, they were surrounded by a group of dwarfs, all eager for them to enter their specific workshops and smithies. Amid the chaos, they were pushed into a smithy without even realizing it.

    *m*

    A dwarf wearing a brown woolen tunic closed the door as he stood in front of it, looking at Lyrian and the others. After a few seconds, the sounds from outside dissipated.

    "Finally... there gone. They are like piranas you know" He said, breathing a sigh of relief.

    "Yea... haha." Alten nervously chuckled.

    "Well, I would be lying if I said I wasn''t either. Wee to my workshop, you three!" The dwarf suddenly announced, reaching for a clean, long ck apron, "A broken sword you say? My, you havee to the right ce." He said as he put the apron on.

    "Well, we really didn''t have a choice. But, are you sure you will be able to fix the sword?" Lyrian questioned.

    The dwarf paused for a second, having a second of realization as to what Lyrian first said, "Haha! I suppose you are correct, you really didn''t have a choice. And can I fix it? What kind of question is that! Haha! Of course, I can. I am a cksmith after all."

    On saying this, the dwarf walked further back. In the middle of the workshop was arge metal anvil sitting atop a short piece of log. To the sides were multiple cupboards and stands with many adorned tools, and at the very back was a giant forge.

    He made his way behind a table to the left side of the room and put his hands down on it as he asked, "So, what kind of sword is it? Let me see its condition."

    Lyrian took the hilt of his de and pulled it out from his sheath beforeying it down on the table. "I also hav--" He tried to say, reaching for his pouch that held the obsidian pieces, as he was abruptly cut off.

    "ck?" The dwarf said, quickly picking the hilt up as he inspected it in the air with a keen eye, "Obsidian!?" He said with a tone of shock.

    "Boy... where did you get such a de..." He then asked slowly, putting it back down on the table.

    ''Woah... is the de rare or something? To get such a reaction from a master cksmith.'' Alten thought to himself on observing the dwarf.

    "This de? I got it from my hometown."

    On hearing Lyrian''s reply, the dwarf did not hesitate to speak, "As I thought! Boy, this de is useless! What kind of smith creates a sword out of obsidian? I couldn''t think of a worse material for a de!" He suddenly blurted.

    "Wh--what?" Lyrian was slightly taken aback by this, as were the other two.

    "What indeed! Listen to me, the de of a sword is something meant to kill other people. It is not an instrument of fun, but instead chaos. For such a thing, the material needs to be powerful, durable! Obsidan on the other hand is not only cheap and scrappy, but it is no more durable than ss!" The dwarf said with dignity.

    Lyrian paused to think about this for a moment before speaking, "So... you won''t be able to fix it?" He spoke calmly.

    Hearing this reply, the dwarf also paused before speaking, "...No, I won''t be able to fix this. To bepletely honest with you, I don''t even know how. As dwarfs, we burn, bend, melt, and shape magnificent swords, weapons! We forge. Obsidian... cannot be forged. I''m afraid you''re out of luck here."

    Lyrian was slightly surprised to hear all this, but it wasn''t going to discourage him. He also knew that he didn''t want to waste a lot of time here in the dwarf vige, so he decided to move on.

    "Then... that''s alright." He said, sheathing the hilt, "Thank you for trying at least. We will go now." He said, turning around as the others did the same and followed.

    "No problem! If you have a metal sword or any weapon for that matter, I''ll be sure to help. Good luck!" The dwarf said on their way out.

    After they left, he couldn''t help but think to himself, ''That boy... he''s here for the exam, isn''t he? How has he gone so far with such a de? Such a thing is better off as a decoration piece than a weapon. How fearsome! If he were to get a real sword, I wonder what kind of damage he could deal...''

    ...

    "Yeesh! What a bummer. The guy boasted his ass off but couldn''t fix it in the end." Alten said as they walked through the streets, looking for another workshop.

    Leon replied, his viewpoint slightly different, "You can''t really me him. I don''t know much about smithery from my family, since I am only a swordsman, but obsidian is never even brought up as a useful element to forge with."

    Lyrian didn''t really care too much about any of that, "Eh, whatever. I''m sure we will eventually find one that can forge obsidian. I mean, even my old man did it. Would it really be so hard?"

    "Well that''s the thing, it''s not about it being hard, the process is just so useless that no one knows how to do it since they haven''t practiced it," Alten added just to say.

    "Well, nheless, we still have to try." Lyrian responded, as the other two nodded, "Okay listen up everyone!" He suddenly began to shout,

    "I still need my sword fixed! Who is the best cksmith here to help me!"

    Hearing this, Leon smirked, "Hah, Smart. Using what you have to your advantage."

    Out of nowhere, several dwarfs rushed up to the three again, all of them inviting the trio to their own workshops.

    "The best? That would be me! My work includes the Roaring Dragon Sword!" A dwarf in the group surrounding them yelled out.

    "No, I am! My prized creation is the Seven Serpent Spears!"

    "Catastrophe Scythe!"

    "Mings Rod!"

    "Spider w!"

    "Horse Shoe!"

    Hearing thest one, Alten suddenly eximed in confusion, "What? Horseshoe?"

 Chapter 84 Cavequake

    ?

    The trio was dragged into another smithy by a simrly eager dwarf, but in the end, that one also said the exact same thing that the first one said. Determined, the group still continued looking for a new smithy, but after a total of 2 hours, having visited a total of over 20 smithies around the vige, not even a single smith said that he was able to fix Lyrian''s obsidian de.

    As they left their most recent one, they walked through the streets once again. Now, Alten slouched his shoulders in, feeling sluggish by the repeated rejections by everyone.

    Lyrian still hadn''t lost hope, however, and wanted to get his sword fixed as soon as possible even though hours had passed. "Hey! It''s still not fixed!" He shouted again into the crowd for the 21st time, but this time, no one even batted an eye.

    As they stood in the middle of the street, everyone just walked by them as if they weren''t there. Seeing this, Lyrian heaved a breath of frustration, "How is this possible? A vige of dwarfs not being able to fix a de made of simple obsidian." He eximed in his confusion.

    Hearing Lyrian, Leon now suggested something else, "Lyrian, I feel the best option now is to just get another sword from here and fix yours at ater date. After all, ording to the cksmiths, they cannot fix your de, and it''s not even a good de anyways."

    Lyrian wasn''t upset at Leon''s request, "I wanted to get it fixed quickly, but you''re right. If no one can fix it right now, another sword will probably have to do." He said as they walked.

    *Rumble*

    Suddenly, the ground beneath them shook for some reason, "What the hell was that!?" Alten said, nearly losing his bnce.

    *RUMBLE*

    Out of nowhere, it felt like an earthquake broke loose as the ground started to shake uncontrobly. Fruits and other small selling items in the stalls fell to the floor as the dwarfs quickly began making their way into random homes.

    "It''s happening again! Get inside everyone! Quickly!" A dwarf yelled as everyone ran inside.

    Lyrian and the two were left frozen in confusion, "I guess we should go inside somewhere as well huh?" Lyrian said as he was suddenly pulled by the arm into a random smithy.

    Alten and Leon were also taken into the same one, as the door was swiftly shut. Inside, there was a total of 7 dwarfs of male and female gender standing to the left side, with another next to the door.

    "You guys, are you new?" The one next to the door, wearing a gray woolen tunic said.

    "Yes, what''s going on? We came here to get a sword fixed." Alten replied.

    "Oh yes, I''ve heard about you three. Well, what''s going on is very simple, a cavequake." The dwarf with a head full of short white hair and bright silver eyes replied.

    "A cavequake?" Lyrian questioned.

    "Yes, precisely. It''s amon urrence here inside the tstone Mountain cave systems, but I wouldn''t expect you neers to know of it. Although it''smon, it is still extremely dangerous if you are outside, but inside our fortified dwarven structures, there is nothing to worry about. But, it''s happening more recently nowadays because of the exam that''s going on. Im sure you can guess how that affects the normal environmental state of thend. Anywho, you guys aren''t having any luck huh?"

    Lyrian saw this as an opportunity to get a sword before leaving, something he thought about just a few moments before, "Yes, we have been unlucky so far. It looks like obsidian is too bad of material for cksmiths of the dwarf to know how to forge," Lyrian said, but just as he was about to ask for another sword, the dwarf replied.

    "Haha! You would be right about that. Here, let me take a look at it." He said, going over to his own wooden table.

    On hearing this, Alten spoke, "But, you know that it''s an obsidian de, so wouldn''t it be a waste of time to look at it?"

    Before the white-haired dwarf could reply, another one on the side spoke, "Give it to him." He said.

    The trio looked back to see a familiar face. It was the first dwarf that they had looked at Lyrian''s sword. Knowing it was him, they decided to listen further, and their interest peaked slightly.

    "Although we all like to say we are the best in the vige, that dwarf there is unmatched when ites to the tstone Mountain smiths. If anyone here can fix it, I would trust him to be able to." The dwarf spoke confidently.

    "I see," Lyrian said, taking out his hilt and putting it on the table in front of the white-haired dwarf.

    "Hmm..." The dwarf picked it up in the air, putting on his pair of small sses as he inspected it closely, "Im afraid... I will not be able to fix this de either."

    Hearing this, Lyrian quickly spoke, "That''s no problem." He was already used to this. However, just before he could ask for another sword, the dwarf spoke again.

    "But, do not fret boys," The white-haired dwarf suddenly smiled, "Drodos! Is he here this month?." He shouted at the first dwarf that inspected Lyrian''s de.

    "Yes! He said he was going to stay near Yaltas since they were going to do the thing next year." Drodos shouted back.

    ''The thing? This person they are talking about... he travels entire kingdoms?'' Lyrian questioned as he heard the two dwarfs conversate.

    "My brother is in town, well, I guess not exactly in town, but he will be able to fix your sword, there''s no doubt about it." The white-haired dwarf said.

    Alten wasn''t fully satisfied with this, "Are you sure? At this point, every dwarf in this vige has said that and it hasn''t been true. Will your brother be able to fix it?"

    As he said this, the entire room suddenly burst out into a ball ofughter. All seven dwarfs and even the white-haired one began tough.

    "You have my word, in fact, you can take my life if he does not have the ability to fix an obsidian sword. My brother isn''t like the rest of us, he is one of the greatest cksmiths known across the Immortal ins... but enough of that. You can trust me." The white-haired dwarf said.

    "Alright, I trust you." Lyrian abruptly spoke, shocking Alten and even Leon a little.

    "Why so sudden?" Alten questioned.

    "This dwarf travels entire kingdoms seemingly frequently and easily. He doesn''t seem like some small shot," He said to Alten as he turned back to the dwarf behind the table, "Can you give me directions to where he is?"

    "Of course, If it''s like normal, he will be situated in the heart of the Poison Spider''s nest... since he doesn''t like people disturbing him let''s just say. Signs should point out where the nest is, and you will find your own way once inside. You may want to say that I sent you, but I doubt that would make a difference when you actually get there,"

    The dwarf paused as Lyrian said, "Huh?" In slight confusion.

    "But don''t worry! I''m certain he will ept you." The dwarf concluded.

    "What?" Lyrian said, still slightly confused.

    "You will be fine! It seems the cavequake has ended now, you are safe to make your way there, hehe," The dwarf awkwardlyughed, scratching his head.

 Chapter 85 Poison Spiders Nest

    ?

    With this, the three left the white-haired dwarf''s workshop and began heading toward the direction that was told to them, which was "Go south into the vige until you see a separate exit than the one you came in from. There, you will eventuallye across a fork in the path with signs. From there on, all you have to do is go into the one that says "Poison Spider Next (Beware!)" and you should be alright. However, once you are right at the end of the nest, you will be given another choice. Instead of going into the Poison Spider''s actual nest, take a right."

    As they walked, Alten swung his arms around in defeat and exhaustion, "This journey never seems to end... I hope that dwarf wasn''t just bluffing like the rest of em!" He eximed.

    After walking south for a while, they arrived at the edge of the vige where another gate made of brown metal was located. After walking through, they were greeted by some dwarf guards and went on their way.

    Before long, they made it to an opening that revealed arger cave pathway, and after walking on it for only 10 or so minutes, they arrived at the fork in the road that the white-haired dwarf talked about.

    "Well... here it is," Alten said as he saw the sign.

    "The other one leads to the main cavern system it seems." Leon added, seeing that on the other sign was written, "Main Cave System."

    Lyrian walked into the left pathway, the Poison Spider''s nest, "Let''s not waste time." He said, prompting the other two to begin walking behind him.

    As they walked in the new cave pathway that was 20 by 20 feet with some randomrger openings that were wider, the silence around them seemed to be louder with anticipation. They didn''t know what to expect, but from Alten''s description of the Poison Spider, one of the few candidates of his that could be the golden-tiered creature, they had their guards up indefinitely.

    Before long, several spider webs began to show themselves spread around, and after 10 minutes of walking, the gray, stone walls of the cave began to change into a radioactive green that glew a luminescence in the dark, lighting up the ce.

    There were also several smaller forks within the cave now, as it expanded into an amalgamation of pirs and stctites, with thick spiderwebs covering every millimeter of the area.

    "We haven''t seen any spiders yet, so that''s a relief," Alten said, noticing that although there were webs, there were yet to be any spiders.

    "And it looks like that dwarf wasn''t lying. Although there are smaller pathways that break out from the main one, getting to the heart of the nest shouldn''t be difficult considering there is a clear main path." Lyrian added.

    *Skeeeu*

    A web suddenly shot out of nowhere andnded on Leon''s back, instantly pulling his shoulder des back as his hands were restricted, "What the hell?" He said, forcefully tearing the webs off.

    The three quickly turned around and faced the direction of where the web came from, immediately noticing a single spider at the entrance of another pathway bearing no light. It was so dark inside that cave that the spider looked to be standing in front of the abyss.

    "Just a sole spider?" Lyrian said as he began to take a step forward, but suddenly stopped. Behind the spider, a multitude of red dots appeared out of nowhere.

    Alten was shaken by the sight of us, "I don''t think so!" He shouted in fear.

    Multiple spiders began slowly walking out of the cave entrance, each of them veryrge. About 2 feet tall and as wide as a ceiling fan to be exact.

    �Ѧ���d��s����vel.c��m They were about 20 feet away, but Lyrian could still clearly make out their giant fangs on their face, and their creepy motions and tiny hairs. Every detail about them was enough to send shivers up one''s spine.

    Without warning, the spiders suddenly all rushed out, their legs moving freakishly fast as they climbed up on the walls, went on the roof, and some rushed from the ground.

    "AHHHH!" Alten eximed before passing out on the spot and falling into Leon''s hands.

    Leon quickly protected him up to make sure he didn''t fall, "Alten, you''re passing out now out of all things we''ve gone through!?" Leon eximed, shocked at Alten''s sudden cking out.

    "There''s no time for that right now, just leave him on the ground and kill all the spiders" Lyrian quickly said, Enhancing his fists.

    In total, there were around 15 spiders quickly approaching. Lyrian dashed forward without fear, his hands ready to throw down as he threw his first punch at the spider closest to him.

    However, just as his fist reached the spider''s face, it rolled back and pointed its butt toward him, shooting out a clump of webs that quickly wrapped around Lyrian''s fist and face, blocking his vision and throwing his fist off course.

    He tore the webs off with his other hand, but as he did so a spider jumped from the roof, bearing its giant 6-inch fangs to bite him. Because he was dyed by the web Lyrian saw that he was too close to dodge the attack.

    In that split second, he quickly Enhanced his wrist and put it above him to block the spider, and as the fangs struck it, they cracked up before falling apart.

    Using his opportunity, Lyrian Enhanced his other fist and mmed it into the spider, bursting it into a pool of blood and guts immediately.

    As he did this, however, another spider suddenly lunged at him from behind, but just before itnded its bite, Leon dashed forward, his sword unsheathed and his eyes white, before striking the spider with his sword. In a few seconds, the spider was cut into several pieces.

    Lyrian and Leon quickly jumped close to each other and glued to backs to one another as they spun, defending themselves from the spider attacks with nothing being able to get them from behind.

    "I got it, so you guys'' specialty is power in number huh?" Lyrian said, a slight smile suddenly forming on his face.

    "You guy''s are fast as well, so it would be nearly impossible to take you out all at once..." As Lyrain said this, Leon also smirked slightly, "But too bad, you are all in an enclosed space with us!"

    As he said this, the two dashed to an empty cave pathway to the side, taking Alten with them. Before the spiders could catch up to them, Lyrian unleashed formed his hands together and channeled his mana to his fingertips.

    In unison, Leon prepared to swing his de, as Lyrian said in his mind, "Fire!", unleashing a giant burst of me that quickly engulfed the entire main area where the spiders were. At the same time, Leon unleashed a barrage of powerful sword swings that sent vortexes of air slicing wind around in the cave, slicing the spiders up in bulk.

    The culmination of these two attacks created a giant explosion, forcing them to put up their arms to block the force created in such a small area. As the dust cleared from the impact, all that was left of the spiders were charred pieces of leg, torso, and abdomen.

    The explosion was so loud that Alten also woke up due to it, standing up as he looked around, "What!? How did they all die so quickly? It''s a miracle!" He eximed.

    "Hahaha!" Lyrianughed at Alten''s delusion, finding it amusing, "That was too easy. Let''s go." He said as they began walking toward the heart of the nest again.

    From there on out, they were continuously attacked by groups of spiders, but thankfully no group was over 5 in number, so they didn''t have to use any magic or special abilities on them. Instead, they took them out viabat.

    Alten didn''t pass out either, at least, not after the second encounter with them, so it was easier than before. He simply hid in one of the empty cave pathways to the side and shot down the low-health spiders with his bow.

    ording to him, their only danger for the most part was their fangs, as they injected a lethal poison that could only be cured by the best of medicinal technology.

    After another 30 or so minutes of this, they finally arrived at a fork in the road. Alten was the first to speak, "Is this what that dwarf was talking about when he said don''t go into the spider''s actual nest?" He said.

    Leon added, remembering what the dwarf said, "He said go right."

    On the left, there were more radioactive glowing walls with even thicker webs, on the right, it seemed to be a normal cave pathway again, with gray-stone walls and nearly no webs.

    "Let''s go and meet that so-called legendary dwarf then," Lyrian said, taking a step into the right cave pathway.

 Chapter 86 Blacksmiths Hut; An Adamant Lyrian

    ?

    After walking for only a few minutes in this new pathway that was only 10 by ten feet in width and height, it suddenly opened up into a giant cavern space. The roof was over 70 feet up in height and the spaciously spread walls were nearly 100 feet apart.

    There were still some spider webs spread around, but instead of the radioactive green walls lighting up the cave, it was again the amber crystals. As they walked in, they noticed several smaller cave holes leading to this onerge cavern.

    After walking forward for only a little, they already noticed the end of this cavern about 500 meters away in front of them. After getting closer, they noted that there was a small hut atop a ledge at the very end of the cave.

    Once they reached the bottom of this ledge, Alten said, "So this is it I guess huh?" Looking up at the ledge that was around 20 feet in height with his hands on his waist.

    The three went up a flight of stairs to the right of the ledge which led them up to the top, before slowly approaching the hut and standing in front of the door.

    The walls of the hut were made from abination of wooden logs and stones, providing stability and instion against the natural chill of the cave. The logs, weathered by time and the elements, had a rustic charm to them, adding character to the dwelling.

    Smooth, t stones adorned the base of the hut, arranged in a mosaic-like pattern, suggesting that someone had taken the time to beautify the entrance.

    The roof was made from a thatch of dried reeds and grass, perfectly suited for blending in with the environment and providing protection from asional dripping water in the cave. Arge chimney jutted out from the roof, indicating that there was some sort of firece or forge inside.

    The hut''s door was a simple wooden contraption, held together by wrought iron hinges and atch. It seemed sturdy, but at the same time, it carried an air of mystery.

    After a few seconds, Lyrian reached for the door-knocker before giving it three knocks. An awkward silence followed as he did this, prompting him to reach for it again a second time.

    But just before his hands touched the door-knocker, a small trapdoor in the middle of the door suddenly opened, revealing only a bright silver eye, a white eyebrow, and a little bit of under-eye skin.

    The trapdoor suddenly opening was a bit of a shock, but before the three could react, a voice abruptly sounded from the inside, "Who are you? What are you bothering me for!?" It eximed in a rough, hoarse tone.

    "We''vee here to get my sword repaired. Your brother Igniel sent us." Lyrian quickly said, referring to the white-haired dwarf from the vige, "We tried to repair it there, but no one could fix an obsidian de."

    On saying this, a moment of silence followed, causing anticipation to rise in the three as they waited for an answer.

    "Huh? You want me to fix your little obsidian de?" The voice asked from the other side.

    "Yes! Precisely!" Alten answered.

    "No. Get lost, brats. I have things to do." The trapdoor suddenly mmed shut as footsteps could be heard walking away from the door.

    Before long, metal clinking began to sound from inside, while the three were left baffled and silenced.

    "Shoot! I guess it was too much of a task to ask. I mean, it''s not like he owes to it us." Alten said, disappointed.

    Leon also chimed in, "Hmm... well, no matter what the context behind it is, we''ve been fully denied. Might as well return now."

    On saying this, they both waited for Lyrian, to remain silent, to speak, "No." He said, shocking the two of them slightly.

    "What do you mean, no? He already said no to you, you can''t just refuse his refusal." Alten eximed in confusion.

    "Why can''t I? Is it that much to ask?" Lyrian paused for a moment before facing the door, "This sword was a gift given to me by my father! I know you are a master cksmith, so please, do me a favor and fix it for me! If you do, I will make it up to you!" He shouted.

    Inside, a dwarf with a head full of braided white hair turned to look past his shoulder at the door. He was old, clearly in his fifties, having a darkplexion. He was adorned in a dirty white apron full of dark spots of ash, under which was a pair of old brown cargo pants and a dirty white tank top.

    Both his sweaty arms were full of ash and his face, with beads of sweat dropping off of it, was covered in small scars all around. Noticeably, there were tworge scars, one on his arm stretching from his elbow all the way to the back of his hand, and the other on the left side of his face, stretching across his entire cheek.

    For Lyrian, the dwarf inside did not speak, so he was left in an awkward silence.

    ...

    Alten couldn''t help but speak, "Look, I know you want it fixed, but... clearly, he doesn''t care for it right now."

    "Alten is correct right now," Leon said, agreeing with Alten''s point of view.

    "Igniel said that he will undoubtedly ept my request, and I believe him. You guys, head back to the vige. You can wait for me if you want, or you can try to find the golden-tiered creature on your own, but I won''t leave this damn hut until my de is fixed." Lyrian suddenly said, determination in his eyes.

    "Wha- what!?" Alten eximed in shock.

    "Did you hear me, cksmith? I won''t leave until you fix my de!" Lyrian said, walking to the right side of the door and plopping his body down to the floor. Sitting in a crisscrossed position, he tied his arms and closed his eyes, unwilling to move.

 Chapter 87 Trails Of Perseverance

    ?

    "What the heck!? You can''t just sit down and expect us to wait for you! We''re screwed! Fucked even! This is a horrible situation, how did it get to this!?" Alten yelled, freaking out.

    "He did say that we could go for the golden-tiered creature if we wanted to. I will wait for him at the vige, and maybe train with some soldiers there. You can do as you wish." Leon said, beginning to walk away from the hut, fully epting Lyrian''s wishes.

    "What! Of course, I''ll wait for him," Alten quickly ran to where Lyrian was, "Train with soldiers, huh? Maybe I''ll do the same."

    ...

    After they left, an hour passed by. Suddenly, the trap door popped open, and an eyeball came out and looked left and right, before spotting Lyrian staring back.

    "Open the door!" Lyrian, said, only for the trapdoor to quickly shut.

    He closed his eyes and began waiting again. He was determined, there was no way he was going to leave without a fixed sword.

    ''He is some big shot who travels entire kingdoms just for events or whatever. Why can''t he just find the humility to fix my sword? I won''t fail this exam, but I will get this de fixed. Who knows if cksmith''s in the academy can fix obsidian swords anyways, if even dwarfs can''t.''

    Lyrian sat there, using Gale and cultivating. Before he even noticed, a day had already passed. Now it was the 17th day of the exam, and Lyrian decided to start his morning by training.

    After doing an assortment of push-ups on the floor, pull-ups on some ledges, sit-ups, and some squats, he began training his sword skills as well.

    Or, at least, what he had left of his sword, which was only the hilt. Still, after learning more from Leon, Lyrian knew that sword training was important since the sword was such a powerful weapon.

    He practiced lunges and strikes, along with thrusts. After a few hours of sword practice, Lyrian finally put everything that he learned together into one big attack.

    Running forward with the hilt in his sheath, he quickly dashed forward, releasing his hilt as he shed the air many times and arrived at the other side, his hilt back in his sheath.

    This was all done in a very quick motion, taking a total of 2 seconds. Just as he fully sheathed his hilt, a sudden notification hit him.

    *Ding* [Congradtions! Your Sword Mastery has hit 1%]

    ''Huh, it''s been a while since I''ve gotten a notification like that from Gear. Thinking on it, I haven''t checked my stats in a while either.''

    "Gear, open up my stats."

    ��������Status��������

    Name: Lyrian Theageld

    Title(s): None

    Species: Human

    Bloodline: Unknown

    Age: 10 Years

    Overall Power (OP): 6

    Vitality: 111 Years

    Health: 62/62

    Stamina: 64/64

    Strength: 60

    Agility: 65

    Defense: 59

    Body: Normal

    Rank: Genesis: Layer 1

    MP: 28/200 (+50)

    ����������������������

    ''What about skills.''

    ��������Abilities��������

    Creature-link (Mastery 1%)

    Reap (Mastery 3%)

    Skill Convergence (Mastery 1%)

    Enhance (Mastery 5%)

    Shock Fist (Mastery 4%)

    Swordskill (Mastery 5%)

    ������������������������

    ''Let''s see Garmr''s''

    ��������Status��������

    Name: Garmr

    Species: Obsidian Wolf

    Age: 1

    Overall Power (OP): 8

    Health: 83/83

    Stamina: 82/82

    Strength: 90

    Agility: 88

    Defense: 79

    Rank: Normal

    ����������������������

    ''This wolf, although he was gically stronger than his normal counterparts, it being this strong is simply insane. The system must have something to do with his power.'' Lyrian thought to himself on seeing Garmr''s absurd stats.

    [Correct. When a creature is a soul bound to you through Creature-link, Its power increases ording to your power]

    [However, there are gic limitations to this]

    ''As I thought...''

    As he was looking at Garmr''s stats, an odd, familiar sound came from below the ledge, prompting Lyrian to go and check it. The sound was of several quick footsteps thudding against the ground, but Lyrian couldn''t believe that it was what he was thinking until he saw it for himself

    On leaning over the ledge, he saw a group of giant spiders climbing up toward the hut, "Here!?" He said, quickly Enhancing his fists.

    ''There are ten of them! That would be somewhat of a challenge for me even with Leon and Alten, but taking them on alone is a whole nother thing! Especially since I can''t just blow them up, this isn''t an enclosed area. If I try it, they will just dodge.'' Lyrian thought to himself.

    The dwarf looked out from the window, noticing the spidersing to attack his hut again. Usually, he would fend them off himself, but his eyes widened slightly as he saw the annoying boy outside jump from the ledge down into the pit of spiders.

    Lyrian did this so they changed their attention to him, and oh they did. All the spiders quickly rushed towards him, as he tried to make space between himself and them.

    ''Since I have no actual magic spells, all I can do is cast the basic elements of fire and such using my mana. Still, it''s slow and not effective in an actual fight.'' Lyrian thought to himself, dashing around the spiders as he dodged the web slings, thinking of how to defeat them all, ''I need to learn some actual spells forbat, and also to use my Skill Convergence ability. But, I guess that''s one of the reasons I wanted to join this academy in the first ce.''

    On thinking this, he jumped up into the air, attempting to use a st of fire to scorch the spiders down below, but as he thought, they quickly jumped out of the way.

    After this, he tried to use ice to freeze them first, but the spread didn''t spread fast enough to catch them. Wind only pushed them around, and earth didn''t do much either.

    However, as he fought, the old dwarf inside observed him. Currently, his mouth was slightly agape in awe, ''Paragon Magus? Am I seeing things or did that boy just use all four main elements at once?'' He thought to himself, shocked by what he was seeing.

 Chapter 88 Spider Ambush

    ?

    Lyrian continued running around as the spiders chased him in circles. ''Their only weakness is their low health since it''s so easy to kill them, but the main problem is their speed.'' He said to himself as multiples of web shot at him.

    He dashed to the side, just barely dodging the webs as a little bit of one hit his arm. On contact, the arm shot back and stuck to the shoulder. As he ran, he quickly tore off the web and freed his arm.

    Thinking about how to counter the main problem of the spiders which was their speed, Lyrian came to a sudden realization, ''These webs... they are meant to slow down the enemy. That''s exactly what I need right now.'' He paused, dodging a few more coiled balls of the web.

    ''If that''s what I need, then why not use their own power to my advantage?'' As he thought this, a slight grin appeared on his face.

    To execute the new n he thought up in his head, he decided to suddenly stop running, and instead quickly dash in front of the spider closest to him.

    The spider also stopped abruptly, not expecting Lyrian to do this. In the next second it turned backward and aimed its rear toward Lyrian, preparing to shoot a web.

    Seeing this, Lyrian quickly dashed away again, not wanting to deal with a bunch of spiders. That would be the case if he stayed there too long, as the spiders would quickly catch up and overwhelm him.

    ''So their first reaction after Ie up to them will most likely be a web throw huh?'' He thought to himself, stopping his circr running pattern as he began running in a straight line.

    Soon enough, the spiders also formed a line, chasing after Lyrian. Since they weren''t running in circles anymore, the bunch of spiders quickly thinned out, creating more space between each other.

    ''Perfect.'' Lyrian said as he stopped running. He quickly dashed back to the spider that was second in line. He had to do this quick, or the spider at the front would turn around and web him, or the other spiders could catch it as well. It was a risky y.

    Still, he stood there for a few split seconds, making the spider roll back and shoot its web. Right before the web was released, the spider behind Lyrian lunged to bite him as well, but he quickly ducked under, causing the ball of the web to hit the lunging spider as Lyrian jumped to the side of the group of spiders.

    Now that it was webbed, Lyrian threw out his hand, facing his palm towards the spider as he summoned fire. The struggling spider was quickly burnt to a crisp as the others backed off and dodged the attack.

    Seeing this, a smile formed on Lyrian''s face. Without wasting any time, he continued to do this several more times as if it had turned into a simple game.

    The dwarf observed this from inside, before turning around and going back to his work, ''Brats not bad... maybe I''ll test him out.'' He thought to himself.

    After a few minutes, the number of spiders had reduced to 5. At this point, Lyrian stopped his web strategy. ''Enhance.'' He said to himself, powering up his body.

    In the next moment, he quickly dashed towards each spider, mming his fist into them as they burst into blood and guts without much worry of being caught off guard. He knew that 5 spiders weren''t something to worry too much about.

    Still, he had to be extremely quick and precise about his attacks, or else he would be easily webbed and taken down. After 10 minutes, the find ended and Lyrian looted the corpses for the cores.

    Going back up to the hut, he thought to himself, ''I wonder how many time''s I''m going to have to fight them off. Inside the cave, there were probably over a thousand spiders if I had to guess... this smith better open the already, Im practically his personal bodyguard at this point.'' He was slightly annoyed, but it wasn''t enough to deter him from his goal.

    After getting back up, he knocked on the door again and asked to be let in, only for another no response. He was slightly more irritated, but without anything else to do, he spent the day training his sword and cultivating with Gale.

    The cksmith dwarf took note of all of this, but still didn''t open the door, ''He has potential in power, but still, he is only a kid. I know many powerful wizards who would fail inparison to some weak low-status soldiers. What matters is not one''s power, but one''s will to win.''

    The next day, the 18th of the exam, Lyrian fought off another wave of spiders. 15 this time, making it much more difficult than the first encounter. Still, he was able to defeat them using his web strategy. Although, he imagined he probably couldn''t take on a squad of 25 or so, since his mana would run out even with Syan''s Mana Ring.

    As far as he knew, there looked to be two ways that his mana worked. One way was the way that let him cultivate and break through into higher ranks. Currently, he was in the high 20s where 200 was the max to rank up.

    However, this didn''t mean that he could simply use 28 mana. Instead, it meant that he could use 28 extra mana from the 100 of his previous rank. The 100 of his previous rank was a fixed amount of mana that he cultivated and entered into his core, just like the 28 mana that was currently in his core, so they both acted in the same way.

    The 100 mana didn''t show itself, however, as he had already ascended to a higher rank where the 100 mana didn''t help him break through during cultivation.

 Chapter 89 Will

    Throughout the day, an increasing number of spiders began to attack the hut, which even the dwarf found odd. Nheless, Lyrian defended it wlessly.

    The highest number of spiders that had attacked was still 15, so there wasn''t a worry about if he could take them on or not. However, regenerating the lost mana in only a few hours in between each wave of spiders wasn''t the easiest, even while using Gale which elerated the process via bodily concentration.

    Just like this, another day slowly grazed by. Thankfully, the spiders didn''t seem to attack at night, so Lyrain was able to sleep when he realized that the spiders had stopped attackingpletely after over 2 hours.

    The 19th day was the same, except there appeared to be spidersing even more frequently and in higher numbers. The highest number was now 18, but Lyrian still managed to fight them off.

    He was now bruised and scraped up a bit from the continuous fighting, but it wasn''t so hard that it was threatening as of yet. Nheless, if the spiders continued to elerate in numbers at the current speed that they did, Lyrian knew that he wouldn''t be able to fight them off soon.

    Now, his limit was no longer 25, since that was considering he had full mana. He didn''t get the time to regenerate all the mana in between most fights, so around 22 was his upper limit.

    the 20th day finally arrived. Lyrian woke up and ate his breakfast which consisted of dried fruits and some meat jerky. His stores were nearly running out now as well.

    As he finished his breakfast, he stood up to go train his sword, but paused as he heard a sudden rumble beneath him, ''Hmm?''

    *RUMBLE*

    The ground suddenly shook with tremors, as dust and small pebbles began to fall from the ceiling, ''This is a cavequake no?'' He said to himself, keeping his bnce as the ground began to shake more.

    ''Igniel said that they were very dangerous if one wasn''t inside of a hut, but I doubt he would let me in just because of this. Hell, I''m sure it isn''t as dangerous as a hoard of 18 spiders.'' He thought to himself.

    Just then, he heard a sudden crack in the ceiling, as a giant stctite the size of a shot down towards him at extremely fast speeds. Lyrian was shocked by how quick it fell and wasn''t able to move fast enough before it hit the ground right in front of him crumbling into a bunch of smaller stones.

    ''Its... so fast.'' He thought to himself, taken aback.

    *Crack*

    As he heard this, he ran to the back of the hut where there was a noticeable amount of small rocks, ''Is there where the dwarf sweeps the rocks from those fallen stctites?''

    As he ran, his bnce became even more difficult to maintain. Suddenly, another spear of rock fell to his side. To be more urate, it didn''t just fall, but shot down like a bullet, almost as if something was elerating it from the back. It grazed the side of his arm as it shed against the ground and broke up.

    The graze left a shallow scratch, but it was enough for his entire arm to be covered in a stream of blood fairly quickly. ''How the hell are these falling so fast!?''

    *Crack*

    "Another one... there!" He said, locating which one was about to fall down from the roof. It was far from him, but he kept an eye on it as he moved to try and see what was going on.

    As it broke from the roof, a burst of air suddenly propelled it toward the ground at extreme speeds, ''No wonder it breaks into a thousand pieces, the force at which it''s pushed down by that air is immense.'' Lyrian thought to himself on seeing this.

    At that moment, hundreds of smaller stctites the size of swords began to dart down toward the ground as well. It was as if rain itself was made up of them, nearly impossible to dodge, especially in the cave with uneven footing and a ground that was shaking uncontrobly.

    As he tried to dodge, the stctites scratched him multiple times, giving him several small wounds, but he continued to dash around with a determined look on his face.

    ''He''s willing to go through even a cavequake to get that sword fixed? He isn''t just some normal kid it seems...''

    As Lyrain continued to dodge the stctites, Leon and Alten also quickly entered Igniel''s workshop after going out for a bit to train and also to buy supplies from the local shops.

    During the days that Lyrian was waiting for his sword to be fixed in the Poison Spider Nest, they spent their time at Igniels ce. He understood Lyrian''s situation, and couldn''t go on without helping Leon and Alten, as it was kind of his fault that they had to wait anyways.

    On the first day, they found out about the vige''s soldier training facility and were allowed to train there with the soldiers. They even met the soldiers guarding the gate when they first arrived, their names were Gimli and Dori.

    To their surprise, they were actually quite powerful, making for perfect training partners. And since they had nothing else to do, they made use of their time and practiced to get stronger.

    As they waited in Igniels workshop for the cavequake to end, Alten was worried if Lyrian would fail to get his sword fixed or not, "Igniel, you said that your brother will undoubtedly ept Lyrian... what did you mean by that." He asked a few dwarfs that had entered Igniels ce because of the cavequake also listening in.

    While he hit a red hot de with a hammer, Igniel replied with a pause, "His eyes... did my brother get a good look at his eyes?"

    Alten also paused as he heard this, confused at what Igniel meant, "His eyes? I mean, he didn''t get like a close look, more like just a look."

    "I see. I got a small impression of it, as I''m sure Drodos did as well." Igniel said as Alten and Leon became confused about what he was talking about.

    "Yep, I did." Drodos, who happened to be there as well replied.

    "How are you always here!?" Alten said, shocked at his presence.

    Igniel continued to speak, "But I''m sure that my brother would get much more of an idea by looking at him. After all, that''s his skill."

    Alten replied quickly, utterly perplexed, "What are you talking about? His skill of what?"

    Igniel replied after a short pause, "My brother, he has the ability to see people''s wills within their eyes."

 Chapter 90 The Art Of Smithing

    ?

    After 10 minutes or so, the cavequake ended, allowing Lyrian to finally rest after dodging nonstop and exerting his body to its limit. He fell t on his back, panting from exhaustion.

    [Stamina: 0/64]

    ''Im done...'' He thought to himself, not able to move his body even an inch. Just as the rooftop of the cave he was staring at began to be blurry, signs that he was about to ck out, a random face suddenly appeared in his vision.

    "Oi brat, don''t fall asleep."

    It was enough to shock him fully awake, "What the hell!?" He quietly eximed, seeing a dwarf''s face staring at him.

    Bracing himself, he stood back up to his feet, his stamina having regenerated a little bit by then, "You''re... the cksmith." He managed to say, looking at the 4-foot dwarf in front of him.

    The dwarf gazed back at him with squinted eyes, looking to make eye contact, "You... have some potential." A slight grin suddenly formed on his face.

    This was thest thing Lyrian saw before falling t on his back once again, this time fully falling unconscious.

    Seeing this, the dwarf began walking back inside calmly, "Rocky!" He shouted.

    Suddenly, a giant Diamond Lizard jumped from the roof andnded next to Lyrian, causing a loud impact.

    "Pick him up and put him inside on my bed."

    On hearing this, the lizard stuck its tongue out and grabbed Lyrian before putting him inside his mouth.

    ***

    As Lyrian slowly stirred from his slumber, the first thing that caught his attention was the resounding nk of metal striking metal. It echoed through the small, dimly lit space, making him wonder where he was and what was happening.

    Above him, a rough-hewn roof of interwoven logs and stone kept the outside world at bay, casting a warm, amber glow upon the interior whenever the mes from the nearby forge leaped and danced.

    As he mustered the strength to sit up, Lyrian took in his surroundings. The hut''s walls were constructed from sturdy stone and timber.

    His eyes were drawn to the source of the mor��the dwarf at the forge. Sweat glistened on the dwarf''s furrowed brow as he rhythmically swung the heavy hammer, shaping the molten metal resting on the anvil. The glow of the forge illuminated the dwarf''s weathered hands, attesting to a life of dedication to the ancient craft of cksmithing.

    The heat from the forge washed over Lyrian in waves, searing yet strangelyforting, as the mes flickered and cast dancing shadows on the hut''s walls. The scent of burning coal mingled with the earthy aroma of wood.

    Noticing Lyrian sitting up, the dwarf paused his craft, dipping the de he was working on into a thin barrel of cool water, "You finally awake?" He said.

    Lyrian paused, making sense of the situation before replying, "M-my swor--" Before he could even get out a few words, he was abruptly cut off.

    "Yea, I''ve begun the process already. I saw you had some obsidian shards and I''m going to use those." The dwarf swiftly replied.

    �Ѧ���d��s����vel.c��m That was the next thing Lyrian was going to say, but now he was relieved that the cksmith didn''t just use any old obsidian or metal.

    "How long is it going to take?" Lyrian asked, getting up from the bed.

    "2 days." The dwarf replied nonchntly.

    Hearing this, Lyrian was slightly shocked, "2 entire days!? Can''t you do it any faster? My friends have already waited over three days for my sword."

    "By all means, I can remake your shabby sword in five minutes if need be, but I''m doing you a favor here, so don''t think you can make themands." The dwarf spoke sternly.

    Lyrian didn''t speak on hearing this, as the dwarf continued, "I wouldn''t make any old kid a sword, especially not with my expertise. You''re lucky I chose to do yours. When making any object, I don''t just half-ass it. It''s not like I''m taking my sweet old time with your sword, but, any weapon or armor created by me is at the very least of my tier." The dwarf said, taking the sword out of the water before sticking it back into the forge with a pair of tongs.

    Lyrian paused for a moment, "I see... then, thank you for doing me this favor. If I may, what made you choose me? I owe you one." He said, genuinely grateful.

    "Hell yeah, you do, brat. My celebrated name, Brokkr, will forever be etched into this de of yours. If it''s used badly, you will disgrace that name. But, that''s why I chose you. You have some will in you, and those with will are strong. I have faith that you won''t disgrace my name."

    ''So... a respected cksmith''s weapon holds a lot of risks as well, as their name could be tainted in a bad light if a fool was to use it. Then, he really is doing me arge favor.'' Lyrian thought to himself.

    "Unfortunately..." Brokkr continued, "There is still a chance for you to destroy this sword, especially at your level of strength." He said, beginning to hit the sword again with the hammer.

    "Yes, my strength right now is limited, but my goal in joining Anaviotis is to increase it." Lyrian followed up.

    "If that''s the case, then take this opportunity that you have to learn how one performs the art of smithing. Learning to smith will help you in all areas of life, including battle." Brokkr said as Lyrian went up to the anvil.

    Brokkr began to exin how one smith''s, uses patience and the ability to be precise and powerful at the perfect time. Surprisingly, Lyrain was taken aback in awe by this.

    "When creating something, anything, a smith must always have a free heart, a calm heart. Then, and only then, can he control his creation and mold it to his will." Brokkr said, as colorful magic exuded from his presence and entered his sword.

    Lyrain was sucked into this art, as he saw it as a way to not only be a better fighter but also realized that this firsthand knowledge could potentially even help him create better creatures and spells!

 Chapter 91 New Sword Obtained

    ?

    "Smithing is the art of creation, the art of patience, the art of knowledge, and therefore... the art of power." Brokkr profoundly stated.

    Lyrian interest in this art was piqued, as he continued to listen to Brokkr about how one could use the art of smithing in all areas of life. He even was instructed to begin training his weapon to the side by Brokkr, so that he could tell him his mistakes, and how to fix them with the mindset of how one smithed.

    An hour passed by, as Lyrian continued to swing his hilt by Brokkr''s instructions. On this swing, his eagerness to learn about smithing and to gain power slightly got hold of him, causing him to slightly tilt his hilt to the side and miss the target area.

    "Mistake number 104!" Brokkr shouted, "Lyrian, when striking your sword, you are not just attacking, but also creating a wless attack. If you were to miss and notnd your weapon on a vital area, then that could spell death for you on the battlefield. You must be precise, focused!" He eximed, as Lyrian quickly fixed his demeanor.

    That night, Lyrian thought of ways that he could create better creatures with this knowledge that he had.

    He was sleeping on the floor, while Brokkr slept on the bed. He didn''t mind, however, being too preupied with the valuable knowledge he learned during their training that day.

    When he created Garmr, his thinking was unfocused and random, not honed into something, ''I wonder, what would happen if I focused my mind into precisely creating a certain type of creature using the art of smithing?'' He thought to himself.

    From that first day, two more days passed. It was now the 21st day of the exam. Lyrian trained under Brokkr''s instructions simrly throughout the time he had. He learned a lot about smithing and how one used such art inbat and in normal life.

    However, Lyrian knew that he hadn''t even scratched the surface of smithing. He wanted to learn more but also knew that there wasn''t any more time.

    That day, after training his sword with Rocky the Diamond Lizard for the duration of the early morning, he returned to the hut as instructed by Brokkr. On entering, Lyrian saw the dwarf holding a sword in his hands, pointing it up as he closely inspected each and every detail on it with one eye closed.

    The sword had a silver hilt with a small dragon''s sculpture flowing through it, glimmering red crystals in the dragon''s eyes. The de was the same size as it was before, not too long, perfect for Lyrian''s size.

    It was much finer than before, having a noticeably dangerous edge, along with small inscriptions in the middle of the de. Upon seeing Lyrian enter, Brokkr threw the de across the room.

    Lyrian was slightly caught off guard by this, seeing an extremely sharp weapone flying at him, but still managed to catch it with a slight duck, "What are you? Trying to cut me?" Lyrian joked.

    "Oh trust me, if that sword was to hit you it wouldn''t just cut you. It would kill you." Brokkr also joked,ughing whole heartily.

    "You make bizarre jokes old man, but... the quality is there," Lyrian said, inspecting the de himself. He even tried to test its sharpness by slightly touching the edge of the de, only for his finger to be instantly knicked.

    Brokkr took out arge sword from the forge with some tongs, red hot, and orange in color before cing it down on the anvil and grabbing the hammer. "You bet it''s there." He said, beginning to nk down on the weapon.

    "I heard you traveled to this kingdom for a specific reason. Some... thing? Is that what you''re making all these swords for?" Lyrian asked, genuinely curious about both answers.

    Brokkr paused, looking up at Lyrian for a second before speaking, "Pentennial Academy Power Tournament. As the name suggests, it''s held every 5 years. Academies across the continentpete to see who''s the strongest school. It''s going to be held next year. Hell, you might be in it if you pass this exam."

    Lyrian''s interest was slightly piqued on hearing this, "I see..."

    "Look, brat. Isn''t it time for you to go? How much more of my time are you going to waste." Brokkr suddenly said, continuing to hit the sword with his hammer.

    "Oh! Right! Thanks very much for the sword, I won''t disgrace your name by using it badly!" Lyrian said, turning towards the exit.

    "Also, brat. If you want to learn more about smithing..." Brokkr paused as Lyrian turned around.

    Coincidentally, this was exactly what Lyrian wanted to hear.

    "Then you cane to learn it in the kingdom of dwarfs, Wverngale. I''ll be there, in a few years that is."

    A smile appeared on Lyrian''s face as he heard this, "I''ll be there!" He said before leaving.

    As he made his way out of the cavern room of Brokkr, he thought to himself, ''Perfect! After a few years, I''ll be able to master the art of smithing. I imagine that will help me use my creation system far more effectively.''

    On Lyrian''s departure, Brokkr was also intrigued by something, ''That kid... why does the will in his eyes resemble that man...'' He thought to himself, slightly perplexed.

    As Lyrian was about to exit therge cavern where Brokkr lived and enter back into the Poison Spider''s nest, two figures suddenly showed themselves from the exit.

    "Alten? Leon?" Lyrian said, confused to see the two pop out.

    "Lyrain! We were justing to check up on you." Alten said, excited to to him.

    "You most likely wanted us to stay back, but we made the decision toe. Thankfully, you seem to still be alive." Leon followed.

    On hearing this, Lyrian smirked slightly, "That''s not all. The job''s also done." He said, unsheathing his brand new sword to the awe of both Leon and Alten.

 Chapter 92 The Most Dangerous Creature Emerges

    ?

    The two, especially Alten, looked at the sword with puppy eyes, both excited and relieved that Lyrian actually got it fixed. Leon came over and inspected the sword closely.

    Coming from a family of swordsmiths and swordsmen, Leon knew if a sword was worthy of use. He could also tell how sharp the edge of a de was just by looking at it.

    He tilted the de up and put it close to his eyes, squinting, "This is amazing... the edge is so sharp, I can''t even see it." He said, astounded by the brilliance of the sword-making.

    "Let''s head out now. We''ve been in this vige for long enough, it''s already the 21st day of the exam. We don''t have much more time left to pass." Alten spoke, as Leon agreed and gave back Lyrian''s sword.

    As they started to make their way back into the main Poison Tarant''s Nest with the radioactive and luminescent green walls, Lyrain had another thing to say, "Guys, before we leave," A slight grin formed on his face as the other two turned to look at him, "I''m going to take down that Poison Spider."

    Alten was instantly shocked, "What!? Why!? That thing is one of the apex predators of thisnd that I spoke about, fighting it in its own nest... that''s like a death sentence!" He said, flustered by just the thought of it.

    Lyrian found the answer obvious, "Why not? It won''t add too much time to the wait, and on top of that, it might even be the golden-tiered creature. Also... I want to test out this new sword."

    "So that''s the real reason!" Alten called out on hearing this.

    Lyrianughed, not fully being able to deny Alten''s usal, "Gah..." However, Alten quickly let down his defensive stance, "I guess I have no choice if I''m to travel with you guys. I guess I can also test out the new skills I learned from Gimli and Dorit." He said in a defeated tone.

    After walking for a sort of while they remerged in the original Poison Spider''s cave, as the dwarves called it. To humans, the beast was known as the Poison Tarant, with its thickyer of hair that covered its back.

    The three were now at the same fork in the path that they encountered three days prior when looking for Brokkr, Igniel''s brother. Now, however, they chose the left path instead of the right, entering into the main nest.

    As they walked through the small 8 by 8-foot corridor, no one made any sound. The more they walked, the more the walls radiated with poison, making them feel increasingly unsafe. They all had their guards up, walking carefully.

    Finally, the corridor opened up to anotherrge cavern room that was about 50 by 50 meters in height and width. Before they entered, Lyrian immediately noticed therge green amber crystals on the sides of the round room''s floor and around the walls as well.

    The reason why they were green instead of orange was because of the dense poison in the room, corrupting the crystals. He also noticed several spidersying around, about 15 in total, along with a giant curled-up spider in a web cacoon in the middle of the room, propelled in the air with webs stuck to the roof and the floor.

    Without a doubt, that was the Poison Tarant, easily being over 20 in length. Alten, who was at the back, slowly made his way to the front.

    On seeing what was inside, he whispered, "I say we take this opportunity, seeing as the spiders are sleeping, and use it to kill as many as possible with one big attack. This room is too big to haverge explosions, but we can get close up since they are sleeping." He said as the other''s nodded in agreement.

    Taking out his white-silver bow, Alten loaded it with two arrows before pulling them back and beginning to aim. Seeing this, Leon and Lyrain quietly walked inside, hiding their presence as they made precise and slow steps.

    Finally, upon getting close enough, Lyrian turned his hands towards the sleeping spiders as Leon clutched the hilt of his de. At that exact moment, Alten let go of his arrows, immediately piercing through 2 spiders and killing them instantly.

    Hearing this as a signal, Lyrian unleashed a fire attack, incinerating the nearby spiders with a loud boom. Leon also took out his sword, his eyes glowing as he streaked across the cavern, slicing through the rest of the spiders as he left a white blur behind him.

    In the end, he sheathed his de once again as he whispered under his breath, "Iron Blitz."

    This all happened in a total of 5 seconds, and in the end, all of the spiders had been killed. However, before they could celebrate, the Poison Spider in the middle began to squirm, its web cacoon quickly beginning to rip apart.

    As Lyrian and Leon dashed to the side of the cavern room, the Poison Spider suddenly extended all of its 8 legs out at once, instantly tearing through the rest of the webs as itnded on the floor and let out a bloodcurdling screech.

    The screen was enough to make one''s ears nearly bleed, but along with that came a deadly influx of blood lust that made the limbs of those in the cavern go weak.

    [Warning! A creature with a lethal threat level has bloodlust over you!]

    [Creature threat level: UPPER HAVOC]

    Lyrian''s eyes widened as he realized how much of a beast this poison spider really was. Its sheer presence took away more of his power than any other creature that he had seen in the exam.

    ''Upper havoc? Why is it so much stronger than the other beasts we''ve encountered.'' He thought to himself, falling onto one of his knees as Alten and Leon struggled simrly.

    ***

    Back in Anaviotis...

    "Hey... why is this area not allowing vision." One of the examiners suddenly said as the others took a look at the vision on his mana orb.

    It was ck like a TV screen static, not showing anything but vibrations.

    Julius confusedly spoke, "Huh? That''s odd. All creatures inside of the exam area should only be set at a set limit in terms of power, of course, all except for the golden-tiered creature. Any beast weaker than it shouldn''t be able to disrupt the mana vision with its aura."

    Another followed up, "We may need to send in a helper." He spoke seriously, "How did that creature even get in there?"

    Julius was quick to answer, "It''s not about how it got in there, but how we missed it up until this point... Its presence must have beenpletely erased for decades."

 Chapter 93 Double Team

    ?

    *SCREEECH*

    ''Damnit! You''re grumpy from your slumber huh!?'' Lyrian thought to himself as he tried to withstand the force of the killing intent.

    "Leon!" He yelled, looking to the side as he suddenly noticed that Leon''s body wasid out on the floor,pletely unconscious. Alten looked to be no different.

    ''Argh! Scan!''

    ��������Scan��������

    Name: Rask

    Species: Poison Tarant

    Age: 96

    Overall Power (OP): 7

    Health: 76/76 (+10)

    Stamina: 78/78 (+10)

    Strength: 85 (+30)

    Agility: 73 (+10)

    Defense: 60 (+10)

    Rank: Genesis: Layer 1

    Special: Tier 4 (Exam Tier), Elder (Title) This creature has lived an abnormally long life and has evolved into an Elder; all stats increased

    ����������������������

    Lyrian was shocked as he read these stats, ''115 strength!?'' However, before he could dwell on what to do any longer, the creature began to move at extreme speeds toward him.

    Although his very bone''s felt like wobbling down to the ground, he gritted his teeth and stood up before beginning to dash away and create some space between himself and the Poison Spider.

    However, because of the dense killing aura, his speed heavily declined. The tarant was quickly catching up to him, its steps loud and powerful.

    "You''re small limbs are your weak points right? Alten said so." He yelled as he ran, trying to think of a n on the spot.

    ''I can''t go in to attack, even with this new sword, since It''s too fast for me. I can''t even run for long, it''s going to catch up any second!''

    At that moment, the tarant suddenly opened its giant, fanged mouth and spit out arge amount of venom directly toward Lyrian. Seeing the droplet the size of a horsee at him at extremely quick speeds, he jumped up and ricocheted off the wall, avoiding the poison thatnded on the ground.

    As itnded, the stone underneath quickly melted as though it was cotton candy, ''What do I do? There isn''t any possible way I ca--'' As he was thinking to himself, another st of poison suddenly appeared in his vision in front of him.

    Thinking quickly on his feet, he immediately stopped and jumped backward to narrowly avoid being melted to sludge, only to get close to the spider.

    Now, he was right underneath its fangs. Without any pause, the spider held down Lyrian''s hand with one of its legs, immobilizing him before storming its fangs downwards to crush him. At this moment Lyrian''s heart was beating out of his chest, his adrenaline pumping as his mind raced at a million miles per second.

    Even in this situation, he wasn''t giving up, still trying to think of a way to win. ''There has to be a way!'' He yelled in his mind as the fanged neared mere feet from his face.

    ''A way...''

    The burning venom of the fangs dripped down, now only inches from making contact with this head.

    ''Damnit! I won''t die like this!'' He abruptly yelled inside as he closed his eyes.

    At that moment time felt as though it had slowed down. Memories of his parents, of his promises, of even Alten and Leon, who were going to die if he were to fall here, all these memories assaulted him at once.

    His extreme ambition, no matter how strong, seemed to be wavering in the face of defeat here, where sheer, overwhelming power shed with him!

    As the venom came centimeters from his face, destined to melt through his skull, an enormous figure suddenly summoned from his body and emerged below the Poison Tarant, blocking Lyrian from the poison as it pushed the spider back, mming it into the wall.

    *ROOAAR*

    Garmr let out a monstrous roar fueled by his rage that boomed throughout the entire cavern like thunder from the heavens. It was enough to rattle bones and vibrate the ground.

    Lyrian suddenly opened his eyes to see Garmr''s giant body in front of him, now the same size as the Poison Tarant''s, ''Garmr!'' He thought to himself, noticing the rage that the wolf was currently feeling.

    "GO!" Lyrian yelled, quickly picking himself back up to his feet as Garmr dug his feet into the ground before propelling himself forward toward the spider.

    With one lunge, it was close enough tosh at the tarant''s legs, tearing one of them off with ease as purple blood splurted all over the room. The spider quickly jumped back up to its feet before Garmr could do any more damage, spitting a giant ball of poison toward him.

    However, Garmr dodged the poison as if it was nothing, ferociously lunging in before ripping another leg off of the creature.

    Lyrian unsheathed his sword and ran up to the fight, jumping on Garmr''s back he jumped up into the air.

    The spider tried to gash Garmr with its fangs, only to miss due to Garmr''s evasive body. Just then, Lyrian appeared above the spider, having jumped from Garmr''s back.

    "You''re dead!" He shouted, holding the sword with both hands next to his face as he focused on what he learned from Brokkr.

    He concentrated his Enhance energy into his hands, before throwing away all distractions from his mind and creating a wless strike of the sword.

    Swinging down from the air, he shed his de across the spider''s abdomen as hended, slicing straight through it with a wless spin.

    The side of the spider''s abdomen was now cut wide open, as Garmr dashed from side to side, viciously tearing off each and every limb from the creature before it had the opportunity to attack.

    Lyrian too did not hesitate, using the extent of his energy to unleash a barrage of unending shes towards the creature with his fine de, each of them gashing the spider deeply as it was unable to deal with the rapid attacks.

    Finally, Garmr dashed toward Lyrian after getting a mentalmand, and Lyrian jumped up on his back once again before leaping at the spider''s face.

    With another precisely created strike, Lyrian shed straight through the Poison Tarant''s head, wlessly severing it instantly.

 Chapter 94 Hero Of The Village

    ?

    "Hey, I''m getting back some vision on this area..." An examiner said, refreshing his mana crystal with his own mana to get a clearer view.

    Others peeked up from their crystals and looked at his, one stating, "Is it in a cave?"

    Another one also noticed something, "The walls are glowing green."

    "It must be the Poison Tarant''s Nest." Another quickly stated, realizing it for himself.

    The blurry static-like vision on the mana crystal finally cleared up to reveal what looked to be the heart of the nest, where the body of a giant spidery--headless and legless.

    "Is that its severed head in the side there?" An examiner from the sidemented out of shock.

    That crystal balls examiner was left speechless for a few seconds, shocked and even disturbed to some point, "What kind of monster could have the capability of doing this to a Poison Tarant..."

    Another one noticed the brutality with which it was killed, "Its legs were clearly torn off as if it was killed by some beast, but its head cleanly sliced off. What in the world happened in there?"

    As a short silence fell on the room, the examiner sitting above the crystal ball changed the angle of the vision to look around the room, "Is that... a boy?"

    "Hey look! There are others there as well!"

    ***

    After decapitating the tarant, having used all of his strength and stamina in cutting it up beforehand, Lyrian cked out without noticing. As this happened, Garmr was instantly sent back into his shadow.

    Soon after, he was awoken by a few light pats on his cheek. As he came to open his eyes, he noticed two blurry faces tinted with a dim green glow.

    Seeing Lyrian''s eyes begin to open, a feeling of relief washed over Alten, "Lyrian! You''re okay! Thank god!"

    Leon, who was kneeling over Lyrian''s body like Alten, also felt relieved. As Lyrian cleared his head and slowly began to stand, he asked, "Lyrian... how did you manage to kill this thing?" Looking at the dead body of the Poison Spider.

    Lyrian paused, thinking of what to say, "Hey... you never know what hidden powers I have up my sleeve." He suddenly said in a joking manner before beginning to walk over to the spider''s corpse.

    For Leon, this answer sufficed. ''He doesn''t want us to know... but I don''t sense any evil intentions. It most likely is for the best, but It is still interesting.'' He thought to himself, following Lyrian.

    "Wh-what!? That makes no sense!" Alten yelled in confusion, also following along, "What powers!?"

    Lyrian smirked on hearing this, "If I told you, then they wouldn''t be hidden nor would they be up my sleeve."

    "Hahaha!" Leon couldn''t help butugh on hearing this, of course, to Alten''s dismay.

    Lyrian arrived in front of the tarant''s corpse, looking over it with a sense of gratitude, ''This could have been the end of me.'' He clenched his jaw, realizing the possibilities of what could have urred if he didn''t have Garmr to save him.

    ''It''s not enough. Im so weak that even passing this entrance exam without dying seems like a difficult concept. I need more power...'' He thought to himself, half determined, and also half disappointed in himself, ''On top of that, Ipletely forgot about the fact that I could have summoned Garmr. Sure, there''s the risk of showing him to the world, but that risk is not as bad as failing the exam.'' Saying this to himself, he also got another thought, ''On saying that... I wonder what will happen now that I''ve shown Garmr. I have no doubt that examiners were looking into the situation... I guess ill just have to wait it out and see.''

    As he thought this, he retrieved the core from the spider and also its giant fangs at the same time. Again, the thought of Reaping its soul came to mind, but Lyrian had to refuse.

    It was a painful decision, but it was an easy one nheless. Right now, he only had 1 empty slot for a soul, and the other slot for fusible souls was filled by the Hobgoblin Shaman.

    "Hey, what are the fangs for?" Alten asked Lyrian, seeing him retrieve the fangs and put them in his storage ring.

    "Oh, those? You''ll see once we get to Igniels ce." Lyrian grinned.

    "Mysterious today huh..." Alten eximed, irritated.

    With that, the three decided that it was time to leave. After making sure they didn''t forget to do anything or leave anything behind, they left the Poison Tarant''s Nest victorious.

    Soon they arrived back at the Dwarven Vige and went to Igniels ce to pick up the stuff that Alten and Leon had gathered on their stay in the vige while Lyrian was getting his sword fixed.

    "You two again?" Igniel said as he opened the door to his workshop, seeing Alten and Leon, but then he also noticed a third face in the back, "Oh! Lyrian as well? Did you get the sword fixed?" He eagerly asked.

    Lyrian was happy to answer, "Yep, it''s fixed, and now even more powerful than before." He said, gesturing to his sheath.

    Igniel was delighted to hear this, "That''s great!" Not only because Lyrian got his sword fixed, but also because he didn''t turn out to be a liar in the end.

    ''Phew! That was a close one.'' He nervously thought to himself as he scratched his head.

    "Oh yea, I almost forgot. Here''s a gift for you." Lyrian said, pulling out the Poison Spider''s fangs before handing them over to Igniel.

    The dwarf''s face lit up from shock as he saw what was in Lyrian''s hand, "What!? Tha-that''s impossible!" He eximed.

    *Rumble rumble*

    Just then, a small cavequake seemed to begin, as dwarves quickly poured into Igniels ce. Igniel took the fangs and put them on his work desk.

    "Are those Poison Spider fangs!?" Drodos suddenly said, seeming to appear out of thin air.

    "You again!?" Alten yelled, confused at how Drodos always was there when a cavequake happened.

    "Yea... I used the sword Brokkr fixed to give it the final blow. It was a difficult fight bu--" Lyrian said as he walked to the work desk, but was interrupted by the perplexed Igniel.

    "No... you don''t understand Lyrian. This creature was not a normal one. It was an elder, something that is far stronger than a normal variant."

    As Igniel said this, Lyrian got a thought, ''That''s what Gear said as well...''

    "We haven''t been able to take care of it for decades! This..." Igniel seemed to be left speechless, "You!" He suddenly eximed, as all the other 8 or so dwarves inside of the building also came closer and listened in, their expressions full of shock and surprise at what they were hearing.

    "You''re a hero! A hero to this vige!" Igniel suddenly yelled as the entire room broke out into cheer.

 Chapter 95 Federal Official

    ?

    Lyrianughed awkwardly on hearing this, "Uh... what?"

    "The spawn of this beast has been tormenting us for a long time! The reason was because of this bastard Elder Poison Spider that we couldn''t kill, but now, you have gone and freed us from this torment!" Drodos eximed in celebration.

    Hearing this, Leon couldn''t help butugh at Lyrian''s awkward-looking face and odd situation, and Alten burst out into a full-blownugh. As dwarves started to gather around Lyrian, his expression became helpless and desperate.

    Looking over at his friends, he said, "Hey! Stopughing and help me out here!"

    After a short pause, Alten began to chant, "Lyrian! Lyrian!" As the entire crowd joined in.

    At the moment the cavequake stopped, and everyone picked up Lyrian and took him outside, chanting his name in glory. Word quickly spread about who Lyrian was and what he did, and before long, nearly the entire vige had gathered to celebrate him, many leaving their duties to participate.

    In the midst of all this, Lyrian looked at the camera and broke the fourth wall, "How did this happen?" He said in misery...

    ***

    10 minutester, Lyrian was sitting in a nk wooden building that had a few windows on the walls. In the middle was a table with two chairs on either side and some portraits hung up as well.

    Lyrian awkwardly waited there, not knowing what was going on himself. He looked at the stuff on the table, cups, pen holders, small pieces of paper, paperwork, and amp made of amber.

    *m*

    The door suddenly opened asrge footsteps began to make their way toward Lyrian. Finally, arge, brutish man walked in front of his vision and sat down on the chair adjacent to him.

    He wore thick brown fur, had a long brown beard, and closely resembled a dwarf, except he was gaint instead. Probably over 7 feet ording to Lyrian''s estimations.

    "Hello, Lyrian the hero. I have heard much about you. I am the vige cheif, Darwin." The man--now considered by Lyrian to be a dwarf, said with a dignified tone. His voice was deep but calm.

    "Hello... why am I here?" Lyrian questioned, confused about what the hell was even going on at this point.

    "It''s simple, you now have full recognition of the people of this vige. And therefore, you also have recognition from me," The big dwarf changed his tone to a serious one, "You see, all jokes aside, many of our men have died to the Poison Spider and its spawns. Their wives, children, their families have all been devastated. Our crops struggle to grow due to spider attacks, our mining is slowed down, but worst of all, we lived in a constant state of terror. However... now that you have killed that elder spider, we finally are free from that burden!" His mood suddenly lightened up.

    "I see..." Lyrian said, not wanting to be immature in this situation.

    "I know that you must go soon, as you are on a time limit due to your exam, but I want to thank you thoroughly." Darwin proimed, with genuine gratitude in his tone.

    "It''s my pleasure to help you guys. Please, consider it as nothing. Knowing you guys are free from this burden is a very good thing to hear."

    Darwin paused before speaking, "Yes... but thanks are not enough, so our council has decided to give you a special elective title: Federal Official. You now have authority just below the vige chief. This authority also extends to all other dwarven viges and civilizations. However, please note that the size of the dwarven civilization may deduct or add to your authority depending on size and power. Nheless, this is the least we can do to truly express our gratitude." Darwin said a bright smile on his face.

    Lyrian was shocked speechless as he heard this. "I- thank you!" He said, "Thank you very much, but I don''t believe I am worthy of such a title for doing something so minor!" Lyrian said, feeling a little guilty. ''I didn''t even know that it was that bad... to be honest, I actually did just want to test out my sword.'' He thought to himself.

    "No! You must ept it!"

    With this, Lyrian left the chief''s office as a dwarven official, also obtaining a badge of certification. When he told Alten and Leon, they almost couldn''t believe it. Alten especially freaks out.

    "What!? You know, being a federal authority in a dwarven civilization is like one of my life''s dreams! You lucky bastard!"

    After themotion ended, Lyrian walked through the streets with the eyes of everyone around him glued to him with admiration. To say the least, it wasn''t a bad feeling.

    They scowered through the shops to buy thest few healing items and such for the trip before finally leaving the dwarven vige from the entrance they came through.

    Leon and Alten also said a meaningful goodbye to Gimli and Dori who guarded the front gates. Throughout their wait for Lyrian, they were of great help in training the two.

    "Listen, if you want to get further into the cave system quickly, we have a way for you. It takes a slight detour from the main cave system, but it will get you down much faster!" Gimli said, as Dori pulled out a small rolled-up map and handed it over.

    Alten received it with grace, "Really? This is a huge favor! Thank you very much!" He said in gratitude.

    "Don''t mention it. We have a bunch of thoseying around. It''s the least we could do to help you young folk." They both said in unison beforeughing whole heartily.

    After they said their final goodbyes to the two guards, they went on their way to first reach the main cave system from a while back. After getting there, they followed the map.

    There was a small route on there that was said to be slightly more dangerous but got to the main cave area far faster than the suggested route.

 Chapter 96 Into The Den

    ?

    <2 Hourster>

    Two hours passed as the group continued to walk through the cave. Following the maps instructions, they traveled away from the main cave pathway and ended up in a smaller one.

    It was about 10 feet wide and also 10 feet in height, not feeling too ustrophobic, but not spacious by any means. Still, it had a downward tilt to it, seeming to slope to the bottom quicker than the main pathway.

    Looking at the map, Alten noticed something and decided to point it out, "ording to this thing, the main cave room is pretty giant. It''s highlighted in green for some reason as well... or is that cyan?" He said.

    Lyrian peeked over at the map, "It looks close. Almost like we are soon to be there."

    Alten knew this wasn''t right, "No... we can''t be so close already. It probably means that it''s far below us, and will still take us quite a while to get there."

    *KREEE*

    "What the hell was that!?" Alten got freaked out at the sudden noise, turning around to face the direction it came from as the others did the same.

    On seeing what made the noise, a slightly irritated expression showed on Lyrian''s face, "Another one of these? How many single wandering goblins are there..." He said, staring at the goblin behind them.

    Alten was still a little nervous, "How did it even get there... I didn''t see any separate cave holes or pathways for like the past hour."

    Leon wasn''t impressed by it either, simr to Lyrian, "Who cares..." He said, unsheathing his de before dashing forward and slicing the goblin''s head clean off.

    After cleaning the blood off of the de with a swipe in the air, Leon retrieved the core and threw it back to Alten who was carrying most of the cores and keeping track of how many they had in total.

    As Alten reached up to grab the core with his right hand, another goblin suddenly appeared out of nowhere and grabbed the map from his left hand before beaming it down the cave path at full speed.

    "What?!" Alten eximed in shock.

    "After it!" Lyrian said, enhancing his feet as he instantly began to run, the others shortly following.

    "What a sly duo! They nned to take this because they knew it was valuable." Alten yelled in surprise as he ran.

    "They probably didn''t expect for one of them to die instantly though." Leon retorted.

    Although the goblin was indeed fast, thisnd being its biome, after all, Lyrian was easily catching up. In a few seconds, he was mere feet away from it.

    He swiped his hand to grab the goblin off of the floor, but to his surprise, the goblin ducked under and began sliding down the cave. At that moment, Lyrian slightly stumbled as well, noticing the severe decline that the cave just reached.

    Nheless, the braced himself and started to slide down as well, soon arriving close to the goblin once again as he attempted to grab him for a second time. This time, the goblin suddenly stopped in its tracks before dashing sideways into a hole in the wall.

    "What!? This little shit!" Lyrian said as he slid down past the hole along with the others.

    Alten became worried as he saw this, "No! The map!" He eximed, looking up at the hole he was continuously getting farther from.

    Lyrian became frustrated, "Damnit! I''m not actually going the lose the damn thing!" He said, taking out his sword as he dug it into the floor.

    Using that as leverage he pulled himself up to where the hole was before entering through face first.

    Leon dug his sword into the ground as well to stop himself from sliding as he held onto Alten''s hand, before following Lyrian and entering the hole as well.

    Lyrian crawled through the 4 by 4-foot pitch-dark hole for only a few seconds before suddenlying to a fully inclined slope and sliding down. Before he knew it, he hadnded in a small cavern room that was round and about 15 by 15 feet with many smaller pathways in between.

    Alten and Leon soon fell in as well, as Alten quickly yelled, "This! It''s a goblin den!" Seeing the random sword hilts on the ground along with pieces of cloth and stones.

    "Where did the goblin go? There are too many pathways!" Lyrian said, looking around at the 3 pathways in front of him.

    "Split up!" Leon said, running toward the right one. Lyrian went in the middle one, as Alten reluctantly ran toward the left one, ''Oh god! Hopefully, I won''t fail alone! Without those two, I''m not fit to be here!''

    Determined, Leon ran quickly through the cavern path. As he saw goblins in his path, he sliced them instantly before moving on. Finally, he arrived at a giant opening.

    It was close to 50 by 50 feet in size, arge room of stone fit for a fight.

    *KREEII*

    ''What the!?'' Leon thought to himself, hearing the abrupt scream. Dashing to the side and turning around, he saw arge, ogre-like creature stand up from its stone throne and face him.

    It wore colorful regalia, a few feathers arched on the top of its head. He immediately recognized it as being a part of the goblin-mega species, as its abnormallyrge face resembled that of normal goblins.

    In its right hand was a dark drum made of deerskin and on its right a metal drumstick.

    Out of nowhere, the creature spread both of his hands out into the air like wings, before quickly mming the drumstick into the drum in the middle.

    A loud, powerful booming noise resonated through the cave at once, sending a woozy feeling down Leon''s spine that made him feel like falling to one knee, but he resisted the feeling and stood his ground.

    "You want to challenge me head huh?" He said, feeling as though he knew that the beast wanted to fight.

    "Fine, ill fight you." A slight smirk appeared on his face as he unsheathed his de, his eyes glowing white.

    This creature... was a Hobgoblin Shaman. Simr to the one Lyrian fought.

 Chapter 97 Individual Encounters

    ?

    Lyrian ran through the cave pathways at full speed with his Enhanced legs, his eyes scanning each part of the cavern room openings, cave pathways, and every other crevice that he came into.

    He ignored most of the goblins but still punched those that were on his way to obliteration. Finally, after running for over 40 seconds, he caught a glimpse of a goblin also running away, a map looking to be in its hands.

    Seeing this, Lyrian''s eyes opened wide, a smile forming on his face as he locked on target.

    However, the goblin dashed to the side again, going into another pathway. It felt like a giant maze, but nheless, Lyrian chased toward the thief.

    Alten on the other hand had also managed to kill some goblins on his way there but was totally freaked out by the idea of being all alone. He imagined something like an elder goblin, or maybe a mega-species or some sort of mutated goblin stronger than the rest just popping out of the corner.

    It was enough to send shivers down his spine. As he ran, he saw many ces that he could just stop and hide in until the search was over, but he forced himself to continue.

    He didn''t want to feel scared, it was not only a horrible feeling, but to him, also a pathetic one. He wanted to be brave like the other two but found it difficult. Nheless, he continued running and fighting goblins through the cave.

    Finally, he came across what seemed to be a dead end. It was a round 20 by 20-foot room with some helmets on top of sticks on the right-hand side.

    He slowed down, now only at a walking pace as he calmly made his way in. His heart was beating out of his chest, but he tried to maintain his serenity.

    To the left and right were small, 4-foot holes in the walls, and right ahead of him was a 4-foot trap door. As he arrived in the middle of the room, 4 goblins suddenly shot out from the side holes, quickly dashing toward him, armed with rusty stone daggers.

    Alten''s first instinct was the scream and cry out for help, shocked by the sudden assault, but he firmed his ground and pulled out his bow.

    "Damn it! If I can''t even take care of four goblins, I don''t deserve to travel with them!" He yelled, the statement also giving him motivation.

    He took two arrows and shot them straight at the roof, "Combustion Arrow!", Suddenly causing a giant explosion of fire. This resulted in a smoke of dust that quickly filled the room.

    The goblins were thrown off by this, dashing back as Alten also dashed backward into the cave pathway that he came from, "There''s no way I can be surrounded here," He thought to himself.

    For an archer or any long ranged fighter, the main weakness that Alten was taught was being surrounded. For a close-range fighter, it was to be cornered, but for long-range fighters, being cornered was nowhere near as bad.

    Having a vision of each of the goblinsing toward him, he aimed an arrow right in the middle of them all before shooting it. As it flew, he quickly grabbed another arrow from his quiver and shot it toward the first one.

    The second arrow instantly split the first one in two, making both sides go sideways as they pierced through two of the goblins.

    "Only two remaining!" He said, quickly shooting one more. Thest one was far too close to him to shoot, but before he could even get out of the way, it jumped in the air toward him, nearing speeds way faster than before.

    ***

    After unsheathing his de, Leon dashed forward toward the Hobgoblin Shaman. The hobgoblin also dashed forward very quickly, using the Enhance ability.

    The two met in the middle as Leon swung his sword toward the beast''s abdomen from the side--nearly reaching the beast''s stomach before being stopped by a charged-up fist that quickly deflected the sword.

    Still, a shallow cut was left on the hand of the hobgoblin, as it dashed quickly behind Leon and attacked once again.

    Leon tried to turn around, but as he did the hobgoblin appeared in front of him andnded its punch, sending Leon flying backwards.

    As hended, a serious expression formed on his face, his eyebrows now curled inwards. He sheathed his sword, grabbing on closely to the hilt as he took a deep breath and entered an attack stance.

    As the hobgoblin stormed toward him, Leon suddenly blitzed forward and appeared behind the beast in a split second, sheathing his sword once again.

    Behind him, the torso of the hobgoblin slowly slid off andnded on the ground, its lower body slowly thudding down as well soon after.

    After this Leon turned around and collected the core from the creature. ''This room looks to be a dead end, I''ll have to get back to where Lyrian is as soon as possible.'' He thought to himself, quickly beginning to dash back the way he came.

    ***

    Lyrian''s pursuit of the goblin took him deeper into the maze of cave pathways, each turn seemingly leading to another twist and turn. With his Enhanced legs propelling him forward, he was able to navigate thebyrinthine passages with remarkable speed and agility.

    As he raced around a sharp corner, he found himself facing a dead end, a small circr room illuminated dimly by bioluminescent fungi growing on the walls. The goblin, map still in its grasp, stood at the center of the chamber, breathing heavily from its frantic escape.

    Lyrian slowed his pace as he entered the room, the adrenaline of the chase still coursing through his veins. The goblin red at him with a mix of fear and defiance, its beady eyes darting between Lyrian and the trapdoor behind him.

    In a yful gesture, Lyrian shed a grin at the goblin, enjoying the situation he was now in, knowing that the goblin could understand his expression. He took a deliberate step forward, prompting the goblin to retreat further toward the back, wanting to make sure it was cornered and had no escape.

    Meanwhile, Alten''s heart pounded in his chest as he raced through the dark cave passages, backtracking to rejoin Lyrian and Leon. Back during the fight, he barely managed to duck below the attack before mming his bow into the goblin to push it away before abruptly shooting it.

    His fear subsided slightly after his sessful encounter with the goblins, for the most part, but he knew he had to reunite with the others in case anything else were to happen.

    The sound of distantmotion ahead spurred Alten''s determination. He could sense that someone was nearby, and he quickened his pace, trusting in their abilities to handle any situation they encountered before he got back.

 Chapter 98 Puppetry Of The Goblins Curse

    ?

    Alten rushed through the cave systems, feeling okay to take on any forced goblin encounters, but still wary of sudden attacks. Each time he turned a corner, the thought of a goblin being right there, ready to stab him as he came through was imminent.

    As he ran, the pathways began to look the same as each other, slightly confusing him, "Which way did Ie from?" He said, rushing forward.

    He ran quickly not only because he wanted to help out Leon and Lyrian, but also because he didn''t want to be alone for so long.

    As he ran, he suddenly came across a fairlyrge opening. It was simr to the other ones, except bigger. Still seeing the other pathways, he charged forward to go into them, but as he did so he was suddenly stopped by something.

    Out of nowhere, his body stood still, almost as if something had frozen it in ce, ''Huh!?'' He immediately thought to himself in confusion as he looked around the room and surveyed if there were any goblins inside.

    Almost every cave room had a goblin, but he would just ignore them for the most part. He was surprised they hadn''t grouped up behind him thus far but wasn''tining either.

    Looking around, there seemed to be only one goblin. It looked odd, it was an old goblin, but also wore purple regalia and wielded a small, crooked wooden staff.

    ''A goblin without a dagger?'' He thought to himself as the goblin lifted its staff in the air and twirled it around, chanting a spell at the same time.

    "Kesus jiaos joeu koei kaue kats!" It spoke, thrusting its staff forward as an odd, chilling feeling suddenly overcame Alten.

    He still couldn''t figure out why he couldn''t control his body and limbs, but before he could think any more about that his hand started to raise in front of him, not ording to hismand but on its own.

    Alten was shocked. It was enough to cause shivers to run down his back. Not having control of one''s own body was a creepy thought.

    ''What the hell!? Is this the goblins doing?'' He thought as the hand stopped parallel to the ground in the air.

    After a short dy, the hand abruptly swung towards his stomach and punched him hard, making him exim slightly in pain as he coughed.

    ''What the!? I can''t do anything!'' He yelled in his mind, trying to control his body with his full willpower, but nothing seemed to be happening.

    After this, his body slowly began to walk on its own before stopping near the side of the cave walls and bending down to pick up a rusty dagger. Alten saw but couldn''t prevent any of this, almost as if he was a doll attached to strings or a robot controlled by a remote.

    Again, his hand slowly rose like when he punched himself, but this time, it was armed with a broken dagger. Even though it wasn''t in tip-top condition, Alten did not doubt that it was enough to kill him if it were to be jabbed into him with the same force as the punch.

    As the hand rose, Alten freaked out inside, ''No no stop! Stop! Please! Fuck! How the hell am I meant to do anything? Am I going to fail here!?'' He yelled as his eyes darted across his vision of the room to see if there was anything that could help him.

    His efforts to find something bore no fruit, as the hand stopped at parallel once again. At that moment, Alten''s heart dunk down into his chest as he stared at the dagger, his entire body shaking in fear.

    *Step step step*

    Suddenly, rapid footsteps sounded from one of the cave pathways. After a few seconds, Leon dashed into the cave room that Alten was in, his eyes immediately widening as he saw what was happening.

    "What the?" He said, dashing toward Alten before knocking the dagger out of his hand, "What are you thinking?" His eyes quickly darted to the robed goblin and back to Alten.

    Alten tried to speak, but only his eyeballs moved around frivolously, nothing being able toe out of his mouth. Noticing how bizarre this was, Leon decided to end the problem by killing the goblin.

    He dashed toward the goblin, but before he could do anything or take his sword out, his entire body froze in ce, ''Huh?''

    Just then, Alten found that his ability to talk returned. After breathing arge breath of relief mixed with exasperation, he spoke," I can speak!"

    ...

    "Leon! Did it get you too? It tries to make you hurt yourself with weapons!" He said, as his body suddenly picked up the broken dagger from the floor once again, "Wait... what the hell!?"

    Alten thought the situation was better, now that Leon was here, but realized that it was now even worse. Not only was Leon also stuck in the trap, but he was now faced with the same problem as before with the dagger.

    "Shit!" He eximed in frustration, ''What do I do!? Now, Leon''s in a situation where he can fail as well! Would this not have happened if I wasn''t here? If I didn''t trigger that goblin spell in the first ce!?''

    As Alten continued to think to himself, Leon slowly began walking over to another rusty knife.

    Suddenly, just at that moment, an idea popped up in Alten''s head. "Hey, goblin!" He yelled, hoping that it could understand him since it was chanting spells before. If it couldn''t his n would be destroyed, but if there was any chance that it could, both him and Leon could be saved.

    Hearing this, the goblin''s ears suddenly perked up, as it looked at Alten, ''It can understand? Then I might as well go for it!'' He said in his mind as he yelled, "Look at that sharp de on his hilt! it would be much easier to kill himself with that!"

 Chapter 99 Illuminated Depths

    ?

    As Alten said this, the goblin''s long elf-like ears perked up once again, as it tilted its head slightly back and to the side. After a few seconds of pausing, it cast its staff once again.

    On doing so, Leon stopped moving towards the dagger and froze in ce. After another few short seconds, his hand slowly began to reach for the hilt of his de.

    Realizing this, Leon was happily surprised, ''Nice one... Alten.'' He smirked in his mind.

    Finally, Leon''s hand reached the hilt of his de as he slowly pulled it out from its sheath. Uponing all the way out, his eyes began to glow a burning white color.

    Finally, he took a deep breath...

    "Leon! Quickly! My hand is about to kill me!" Alten hurriedly yelled, as his hand suddenly shot toward his stomach. ''No!''

    In one swift motion, Leon lunged forward, slicing the head of the robed goblin right off, as the de neared Alten also stopped in its tracks just a few centimeters away from his stomach, with him regaining control of his hand.

    "Let''s go to Lyrian," Leon said as he sheathed his sword once again, already beginning to dash forward.

    Alten was still taken aback, the threat of almost failing to make him feel almost woozy. Seeing Leon take back to action so quick, he couldn''t help but feel some admiration. Not wanting to be behind, he also picked up his pace and began to run behind Leon.

    Back in the circr room, Lyrian decided to try and get the goblin away from the trap door behind it. He took a step backward, pretending to relent, hoping the goblin would take the bait and make a move. The goblin, however, seemed wary of the trap door and held its ground, clutching the map protectively.

    Seeing this, Lyrian decided to formte a n. He picked up one of the helmets from the sticks on the right-hand side of the room and tossed it lightly in the air, causing the goblin to nce at the distraction. Taking advantage of the momentary diversion, he lunged forward, aiming to disarm the goblin and retrieve the map.

    In a coordinated motion, he swiped his hand toward the goblin to grab the map, but right as his hand made contact with it, the goblin dashed backward, going right through the trap door.

    ''...'' Lyrian was left speechless, so close to his goal yet now seemingly so far.

    "Lyrian!" Leon suddenly said, entering the room with Alten shortly behind him.

    "We can''t waste time!" Lyrian shouted, an irritated expression on his face as he jumped straight through the trap door.

    Leon was stunned for a millisecond as he saw this, caught off by Lyrian suddenly jumping into a random trapdoor, but he quickly shrugged it off as he didn''t stop running and jumped into it as well. Seeing this from a few seconds behind, Alten too had no choice but to jump in.

    As Lyrian jumped in, he expected to have to begin crawling through a small area, but instead, he fell down a hole that went straight downwards.

    Illuminated with colorful moss, the hole was over 5 by 5 feet in size.

    "What the hell!?" He eximed as he stuck next to one of the walls and slid down. All of his air was thrown up as he continued to fall, feeling as though it would never end.

    Soon, however, he could see the goblin down below him, at that point, he also heard Alten''s terrified scream, making that he had also entered into the hole.

    Just as he began to catch up with the goblin, he noticed that reached for a hole in the wall, probably looking to get away. However, before it could get inside of that hole, Lyrian caught up to it and snatched the map from its hands before falling more downward.

    The goblin managed to make its way onto the ledge, but in the end, lost the map. However, as it saw the three fall down, a sinister smile formed on its face before it chuckled slightly and turned around to walk away.

    It had been over 10 seconds of falling so far, but the fall seemed to not end any time soon. After the 15th second, the hole suddenly opened up to a massive cavity stretching over 20 feet in width and length!

    Double the time passed from that moment as they continued to fall straight down the pit, and after 32 seconds, Lyrian was the first to fall into the water down below.

    As soon as hended, he felt the warm,forting water engulf him, but his moment was disrupted by Leon and Alten falling on top of him. Thankfully, the water was deep enough so that he didn''t take any damage, seeming to be about 12 feet deep.

    As Lyrian surfaced in the bright, light blue water, he found himself awestruck by the spectacle before him. The fall had led them into a vast underground cave system, unlike any they had ever seen. The cavern opened up into a breathtaking expanse, easily stretching hundreds of feet in width and length.

    Luminescent stone nts adorned the walls, casting a soothing, iridescent glow that illuminated the entire chamber. The nts ranged in size and shape, resembling delicate crystals, radiant flowers, and ethereal vines.

    Their soft glowbined with the shimmering reflections on the water''s surface created a surreal and tranquil ambiance, despite the adrenaline still coursing through their veins from the fall.

    The vibrant nts seemed to have a symbiotic rtionship with the giant glowing ponds scattered throughout the cave. The ponds, like pools of liquid stardust, pulsed with magical energy, and the reflections from the luminescent nts danced on their surfaces. The water emitted a gentle warmth.

    Lyrian''s eyes widened as he gazed upwards, realizing that the ceiling of the cave was dotted with clusters of bioluminescent crystals, creating an impression of a starry night sky deep within the earth. The crystals emitted a soft, calming glow, bathing the cavern in a myriad of colors, reminiscent of the aurora borealis.

    As they swam towards the edge of the glowing pond, they discovered a rocky shore bathed in vibrant light. The shore was scattered with peculiar, luminescent rocks that glowed with varying intensities, almost as if they responded to the presence of the adventurers.

    Curiously, as Lyrian held the goblin''s map, he noticed that the glowing stones reacted, emitting faint pulses of light in sync with the symbols marked on the map.

 Chapter 100 The Converging Paths

    Alten looked over Lyrian shoulder at the map, "What the hell! The glowing part of the map... that''s the main room of the cavern!" He said, quickly walking up next to the map to catch a better glimpse as Leon also walked closer.

    "These rocks, when they pulsate, so does that colored part of the map. Does that mean..." Lyrain suddenly looked up to the mesmerizing view around and above him, "We are here?" He said his tone in awe.

    A smile formed on his face, "Great, we got here way faster than expected. That goblin saved us multiple days. Hahaha!" Heughed, genuinely happy getting there so quick.

    Alten was also excited, "Woohooo! This is awesome!" He celebrated.

    Leon also took a deep look around, "Huh... how lucky."

    "Hey look, what the hell?" Alten suddenly said, looking down at his clothes, "They''re dry." He stretched out his shirt.

    The other two also did the same, "It looks like this water doesn''t soak into your clothes?" Lyrian confusedly said.

    Alten rejoiced, "It just keeps getting better and better! What a great ce."

    They walked up from the beach and arrived on dry grasnd, which was still colorful due to the multicolored crystals and rocksying around, and the colorful nts as well.

    Looking at the ce from this angle, they realized the ginormous tree in the middle. It was of colossal size, reaching the roof of the cavern as it glew a brilliant golden color.

    They were currently on the east side of the cavern. When looking ahead they could see a straight path above the pools of light-blue water that lead directly to the tree in the middle.

    There were noticeably only 8 of these paths that connected the side of the cavern to where the tree was. Everything else was beaches and ponds of colorful personalities.

    Each of the paths came to the tree in an exact direction, north, northeast,  east, southeast, south, southwest, west, and northwest. From a bird''s eye view, it formed a type of star.

    ''Clear paths that lead to the three huh... I wonder what caused this type of exact formation.'' Lyrain thought as he looked at the other paths. Just then, something far in the distance at the end of a separate path caught his attention.

    He could barely recognize what he was seeing, but something that he knew for sure was that it was moving. There were multiple figures of something moving in the distance, seeminglying closer to the three on their path.

    "Guys, let''s head towards the tree. Clearly, the purpose of these paths is to lead to it, so I assume that''s indicating us to go there." He said, as the others agreed and followed him.

    As he walked, the figures in the distance began revealing themselves as other examinees. 5 in total. He looked at another path as well and there were some there too.

    His eyes darted from path to path, as on each one he saw a different group of kids, "You guys seeing this..." He asked calmly.

    Leon nodded, having already noticed it before Lyrian. Alten on the other hand had no clue what he was talking about, "What?" He then took a closer look around, sobering himself from the daze of beauty that came from the cave.

    "What the hell!?" He eximed in shock, now realizing that there were other examinees here.

    Lyrian''s face looked determined, "We might have to prepare for a fight soon. Be ready." He said as the other two straightened their backs and fixed their tones, bing ready for an iing attack or dangerous situation.

    Finally, they made it onto the tform of ground that the ginormous tree was standing on. Just by standing next to it, Lyrian felt smaller than a fly. Its circumference alone was enormous, seemingly over 400 feet.

    The round piece ofnd it was on that all the paths led to was evenrger, allowing for over 50 feet of walking space on all sides of the tree. One side, however, had 80 feet of space apart from the bottom of the tree. This site wasn''t connected to any path, but on it was something that looked like a shrine.

    Lyrian''s group was pretty close to it so they arrived to that side first, as the other groups began slowly pouring in. Seeing Lyrian''s group, the second group to arrive was almost star-struck.

    The one who lead the group wore a white robe with red lining. He had dark red hair that flowed down to his shoulders, a diadem resting atop his forehead, and a pair of brilliant emerald eyes.

    Seeing Lyrian and the others, an expression of confusion, shock, and even a little bit of anger and frustration washed across his face. Two others behind him also looked to wear their own respective robes.

    However, Lyrian identified them all from their weapons. The main one seemingly wielded a normal sword, seeing the sheath holstered on his waist. The second one behind who had short ck hair wielded a long white-silver rod that he ced on his traps and hung his hands over nonchntly. Finally, the third one wielded arge metal staff with a blue crystal adorned at the top of it.

    They all look dignified, their clothes barely even stained, and their faces unremarkably wless. Clearly, they weren''t just very high-status nobles, maybe even royals, but they were also very strong.

    They made their way beside Lyrian''s group and stood there silently. Still, Lyirna and the others could simply feel some sort ofpetitive, angry aura flowing from them.

    Multiple other groups arrived shortly, all of them seeming formidable. Clearly, on the sight of them, no one expected them to be there before them, or even at all. Or at least, it felt like that from the gazes.

    In the end, even Arthur''s group arrived, which was a pleasant surprise. They had a short but good reaction, saying hello. As they exchanged what happened between themselves, it marked the end of the pour of examinee groups that came from the paths.

    In the end, there was a total of 35 kids gathered there.

 Chapter 101 Clash Of Realities; Brutal Truths

    ?

    After a short while of dull conversations that urred between some of the groups, the emerald-eyed boy stepped up ahead of everyone, standing next to the tree with his two subordinates behind him as he spoke.

    "Be quiet!" He suddenly announced as silence washed through the crowd.

    Lyrain and Leon weren''t speaking, and Alten, who was speaking to Arthur''s crew, quieted down anyways. After all, he was used to being quiet when a high-status noble said to do so. It wasn''t just some formality, it was almost aw. A punishable one at that.

    The emerald-eyed boy looked through the crowd as everyone quieted down, before finally speaking, "I am Zoldith Greenwald III. For now, I will elect myself as the leader of this group."

    As he said this, another wave of awkward silence sounded amongst the group. Almost everyone there already knew this boy''s name and knew the authority he held.

    Although Lyrian didn''t know that himself, he thought, ''Huh...'' Slightly confused as to why anyone would elect themselves to be the leader of a group, or how this there clump of kids even came to be a group in the first ce.

    Curious, he decided to hear the boy out. Needless to say, he was almost clueless about the inner details of this exam, as shown to him throughout the entirety of it, due to hisck of backing and connections. Coming from a poor background, his arsenal of knowledge was less than a noble''s.

    On hearing this, Leon nced his eyes at Lyrian for his response. Seeing this, Lyrian simply nodded. Leon understood this as Lyrian being okay with what was going on, so he didn''t do anymore.

    �Ѧ���d��s����vel.c��m It wasn''t as if Leon thought Lyrian would want to be the leader instead, but if he would want to be a part of the group or not.

    "Since there are no obje--" As Zoldith, the emerald-eyed boy, began talking, a sudden voice cut off him to the surprise of many there.

    "Huhhh? Who the hell do ya'' think you are? Suddenly saying you are my leader, cunt." Cedric suddenly stepped up and spoke nonchntly, his tone mixed with a bit of anger as he had his hand on his hilt.

    Gasps of shock waved through the crowd as they heard this.

    "What the hell are you saying! Apologize!" Ss from Cedric''s own group quickly scolded him, knowing Zoldith.

    "What an idiot..." Another kid from a different group said.

    "Rest in pieces to his family... aha!" Some kidughed.

    Cedric didn''t just ignore this, "What the fuck are all of you losersughing at? Huh? You wanna get beaten up too?" He shouted, looking around as he quieted most of the kids down.

    "Don''t pretend like you all are somehow better than me. All you lowlifes are doing is sucking up to the guy with more power so he can piss on your family and your family can drink it for some nourishment. How pathetic." He outright said, not thinking about it for even a second.

    "Hey! What the hell did you say!?" The kid who wasughing at him before became angry, Cedric''s statement hurting his ego.

    "Pfft... hahaha!" Lyrian suddenly burst out into a ball of genuineughter, stunning everyone there as they looked at him.

    Although Cedic was a doofus who said and did whatever he wanted without thinking about it, even Lyrian knew that he was right there, and seeing the faces of the other nobles on his statement was enough to make himugh out loud.

    Especially the face of Zoldith, who was still quiet since he was interrupted.

    Clenched his fist slightly, Zoldith spoke, "What''s... so funny." He said, his voice seemingly calm.

    Before Lyrain could reply, Cedric spoke, "What? Ignore that fool, he will be eliminated by me soon. Tell me, what makes you think you can be my leader?"

    As Cedric said this, the boy to Zoldith''s left who wielded a rod slowly stepped forward. Before it wasn''t so easy to notice this, but this boy was very tall for his age, about 5''3'''' in stature. His muscles were also far more defined through his clothing. His eyes looked ferocious, like a wild predator despite him calmly leaning on his silver rod.

    After getting 10 feet away from Cedric, who was also apart from the main crowd, the boy took his rod and thrust it into the ground beside him with one push before beginning to crack his knuckles.

    "What did you just say?" He said, cracking his neck.

    Alten was even more irritated by the demeanor of the guy, "What? Are you trying to intimidate me?"

    After closing his eyes and cracking both sides of his neck, the tall boy opened his eyes and gazed directly into Cedric''s with an extremely serious expression.

    "You don''t understand the real world. The reason why these piss-drinkers suck up to us..." He paused, looking at those who wereughing at Cedric before as they quickly darted their gazes down toward the floor in embarrassment.

    The stare made them feel like wanting to break down and cry right there. They were no longer a part of the noble side, nor even the peasant. They were now just... piss drinkers. (Author note: lol)

    His gaze directed back to Cedric, "Is because they are smart enough to know the consequences of not doing so. Those who defy us, meet punishment." He said, his voice resonating an impending doom.

    "Punishment? Just go ahead and try to punish me." Cedric arrogantly eximed.

    "Your mother." The boy said.

    "What?" Cedric was slightly confused.

    "Your father, your sister, brother. Your entire family will die a meaningless death. Your children will be enved, and your pets will be thrown to the dogs. Your friends will be imprisoned, and your acquaintances will be jailed. That is the reality of those who defy us. We decide what can happen to not just your pathetic life, but everyone who has ever even spoken to you." He said with wide eyes of intensity, as his words settled in like bricks in the stomach.

    Everyone knew what he was talking about, they knew that he was correct. It was a cold, brutal truth of the world.

    "We are more powerful than you. That is all that matters. Now get down on your knees and bow down to me 10 times peasant, Or... I will eliminate you right here."

 Chapter 102 Clashing Wills

    ?

    On hearing this the crowd of students went silent. They were scared to speak out at all against the three robed kids who held status right now.

    All of them knew who they were, popr prodigies from the northern side of the nation.

    The staff wielder, Hashus. The rod wielder, Kang. Sword wielder, Zoldith.

    On top of that, they also yearned to see the kid who bashed them get eliminated or bow down to a high-status noble to feed their egos.

    Seeing this, Lyrian honestly couldn''t care less. ''I wonder what this shrine is all about.'' He thought to himself, looking at therge, enclosed metal object beside him.

    At that moment, he saw Arthur tense up his bodynguage and clench his fist. ncing at his face for a split second, he caught a glimpse of worry etched all over it.

    Ss, who had warned Cedric before, was slightly shaking. ''Cedric is a powerful role in our group�� If he gets eliminated, will we make it?'' He thought to himself nervously. On top of that, the two had also made a sort of bond together, albeit toxic.

    After going through hardships, the bond between people strengthened, no matter how difficult they are to handle.

    ''Damn it, man! How could he get himself in this situation.'' Han thought, also questioning what to do. He knew that no one in the group would be able to do anything if Kang, the boy threatening him Cedric were to actually try and eliminate him from the exam.

    Hugo also wasn''t happy either, ''Cedric�� you fool.''

    "So! What will it be?" Kang shouted. He had a slightly malicious smile on his face.

    Cedric hadn''t anticipated actually being eliminated from the exam. He wanted to fight the bastard right here but also sensed how his group was feeling behind him.

    He put his head down for a moment to think, causing some nobles in the crowd tough slightly in a mocking way.

    Lyrian sensed this tension amongst Arthur''s crew, ''They don''t want one of their group members to go huh��'' He thought to himself, also thinking of what thoughts coulde to a person''s mind when their friend was in danger. Would logic win out? Or simply the thought of saving their friend?

    For now, he decided to stay back from the situation. At the very least, all he wanted was to have as many people as possible for this final fight, which seemed to be a group fight when looking at the pathways leading to one ce.

    Cedric thought to himself about what to do for a while. He finally lifted his head and said, "Fin--" He cut himself off, ncing back to his tense teammates for only a moment before turning his head back to face Kang, "Fuck you!"

    On saying this, Kang grabbed his rod from the ground and swung it at Cedric. This happened in under one second, like some sort of jump scare. Cedric didn''t anticipate it, but to Kang, the consequences of such a decision were already written in stone.

    The rod neared mere inches from mming into Cedric''s face and breaking all of the bones in his skull when suddenly all four of his teammates appeared in front of him.

    Ss and Arthur blocked the rod with their wands while Han and Hugo went in for the kill, Han thrusting his de forward toward the boy''s neck as Hugo swung his axe toward his abdomen.

    Seeing this happen in a split second, Kang''s malicious smile widened as he dashed backward to avoid the attacks.

    ''Shit... this is what I didn''t want to happen.'' Lyrian thought to himself as he saw what was unfolding.

    After dashing away, Kang was right next to his teammates. At once, they all dashed forward with their weapons in hand.

    Their speed was so quick that Arthur''s team couldn''t react. Just as the robed examinees neared a few feet away, Lyrian and Leon suddenly appeared between both groups.

    "Stop this now!" Lyrian said, blocking both Kang, the rod-wielding boy, and Hashus, the boy wielding the staff -- with his new de.

    Leon didn''t speak, simply blocking Zoldith''s sword, his eyes glowing brightly. He whispered under his breath, "Iron Maiden."

    Just before his attack couldnd, Zoldith felt a dangerous aura and quickly backed off. "Che!" He eximed in irritation.

    Being blocked by Lyrian, Hashus also backed off, not seeing a reason to try and go through him. However, Kang, his smile still prevalent, decided to push further.

    "This peasant... hahaha! You don''t know who I am!" Heughed whole heartily, finding joy in the situation as he pushed his rod forward in one swoop.

    Lyrian''s face adopted a serious expression, feeling the force of Kang''s push. Using Enhance more to further boost the strength in his arm, he also pushed his de forward -- throwing Kang suddenly off bnce as he stumbled backward, the smile on his face bing a confused frown.

    Many gasps tore through the crowd as they saw this. "What the!? Did that kid just overpower Kang!?"

    "Kang''s the powerhouse of the three-robed ones! That kid, did he just get lucky?!" Another shouted in shock.

    The three examinees prepared tounch another attack, a new obstacle in their way, but Lyrian yelled before they could lunge in, "I don''t want to fight you, but if you are going to try and eliminate over 5 kids from this exam, I have to stop you." He said, swinging his sword to the side and Leon stood beside him.

    "What?" Zoldith said, surprised at the tone this peasant was talking to him after what just happened.

    "This uing exam challenge, It''s a group challenge, right? Isn''t that why you wanted to be the leader in the first ce?" Lyrian said, thinking of no other logical possibility.

    "Yes, and so what of it!?" Zoldith retorted.

    "Then, we need as much manpower as possible. If you don''t think so..." Lyrian paused as the people around got shocked at the tone he was talking in.

    This tone was only normal for Lyrian since he couldn''t care less about nobility. Leon and Alten were already used to it, but others were utterly shocked at the gall of the kid.

    "Then I don''t give a shit! I still won''t let you take away 5 examinees from this challenge."

 Chapter 103 The Art Of Smithing: Forging A Defiant Victory

    ?

    The jaws of everyone dropped to the floor. This was nothing less than a direct challenge to the robed ones.

    ''Who are these brats to talk like this to Zoldith and the others!?'' Some kids thought to themselves in shock.

    ''Who do these brats think they are!?'' Others thought instead.

    Zoldith paused before speaking, "Fine. We won''t eliminate them." He suddenly said to everyone''s surprise except for Lyrian and Leon.

    "Good decision. There is no point in fighting to weaken our own forces." Lyrain said dignantly.

    "Yes... you''re right. But..." Zoldith paused as Kang, who was still fuming with rage after being pushed back by Lyrian, continued what Zoldith was going to say.

    "But you still defied our nobles. You fucks will need to face the consequences of going against those stronger than y--" Kang was abruptly cut off.

    "Stronger huh? Let''s pause on the consequence bullshit. How about we actually see who''s stronger first, and then decide if someone should get the consequences or not, and who that should be in the first ce." Lyrian said outright.

    "Wh-what did you say!? Don''t try to question our authority! From birth we are super--" Kang was cut off again.

    "If that''s right, then let''s test it. It will be less of a time waste anyways to have a simple duel between you and me. Whoever wins gets to decide what happens!" Lyrian grinned slightly as he said this, pointing his de toward Kang.

    A surge of anger erupted from Kang''s foot up to the top of his head on hearing this. A direct duel request like this in such a situation was the epitome of disrespect.

    The crowd was so dazed by shock they were still silent, but Zoldith was more reasonable. "No, of course, we''d deny such a pathetic request from a peasant like you. You don''t get to make th--" Suddenly, even Zoldith himself was cut off, but this time, not by Lyrian.

    "Fine, you rat! Fight me right here right now!" Kang stomping forward.

    "Wha- what!? Kang! What are you doing!" Zoldith shouted in shock. "He is a mere peasant! You dare ept his challenge through his own rules?"

    Kang angrily replied, arrogance spewing through him, "That''s right! He is just a peasant! One who will get demolished right here!"

    Zolidth paused as he heard this for a moment, "Che! Fine! But if you lose, then I won''t support you when ites to the consequences that he chooses." Zoldith retorted angrily.

    "Fine! It''s not like I''m going to lose to some peasant anyways!" Kang said, standing in the middle of the ground between Zoldith and Cedric, and the others, as Lyrian also stepped forward.

    Right now, Alten was in the corner, crying as he thought to himself, ''How in the world did this happen...!?''

    When Lyrian arrived about 10 feet away from his opponent, Kang didn''t waste any time and dashed forward, his rod in hand. He ran extremely quick, faster than any other opponent Lyrian had to face thus far.

    There was no doubt that his ability was monstrous. After reaching two feet from Lyrian, Kang dug his rod into the floor before grabbing onto it and swinging his body as he threw a kick at Lyrian''s face.

    The speed of the kick was hastened by Kang twisting his body on the rod, but Lyrian was still able to dodge it by ducking down. As he did this, a wave of surprised and impressed sounds coursed through the crowd.

    Currently, however, Lyrian wasn''t thinking how he usually thought when in a fight. Instead, he was fully in a trance of a flow-like state. This was him trying to use the art of smithing within his fighting style.

    The art of smithing wasn''t so much a fighting style in itself, but rather something that could be added to any fighting style that made it quicker and cleaner, more smooth and precise. After dodging Kang''s kick, he dashed behind him and jabbed his sword forward at the boy''s back.

    Before it could touch him, Kang took his rod and threw it above him from his back, deflecting Lyrian''s blow as itnded back into his hands.

    He swung his rod around him several times before swinging it down onto Lyrian''s head from above, "Rock Rod!" He yelled as the rod enveloped itself in a stone barrier.

    Lyrian dashed to the side to dodge this attack as well, barely being able to avoid being hit. This was when he noticed that in terms of magic prowess, the boy was not amazing at it.

    However, he made up for it with superhuman speed and strength.

    He felt the flow of battle coursing through him, the art of smithing seamlessly integrated into his every move. His actions were quick, clean, and precise, just like a master cksmith working on a masterpiece. With each strike he shed with Kang, he disyed a fluidity that left the audience in awe.

    Kang, though momentarily taken aback by Lyrian''s disy of power, quickly regained hisposure. He sneered, wiping a trickle of blood from his mouth, andunched himself at Lyrian once more.

    With a sudden burst of speed, Kang managed tond a ncing blow on Lyrian''s shoulder, causing him to stagger backward. The crowd gasped, thinking that the tables might have turned.

    But Lyrian''s determination only grew. He weed the pain as a reminder of the stakes at hand. He wouldn''t allow himself to falter.

    He saw an opening, a split second where Kang''s guard was slightly off afternding his blow. With a swift, precise movement, Lyrian delivered a devastating Shock Fist straight into Kang''s abdomen.

    The impact was tremendous. Kang''s eyes widened in agony, and the force of the blow sent him hurtling through the air. He crashed against the ground, skidding to a stop several feet away.

    The arena fell silent, and all eyes were on Kang, whoy motionless on the ground. The robed ones and the rest of the crowd couldn''t believe what they had just witnessed.

    �Ѧ���d��s����vel.c��m Lyrian stood there, his chest heaving from the intense battle. The green aura around his fist slowly dissipated. He hadn''t wanted to cause harm to the point that he was eliminated, but he had proven his point when it came to who was really stronger.

    Zoldith approached Kang, who was still conscious but clearly defeated.

 Chapter 104 Bow Down

    ?

    Zoldith looked into Kang''s defeated eyes, sneering his own, for a few seconds--walking away right afterward back to where Hashus was.

    Kang witnessed Zoldith going away and then stared at the bright ceiling of the cave for a few seconds, a dull expression on his face, before standing up and spitting some blood out of his mouth.

    Walking back over near the crowd, most were silent. They were shocked beyond belief at what they had just seen. Alten was nowughing at the scene, and so was Leon. These two had already seen something like this before in the preliminaries.

    A peasant dethroning the king.

    No one wanted to talk for fear of getting in trouble, sensing that emotions might be high right now and Kang might act rambunctiously after losing. Lyrian had already made his way back near the crowd, and Kang arrived as well after some waiting.

    He stood in front of Lyrian, who was in front of the crowd of examinees, "Okay. So, what do you want." Kang spoke nonchntly, his expression was bleak and his tone was simply monotone.

    "Oh yea... a punishment right? Consequences of being weaker, as you put it yourself." Lyrian loudly spoke, not shying away. He paused, ncing at the eyes of the crowd before continuing, them now shying their gazes from his stare, "Instead of a person weaker than you, a peasant, I am now stronger. I am greater than you, Kang. I am a noble, and you are a plebian. Bow down to me ten times, or get eliminated. The choice is your''s." He confidently said, staring directly into Kang''s eyes with a slight grin on his face.

    Kang was clearly taken aback when he heard this. His eyes widened slightly, he hadn''t expected this. His mouth also gaped slightly, as a few shocked noises and gasps reverberated from the crowd.

    He tried to stand a little bit of his ground, "Wha- You! You can''t make me do that! I am a nob--" He was abruptly cut off.

    "A noble? Someone stronger? How can that be true when you just lost to me." Lyrian didn''t waste any time in replying.

    Kang did not back down either in his rebuttal. Even the thought of bowing down in front of these people was enough to send shivers down his back, "I was born a noble! I was born from my noble parents!" He tried to refute, still iming his nobility as his friends watched from the sidelines.

    "Your parents?" Lyrian spoke mockingly, "Your parents, grandparents, your great-grandparents, you can continue this as long as you want. But, what makes that person greater than normal? What makes that person a noble?"

    Kang remained silent, not knowing how to respond in this situation.

    "It''s power, is it not? Strength? The ability to conjure mana? I am greater than you in all of these things." On saying this, Kang was even more awe-struck,pletely speechless.

    He looked back at Zolidth and Hashus, who simply looked away, ''An arrogant bufoon. He not only tried to honor a duel with a lowly peasant but even managed to lose. He can get any punishment for now for all I care, but that bastard isn''t going to walk consequence-free in the future either.'' Zoldith thought to himself, staring directly at Lyrian, ''Disrespecting that fool, and disrespecting all of the nobility have different merits.''

    As Kang continued to dy, he looked at Lyrian''s hand that was on the hilt of his de. He could feel the dangerous aura just exuding from him. ''He''s actually going to eliminate me any second... fuck this! I''m not bowing down to some peasant! I''d rather... id rather be eliminated than this!'' He said, moving his fingers just an inch to grab his rod, as he was instantly stopped by Zolidth who called out to him.

    "Kang!" He shouted in a serious voice, prompting Kang to look back over his shoulder quickly to see Zoldith''s furious eyes. On seeing this, he immediately moved his hand back to his side.

    Lyrian also let go of the squeeze while he was gripping the de, ''What an idiot. He almost got eliminated right there if that idiot over there hadn''t saved him.'' He thought to himself.

    Kang looked at the ground in defeat, ''Bowing might be worse than elimination, but I''m not going to anger Zoldith.'' He thought to himself, slowly getting down onto his knees.

    More gasps came from the crowd. Everyone had shocked expressions. Seeing this wasn''t normal by any means of the imagination, it almost felt like a crime just watching it.

    After getting on his knees, he put his palms on the ground, and slowly lowered his head until it touched the floor in front of Lyrian. He was clenching his teeth as he did this, a horrible feeling within him.

    However, after a split second of his forehead touching the ground, Lyrian suddenly kicked his shoulder, sending him tumbling backward right to where Zoldith and Hashus were.

    "Pathetic." Lyrian said as he went into the crowd, back to where Leon and Alten were, "Green-eyes! Continue your speech." He said as he walked.

    ''To be arrogant and to lose is one thing, but to admit your defeat too pathetically. What a failure.'' Lyrian thought as he stood next to the shrine again in his old position.

    Kang stood up, his face utterly defeated and nk, as he went and sat down and one of the roots of the tree that protruded out. After a short moment of silence, Kang began to speak. Although he was annoyed with Lyrian, that punishment would have to wait.

    "Im going to be your leader. Any other objec--" As he said this, Cedric suddenly interrupted.

    "Yea! I''m still not agreeing you fuck!" He said, Han''s hand suddenly touched his shoulder, prompting him to look back.

    As he turned, Han got out of the way and revealed Lyrian at the back, "I''ll give you a free sparter if you agree."

    Cedric didn''t pause even a second before replying, "You''re dead." He said in all seriousness as Ss and Han chuckled.

    "What the hell are you losersughing at!?"

    ...

    "This final quest is a team quest!" Zoldith said, immediately catching the attention of everyone, "It''s simple, we will all form smaller teams and fight the final creature right here!" He yelled as many gasps of amazement resounded in the crowd, them looking around the cavern once again.

    "What about the shrine?" Lyrian proposed a question.

    Seeing this, Zoldith paused, noticing it was Lyrian, "I don''t know. I don''t know what will be inside the altar and what role it will y. But, I do know that it is how we start this challenge. Also," He returned his attention to the entire crowd, "This creature... since it''s the final, boss creature, at least ording to my sources, it will be the golden-tiered one! I won''t say any more than that!"

    As he finished, many rejoiced upon hearing this. Their wishes were finally confirmed in the real world.

    "Yes! It''s finally time!" One eximed in joy.

    "I will get that damned core no matter what it takes!"

    "Hahaha! Let''s go!"

    After this, everyone was instructed by Zoldith to form groups and gather around the altar. Since everyone hade there already grouped up, it wasn''t hard for everyone to quickly surround the shrine.

    Finally, Zoldith ordered one representative of each group to put their hands on the shrine, and for the rest of the group to touch that person and that person only.

    As the final hand rested on the silver altar, it suddenly began to glow white. It got increasingly brighter, before finally opening up through the slit in the middle.

    It was utched like a machine contraption, as smoke came from the inside of it. As the smoke cleared, it revealed eight gemstones of various colors within.

    There was a blue gem, purple gem, red gem, green gem, pink gem, yellow gem, and orange gem. All of them were brilliant in their glow, far more deep and rich in color in contrast to the stones around the cavern.

    "There are eight groups and eight gems, so Im guessing everyone has to choose one," Zoldith announced for those who didn''t understand.

    Those who did, however, already picked up the gem of their choice. Lyrian picked up the gem closest to him, not knowing the difference between them as of yet: The purple gem.

    As thest person picked up their yellow gem, the gems became even more luminescent, before suddenly bursting into a thousand pieces as their colorful aura spread across the group that chose them.

    Lyrian''s team was surrounded by a thin purple aura, as an odd feeling of drowsiness suddenly assaulted them. It wasn''t a lot, but they felt slower in their movements out of nowhere.

    Other teams who felt this eximed in their dismay, "What the heck!?"

    "Were we poisoned by the gems!?" Looking around, it seemed everyone got the effect.

    [Warning]

    [You have been hit with a debuff]

    [Agility affected:��10]

    [Resistance to fire: ��10]

    [Resistance to water: ��10]

    [Resistance to earth: ��10]

    [Resistance to wind: ��10]

 Chapter 105 The Golden Tiered Creature Emerges!

    ?

    ''What the hell?'' Lyrian said, immediately feeling a weird sensation go down the back of his spine. ''We''ve all been debuffed... if we all got slowed, doesn''t that mean we all got the same debuffs that Gear told me as well?'' He thought to himself, ''But if that was the case, what was up with the different colors? Could it be possible that everyone got different debuffs apart from the slow down?''

    "Looks like this is our handicap to fight it!" Zoldith eximed to everyone, "It''s fine, we are still over 35 in number!"

    Hearing this, the worries of some went away. Their opponent was not weak at all, quite the contrary. Supposedly the strongest that there was in the exam, however, upon realizing there were so many examinees, everyone felt a little relief in their hearts.

    A boy raised his voice from the crowd, "Hey! What do we do now?" He shouted at Zoldith.

    Zoldith heard this and paused. In truth, he didn''t know, but he still wanted toe up with a good excuse. "I--" He was suddenly cut off identally.

    Another boy, farther away from therge group around the tribunal, stood next to the tree as he spoke, "Hey, guys! Look at this! There''s a handprint on this tree!" The curious guy shouted, prompting some toe over.

    Upon closer inspection, Zoldith realized that the mark was indeed a handprint. Slightly confused by what this meant, he stepped back a bit from the tree with his hand on his chin.

    Just then, Lyrian noticed another handprint a bit farther away on the tree. "Looks like there''s a pattern." He said, also stepping back and looking to the side as he saw more hand prints ced on the side of the tree.

    The curious kid who first noticed the hand print had just arrived from running around the tree, as he panted slightly, he said, "There are eight hand prints all around!"

    Hearing this, he ced his hand inside the print, causing it to immediately send a streak of purple light up the tree all the way to the ceiling.

    Zoldith saw Lyrian do this, "Everyone! Have one person from your group ce their hands in one of the handprints on the tree!"

    While waiting Lyrian thought of the disadvantages that everyone was going to have when facing the final beast, ''Not only did everyone get debuffed, but we are pretty far separated as well... they are not letting pass this easily.'' He thought to himself.

    With every hand that touched the inside of the handprint, a radiant beacon of light emerged, streaking straight across the tree to the ceiling, creating a mesmerizing sight. As the final streak of light reached the top, forming a circle of luminescence, the ground trembled slightly.

    Alten felt a tinge of fear, "A cavequake?" he said, ncing at the floor as it shook.

    "No," Leon quickly responded, "I don''t think so. Cavequakes are usually more powerful than this."

    Suddenly, the beacons of light converged at the top, meeting at one point before exploding into a gigantic ball of blinding light.

    At the climax of the explosion, an ear-piercing screech echoed throughout the cave. Everyone quickly dashed away from the tree, giving themselves room to move around. Their heads were all pointed up, as the light slowly cleared.

    Anticipation was through the roof, their hearts pumping fast. Zoldith quickly retorted, "Get ready!" Unsheathing his own de.

    Lyrian too unsheathed his de. As the light finally cleared, an immense aura filled the entire cavern room.

    [Warning! A creature with a lethal threat level has bloodlust over you!]

    [Creature threat level: GUARDIAN]

    ''Guardian huh...''

    "What is this aura!?" A girl from one of the teams yelled as she looked up. Her eyes widened shocked by what she was feeling. Suddenly, her head flew downwards as she vomited all over herself.

    Seeing this, Lyrian turned his head back up. ''The aura from this thing is undoubtedly more powerful than the Poison Spider, but because of therge space in the cavern it isn''t as condensed.'' He thought to himself.

    In the wake of the brilliant explosion of light, a hulking ck figure materialized within the cave. Its appearance sent shivers down the spines of all the examinees present. Towering above them with its massive wingspan, the creature resembled a formidable guardian from the darkest corners of ancient myths.

    Its body was covered in sleek, obsidian-ck scales that shimmered mysteriously as if absorbing and reflecting all light around it. Sinewy muscles rippled beneath its imposing frame, giving a sense of power and agility beyond imagination. Two fiery crimson eyes burned fiercely in the depths of its head, exuding an aura of malevolence that seemed to pierce through the very souls of those who dared to meet its gaze.

    As the creature unfurled its wings, the sheer size of them reached 30 feet across, casting a haunting shadow over everyone below. Each p sent gusts of wind that ruffled the hair of the examinees and rattled the surrounding stctites, adding an eerie undertone to the already tense atmosphere.

    Long, razor-sharp talons adorned its limbs, and serrated spines ran down its spine, giving it a dangerous and menacing appearance. It let out a guttural roar that resonated throughout the cave, shaking the ground and amplifying the fear in the hearts of the participants.

    Lyrian''s mind raced as he tried to discern the nature of this formidable creature. Its presence alone was overwhelming, radiating a sense of authority and primal dominance. He couldn''t help but feel like a mere speck before the might of this guardian.

    Zoldith''s expression hardened, realizing that facing this creature was no easy task. It was beyond anything he and his team had encountered so far.

    A kid suddenly dashed for it, "I''m not fighting that thing! What the fuck do you take me for!?" He said, rushing back to the entrance he came from.

    Another boy from his team shouted back at him with an enraged expression, "You coward! You can''t just leave us behind!"

    The boy who was running looked back, "I can pass by killing other creatures... I''m not going to fail this exam just for you. I have a family to take care of."

    Lyrian was ignoring all of this...

    ''Scan...''

 Chapter 106 Creature Of Darkness

    ?

    ��������Scan��������

    Name: Yin

    Species: ck Kailion

    Age: 245

    Overall Power (OP): 10

    Health: 100/100

    Stamina: 105/105

    Strength: 100

    Agility: 115

    Defense: 120

    Rank: Genesis: Layer 2

    Special: Tier 4 (Exam Tier)

    ����������������������

    Lyrian''s eyes widened in astonishment as he read the information disyed before him. The name "Yin" and the species "ck Kailion" caught his attention, but what truly intrigued him was the creature''s power and status.

    �Ѧ���d��s����vel.c��m His eyes widened, a slight grin forming on his face, ''You''re mine.''

    Meanwhile, the examinee who had previously attempted to flee jumped into a nearby pond, desperate to escape the ck Kailion''s wrath. However, his attempts were met with a forceful barrier that repelled him back each time, denying his escape. Panic gripped him as he realized there was no way out. The fear of failure weighed heavily on his shoulders, knowing that not only would he fail the exam, but he would also disappoint his family and friends. Tears streamed down his face as he grappled with the consequences of his cowardice. In this high-stakes situation, he was confronted with his deepest insecurities and vulnerability.

    The deafening screech of the Kailion cut through the air, drawing everyone''s attention back to the menacing creature. It swooped down, halting midway to unleash a ferocious gust of wind from its powerful wings. The gust struck multiple groups of examinees before they could react, instantly wiping out some and leaving others severely wounded.

    The survivors struggled to stay on their feet, blood oozing from their mouths, and their bodies wracked with pain. The Kailion ascended again, preparing to deliver the devastating blow once more.

    With ruthless efficiency, the beast repeated its attack, finishing off the remaining injured examinees. In mere seconds, it had eliminated 11 participants, leaving the others stunned and terrified.

    Alten''s voice rang out, breaking the silence of shock, "That''s one-third of our forces! We have to work better than that!"

    The gravity of the situation sunk in, and the surviving examinees understood that they could not underestimate this beast.

    "Everyone! Don''t stand around!" Lyrian''s voice echoed through the cavern,manding attention as he took the lead, dashing across the varied plots ofnd scattered about. Facing such formidable creatures, he knew that standing still would be a fatal mistake. This lesson had applied to the Poison Spider, and now it was essential when confronting the Earth Guardian.

    "Its attacks are fast, most won''t be able to dodge them. The only chance we have is if we keep moving, anticipating its moves!" Lyrian shouted, his words carrying a sense of urgency and determination. The others recognized him as a key figure after his victory against Kang, and without hesitation, they followed his orders.

    However, a slight irritation bubbled up within Zoldith. He felt indignant that this arrogant outsider dared tomand authority over them. ''I was going to propose that idea... how infuriating!'' he thought, urging him to prove himself.

    The cavern''s terrain was diverse, with plots ofnd scattered around, each offering unique challenges for the examinees. Lyrian and his group leaped from one tform to another.

    As the ck Kailion flew menacingly, Lyrian noticed arge stctite hanging above. A daring n formed in his mind. "Everyone, use the stctites as cover!" he shouted, urging everyone to take shelter from the creature''s view. They quickly followed his lead, using the stctites strategically to evade the Kailion''s attacks. This temporary respite allowed them to catch their breath and regroup.

    The coordinated movements of the examinees caught the attention of the ck Kailion. With an eerie grace, the creature paused mid-flight, its immense wings outstretched like an ominous omen. It hovered in the air, a dark silhouette against the dimly lit cavern walls.

    A profound silence settled over the space as everyone watched with bated breath. The air crackled with anticipation as the ck Kailion opened its maw, revealing an abyss of darkness within. An eerie glow emanated from the depths of its throat, growing brighter and more intense with each passing moment.

    In an astonishing disy of power, the beast channeled its mana, weaving the elements around it into a colossal sphere of malevolent energy. The sphere pulsated with an otherworldly radiance, its surface swirling with dark, ethereal patterns that seemed to writhe and dance.

    With a deafening roar that shook the very foundations of the cave, the ck Kailion released the sphere of some sort of dark force. It hurtled towards the ground with incredible force, trailing behind it an ominous tail of crackling energy.

    "Dodge!" Lyrian''s voice rang out again, guiding everyone to swiftly evade the spot where the spherended.

    The sphere struck the ground with a cataclysmic explosion, unleashing a torrent of destructive energy. A shockwave of force rippled outward, shaking the cave walls and sending waves of dust and debris billowing into the air.

    The blinding brilliance of the explosion illuminated the entire cavern, turning the once-serene environment into a chaotic battlefield. The air crackled with residual energy, and the ground trembled as if protesting the ferocity of the attack.

    As the dust began to settle, the examinees struggled to regain theirposure. Their hearts pounded in their chests, and adrenaline surged through their veins.

    To Lyrian''s surprise, the explosion wasn''t a ze of fire as he expected, but rather some sort of ck energy that he had never seen before. As he looked around with serious determination etched on his face, he saw his group filled with smiles.

    "We dodged its attack with ease!" "Yahoo! This is easier than I thought!" The ted voices filled the air, but Zoldith quickly interjected, his irritation palpable. "Hey! Don''t get carried away! We haven''t even found a way to touch it yet! Stay focused and keep your guard up!"

    The group quickly fell silent, and their excitement reined in. However, an unexpected development urred as they continued running. They abruptly stopped moving, puzzling Lyrian. "Don''t stop!" he urged them, but they remained immobile.

    His concern grew as he saw the group of five showing signs of exhaustion, their energy levels depleted. Their eyes barely stayed open, and Lyrian realized that something was amiss.

    "What happened? I suddenly ran out of energy!" one of them eximed, voicing the shared struggle.

    Lyrian''s mind raced, trying to discern the cause of their energy drain. "They were so energetic just a moment ago... what is happening in this fight? I have to figure it out."

 Chapter 107 All Out Blast

    ?

    Noticing the five kids that had stopped, the giant flying Kailion swooped in, sending a shockwave through the air with its wings. The shockwave struck the five examines, throwing them in the air like ants in the wind.

    The shockwave was immensely powerful, its force weighing over a thousand pounds alone. The five were immediately eliminated.

    Lyrian counted how many examinees they had left to try and win, ''Only 19 left... it should still be possible, but not if we lose like this.''

    Then, he observed the ck Kailion doing something unusual. Instead of flying back high into the air, it flew down to the ground where the examinees were eliminated and seemingly picked up something from the ground with its mouth.

    As he ran Lyrian barely caught a glimpse of what looked to be a red gem, ''Their gem? Why did he take it?'' He thought confusedly.

    Some others seemed to notice as well, "It grabbed the red gem!" Alten shouted.

    Worried, they continued to run. Just then, the Kailion bit down on the gem, crushing it to pieces as it suddenly absorbed the red aura.

    Lyrian was confused, he didn''t know the oue of this or why the beast even did such a thing. However, his doubts were quickly answered.

    [Warning]

    [You have been hit with a debuff]

    [Stamina reduced by 50%]

    Lyrian''s eyes suddenly widened in shock, ''What?!'' He yelled in his mind, noticing the dim red aura that now surrounded not only just his but everyone''s body that was in the cave.

    Multiple thoughts ran through his head at quick speeds, but he finally came up with something. Although his stats were lowered, this realization was almost a relief.

    ''That''s why they got tired too quickly... the red gem decreased their stamina. Now that the Kailion ate it, he decreased ours somehow.''

    With this knowledge, Lyrian didn''t waste time notifying everyone, "Listen up! The gems, I think they give us different weaknesses! The red gem must have lowered their stamina! That''s why we all feel more tired than we were just prior because it ate the red gem!" He shouted as everyone turned to look at him.

    "Are you sure!?" Arthur yelled, wanting insurance.

    "Yes!"

    Alten quickly thought of something as he heard Lyrian, "That means... the more groups that get eliminated, the more debuffs we will get!"

    Han became increasingly frustrated at the thought of this, "We couldn''t die before, but now, we most definitely can''t die! God damn it!"

    As everyone stated their problems, they also adjusted their running style to Lyrian''smand, "Move smartly! Let gravity itself move you as much as possible. If we exert ourselves too much, we will face the same fate as that group!"

    On hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement and quickly began following his orders. Just then, however, Lyrian noticed the beast going for the other two gems.

    Irritated, he thought to himself, ''Damn it, this bastard isn''t going to give us any breaks.''

    The ck Kailion crushed the yellow gem in its mouth, before shortly doing the same with the blue gem.

    [Warning]

    [You have been hit with a debuff]

    [Strength decreased by 20%]

    [Warning]

    [You have been hit with a debuff]

    [Defense decreased by 20%]

    As Lyrian heard this in his head, he could already feel weaker, ''We''ve been dealt some big blows. Just gotta make sure no one else gets eliminated.''

    Arthur looked at the Kailion that was now already high in the air, ''How the hell do we attack that thing?'' He thought, pausing for a moment before speaking, "How about we try to unleash one big attack on it? With 19 contestants, we should be able to make a deadly beam!"

    As he yelled this, a few kids near him agreed, smiles forming on their faces as they thought of it as a good idea.

    Lyrian on the other hand didn''t know if it would work, ''It''s fast... too fast our attacks... no?'' He said to himself, observing how the beast flew, ''If we could trap it somehow, then that would be the only way. If we could stop its movement.''

    Zoldith began to speak, also discouraging the idea, "I don''t thin--" However, he was cut off by Arthur.

    "Lyrian! What do you think?" Arthur shouted, looking at where he was.

    Lyrian was slightly caught off guard by the question, but answered unhesitantly, "It''s going to be too fast for that! There''s no way it won''t dodge!" He yelled.

    Arthur turned his head forward. His expression darkened for a few seconds. No one knew what he was thinking, but suddenly he turned to face Lyrian once again, "We might be able to corner it!" He yelled in the same tone as before.

    "We can try!" Lyrian answered.

    "Split up! Half goes towards the right side of the tree, the other half on the left!" Zoldith suddenly yelled, taking advantage of the situation.

    Following hismand, the group of 19 split into two and went the separate directions.

    "Use magic attacks so ites to the middle of both groups!" He made sure to say before losing full contact with the other group of students around the tree.

    As the Kailion flew to the middle of the two groups, those who could cast long-range spells unleashed their attacks. Fire sts, ice spells, wind, water, earth. This created a powerful wall of elements that the Kailion swiftly avoided.

    "Channel it in!" Lyrian yelled as kids began using their spells closer and closer together, forcing the Kailion to retreat to the middle.

    Lyrian couldn''t shoot so far, but hemanded Arthur to shoot down below it so it couldn''t escape from there either. As it finally came to some sort of standstill, with nowhere left to run, Lyrian and Zolidth both finally announced at the same time, "This is it! Go for it!"

    Zoldith sneered at Lyrian as he heard this, but Lyrian couldn''t care less. He was too observant of the actual fight going on.

    At that moment everyone channeled their biggest attacks directly at the Kailion, with powerful sts of magic surging forth!

 Chapter 108 Death Rains As True Colors Show! The Pivotal Climax!

    ?

    At that crucial moment, the mighty Kailion abandoned its evasion tactics and boldly confronted the barrage of bright, powerful spells hurtling toward it at a rapid pace. Its majestic wings unfurled, enveloped in a mysterious, dark aura that exuded an air of malevolence.

    With one impressive p, it unleashed the dark energy toward the onught of spells. Propelled forward by the tremendous force generated by its wings, the dark st tore through the concentrated beam of spells, resulting in a colossal explosion of various elemental forces. Chaos erupted as everyone swiftly scattered, seeking safety from the storm of destruction.

    "Damn it! The beam got canceled that easily!?" Ss eximed, his frustration palpable as he ran away from the scene of the explosion.

    Arthur wore an even deeper sense of disappointment on his face, mirroring his friend''s sentiments. "All that effort and we achieved nothing..." hemented.

    However, Lyrain''s keen mind perceived the situation differently. He was absorbed in analyzing the Kailion''s abilities, recognizing that its wings yed a crucial role in both its swiftness and its ability to channel its enigmatic dark magic.

    "It''s those damn wings," he thought, his face disying a mixture of determination and concern. "They not only grant it incredible speed but also seem to act as catalysts for its weird dark powers."

    Suddenly, a searing surge of pain jolted through Lyrain''s body, radiating from his core to his neck, causing him to lose control over his limbs and tumble to the ground. Clenching his teeth in anguish, he desperately gripped his neck, trying toprehend the unexpected torment.

    [Warning]

    [The lethal substance stored in your body: Molten Essence, requires attention soon]

    As abruptly as it had started, the excruciating pain subsided, allowing Lyrain to regain his footing with Leon''s timely assistance. Despite the lingering difort, Lyrain''s resolve remained unshaken. "That golden crap I ate...," he uttered, and Leon immediately understood what he was talking about.

    With unwavering focus, Leon asked, "Can you still fight, Lyrain?"

    Lyrain, wiping his mouth slightly, replied with determination, "Of course, I can."

    Without hesitation, Leon dered, "Good. Let''s take down this beast."

    "Absolutely," Lyrain agreed, the fire of determination burning bright in his eyes as Leon rushed ahead. Lyrain''s mind raced, contemting various strategies to defeat the formidable Kailion.

    "The main issue is with those wings," Arthur interjected, sharing the same concern as Lyrain. The rest of the group joined the discussion, brainstorming possible solutions to the formidable challenge before them.

    Lyrain''s thoughts fixated on the Kailion''s elevated position near the ceiling. Then, a spark of inspiration lit up his mind as he remembered the sharp stctites hanging above them. "The ceiling," he thought, his eyes widening with newfound ideas. "The stctites could be the answer we''re searching for."

    As he envisioned it, a powerful cavequake would render flight impossible for the Kailion. He recalled a past experience surviving a cavequake while waiting for Brokkr, during which stctites had fallen like raindrops, spaced only a few feet apart. If they could replicate such an event, the Kailion''s aerial advantage would crumble.

    The idea seemed both sensible and far-fetched, akin to hoping for an oasis in the middle of a desert and miraculously stumbling upon one. However, another memory resurfaced in Lyrain''s mind. Igniel had mentioned that the increased number of exam participants entering the tstone Mountains had led to a spike in cavequakes. Could they potentially manipte the timing of a cavequake to their advantage?

    A triumphant smile spread across Lyrain''s face. "It''s almost as if this was fated all along," he mused.

    Gathering everyone''s attention, Lyrain cried out, "Focus your attacks on the ground! Together, we''ll try to create a cavequake and bring that Kailion down to our level!"

    Initially puzzled, the others soon grasped the brilliance of his n. Arthur interrupted his confusion with a nod of approval, acknowledging Lyrain''s genius.

    With the newfound strategy in mind, the group united, each member contributing their unique skills and abilities to execute Lyrain''s n wlessly. Together, they worked as a synchronized force, their attacksbining in a symphony of power, aimed precisely at the ground beneath the Kailion.

    The tension in the air was palpable as the ground trembled beneath the relentless assault. Dust and debris filled the cavern as the Kailion noticed the growing seismic disturbance. The stctites hanging precariously from the ceiling seemed to sense themotion below, quivering ever so slightly.

    *RUMBLE*

    As the ground quaked beneath the relentless assault, the Kailion''s wings faltered, its aerial prowesspromised. Lyrain''s audacious n was unfolding before their eyes.

    A moment of truth arrived as the earth''s rumblings intensified, and the stctites above began to waver ominously. The group held their breaths, witnessing the culmination of their efforts. The air crackled with energy as the stctites, one by one, began to dislodge from the ceiling.

    As he saw this Lyrian was happily surprised, "It worked!" He shouted.

    Finally, all of therge and small stctites began to fall like a deadly rain, forcing the Kailion to swoop toward the ground to avoid the spikes.

    Seeing this, an image of glory shed across everyone''s eyes. There it came, the golden-tiered creature that they had all sought for so long. The culmination of all their hard work was before them.

    This was the part of the entire challenge that no one had spoken about, this was the part where the most important question of all arose: WHO WILL TAKE THE GOLDEN CORE!?

    Time seemed to slow down as faces filled with serious determination. Many moved toward the falling beast. True colors were now going to be shown, as it was everyone for themselves to get this core.

    Teammates pushed their group members back as they dashed forward, their eyes locked onto the target. Zoldith and his group also quickly stormed in, while Lyrian and Arthur''s group was a little father behind.

    ''Storming right in? It doesn''t seem like the best idea...'' He thought as the Kailionnded in a thunderous impact, causing the ground to shake even more.

    Out of the 19, 10 had jumped into the impact of where the beastnded--through the cloud of dust--to kill it first. It seemed that everyone naturally expected that the one who killed it first was the one who got the core, so they all rushed to do just that.

    However, as the smoke of dust around them cleared, the examinees now only mere meter''s away from the ck Kailion, were suddenly met with a giant sphere of dark magic...

 Chapter 109 Race For The Golden Tiered Core

    ?

    At once, anotherrge explosion reverberated through the cave. The size of the st wasn''t as big as the previous one, but it was still enough to annihte those nearby. Out of the 10 that had jumped in, 7 were immediately eliminated. The only three that survived were Zoldith, Hashus, and Kang. They managed to dodge it before the others, but right now, the thought of losing crewmates wasn''t even a bad thing. Why would it be? After all, the entire purpose of the exam, of getting this golden-tiered core, was for one person only.

    As Zoldith and his crew backed up, the Kailion was impaled with a rain of stctites. Most of them were small, but since it was such a big target theynded anyways. Many failed to prate through its tough skin, but a fewrge stctites dug into its wings, causing them to be stuck to the floor. At that moment Zoldith saw Lyrian and Arthur ahead of their groups, dashing toward the Kailion for the kill.

    His eyes widened as he gasped slightly, digging his feet into the ground as he propelled himself forward toward the beast. Of course, they all had to dodge the falling stctites as well, which came in extremely quickly from the air bubbles boosting them forward. Hugo found himself to be too slow to fully avoid them. After getting rtively scratched up he escaped to the side, below some rocks to shield himself. Han followed behind him, also not seeing him able to dodge many stctites.

    Cedric was impaled in the arm by one, so he was dragged to the side by Han reluctantly.

    Other than them, everyone else stormed towards the Kailion. ''I don''t need to kill it, but the one who kills it will most likely get that core.'' Lyrian thought to himself as he ran, his face serious and focused.

    As they got closer once again, the beast opened its maw and formed another dark energy ball. As it shot toward therger group of kids, Lyrian and Arthur''s group, all quickly jumped into the air to avoid its explosion. While in the air, Lyrian flew through the dust caused by the explosion and appeared only about 10 feet away from the Kailion, however, before he couldst a sudden wind pushed him, Leon, and Alten to the side.

    Turning his head to look in that direction, Lyrian saw that it was Hashus from Zoldith''s group who used a wind spell using his staff to propel them away. The boy looked to be standing back, allowing Zolidth and Kang to go forward as he instead stopped the others from approaching the beast''s body.

    "Leon!" Lyrian shouted before beginning to run toward the Kailion again. Hearing this, Leon unsheathed his de before blitzing toward Hashus. Although he was a powerful mage for his age, closebat was still something that Hashus couldn''t deal with. With one swipe of the sword, his staff was cut into two. As this happened Hashus took a few steps back, taking out a small dagger as he faced Leon''s ring white eyes.

    "What the hell are you doing!?" Hashus suddenly eximed, his expression flustered, "Why are you not going after the core!? This exam is everyone for themselves!"

    Leon dashed forward once again, swinging his sword down from the air toward the boy. Hashus tried to block his de with the dagger, but soon enough, the dagger was sliced in two as Hashus himself was nearly cut into two, thankfully saved by being eliminated...

    Leon sheathed his de, turning to look at Lyrian. ''I''ll pass this exam... all I need to do is eliminate other examinees for their cores.'' He thought to himself, turning to look at where Hashus was eliminated, almost as if to answer him.

    Seeing that there was no chance that he could return to the Kailion race with the others, he instead dodged a few stctites that nearly fell on him before retrieving Hashus'' pouch of cores.

    ''I also want to understand Lyrian.''

    Meanwhile, Alten, seeing that he couldn''t dodge the stctites either, retreated to where Hugo and Han were. With Lyrian slightly slowed down, Arthur, Ss, Zoldtih, and Kang were now mere feet away from the Kailion, which was still attempting to escape and fight back with its mouth.

    Out of nowhere, Kangunched his rod toward the other two, hitting Ss in the face as a loud twang sounded. He was thrown back, as Kang quickly appeared before him. Ss took out his wand, casting multiple fireballs toward the boy, but Kang coated his rod with earth, blocking all of Ss'' attacks as he pushed the rod toward his face. Just before itnded, Ss rolled out of the way, causing the rod to stick to the ground.

    As their battlemenced, Arthur and Zoldith were the final ones to reach the Kailion. They both jumped atop its back at the same time. Knowing they couldn''t easily prate through its back, they ran towards its head. "Peasant! You won''t win!" Zoldith said, his sword in his hand.

    Arthur didn''t just stand back, "Who are you calling a peasant!?" His wand is also in his hand.

    Scaling the Kailion''s wriggling neck, Zoldith attempted to thrust his sword into it, only to be thwarted twice by Arthur''s skilled maniption of wind spells. Frustration seeped into Zoldith''s features, eximing, "Damn it!"

    The Kailion roared ferociously, its previous impalements allowing it some leverage to move. Time was running out, and the contenders were keenly aware of the urgency. Desperation urged Zoldith to make one final desperate attempt to pierce the creature''s tough hide, but Arthur intervened, dering, "You won''t get that core!"

    The intensity of the moment reached its pinnacle as Zoldith red up at Arthur, his fury palpable. In a sh of rage, Zoldith surged towards Arthur, his de appearing before Arthur''s neck with deadly intent. Arthur, undeterred, retaliated with a powerful kick to Zoldith''s stomach, momentarily forcing him back as he coughed up blood.

    Their battle continued, and the stakes were now crystal clear��the first one to rise would seize the core. In this tense showdown, Lyrian appeared on the Kailion''s neck, catching both Arthur and Zoldith by surprise. Their eyes met with disbelief as Lyrian unsheathed his sword, casting an imposing shadow against the vibrant backdrop of the cave.

 Chapter 110 Betrayal...

    ?

    Raising his sword triumphantly, Lyrian struck a decisive blow at the Kailion''s neck. Leon, who had taken a risky action, nced up and found that his bold move had paid off.

    Witnessing Lyrian''s moment of glory were Alten, Hugo, and Han. Alten''s excitement was palpable, while the other two seemed rtively disappointed, though they still valued their friendship with Lyrian.

    Even Ss and Kang, who were still engaged in their battles, halted their actions to observe Lyrian''s sword swing. It was a crucial moment.

    As Lyrian''s de made contact with the Kailion''s skin, it prated deeply, encountering something hard and substantial within �C the core, Lyrian realized in his thoughts, as his sword came to a halt.

    Then, unexpectedly, a loud bang echoed from behind. Before he could react, Lyrian noticed a de suddenly materializing in front of him. Looking down, his eyes widened in shock as he realized it was thrusting straight through his neck.

    Everyone''s expressions turned to shock, horror, or disbelief as they saw this. Leon, Alten, Hugo, Han, Kang, Ss, Cedric. No one was expecting this to happen.

    At that moment, a voice sounded from behind Lyrian, "Sorry friend... but that core was always meant to be mine." Arthur spoke, pulling Zoldith''s sword out of Lyrian''s neck as he kicked him down to the side.

    With a malicious smile on his face, Arthur threw the sword back to where Zoldithy, his body looking to be incinerated in some sort of explosion.

    Kang looked at Zoldith in pure shock, as he suddenly heard Ssughing. "It worked..." The young mage whispered under his breath, a smirk on his face as well as he stared at Arthur.

    Leon''s eyes widened more and more as he realized what was going on, his chest filling up with air. "What did you just say? It worked?" He said, his voice calm but like a volcano about to erupt.

    Ss looked back at Leon, "It doesn''t matter now, who cares. We won the core."

    Hearing this, a tsunami of rage swelled up within Leon, his sword instantly unsheathed as a zing fury of white burned in his eyes.

    Alten too was shocked beyond belief. ''He didn''t just eliminate Lyrian... but he... they nned their all along?'' He thought to himself, looking to Hugo, Cedric, and Han, who looked to still be in disbelief.

    As they saw Alten''s furious stare, Han quickly retorted, "Alten... we had no clue." Alten quickly looked back at Arthur and Lyrian.

    Pulling Lyrian''s sword out, Arthur knelt to retrieve the core. Zoldith was knocked out, there was no one else who was close enough to stop Arthur, "Why get mad... it''s just strategy!" Heughed, reaching his hand into the hole that Lyrian''s sword left.

    .

    .

    .

    ''I... I''m still here?'' Lyrian suddenly questioned in his mind, ''Im still here.'' He then stated to himself. Suddenly a smile stretched across his face, "I''m still here." He dered out loud, freezing Arthur on the spot, as his heart sunk into his chest and his smile turned to a horrified expression.

    He quickly dug his hand further into the cavity, confused as to why Lyrian wasn''t eliminated yet, but not wanting to risk losing the core.

    Lyrain felt an odd feeling around his neck, ''I know I was stabbed here.'' He thought to himself, feeling his neck with his hand as he noticed a slimy, sticky substance that was covering the two punctures on both sides of his neck.

    ''That golden essence stuff... it... held me together?'' He questioned, bewildered by what he was feeling.

    [The Molten Essense has acted as a replicating agent for your damaged internal neck organs]

    [The purpose behind the Molten Essense''s actions is a survival mechanism]

    [If its host is killed, it either has to move to another host, or die]

    ''...''

    [A human is not a suitable host for the Molten Essense, but it has epted you as its host for now...]

    With an astonishing burst of energy, Lyrian propelled himself back onto his feet in the blink of an eye, the sheer force of his movement sending shivers down Arthur''s spine. Towering over Arthur, Lyrian''s eyes burned with a mixture of determination and revtion.

    "I knew you had an odd look to your eyes the moment I saw you," Lyrian dered. He reached out and firmly grasped Arthur''s neck, lifting him effortlessly into the air.

    Arthur''s response was an enraged scream, his expression contorting into a demented and maniacal visage, a stark contrast to his typicallyposed demeanor. He writhed, breaking Lyrain''s grasp as he clutched his neck.

    Seeing Arthur in Lyrian''s grasp, he quickly attempted to get over there to save him. However, before Ss could even take a step toward them, Leon, quick as lightning, stood before Ss, brandishing his sword.

    "Iron Maiden," Leon whispered under his breath, and at that moment, Ss found himself trapped in a whirlwind of shes that he couldn''t evade and was inevitably eliminated.

    Amidst the chaos, Lyrian''s gaze never wavered from Arthur''s bewildered face. There was a method to Lyrian''s madness, a purpose that Arthur couldn''t grasp.

    "From that time you told us about the Earth Guardian, huh... the day before that?" Lyrian''s words carried a hint of realization as he probed Arthur''s actions, as though searching for a puzzle piece toplete the picture.

    Arthur, taken aback, retorted, "Yea!? So what!?" He was genuinely perplexed by Lyrian''s line of questioning, unsure of where this was leading.

    Unfazed, Lyrian''sughter resonated, almost hauntingly, through the air. "Hahaha!" he chuckled, hisughter both unsettling and triumphant.

    Arthur''s confusion deepened, his defensive stance growing more pronounced. "What the hell are you doing!? Why are youughing!?" he demanded, attempting to regain control of the situation.

    Lyrian extended his hand as a vibrant green aura began to envelop it. The smile on his face intensified as he delivered a cutting retort, "You nned this for so long, but it all failed in the end. How pathetic. Hahaha!"

    The anger that once contorted Arthur''s face evaporated, reced by a bewildered expression. He waspletely at a loss, unable toprehend Lyrian''s confidence.

    With an air of certainty, Lyrian calmly uttered, "Shock Fist." In an instant, he surged forward, his fist mere inches from Arthur''s stomach. The force of the Enhance spell was channeled entirely into his blow, and upon the bone-crunching impact, a deep concave was etched into Arthur''s abdomen.

    Arthur''s eyes rolled back, and a ssh of blood escaped his lips. The blow had driven all the air from his lungs, propelling him several feet into the air before hended, tumbling into a nearby body of water.

 Chapter 111 Yin: The Core Of Darkness

    ?

    As smoke left Lyrian''s hand, he unclenched his fist and held it down to his side. The Kailion squirmed around some more, but Lyrian quickly grabbed his sword and sheathed it before reaching into its neck cavity and obtaining the core.

    He needed both hands to take it out of the Kailion''s body, and as he tore it out, the life force of the beast escaped. Its dangerous eyes faded into a dull nothingness, as its body ceased all movement.

    *Ding* [Achievement unlocked!]

    [Congradtions! You have in a creature whose rank is within the second Layer of Genesis]

    [Acheviement reward: +1 Soul Storage]

    As Lyrian heard this, a slight smile appeared on his face. He lifted therge core, which was as big as an apple, in front of him. Its mesmerizing, golden glow took every aback in awe. That was it, the final goal that everyone was going for.

    Kang was defeated, his expression bleak. Both of his teammates had been taken out, and Zolidth was soon to be eliminated. He sheathed his sword, looking down at the ground. ''What do I do now?'' He sorrowfully thought to himself.

    ***

    "He did it huh?" Julius said, looking at his mana crystal back in Anaviotis.

    Yesan, the Chancellor of Yaltas, ced his feather in front of his face before smiling, "What a beautiful boy. He will do just fine." His eyes looked to be mesmerized as he stared at Lyrian through the orb.

    Another examiner, one with a long gray beard, spoke up, "Theageld hmm?"

    With this, whispers spread around the dark room, as everyone exchanged their thoughts about the situation to the person beside them. As they all did this, Julius had a bright smile on his face. Finally, he announced, "I wonder who will be the one to get the next one." As he said this, everyone else also smiled slightly and looked at him.

    ***

    Just then, with everyone around Lyrian fully in awe, the golden orb in front of him was suddenly ovee with a dark wave of energy to quickly surged around it like a tsunami hitting a piece ofndmass, covering it in its entirety.

    Lyrian''s face immediately turned concerned, "What the hell?" He retorted, looking at the orb.

    Kang looked up from his sorrow, equally as confused as everyone else. Alten stood up, walking over to where Lyrian was, "It... turned ck." He said, "Why? Is that just the color of the orb?"

    Lyrian listened to Alten''s question and didn''t hesitate to answer, "I''m sure it''s supposed to be golden." He said, continuing to think to himself about what the hell was going on.

    ''The Kailion was using some sort of dark magic. That has something to do with this thing turning ck, but what is it?'' He pondered for a while longer, before suddenlying to a realization, "Its name... Yin. It means darkness."

    Alten was confused about where Lyrian was going with this, "Yes? That''smon knowledge. So what of it?"

    Lyrian revealed his discovery, "Anothermon thing is the Yin Yang circle of bnce, of light and dark." He paused, as Alten also stayed silent to see where he was going, "That means, we have defeated Yin, darkness, and gained his dark core... but we only have half of the puzzle. We need to find the other half, the creature of light, not dark. We need to find Yang."

    A few gasped slightly as they heard this in surprise, Alten too was taken aback by Lyrian''s genius, "That''s right! What you just said is totally usible!" He eximed.

    Although Alten was genuinely surprised and excited about Lyrian''s discovery, he also thought, ''I should havee up with that, it was right there, almost obvious!'' But he decided to hide those feelings.

    ''Next time... next time I will use all my brain to think of a solution to help Lyrian.''

    "Nice, Lyrian! I didn''t think you were so smart!" Leon said from below, a slight smile on his face as well. Inwardly, these actions were more intriguing for him and made him want to research Lyrian even more. Of course, there was a specific reason behind this...

    Just then, Kang turned around and began walking away. His sword was already sheathed, and he clearly had no will to fight any longer.

    Seeing this, Alten didn''t hesitate to call him out, "Hey! Where do you think you''re going!?" He shouted from atop the Kailion.

    Kang looked back, "Don''t think just because you''ve seen my back, you''ve seen my cowardice. Especially you, weakling." His eyes were like blood-lusted tigers, and his expression was furious. He turned his head back to face forward, "This won''t be thest you see of my Lyrian. Take those cores that Hashus had, at least one of you will be able to pass from that." He said, jumping into a pool of water before seemingly disappearing.

    Looking over to where Hashus was eliminated, Lyrain retorted, "Huh..."

    "Over here." Leon suddenly said, holding out arge pouch that seemed to be stacked with cores.

    A slight smile of almost pride came onto both Leon and Lyrian''s faces as Lyrian turned and began walking toward the middle of therge Kailion body.

    With this, the others who had failed to pass get the golden tiered core also left. As Han, Hugo, and Cedric began to make their way out, Lyrian shouted out, "Take the cores on Arthur, guys!"

    As he said this, Han and Hugo turned around immediately, a mix between shock and hope appeared on their faces, "Wh-- really?" Han spoke.

    An angry expression shadowed Alten''s face as he looked over at Lyrian, "Lyrain! Who knows if they were part of the betrayers or not? They could have just been faking not knowing anything to appear like good guys."

    Lyrian chuckled as he heard this. The expressions of Han and Hugo turned almost guilty. They were clearly sorrowful, ''We just had to get involved with them... now, I doubt we''re gonna be able to pass this exam. They had all our cores too. But... it''s right for Alten to say what he''s saying.  It''s our fault that we sided with the wrong guys...'' Han thought to himself, looking down in defeat with all hope gone from his body.

    "I trust them!" Lyrian suddenly dered with a smile on his face. For him, it was almost as if there was a certain feeling that told him to believe them, "Take the cores! You worked hard for them. If you aren''t lying, you are my friend, and I won''t take those cores from you. If you are lying and you are my enemies, then so be it. We will meet again before this exam ends and I hope you will be even stronger by then so I can have a food fight!" He smiled widely.

    The bright grin brought hope into Han and Hugo''s eyes once again, "Thank you! Thank you, friend!" Han said as they made their way over to where Arthur was thrown and eliminated.

    During this time Cedric didn''t speak, looking at the ground with a guilty, almost sorrowful expression on his own face.

 Chapter 112 Bralars; Rampager Of The East

    ?

    The three moved on, retrieving the cores that were left on Arthur''s body as they also left. Before fully leaving, however, Hugo and Han said a very grateful goodbye--during which Cedric stood with his face shadowed.

    After they left, it was only the three boys left in the cave. Alten questioned Lyrian on the thing with Han and the others, "Was what you said really the truth?" He asked.

    Lyrian paused for a moment before speaking, "Hmm... let''s just say yes for the most part." He smiled. Currently, he was just happy to be where he was, looking down at the Kailion''s body.

    "Guys, let''s leave now. But know that I have to take a dump so I will catch up with you guys. Just make your way back to the pond we fell in." Lyrian said, awkwardlyughing.

    Leon and Alten looked at each other with smirks on their faces as well, bothughing at Lyrian. Lyrian was immediately dismissive about this, "Wh-what??" He said, causing Leon and Alten tough to themselves before they both said, "Yea yea... do your dumping," Sarcastically before beginning to walk away.

    As they disappeared from Lyrian''s sight, he worriedly thought to himself, ''What have they figured out!?'' But quickly brushed that off, ''Let me focus on the matter at hand.''

    He stared at the body of the Kailion. ''Since I have one new storage slot for a soul, I can get this beast''s soul, and also Yang''s.'' A bright smile appeared on his face as he imagined the possibility ofbining the two.

    After letting out a chuckle, he raised his hand out above the body and said to himself, ''Reap,'' as arge white orb escaped the Kailions and entered right into his heart.

    A stream of memories poured into Lyrian''s mind as this happened. By the end, he was content with this new information. With it, he confirmed that there undoubtedly was a Yang out there. Its body was blurred in his memories, almost as if Yin itself had seen Yang many decades ago and had forgotten its appearance.

    Nheless, he was satisfied just knowing that it existed, ''Sorry Hob, you''re gonna have to wait a while longer to be fused with something. After I link Yin and Yang, there will be two empty slots left. I will fuse you with something then...'' As Lyrian thought this to himself, an odd feeling moved through his neck down to his core.

    It almost felt like a shiver or a tickle, but as he felt his neck he realized that it was now fully regenerated. No more holes were left on his body, however, there were some small scars. This gave him a more unique look.

    One 2-inch slit scar directly on the front of his neck, and one right on the back.

    Suddenly, another surge of pain emerged within his body from his neck down to his core. He recognized the pain by now, but it wasn''t as if he had gotten used to it.

    "Damn it..." He said as he fell to one knee, clutching his neck.

    [Warning]

    [The Molten Essence is somehow able to im you as its host, but as theorized does not like it one bit]

    [The Essence is continuing its attempts to take over your body]

    ''Doesn''t that mean I have to die? Like those pile of rocks that were dead when it was the Earth Guardian?''

    [Yes]

    ''But I thought if I am dead then it will also die...''

    [Correct, however, that only applies to a dead body]

    [In short, taking a dead body as a host, without the use of external magic, is a death sentence for the Molten Essence]

    [However, killing the host itself and taking over its control system... that is its specialty]

    [There is a difference between trying to take over a dead host, versus taking over an alive host by killing it]

    The pain had stopped back now, and Lyrian got back on his feet, ''How weird... needing another body as your host to live... it seems like a pitiful existence-'' Lyrian cut himself off right there, noticing the implications since he was literally talking to Gear.

    [...]

    ''My bad, Gear. I didn''t mean to say it in a way that offended you. Hell, I would not have gotten here without you so-'' Lyrian was suddenly cut off by Gear.

    [Lyrian Theageld, thanking me is futile. It is my sole desire and purpose to serve your wishes, your dream]

    [I need not rest in you to stay alive, but it is my desire to do so]

    ''I... I see.'' Lyrian said, quickly making his way back to Alten and Leon.

    ***

    "That ability... I didn''t see what he did but he suddenly disintegrated the Kailion''s durable body." An examiner said, looking at Lyrain through the mana orb.

    "Hmm, it might be a family secret." An examiner said, proposing the idea.

    Another spoke up on hearing this, "A family secret? I thought his family was very low in power." He seemed doubtful.

    Julius spoke at that moment, "His grandfather was Brrs, one of the squadron leaders-" He was cut off.

    "Brrs!? You do not have to exin him to us! He is a legendary figure, how could we not know him." One spoke, sounding eager.

    "Yes! Brrs, Rampager Of The East! He is the grandfather of that boy?" This examiner spoke, emphasizing the "He."

    Many questions arose within the room, "Why would one of the squadron leaders of the Imperial Army settle for peasantry back in his small city?" One seemed to be genuinely curious, as he leaned into the table to express his genuine intrigue.

    "How did we not know of this kid''s background?" Another spoke.

    "Who was he submitted by?"

    An examiner gave the answer, to which one replied "Braakan?"

    "I suppose that exins this sudden power... Grandson of the Rampager Of The East... huh? That boy, he is powerful."

    "He is hidden, a secret danger. Almost as if he is a Pheonix, rising amongst the rubble like a prodigy."

    Hearing this, Julius smiled, seeming to be in his own head, "Pheonix... huh?"

 Chapter 113 Flatstone Mountains: End

    ?

    Lyrian made his way back to the spot where they had initially fallen into the vast cavern. It was evident to him now that the purple gem he carried was also shattered, but fortunately, its adverse effects were no longer present.

    Upon his return, Alten greeted him with a sarcastic remark, "Did you have a pleasant bathroom break?" He chuckled at his own joke.

    Ignoring Alten''s jest, Lyrian focused on the task at hand, "How do we find a way out of here?"

    Alten had alreadye up with an idea, "We can''t go back the way we came, but if everyone else entered through holes within the pools, it''s likely our way out lies there as well, don''t you think?"

    Opting to give it a try, they ventured into the warm pools, and immediately, a sense of rejuvenation washed over their bodies. To their astonishment, even the small scratches and wounds on their skin seemed to heal rapidly, one after the other.

    The water was so pure and fresh that they couldfortably open their eyes underwater, the rity akin to crystal. It didn''t take long for Lyrian to spot a small tunnel a little further down in the pond.

    With Alten and Leon in tow, Lyrian led the way into the tunnel, which measured about 3 by 3 feet and was illuminated by several colorful crystals. As they swam forward, they discovered that some kind of flowing current propelled them at significantly faster speeds, sparing them from the need to hold their breath for extended periods.

    Within just half a minute, Lyrian managed to lift his head above the water''s surface. As he surveyed the surroundings, he observed that they were in what appeared to be a regr cave pathway, resembling the ones they encountered earlier, but this one had a pond located at what seemed to be a dead end. However, considering the information they possessed, it now appeared that the pond was, in fact, their intended destination.

    �Ѧ���d��s����vel.c��m Emerging from the water, they discovered a small pedestal nearby. Approaching it, they noticed that there were about ten bands on it. Curious, each of them picked one and ced it on their wrists. To their amazement, as the bands settled on their arms, they transformed into a radiant red aura and assimted into their bodies.

    Alten was the first to react, eximing, "Oh, wait! Is this like the gems? Are we being weakened again!?" Concern crept into his voice.

    But upon closer inspection, the truth became evident. Instead of weakening them, the bands granted them a beneficial effect.

    [Strength +5%]

    [Effect Timer: 8 days, 6 hours]

    Observing the timer, Lyrian pondered, ''Ah, it''s a countdown to the end of the exam... Did everyone else receive these bands before entering the final boss room? We missed out since we took the unconventional path.''

    "Hey, I feel noticeably stronger," Alten eximed suddenly, and Leon also sensed the difference.

    "Yeah, it''s probably granting us a 5 percent boost in strength," Lyrian remarked, the others nodding in agreement as the idea seemed usible.

    Curiosity struck Lyrian as he realized there were seven more bands avable. An idea sparked, and he decided to try wearing all of them at once. As he adorned his wrist with the remaining bands, to his disappointment, they instantly vanished from his arm and reappeared back on the pedestal. Attempting once more, he faced the same oue. "Well, it was worth a shot," he shrugged.

    With their brief exploration concluded, the trio decided to depart from the cave. They traversed without pausing, making their way out for the rest of the day. Thankfully, Alten still held the map they had obtained earlier, and it efficiently guided them toward the exit from their current location as well.

    ***

    After a grueling six-hour trek through thebyrinthine passages of tstone Mountain, they finally emerged from the intricate cave system. As they stepped into the open air, they couldn''t help but feel a sense of relief and aplishment, knowing they had conquered the treacherous depths.

    As they stood beneath the vast midnight sky, it felt as though they were enveloped in a deep, dark ocean of ink, punctuated by the shimmering brilliance of countless stars. The moon, veiled intermittently by wispy clouds, emitted a subdued, silvery radiance that added an ethereal touch to the scene. Its soft light spilled over the rough and unevenndscape, giving rise to a mysterious ambiance.

    As they looked around, they noticed a striking difference in thendscapepared to the entrance they had initially ventured through. The rugged terrain seemed unfamiliar and unexplored, adding an element of uncertainty to their situation.

    A foul stench pervaded the air, tingling their senses with its repugnance. Curiosity mixed with apprehension drove them to investigate the source of the putrid odor. To their dismay, they discovered the rotting corpse of a colossal creature lying in the distance. The sheer size of the carcass led them to conclude that it was indeed the fire guardian that Alten spected.

    With midnight approaching, the darkness intensified the eerie atmosphere around them. The exhaustion from a full day of physically demanding travel weighed heavily on their bodies and minds. Yet, they couldn''t rest here, not near the gruesome sight of the decaying guardian.

    Summoning thest of their energy, they trudged away from the foul-smelling remains, seeking a more secluded and peaceful spot to rest. Finally, they stumbled upon a small clearing shielded by rock formations. Despite theck offort and the gnawing feeling of unease, they decided it was the best they could find.

    "What is the day..." Alten said, his tone extremely tired.

    "It''s the 21st, soon to be the 22nd," Lyrian replied.

    Leon was slightly taken aback by this, "So... we did all of that in a mere day?"

    Hearing this, Alten also asked, "How many cores did Hashus have?"

    Leon answered, pulling out the pouch, "No clue, but here you go." He deposited it to Alten.

    Settling down, they scarcely bothered to set up their tents properly. The weariness took hold, and before they knew it, they sumbed to sleep almost instantly.

 Chapter 114 The Journey To The Center Begins

    ?

    The sun arose on the 22nd day of the entrance exams to Anaviotis. Throughout the night, Lyrian was awoken two entire times by the excruciating pain of the Molten Essence trying to take over his body.

    As they packed up their stuff to leave, both Alten and Leon could notice how drowsy Lyrain still was, and how sluggishly he movedpared to normal. His expression was also more dull.

    Alten asked the reason behind this. Lyrian replied truthfully, "It''s the golden slime or whatever I ate from the Earth Guardian. It''s trying to take over my body..." He paused, looking to the side in confusion as both Alten and Leon were shocked at the sudden words Lyrain just spoke.

    To Lyrian, this wasmon information, but of course, for the other two, they had no idea what he was talking about all of a sudden.

    Lyrian quickly noticed this and turned back to look at him, slightly chuckling, he said, "Oh, don''t worry about it. I''ve been dealing with it since I first ate it, although it has been getting worse..." He paused again, giving Alten and Leon, even more, to worry about, "But it''s fine, I will deal with it."

    With this, the three finally packed up with what they needed to pack up and went on their way. What way was that? Well... that was still to be decided.

    Leon spoke up, "So, what''s the next destination." He asked, mostly targeting Alten as he usually had the answers.

    Alten paused, confusedly scratching his head as he walked for a few seconds, "Well, I don''t really know."

    Lyrian interjected after he finished his sentence, "We need to find Yang. That was the creature of darkness, Yin. But Yang is still out there. A creature that I assume will be of light."

    Alten remembered what Lyrian was talking about the day before, "That''s right... but how are we gonna find it? I mean... it''s not like there are other extremely popr and difficult areas within the Tasnan Wildends, let alone in the forbidden area." He questioned.

    "Hmm... that''s the problem." Leon retorted.

    As they all continued to think, Alten came up with an idea, "I say we head to the center. With the cores we''ve obtained, almost all three of us can pass. That''s not considering the golden core, of course. Or I guess I should call it the dark core. But still, we will get enough cores by the time we make it there. It will take us about four days to journey there."

    Lyrian thought this to be a good idea. Now that area that needed to be explored was explored, the best chance they had at encountering this Yang creature... was by simply stumbling into it.

    Lyrian also thought of another possibility, "I mean, many had information on this Yin creature. But it seemed no one had a clue about the Yang creature. Maybe it''s not meant to be found..." He theorized.

    In the meantime, they had arrived exactly where they first entered the tstone Mountains. To their surprise, their ostriches were still waiting for them.

    One was desperately running around, seemingly trying to escape, while the other two chased after him, making sure he didn''t get too far away. They were running in circles.

    As the ostrich that was trying to escape caught a glimpse of Lyrian''s face, it immediately stopped running... and fell onto its face,pletely unconscious.

    Seeing this, Leon burst out into augh, "Look! You made it faint! Hahaha!" Heughed, pointing at the fallen ostrich.

    After a few seconds, it arose, before almost fainting once again. However, a quick show of the de by Lyrian made it erect its posture immediately. Tearsing out of its eyes...

    Lyrian quickly rode it without any time waste. Alten made sure to put his before getting on, as it seemingly appreciated the cuddles and smiled in response while closing its eyes. Leon didn''t do any other shenanigan and rode atop his as well.

    With a determined expression, Lyrian spoke, "With these ostriches, our travel time should be cut in half. We will get there in two days, and by then, we will also get all the cores necessary to pass! Let''s go!" He said as the others cheered in agreement before the three set off down the edge of the mountain.

    They arrived at the bottom quicker than the time it took them to get up, the difference in gravity most likely helping them. After getting down, the three began quickly making their way out of the forbiddennds and toward the center of the Tasnan Wildends.

    Thankfully, Alten already had ess to the direction. As they traveled, several hours quickly passed as fast as they went they sailed through on the ostrich backs. Every hour or so they stopped to take on a random their four beast. One like that was almost butter for the three at this point.

    With Alten''s slight newfound courage and determination, Leon''s ever-increasing sword skill, and Lyrian''s new obsidian de, they breezed past the beasts.

    Of course, they still had to be very smart about their fighting tactics. One wrong move was enough for all three of them to be wiped out at once. However, they had now fought a Kailion together. They had fought a Hydro Serpent, a Diamond Lizard, and Lyrian had fought an Elder Poison Tarant! Their experience was enough to allow them to not make any major mistakes while fighting.

    5 hours had passed since they woke up. It was now 1pm. The sun was ring in the sky, the brightest it would be for the entire day. Alten assumed that they would exit the forbiddennds in a few more hours, and by the time they had to go to take a rest for the night, around 11pm, they would make it halfway to the center from where they started.

    As they continued on their ostriches, Lyrain suddenly saw an odd flicker of light ahead, tied across two trees.

    He was immediately confused, "Huh?" He said, trying to discern where the flicker wasing from. Suddenly, as he got mere meters away from the flickering object, he came to a screeching halt on his ostrich, as Leon and Alten''s ostrich jumped to the side to stop their movement.

 Chapter 115 Pitiful Trap

    ?

    "It''s a wire! A metal one." He said, as Alten quickly dashed over with his ostrich to where Lyrian was. Getting next to the wire, he ced his finger on it, "This is much darker than normal metal... it must be tinum!" He eximed, in surprise and awe.

    As soon as his fingery on the barely visible metal wire, a miniature slit opened on the tip of it, and a drop of blood fell almost immediately. As this happened he was taken aback in shock, "Thank god you saw this... Lyrian. It''s stupidly sharp, and it''s even made of tinum. If we ran straight through, we would have undoubtedly been sliced right in half." Alten heaved a sigh of relief.

    "The sun," Lyrain looked up, "I saw it glimmering in the distance because the bright sun was beaming down on it since it was noon. If it hadn''t been for that, we would have been screwed."

    Leon stopped forward with his ostrich, looking around quickly with his head, "Who the hell would set such a trap up in the first ce."

    At that moment a sudden voice rang from out of nowhere, "Now! Get ''em!"

    Lyrian saw a few bushes move in front of the wire as he heard this voice. Right afterward, multiple arrows shot from behind them and from the left of them. Lyrian''s eyes quickly tracked exactly which bushes the arrows came from as he gripped the hilt of his sword to deflect the arrows, but before he could do so, Alten''s arrows had already thrown off all of them.

    "What?! They are pros, get out!" The same voice said as Lyrian saw the first bush that moved when that voice first spoke move again.

    "Oi!" He jumped off, grabbing one of the arrows on the floor before hurling it toward the bush, "Where do you think you''re going?"

    The arrow flew through the air before suddenly piercing into something in the bushes, "Aahc!!" A voice eximed in pain as a kid suddenly stood up from the bushes and began trying to run away, an arrow stuck in his back.

    "Pfft! Ahaha!" Lyrian suddenlyughed. Seeing this, Alten also smiled, followed by Leon.

    "Why the hell are youughing!?" The boy said, turning around before falling onto his rear and facing Lyrian who ducked under the wire and walked towards the boy as he picked up some of the other arrows nearby.

    "Why? I''mughing at your luck man! Out of everyone who you could have tried to trap, you ran into us. Maybe it would beughable if you weren''t so weak, but you are." Lyrian joked.

    The boy was taken aback,ply speechless, and shocked. "Wh- what? What are you saying?" He said, worried and almost sad in his tone as he tried to back away even while on the floor.

    After picking up three arrows, Lyrian spoke, "Better luck next time in the exams. I can''t just let you go after doing something like this." He threw one arrow directly at the boy, nearly piercing through his skull and he was immediately eliminated.

    The other two arrows were thrown toward the bushes where they came from, one from the left and one behind them. Both arrows traveled in quickly but were stopped by something in the bushes that made them twang off.

    "Oh? A few with more skill?" Lyrian said as he saw this.

    Two stood up from the bushes before quickly running over to their friends eliminated remains.

    Seeing this, Lyrain felt kind of bad. However, he also took into consideration that they tried to use simple wire to take out opponents stronger. It wasn''t a horrible survival tactic, but... then again, it was, since it was targeting him. That made them his enemy.

    One of them was a girl, the other a boy. The girl wore a green robe-like skirt with a wand in her hand while the boy wore a leather suit of armor and an opened iron helmet on top.

    After arriving at the eliminated boy, the girl stopped and turned to face Lyrian before stomping her feet down on the ground, "You! You bastard! How dare you do this!?" He screamed at him, her expression enraged.

    As Lyrain heard this, he initially thought to himself, ''Glis?'', but re-engaged himself in the current situation, "Did I take out your leader? He was calling out the shots after all... too bad, you should have picked another opponent." He nonchntly said.

    "Leader!? That loser was our core-carrying boy! He wasn''t giving out orders, he was speaking so our location wasn''t given out. He probably thought he was our friend when he was still here tho..." She scoffed at the thought of that.

    Hearing this, Lyrian''s slight smirk was gone. He now not only did not have any respect for this screaming bitch in front of him, but he disliked her presence, unlike before when he didn''t care.

    Lyrian quickly retorted, "If he was your core-carrying boy, don''t worry about that anymore. We will take all those cores anyways." Alten and Leon couldn''t help but find Lyrian amusing as he said this, them both chuckling a little after hearing him speak.

    The boy was getting the cores from the floor when he heard Lyrian, "Hey... what did you just say to my lovely girlfriend?" He said, turning his head and giving Lyrian an angry and serious re.

    This prompted everyone to change their attention to him, even the girl, "What the hell did you say? I am not you''re girlfriend. That''s disgusting even to think about!"

    Hearing this, the boy kept the same serious expression, except his left eye was twitching slightly.

    "...Pffft! Ahahaha!" Lyrian and the other two behind him suddenly broke out into a ball ofughter.

    Leon covered his face and failed to withhold hisughter, as Alten was rolling around on the floor,ughing his ass off as tears nearly came from his eyes, "What a guy! He would sell outedy shows!"

 Chapter 116 Choices And Consequences

    ?

    "You''re dead." The boy suddenly said, getting up and walking toward Lyrian.

    As he walked past the girl, he grabbed her hand gently as a gesture of romance, only for her to reluctantly pull away. After getting in front of Lyrian he said, "Who the hell do you think you are just because you took out some loser in our team. He was a sacrifice, like a sheep. You think you are some big shot cuz just you took him down?" The boy put his hand on Lyrian''s shoulder.

    "I could kill weakling..." The boy paused, checking out Lyrian up and down before resuming, "Weakling peasants like you with a single punch. That''s right, you would be eliminated right on the spot." After he said this, he looked at Lyrian in the face with a cocky, arrogant smile.

    Seeing this, a disgusted look appeared on Lyrian''s face, ''Shock Fist.'' He thought to himself, channeling mana into his fist.

    The girl suddenly noticed, "Hey... Harsa! I think you should get out of there!"

    The boy addressed Harsa and looked back arrogantly, "Why? Because of this loser? Let''s just make him our core-carrying boy next since he''s so arrogant."

    As he said, this, both Alten and Leon were only smiling. However, those smiles quickly faded into confused expressions as they saw Lyrian suddenly fall to his knees.

    A jolt of pain hade from his neck, causing his body to go limp once again. As he was on his knees, Harsa looked to have a growing smile on his face, a malicious one. Seeing this, Leon immediately got off of his ostrich and dashed forward in front of Lyrian.

    Harsa quickly jumped backward to avoid a direct confrontation with Leon. Alten also ran in, kneeling down as he put his hand on Lyrian''s back and asked, "Lyrian, are you alright?"

    For Lyrian, the pain had been getting worse every time since the first excruciating burst when he first ate the Molten Essence, forcing himself to speak through the pain, he managed to say, "This is bad... worse than it''s ever been." He coughed.

    Seeing this, Harsa, standing next to the girl, couldn''t help butugh slightly, "Hahaha! Whosughing now huh? It looks like you were so weak my threats alone were enough to crush you!" He said, looking over to his female friend to catch her attention.

    She, however, still looked to be slightly taken aback. With her specialty being magic, she could sense what Harsa clearly couldn''t, a deadly amount of blistering mana pouring into Lyrian''s hand at extreme speeds.

    Her face still looked to be in shock, her eyes widened and her mouth slightly agape, "We... we have to get out of here." She said, backing up slightly.

    Harsa looked at her with a raised eyebrow, "Pfft! What are you talking about--" Suddenly, he felt a dull object begin to puncture through his side abdomen with immense force. It was hot like being scorched with magma, but also powerful, like a giant bulling mming into you and breaking all of your ribs.

    Before he could react, the boy was immediately eliminated by Lyrian''s punch. Lyrian retracted his fist, his other palm over his face as he tried to control the pain that was now beginning to subside.

    The girl was shocked, frozen in ce like a deer stuck in headlights. All she could fear in her bones was fear, as her entire body started to shake uncontrobly and her heart felt as though it was inside of her neck.

    Mustering up some courage, she let out, "Hey... what''s the point in eliminating me as well..."

    The three looked at her as she spoke, "Im not even a threat, Im not strong. Just have some mercy."

    Alten took in her argument as kind of logical, ''Yea... I mean, we don''t have to eliminate her as well. What would be the point in doing that.'' He thought to himself.

    Lyrian on the other hand spoke, "Nope. I couldn''t care less about you, if you are eliminated or not. But, your actions lead to consequences. Your choices lead to punishments, and you chose to try and entrap us. Whether it was willingly or not, it''s obvious to see."

    The girl was speechless when she heard this, as her eyes began to tear up Lyrian continued, "A second ago you were my enemy looking to eliminate me, you saw that as an easy and frivolous thing, so why should I feel bad when I eliminate you?" On saying this, he didn''t wait even a second, brandishing his de as he swooped in and sliced her in half--well, nearly, except she was eliminated beforehand.

    Leon didn''t feel any sort of way about what Lyrian did, and even if Alten did, he didn''t feel like it was appropriate to speak out against him anyways.

    ''But... he isn''t wrong. Eliminating us was nothing to her just a moment ago, and now she wants to y the victim... it''s not like he actually killed her. Too bad, I suppose she bit off more than she could chew.'' As Alten thought this to himself, Lyrain suddenly fell onto his rear in front of a tree and leaned on it as he sat, holding his head in pain.

    Leon cut off the tinum wire and put it next to Lyrian so he could store it in his storage ring, "It would wear off by now, is it still going bad?" He asked.

    "Yea..." Lyrian said, putting the wire in his storage ring. By this time Alten had retrieved the team''s cores, which was a pitiful amount, and also made the ostrichese closer.

    "Oi, guys. I have a new n..." Lyrian suddenly said as Alten made his way over.

    "From here, how long did you say it would take to get to the center?"

    Alten looked at the sun, "It''s about half past 1pm right now, so I would assume about one day plus a little more than a half of the next day."

    Lyrian stood up, slowly walking over to his ostrich before jumping up onto it, one hand still on his face from pain, "Go without me. If you guys get there on the 24th day, I will get there on the 25th or 26th. I need to deal with this Molten Essence before it kills me. It was my choice to eat it, and now I will deal with the consequences."

 Chapter 117 Will It Cultivate?

    ?

    Alten was immediately taken aback in shock, "What?! Are you sure Lyrian!?"

    Leon was also surprised by what he said, "Hmm... that changes things up a bit but if you think that''s what''s necessary then go for it. Just make sure to deal with the essence ande back before the exam ends."

    Alten''s expression became more worried, "This Molten Essence, it seems much more dangerous than I first thought. As Leon said, you will actually be able to beat it right?"

    Hearing this, a smile appeared on Lyrian''s face. "Thanks for worrying for me, but I don''t need it. This is nothing." He said, not letting the other two speak as he made his ostrich begin running.

    The other two were left in his dust, standing there, "He does the most reckless things... who would think of eating that?" Alten eximed in frustration.

    "Hahaha!" Leon suddenly burst outughing, "That''s what makes him interesting, don''t you think? He sure is one very odd guy. But, everyone is made up of their pasts. I wonder what kind of past he had..." Leon said, getting on his ostrich as he stared at the small particle that Lyrian and his ostrich had now be in the distance.

    "I trust him," Leon said, almost profoundly.

    Alten looked at Leon as he got on his own ostrich as well, "I do too."

    And with this, the two began racing towards the center. The trio was finally separated.

    ***

    <2 Hours Later>

    *Stomp! Stomp! Stomp!*

    Quick but heavy footsteps traveled through the forbiddennds at extreme speeds, mere milliseconds between each step. Lyrian, his body, and neck still in excruciating pain, had traveled for a while. His destination? A cave.

    Finally, the footsteps stopped, as he came across a sudden cave entrance that looked to be on the side of arge hill. Getting off of his ostrich which he instructed to stay outside, he slowly ventured inside.

    Once inside, he walked through the rough hallway that expanded as he went for a few minutes beforeing across arge opening of about 20 by 20 feet. A round cavern room with seemingly nothing inside. It wasn''t even lit up by any amber crystals, pure darkness that Lyrian could barely see in.

    Still, he was able to see thanks to his Genesis-ranked eyes. He sat down right in the middle, ''Gear...'' He said in his mind.

    [Yes]

    ''I have a n, but I need you to tell me if it''s possible or not.''

    [Go ahead]

    ''This golden essence, it''s an alive being,''

    [Yes]

    ''But, is it also not a liquid, a material?''

    [Yes, the Molten Essence exists as both refinable and usable material and an alive being]

    ''Since it''s material, does that mean... I can cultivate it?''

    [...]

    ''...''

    [Yes, however, whether or not Gale will be enough is to be determined]

    As Lyrian heard this, an excited smile appeared on his face, one of both relief and exhration, ''Perfect!''

    Closing his eyes, he tried to forget the pain he was feeling as much as possible and focused on using Gale. He quickly gained ess to the three-dimensional state of being, where he could see himself outlined by white in a dark void of colorful mana flowing around.

    As he had found out by now while using Gale when he could, mana was much denser here in the Tasnan Wildends, even more so in the forbiddennds, and even more so in the tstone Mountains. The only problem was that he couldn''t find much time to cultivate.

    Once in this state, instead of trying to absorb the mana around him, Lyrian focused on himself. Soon, a yellow essence began to glow from his outlined neck.

    Using all of his efforts, Lyrian concentrated on trying to absorb that essence into his core...

    [The only question is Gale... even I do not know whether or not it will be enough]

    Lyrian heard this, but thankfully it did not disturb his concentration. Gear used a separate origin of voice to make sure of that.

    As Lyrian concentrated on the essence, he knew that it would either begin to absorb or not. If not, he wouldn''t just get eliminated, but might even die.

    Thirty minutes passed... and nothing happened. Gale hadn''t absorbed even a tiny bit of the Molten Essence. However, Lyrian did not want to give up. After all, he had no other choice in his mind.

    He tried more, as ten more minutes passed, and then ten after that, and then ten after even that...

    *Ding* [Molten Essence is now being absorbed]

    Without disturbing his concentration, Lyrian still felt the exhration suddenly surge throughout his body. As soon as a little bit of Molten Essence was absorbed, it was like opening a dam that was leaking. A lot more started to pour in and get absorbed.

    It wasn''t absurd speeds, as almost any other cultivation technique would do better than Gale, but it was enough at the very least. With this, Lyrian shut off all other objectives and gave his entire mind body, and soul into cultivating the Molten Essence, not knowing how much time he had left until it fully took over his body.

    <One Day Later>

    Leon and Alten were only about six hours away from the center now. They were in the ins, with grass expanding until the horizon. Scarce trees, and a beautiful, visible azure sky that stretched as far as the eye could see, littered with splotches of white clouds.

    As they traveled, they saw several creatures. A pack of deer gently grazed the grass floors. They hand long antlers on their head and golden ankle bracelets.

    Slimes that jumped around, of small andrge sizes and various different colors as well.

    "It''s a Fire-Fanged Wolf! Tier 3," Alten announced to Leon, as they both closed in on it.

    It looked to be preying on a herd of some sort of magical sheep in the distance but was frightened to turn around when he heard multiple fast footsteps closing in on it.

    Taking out these beasts was a leisurely activity for the two by now, but as they neared about 30 feet away from the beast, a sudden meteor-like thing shot down from the sky andnded in front of him, throwing them back in its big explosion.

 Chapter 118 Unknown Powers

    ?

    As they tried to regainposure and get back onto their feet, they looked and noticed that within the disappearing smoke was an outline of a small, kid figure. As the smoke fully cleared, they saw the boy dressed in a simple white shirt--which was pretty dirty--and also a pair of cargo pants.

    He didn''t have any weapon attached to his body, only things like pouches and other small trinkets, such as a white earpiece. He dashed over to the stunned Fire-Fang Wolf, his short brown hair waving in the wind, as he mmed the heel of his palm into the wolf.

    For some reason, the force of the blow didn''t travel with the wolf and throw it back, instead, the force traveled through the wolf''s body, making its eyes roll back into its head as its lifeless body thumped on the floor; and outline of the boy''s palm imprinted on its chest.

    Leon and Alten got back onto their ostriches, "Hey, we were going to hunt that wolf!" Alten eximed to the boy, who slowly turned around.

    He had a nonchnt expression on his face as he stared at both Leon and Alten. Without even a second''s hesitation, he dashed forwards, readying his palm for an attack.

    In mere moments he was in front of Leon''s ostrich. He hadn''t even gotten time to react when the brown-haired boy suddenly appeared in front of him in the air.

    Leon was shocked, his eyes gazing into the indifferent eyes of the extremely fast boy in front of him, ''What the hell do I do!? I can''t dodge or block-'' He interrupted his own train of thought, attempting to block with his hands.

    A surge of killing intent had been thrown towards both Leon and Alten, enough to rival that of a wild beast. However, before the boy unleashed his palm, he suddenly dropped down to the ground onto his feet and made contact with his earpiece.

    After a few short seconds, he said, "Spade... alright, I''ll be there then." Before dashing away, not even acknowledging the two kids in front of him.

    Leon was taken aback in shock, "I would have just been eliminated right there." He said, slightly stunned.

    Alten too was in awe, "That kid''s a monster! His spiritual energy is alike to that of a powerful tier four beast. I haven''t seen almost anyone who can rival that..."

    Leon started moving on his ostrich, "I sure can''t... not in this form."

    Alten stayed silent as he followed along.

    ***

    Lyrian was still cultivating the Molten Essence. Although the speed it was entering his core was immensely greater in actual cultivation than mana, he couldn''t tell how long it would take.

    For this reason, he had given up most bodily aspects of survival, such as eating or drinking anything. He had rushed to cultivate the Molten Essence, but also, he hadn''t considered too much of where he was cultivating.

    It was a small cave, right in the middle of the forbidden area. For creatures, not living in it would be like passing up a mansion... that could only mean, in that mansion was someone like Donald Trump, who they simply couldn''t kick out.

    *Growl*

    Lyrian heard this, it wasn''t loud but sounded like it came from arge creature. A gutsy, gnarly sound. It sounded like it came from a big creature so much, that Lyrian hoped that maybe it came from outside and that he didn''t need to worry about it.

    However, soon, he started to hear loud footsteps as well. ws scraping on the ground, fur scruffing against the floor. It started to get louder and louder, beginning to interrupt his cultivation.

    Suddenly, within his third dimension vision of himself, anotherrge outline appeared that blocked up over half of the ''screen''. Lyrian wanted to stay in this concentrated form as long as he could, as he found that the more he cultivated, the better the cultivation went.

    However, he was prepared to get up and avoid the beast''s inevitable attack. The beast stomped its way slowly next to Lyrian... and then suddenly, he heard a thump on the ground. In the 3d vision, the beast which he couldn''t discern turned into a round blob.

    ''Huh...'' Lyrian thought, as he opened his eyes. ''I have to know what this thing is. I can''t just continue cultivating with an imminent threat next to me.''

    All he could see was dimness, barely able to recognize the beast. He summoned fire in his hand to light to ce up. Squinting his eyes and looking a bit closer, he saw a big, brown-furred body. It was round, he also saw ws that were almost asrge as him.

    To the right side was its belly, with threerge, colored circles of fur that looked to be on it. One was a small, white circle with a ck outline around it, the other a medium-sized brown circle with the same ck outline, and the final one was a veryrge ck circle.

    Walking over to the left side of it, he finally caught a glimpse of the beast''s mouth. It was a snout, arge one. ''This thing... it''s a bear.'' He thought to himself.

    He could feel its warm breaths blowing against him from the snout, which was slightly irritating. Suddenly, he also noticed a trickle of blood flow down its neck onto the floor.

    A concerned expression shadowed his face as he raised the fire up in his hand to see that arge chunk of the creature''s neck had been bitten off. It was going to die soon, there was no doubt about it.

    ''Damn it. I can''t have this thing stinking up my ce. It''ll probably attract more beasts as well.'' He thought to himself, ''It''s going to die anyways, I might as well take it out of its misery and also get that core.''

    "Yoo! Wake up!" He yelled, jumping up before kicking the bear in the nose.

 Chapter 119 Generational Grizzly

    ?

    Upon noticing Lyrian, the bear struggled to its feet and unleashed a fierce roar, showering him with a blizzard of saliva as he hastily fled the cave. The bear, already aggravated by the painful bite on its neck and the burden of fatigue, seethed with anger and chased after the source of its difort��the seemingly insignificant figure that had kicked it.

    Lyrian sprinted deeper into the dense forest, leaping overrge nts and bushes, and gracefully maneuvering under fallen trees suspended in the air. After a few minutes, he reached a rtively open clearing, but exhaustion gnawed at him. Sleep had eluded him for several nights, and hunger and thirst weighed heavily on his worn-out body.

    As the bear approached, Lyrian turned to face it, bravely preparing to confront his pursuer. But then he noticed the bear trying to get through the same fallen tree he had effortlessly ducked under. Amusement flickered through his mind, realizing that he hadn''t considered how the bear would navigate that obstacle. ''How''s he gonna manage that... I didn''t think that part through,'' he chuckled to himself.

    To his astonishment, the bear vanished right as it reached the fallen log, leaving Lyrian bewildered and scanning his surroundings for any sign of its presence. Suddenly, the foliage rustled, and a small, white bear emerged from the bushes, appearing out of thin air. "Huh?" Lyrian muttered, puzzled by the mysterious transformation.

    In a matter of milliseconds, the small white bear morphed into its typical brown-bear form, standing at about 15 feet tall. But the surprises didn''t end there; it then transformed once again, this time into a colossal ck bear of absolute menace, three times its previous size.

    Lyrian, still trying to make sense of the situation, noticed the circles on the bear''s stomach and made a connection. "So... that''s what the circles on your stomach meant, huh?" he quipped, realizing that these markings might have something to do with its shape-shifting abilities.

    The bear''s increased size amplified its power, making it even more formidable. Lyrian, while continuing to run circles around the massive creature, decided to Scan it.

    ��������Scan��������

    Name: None

    Species: Generational Grizzly

    Age: 60

    Overall Power (OP): 7

    Health: 15/78

    Stamina: 12/75

    Strength: 83 (-50)

    Agility: 75 (-50)

    Defense: 71 (-60)

    Rank: Genesis: Layer 1

    Special: Tier 4 (Exam Tier)

    ����������������������<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    However, it became evident that the bear''s life was nearing its end. Despite getting within mere feet of Lyrian, who continued to flee, the bear suddenly came to a halt, copsing its jaw onto the ground.

    Lyrian stopped in his tracks, rushing back to the struggling creature. Swiftly, he drew his sword and, with precise aim, delivered a fatal stab into the back of its neck, severing its spinal cord and causing instant death.

    As the bear''s life slipped away, Lyrian couldn''t help but ponder what kind of formidable beast could effortlessly tear through the neck of a tier 7 creature like that, prompting it to flee to itsir. The thought lingered briefly before he redirected his focus to the bear''s lifeless body.

    ''I have one extra soul slot, which I''m saving for Yang, the creature of light. However... now that I guarantee have the soul of Yin, what''s the harm in fusing something with the Hobgoblin? It will only turn into an un-fusable soul, and give me two extra empty slots...'' The bear''s body, and its ability to change sizes so quickly, was definitely tempting to Lyrian, but he also wanted a strong creature to fuse, stronger than the bear.

    ''The Hobgoblin was a mistake, but it was the strongest creature at the time for me so it made sense. But now that I''ve seen what''s capable of, I don''t want to fuse or Reap anything that isn''t at least boss creature level in this exam. However...'' Another thought came into his mind.

    ''Gear, I told you to not tell me the number of unusable soul slots I have unless specifically asked.''

    [Yes]

    "Alright, tell me," Lyrian inquired, a slight grin forming on his face.

    [Currently, you have 6 soul slots for unusable, already fused creatures]

    [One of those slots is filled by Garmr]

    Lyrian''s grin widened as he considered the possibilities. "If that''s the case," he mused, "then I might as well Reap your soul." He said, looking at the bear, "I can Reap the souls of more creatures in the future, but what I am interested in right now is the art of smithing and how that will impact my ability to create a new creature."

    Determined to explore the depths of his smithing abilities during the creation process, Lyrian decided to Reap the bear''s soul. Not only did the bear possess an intriguing ability, but Lyrian also sought to experiment and wield the art of smithing to its fullest potential. By taking greater control over the creation process, he aimed to produce a creature that was stronger and more useful.

    Wanting to return to his cultivation, Lyrian extended his hand, pointing it below him where the beary. "Reap," hemanded.

    As if responding to his summons, the bear''s white soul orb emerged from its body and flowed into Lyrian''s heart, sealing the connection between them.

    Another flood of memories surged into Lyrian''s mind, though this time, it felt lighterpared to the overwhelming deluge from the Kailion. From these memories, Lyrian deduced that the creature responsible for biting the bear was known as a Lightning-Mane Lion.

    "I''m sure I''ve heard about those from Alten," Lyrian recalled, reminiscing about one of the few formidable beasts that apparently ruled the forbidden area.

    As the bear''s body disintegrated, Lyrian decided it was time to return to the safety of the cave. He knew he needed to conceal the scent of blood, so he hastily dug up some dirt and covered the trail of dried-up ichor with it.

    Once back in the cave, he refocused on his cultivation, determined to prioritize the cultivation of the Molten Essence above all else. It was a critical task that demanded his full attention.

 Chapter 120 Arriving To The Center

    ?

    After several more hours of trekking thend on ostrich back, Leon and Alten finally began seeing something unfamiliar and unnatural in the distance. Alten raised his head to see what it was, "I think that''s it over there!" He said, looking at therge, transparent light blue dome over 500 meters away in the distance.

    Upon getting 100 meters away from it, they realized that it connected a few different biomes. Grasnds, where they wereing from. The vast expanse of gently swaying grasses painted a golden hue under the warm sun. A sense of openness and tranquility enveloped the area, where various wildlife roamed freely, from graceful gazelles to yful hares.

    As they shifted their gaze towards the distance, about 1000 meters away was a lush jungle that beckoned with an aura of mystery. Towering trees, entwined with thick vines and colorful foliage, created a dense canopy that filtered sunlight, casting a captivating intery of light and shadows on the forest floor. The jungle''s symphony echoed with the calls of exotic birds, the chatter of monkeys, and the asional rustling of hidden creatures

    On another side, again 1000 meters away, the sight of a shimmering blue body of water beguiled them, glistening like a sapphire in the distance, awakening a desire for exploration. This pristine oasis seemed to invite them for a refreshing dip, teeming with an array of aquatic life beneath its surface. The air carried a gentle breeze, which yed upon the water''s surface, creating ripples that danced in harmony with nature''s melody.

    The same distance away on the following side were the majestic mountains that rose tall and proud against the horizon, their peaks touching the skies. Cloaked in nkets of lush forests at their base, the mountains soared to snow-capped heights. The grandeur of these towering giants inspired awe and offered a challenge to the adventurous souls seeking to conquer their lofty summits.

    Finally, there was even a vast and serene tundra that stretched across thendscape, adorned with a nket of snow that sparkled like diamonds under the daylight. Endless expanses of icy ins and frozenkes defined this frigid biome, where resilient wildlife adapted to the harsh conditions, leaving behind footprints that told tales of survival in the unforgiving cold.

    As Alten and Leon took in the breathtaking panorama, they couldn''t help but be awestruck by the enormity of the exam they were undertaking. Despite their encounters and respectful explorations, they were humbled by the realization that they had only scratched the surface of this vast and diversendscape.

    �Ѧ���d��s����vel.c��m The experiences of everyone else in all of these various biomes must have been drastically different. On top of that, Alten appreciated the Tasnan Wildends as a whole, "No wonder they picked this ce. It''s one of the most densely diverse ces in the world id assume. There are so many biomes so close together!"

    Atst, they arrived at the dome. Peering inside, they were greeted by the sight of a vast expanse filled with hundreds of tents sprawled across the space. Campfires flickered, stalls were set up, and in the center stood some grander marquees that resembledrge houses.

    Upon attempting to enter, they were promptly greeted by a group of kids. "Hey, you need to prove that you have a minimum of 250 points worth of cores to enter... it''s the exam''s requirement," one of the two kids stated.

    From atop his ostrich, Leon peered down at the kids and remarked, "Oh, really? You lot don''t strike me as exam operators. Am I overlooking something here?" His tone was casual as he dismounted his ostrich, and Alten followed suit.

    Alten gestured toward the valley and addressed his ostrich, "Head over there, but not too far." He knew that the two ostriches would easily be able to take care of themselves from most threats here, so he pointed them in the designated direction. Both ostriches obediently followed the path he indicated.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    "Listen, just show us the cores. Don''t make this diffi--" The other kid attempted to interject, but Leon cut him off, brushing past him and forcefully pushing his shoulder back.

    "Hey! What''s your problem!?" the indignant kid protested, but Leon paid him no attention. Meanwhile, Alten hurriedly jogged past them, catching up to where Leon stood inside the dome.

    "Hey... I thought we needed 500 to even get to the center, ording to what Sir Julius said..." Alten eximed, expressing his concern and confusion about the core requirement.

    Leon gazed ahead with a nonchnt expression. "This probably isn''t the real epicenter, just a marker to show others where it is. This ce is massive; it could hold thousands of people. It can''t be the epicenter. I doubt even a hundred... no, not even fifty will pass this exam."

    Despite the dome''s size, most people seemed to gather near its center. As they reached the core, they noticed yet another dome nestled within the blue enclosure. "There it is," Alten eximed, acknowledging that Leon''s observation was spot on.

    It was a yellow dome, only a few hundred square feet. Within it were the only few marquees that existed in the dome. Outside of it were only normal-sized tents.

    The two decided to go to the food stalls nearby since they were tired of eating unseasoned meat all the time. Although it wasn''t bad, it could get boring quick.

    While walking to their destination, Leon believed he caught a fleeting glimpse of a familiar face inside the yellow dome, heading towards one of the marquees. Yet, he dismissed it as a trick of his mind, attributing it to the boredom that seemed to be ying tricks on him.

    They arrived at the food stalls, situated near the middle of the dome. It was arge area. Alten was surprised that kids would prepare such a thing, or even had the time to do so. Looking around, not many that walked by looked to be special, or even that strong looking.

    ''They came here this quick and had the time to do all this?''

 Chapter 121 Achievement Of Friends

    ?

    The two of them picked uprge, te-sized leaves and some wooden chopsticks before going through the stalls. The array of food surprised both of them. There wasn''t just seasoned meat, which they expected at the very most, but even soups, sds, fruits, and more.

    Of course, as expected, there wasn''t any bread or something like that which would take long to make, but it was impressive nheless. As they picked out their food, a hand suddenly touched Alten''s back.

    Slightly surprised, he turned around to see a familiar face, "Rn?" Alten said, a look of both confusion and shock on his face, "How the hell are you here?" He said in an even more bewildered tone than before.

    The boy who had touched his shoulder was a few inches shorter than him. He was very scranny and also had a pair of sses like Alten did. Hearing Alten''s tone of voice, he quickly replied, "What!? What''s that supposed to mean?" In a seemingly offended way.

    Leon looked over as well, "A friend?" He asked, moving along in the stalls of food. He was met with a nod from Alten.

    Rn also grabbed a leaf and some chopsticks before getting in line, "Okay, I mean, I guess I understand where you''reing from," Rn suddenly admitted, a nervous grin on his face.

    Alten looked over, "Ya'' think? You literally passed the preliminaries by pure luck, and you survived until getting all the way to the center in this ce!? You even got nearly 500 points worth of cores! That''s amazing!" He eximed, still shocked by this.

    Rn looked at the food and paused for a moment, "Well... that''s not exactly true. When I first came here, I didn''t even actually have more than 20 points in terms of cores."

    A confused, dismissive expression quickly came onto Alten''s face, "What?" He almost scoffed at the thought of that, "What are you talking about? When did youe to the center?"

    Rn didn''t waste time and replied, "Immediately. It was a n between me and some of my friends, and we immediately came here. It probably took us a few days. Maybe around a week."

    Alten was shocked to hear this but didn''t wish to exim it until Rn was finished. Rn continued, "Our initiative was to immediately make it to the center, and then slowly go out and hunt creatures throughout the exam to get the 500 points..." As he said this, his expression shadowed slightly as he looked down, "But... that didn''t go so well."

    Alten looked over, a hint of concern on his face as he saw some sadness on Rn''s face, "Was it the jerks with the 250-point minimum?"

    "No... they cameter. We were already here. A lot of people actually had the same idea, a lot of weaklings like us," Rn awkwardlyughed, "But people also came on the 10th day, the 15th day, and so on. Their ns were the same as ours, justter on. They probably realized how dangerous it was, and didn''t want to risk getting cores outside so they came here instead." As he said this and scratched his head, he caught a nce of Leon''s face, interlocking eye contact with him, before quickly dropping his gaze down to the floor.

    Leon saw this and was slightly confused, but didn''t think much of it, ''These types of kids... who are shy to even hold eye contact?'' He thought to himself.

    Alten wanted to hear why Rn''s ns didn''t exactly go right, but before he could ask that Rn had a question of his own, "I mean... it''s not like you''re different than me man. Alten, how did you get here?" He said, emphasizing the "you".<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    On saying this, Rn immediately caved into his head, ''Shoot! Why did I say that?? It''s clear that he was... damn it!'' He said, shooting another nce at Leon.

    "Oh me? Yea, I am a weakling too, haha" Altenughed, "But I found some friends to help me get here. It''s thanks to them." He said, looking at Leon.

    Hearing this, Rn, who had lowered his head, slowly lifted it up, ''Damn it Alten! Why did you call him your friend!? You never do that to that kind of peopl--'' He paused, making eye contact with Leon''s nonchnt expression.

    Leon found it weird that the boy was just staring at him, and Alten too was slightly confused. To cancel out this energy, Leon simply nodded to him.

    "Whaaaa!?!?" Rn suddenly eximed as he jumped back in shock, "He! Leonidas Serroa, is actually you''re friend!?"

    Alten burst outughing as he heard this, "What did you think?" He continued tough.

    Rn quickly jumped back in line, "I-I totally thought you were his chore boy or I don''t know, something! I can''t believe it! You are actually friends with a top ranker in the leader boards!" He couldn''t express his disbelief enough.

    Hearing this, Leon also let out a little chuckle. Rn continued to try and express himself, "Dude!" He said to Leon, as Leon turned to look at him, "What!?" He said, shocked that someone like Leon would look at him just because he said something to him.

    "This is amazing! Alten, how far you havee! You''ve left me in the dust!" He yelled as tears of joy flooded down his face.

    Alten was amused by this, "Wait till you hear who my other friend is..." He said, a sly smirk on his face.

    Rn jumped back, his face immediately serious, "Who? You have to tell me." He prepared himself.

    "Lyrian Theageld." Alten proudly stated, as even Leon looked at him with confusion, ''He says it like it''s an achievement.'' He mused.

    Suddenly, a shocked snot came out of Rn''s nose as he paused for a few moments before bursting out into a scream, "Th-- The ck Sheep!?" He yelled into the air, prompting a few looks from people walking around and also those who were in front of the line.

 Chapter 122 Core Stealers

    ?

    Seeing odd stares from people around him, Rn quickly jumped back in line, "Dude, you''re a celebrity at this point. Thank god I made friends with you when I did." Hetched onto Alten''s arm while crying tears of joy.

    "I know... muhaha!" Alten let out a viinousugh, "So... how about you tell me what happened with your side of the story now. How did your n fail?" Alten said, genuinely interested.

    Hearing this, Rn''s tone turned a bit gloomier, but not as much as before since he just heard some good news, "Well, to keep it short, there are pieces of shit here. Selfish ones. Since they''re more powerful, they will just take your cores." Rn exined, catching confused glimpses of both Leon''s and Alten''s faces.

    "Let''s say many people support you, even though you are weak. If you are well known, for example. They will still find a way to take your cores, as long as you are weaker than them. If they can''t take your cores in the center when you are protected by other kids, they will take it while hunting and sometimes even eliminate you. Sometimes they don''t, since people either don''t believe you or don''t want to, since they will be targeted next if they speak out." Rn''s expression darkened.

    "They eliminated every single one of my friends out there in the woods. That''s because they were all weaker. But, I was even weaker than them, so I didn''t need to be eliminated out there. They just stole the cores from me right here."

    On hearing this, Leon and Alten felt pretty bad for Rn, but they didn''t speak to let him continue. There wasn''t really something they could even say anyways.

    "So... yea. I mean, you''re lucky that you have these big dogs on your side, but then again, that will make you guys an even bigger target. There''s one big faction that runs that core stealing projects here. They came here somewhat early as well, 15 days in, but they didn''te because they were cowards, like the rest of us. They came because they knew they could take advantage of us and get all of our cores."

    Hearing this, Alten got an unexined thought, "Are you sure this faction just takes cores from anyone? I mean, isn''t there even one other faction or group or something that they can''t take the cores from?" He asked.

    Rn didn''t hesitate to answer, "Oh no, of course there are. There are plenty of more powerful groups that the core stealing faction doesn''t mess with, but of course, these stronger groups don''t consist of the majority of the people in the center. Most are here with small groups of 3 or 4, and many with no group members at all," Rn paused, looking around him to make sure no one dangerous was there before eximing, "I hate those bastards man!" down towards the ground.

    Hearing this, Alten and Leon were silent, "I''m sorry guys... I don''t want to bare you down with myining but... you gotta understand, I can''t take this exam again." He said to them.

    "Yea... I get you, dude..." Alten said, inwardly wanting to somehow find a way to allow Rn to pass.

    �Ѧ���d��s����vel.c��m Alten was one of Rn''s best friends back home. They lived close together, by Rn''s family was far worse off than he was. Rn was born with two other siblings around his age, but they, unfortunately, passed away at a younger age, and his parents were too ill to work.

    Their nobility carried them through their older years, but soon the streets were going to be their only options after selling everything they had. Rn was their only hope of getting out of deep water, and Alten knew this.

    Rn suddenly changed his tone, "I swear..." He angrily said, "Even if I have to seclude myself in a jungle for the rest of my life to gain power, I wille back and get revenge on these bastards."

    Leon and Alten were silent as he said this, creating a slightly awkward atmosphere for a few moments before an unfamiliar voice suddenly sounded from behind.

    "Huh? What did you say you were going to do?" A fat, tall boy behind the three said, as Alten noticed Rn''s eyes widen. Rn''s heart sunk into his chest at that moment.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    He quickly turned around to face the fat boy in front of him who had a malicious smile on his face, and two other mugs behind him with the same smiles.

    The kid to the right said, "Who the hell is this loser even talking to? All by himself."

    People behind and in front of the three in line looked away, focusing on their food and own conversations to avoid sticking out. People who were walking by also did the same, shielding their gazes from the situation.

    A few whispered as they walked by, "Look, it''s that scrawny kid again."

    "Poor guy, he always gets picked on."

    Rn lowered his gaze to the floor, "I... I didn''t mea-" He suddenly got smacked on the face before he could finish, his sses falling to the floor.

    Alten was shocked, his eyes expanding and his eyebrows scrunching in as he just witnessed what happened.

    "Huh? What do you mean didn''t mean it? I didn''t hear wrong did I?" The fat bully who smacked him asked.

    "You''re right... I''m sorry." Rn submitted.

    Suddenly, the fat bully grabbed him by his hair and lifted his head up as he eximed slightly in pain.

    Alten couldn''t bare it anymore, seeing a childhood friend be assaulted like this. Before he could grab his bow, Leon''s hand stopped him. Alten looked up, ''Why is he stopping me?'' He thought to himself, only to see that Leon too looked to be slightly angered.

    Although he was awkward, Leon still liked Rn slightly since he was pretty funny. Leon stepped forward but suddenly stopped as another unfamiliar voice sounded out of nowhere.

    "Oi... I''m trying to eat here." The voice came from behind the bullies. Hearing this, the fat one that grabbed Rn''s hair quickly let go and backed up, his face simr to Rn''s in terms of fear as he heard the voice.

    The three bullies quickly stepped to the side and made way for a boy to get in line, cutting in between the people in the back and getting behind Rn.

 Chapter 123 Almighty Mecha Of Creation

    ?

    Rn picked up his sses, turning back around as he quickly put them on. The boy next to him, simr in height to Leon, sported dreadlocks and bore a distinctive scar running across the back of his head. His dark brown skin had a richplexion, and he donned a sleeveless tunic-like white garment made of an iron-stic blend that entuated his muscr arms and poked out above his shoulders.

    "Move." He suddenly said, as Rn quickly made his way further in line. The boy began picking up different meats on his te, as Rn looked back and made eye contact with the bullies.

    The fat one looked to be infuriated. He moved his thumb up to his neck and ran through it horizontally, gesturing to Rn that he was done. It seemed that looking so pathetic in front of someone that he was bullying had hurt his ego, and now, Rn knew that the anger that came from that was going to be thrown at him.

    The bullies promptly left after this, allowing Rn to catch a breath. He spit out some blood as he continued to move through the line silently.

    Leon looked at the new kid who just got in line, and then at Rn. "You alright?" He asked.

    Hearing this, Rn''s expression lightened up slightly. "Oh me? Yea... I''m used to this by now, so it doesn''t really affect me too much. It does hurt, though." He awkwardly chuckled.

    ***

    Lyrian had been cultivating for the entire day since he Reaped the Generational Grizzly''s soul. There were no distractions in his mind as he sat in a lotus position and used Gale to manipte the Molten Essence into his core.

    On the outside, he was sweating profusely, as the nonstop cultivation was interfering with his body''s ability to maintain temperature. At this moment, the final drops of Molten Essence were being absorbed from his neck, traveling through his meridians, and entering straight into his core in the form of mana.

    Suddenly, as the final bit of Molten Essence was absorbed, his eyelids flew open, the sweat on top of them flying out into the distance. The hairs on his body that stood erect calmed down, as he breathed a deep sigh, which came out in the form of thick white smoke.

    Lyrian stood up, looking at his palms as he opened and closed them. Suddenly, arge grin spread across his face. He jumped up and down, going 5 feet up at a time with ease. Then, he ran around the cave excitedly.

    He could feel new power simply surging through his veins. It felt like the time he ranked up, a burst of power that yearned to be used, ''Gear, open up my stats.'' He thought to himself with an eager smile. Nothing made him more happy than gaining power.

    ��������Status��������

    Name: Lyrian Theageld

    Title(s): None

    Species: Human

    Bloodline: Unknown

    Age: 10 Years

    Overall Power (OP): 8

    Vitality: 115 Years

    Health: 79/79

    Stamina: 77/77

    Strength: 81<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    Agility: 80

    Defense: 75

    �Ѧ���d��s����vel.c��m Body: Normal

    Rank: Genesis: Layer 1

    MP: 129/200 (+50)

    ����������������������

    Lyrian''s smile dissipated for a short second as his eyes widened in shock. He was expecting a boost, but not to this extent. The Molten Essence had given him around 100 mana alone. Then, another smile, even bigger than the one before, showed itself on his face.

    "Hahaha!" He began tough, opening and closing his palms once again, "Hell yeah..." He wanted to use this power as soon as possible but restrained himself and sat back down. "A full two days haven''t passed, so I still have some time. Although I''m more powerful, this is not nearly enough. Let me use Creature-link now." He said, closing his eyes and taking another deep breath as he focused on the idea of creation using the art of smithing.

    ''Creation... the art of creating anew. Forming a perfect idea from an empty canvas...'' He thought to himself. This was a sort of mantra that Brokkr taught him that got him in the right mindset to smith. However, as he slowly opened his eyes, he noticed a transparent, light blue screen in front of him.

    "Huh? What''s this?" He thought. It looked like the message screens that popped up when Gear talked to him, but instead, it was nk, like a canvas.

    [This is the Creation System, and you are the creator]

    That''s all that Gear said, and from this alone, Lyrian understood what it was talking about. ''So just because I imagined a canvas to smith, I received one... 1000 cores...'' He then thought to himself, closing his eyes once again.

    He opened them, only for nothing new to show up.

    [That goes outside of your abilities]

    [You are the creator, but not the origin]

    "Huh?" Lyrian was slightly confused about what Gear meant by this but brushed it off as he didn''t want to waste too much time. This canvas in front of him was now seemingly his board for creation.

    Now, he was going to begin fusing the souls using Creature-link. Before, he had simplymanded the system itself to fuse the souls, but now, he was going to be the one to control it.

    He didn''t know exactly how to approach this idea, but he thought that since thinking seemed to be working, he would think about the two souls. First, he thought about the Hobgoblin''s soul, as a small, transparent Hobgoblin suddenly appeared on the canvas in front of Lyrian.

    His eyes widened slightly in shock as he took in a small gasp. He then thought of the Generational Grizzly, and that too appeared. The two didn''t just look to be recreations/models of the two creatures, but instead, the actual souls, since they moved as if they were real.

    Now that the two were on the canvas, Lyrian was hit with a multitude of options. Without even closing his eyes, he could simply think and adjust everything on the canvas. If he thought about allowing the grizzly to stand, it did. If he thought about giving the Hobgoblin some hairy, bear arms, that''s what happened.

    In front of Lyrian was an almighty mecha of creation, one which he could manipte to his will!

 Chapter 124 The Deck Group

    ?

    Alten and Leon made their way over to an array of wooden benches crafted by the other students in their free time. There were about 10 of them spread around near the food stall area, and Rn led them to one before sitting down.

    Alten looked over to the direction that the bullies had gone, "So those are the core stealers huh... thankfully they don''t seem to be too strong." Alten said as he sat down.

    Leon didn''t say anything, as Rn immediately replied, "Haha... I wish." He said to Alten''s confusion.

    "Hmm?"

    Rn was happy to give context, "Dude, those bullies aren''t even a part of the faction of core stealers. They are just some wannabe-" Rn looked around again before speaking, this time more thoroughly than before, "Crooks that bully weak kids and sometimes get their cores. Most of the time though, they only bully kids with no core just to be bullies or whatever, I don''t know why they do it. I know I wouldn''t, but what I do know for certain is that they wouldn''t take from kids with a lot of cores, since that would be taken from the actual core stealers. "

    Alten was surprised to hear this, "Really? Shit, I thought they were the ones you were talking about... if not them, I wonder who the core stealers are."

    Rn sighed deeply before replying, slightly defeated in his bodynguage, "You really don''t have to wonder all that much. They aren''t vigntes, more like celebrities," He turned to look at the inner center dome as Alten did the same.

    Leon on the other hand was too busy fueling up and chomping down on his food. He had missed even this level of food, which wasn''t that good.

    Rn began to speak to Alten, "Out of the 4 marquees inside of that yellow dome, one of them belongs to the core stealing faction. Or, if I were to give their real nickname... the Deck group."

    "I see... wait, the Deck group? What kinda name is that?" Alten chuckled.

    As those two continued to talk, Leon observed a few random kids eyeing him from afar. They weren''t just in one spot but spread around all across the ce. As he ate, his eyes darted from kid to kid who made eye contact with them, but as he looked at them, their gazes quickly jolted away.

    Leon thought this to be slightly odd, ''It''s not normal... they could just be interested in me since I''m a neer. Or they could have heard of my name before. But... there''s too many.''

    As he continued to eat, a horn suddenly sounded from across the dome. Both Alten and Rn stopped talking as they heard this. Seeing a multitude of kids head in a certain direction, all three of them looked there with interest.

    It was a bit outside of the main hub area where kids roamed around for the most part. There was a small wooden tform, and on top of it was a small group of four kids, one of which that was blowing a purple horn.

    Rn suddenly stood up, "I guess it''s already time," He said, looking over at both Alten and Leon who were understandably confused, "One or more of the factions is preparing to go hunt. It''s really good if you can join them, but they pick a certain amount of people at a time so it''s best to go as early as possible."

    Alten and Leon looked at each other, "Want to go?" Leon asked.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    "Might as well... there isn''t much to do here anyways. We might as well get cores instead."

    With this, the two stood up and jogged with Rn to where the kids were gathering. With Rn, they made their way through the crowd of kids and stood at the front.

    "Hmm... isn''t this a bit dangerous? I thought you said that the Deck group or whatever stole when out hunting sometimes." Alten questioned as they arrived at the front.

    Rn looked back, "Yea... but their hunts aren''t thatmon, especially not anymore since they got as many cores as they needed id assume. But going hunting with arger group is super valuable for those without many cores. Compared to going alone or with your group, the stronger group would help you and they share the cores fairly."

    Alten nodded, understanding Rn''s viewpoint of it. He was still trying to understand themon mindset of someone in the center since he had only just arrived.

    Another thought came to Rn''s head, "But... I''ve heard some rumors recently that the Deck group isn''t just hunting for cores now, but also to pick off some stronger opponents for some reason. Something to do with the sun? I have no clue."

    Hearing this, Alten was slightly taken aback. He was confused, "The sun? That makes no sense. What does that have to do with what you were saying previously?"

    Rn awkwardlyughed, "Haha... yea I don''t know either. Forget it... those rumors are probably just stupid lies anyways."

    "Listen up everyone!" A kid wearing a ck robe with a sword sheathed on his waist who was on the wooden tform in front of every suddenly stepped up and spoke, as the kid holding the horn took a step back.

    "We will be taking 20 in total!" The dark-robed kid proimed, as murmurs quickly spread throughout the crowd.

    "Only 20 this time huh..." Rn''s eximed with a tone of disappointment.

    With this, three of the boy''s on the tform stepped down and began picking kids to go. Rn stepped up with his chin up and chest out, confidently proposing himself to be the one to go.

    After a minute or so, two of the three kids who were picking people got back on the tform as thest one made his way down the final line of students at the front.

    He spoke as he got closer to Leon and the others, "16...17...18...19..." He got to where Rn was and made eye contact with him for a few seconds. Rn was excited, it had perfectly matched up and his time had finallye!

    But then, the kid skipped right over him and picked Leon instead, "20," Before jumping back up on stage.

 Chapter 125 By Sundown; Final Verdict

    ?

    As Leon was picked, he looked back at Alten, realizing that he wasn''t able to go.

    The kid who picked him up shouted from the stage, "Hey! You gonna go or not?"

    Leon continued to face Alten, seemingly ignoring the kid on stage, who quickly retorted, "Oh what? I separated you from your group. Don''t be such a pansy, it''s not like you guys are separating forever. It''s a few hours and then you can go on another hunt together. Jeez, kids nowadays..."

    Alten spoke to Leon, having already forged a decision, "I guess I can just join you next time. You should go, one person getting cores is better than none."

    Leon paused, "Alright. Are you sure you will be alright? Just don''t get into any trouble."

    "Yea yea..."

    Leon promptly jumped up on the tform with the rest of the 20 and the 4 kids as therge group quickly dispersed.

    Rn furiously stomped his feet onto the ground as he eximed, "Damn it! This shit again!? Every time I get ignored nowadays!"

    At first, this reaction seemedical to Alten, but he quickly un-did his smile as he saw Rn being silent. He was looking at the ground with genuine frustration and anxiety.

    Alten tried to calm him down, "Let''s just get back to eating..." He said as the two walked back to their bench.

    "I''m sorry again dude. I can''t control my emotions." Rn awkwardlyughed again.

    As they got back to their bench, however, that smile turned into a concerned frown. Waiting for them were the bullies from thest time. They all had malicious smiles on their faces, but when Alten and Rn got close enough, they stepped to the side and made way for an unfamiliar face to step forward and sit down on the bench.

    This new kid had a hair full of long, silky white hair, and donned a white tunic with oversized white pants.

    Alten and Rn stopped a few feet from the bench, as the new kid said, "Sit down." With a polite smile on his face.

    The two sat down, and Rn eyes the bullies who were still standing a few feet back. He then looked at the face of this new kid, and slowly, his eyes began to widen as fear spread across his face.

    ''Why is he here!? He wouldn''te for me, I''m just a nobody!'' Rn thought to himself, before turning his head toward Alten, ''Him? Surely not...''

    The boy sitting across from the two of them who had long white hair finally spoke, a smile still on his face, "Alten Apollon... nice to meet you. My name is Kedward Sigel. You can call me Ked."

    Alten was slightly thrown off by this but decided to go along with it, "Yea... nice meeting you I guess. So what''s the purpose behind this?" He asked outright.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    It wasn''t like he was politely meeting some random kid. Alten had a bad viewpoint of him since he came with the bullies fromst time. He immediately wanted to cut the crap and figure stuff out.

    "Sure... what I wanted to kindly discuss with you was... the core situation. You''re teammate is Leonidas Serroa, no? You two must have amounted quite the amount of cores."

    Before this Alten already had his guard up, but now he waspletely at the edge of his seat, "Listen, just tell me what you''re talking to me for." Alten was already disturbed by how this guy came in, so he wasn''t willing to have any conversation with him.

    The boy paused for a short second, his smile disappearing. He looked around, seeing a few faces that were familiar to him that eyed him out, before leaning in and speaking, "You''re new here, so I thought I would exin some rules, but since you don''t want that exnation, I will just give you the verdict."

    Hearing something indirect like this, Alten would have previously shaken in his boots and run away, which Rn was expecting. However, this time, Alten was different. He had changed.

    Although he was still shaking in his boots, he did not run away. Leaning forward himself, he dealt with his nerves and said, "That''s what I''ve been asking for."

    the boy paused again, seemingly irritated slightly by Alten''s demeanor before retorting, "You have until sundown to quietly give us 500 points worth of cores. No one has to know about it and it doesn''t have to be a big deal, understand?"

    Alten wasn''tpletely thrown off by this, since he was pretty much expecting it, "And what if I don''t."

    The white-haired boy looked around, noticing a few eyeballstching onto him. He knew he had to finish this quickly and avoid such suspicious behavior, "If you don''t, we will forcefully take all of your team''s cores and eliminate you as well. It''s your choice." He said his final verdict before getting up and forging a smile back onto his face.

    �Ѧ���d��s����vel.c��m "It was nice meeting you, I hope we can agree on this subject." He said before walking away with the bullies, who chuckled as they followed him away.

    Rn looked around, before quickly pulling Alten to the side, "Let''s go to my tent." He said as Alten followed him. The two ran outside of where the main area of tents and arrived at a secluded one before going in.

    Once inside, Rn didn''t speak for a while, only looking at Alten with concern, "I don''t even know what to say but... first things first... you have more than 500 cores!?"

    Alten, who was looking at the ground also concerned, looked up, "Yea..."

    Currently, he was thinking about how much trouble he was in, and Leon directly told him not to be in trouble as well.

    "Damn it!" He suddenly eximed, not able to find a way to save himself here, "Im too fucking weak! Of course, they probably wanted to separate us in the first ce. They knew he was my teammate, and also that I was a goddamn weakling!"

    Rn was taken aback by this, "Woah, woah! Calm down, it''s alright..." He tried to say, but Alten continued to exim his frustration.

    "If I was even a touch stronger, I wouldn''t be such an easy target. Now... my entire team''s cores are at risk!"

 Chapter 126 Ambush

    ?

    Leon noticed that in the group of 20, there were about 7 people that he recognized. It wasn''t like they were lifelong, old friends of his or anything. He recognized them because he made sure to remember their faces from a moment ago.

    When he was eating, he memorized the faces of those who were looking at him for too long. Although this was an odd thing on top of another one, there was still a chance that it was a coincidence. After all, they were near the tform anyways, so out of 20 they could have all been picked randomly...

    He shrugged it off but not entirely. Caution still pervaded the back of his head, but he wasn''t going to let it turn his brain into a smog of uncertainty. With a team of 24, he had already made it out of the dome and they arrived at the forest.

    The four held a group vote on which biome to head toward since they were all nearly the same distance away. Leon voted for the tundra since it seemed interesting.

    He least wanted to go into the forest. He was tired of being only in the forest for so long during his and Alten''s journey to the center. However, that was the winner in the end. He also took note that all 7 of the kids he recognized from before voted unanimously for the forest.

    After getting right outside of the woods, the 4 kids who lead the group stopped as the ck-robed one shouted out to everyone, "We will hold another vote! Are we thinking of groups of 2s, 3s, 4s, or just solo? Put up your fingers for what you want!"

    Leon put up one finger, wanting to go solo. He noticed that oddly enough, the 7 kids had also put up one, and they all shot nces at him every few seconds as well.

    ''If not anything else, these are some annoying, weird kids.'' He thought to himself.

    However, everyone else that was left had 2 fingers up. The 7 all looked to be slightly irritated by this. The 4 leaders of the hunt quickly paired up groups of two for everyone. Leon was given a stern-faced boy that wore basic fighter gear and had a short sword for a weapon.

    Leon wasn''t the talkative type, but he didn''t look to have an angry expression on his face at all times unlike this kid, whose eyebrows were scrunched together as though he was furious or something.

    But, Leon was still slightly happy that he wasn''t going to have to deal with nobles since he hated their guts and their personality more than anything else in the world.

    The stern-faced boy spoke, "Hello maggot."

    "Don''t call me that," Leon said as they both shook hands.

    "Fine."

    The dark-robed boy spoke again, "Everyone split up and go! We will all meet here again in 6 hours!"

    By this point everyone knew how to hunt, so he didn''t bother exining much. Leon''s teammate immediately began dashing in a certain direction in the forest, so he followed behind. In 2 seconds he was right next to the boy.

    Seeing this, the stern-faced boy slowly turned his head to look at Leon as they ran. Leon''s face was casual, his run almost like a jog. The boy slowly turned his head forward again as he thought to himself, ''This is my maximum speed... who the hell is this guy?'' His face stillpletely straight.

    After a about four hours of basic hunting with a few break''s here and there, the two finally came across a creature above tier 2, a tier 3 Fire-Fanged wolf just likest time. Leon had dealt with creatures like these easily, so he wanted to finish the fight with it as soon as possible and move on.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    But before he could attack it, the boy next to him--whose name was Ko apparently, as he randomly said during their time together--shouted out, "Step back! This one''s a dangerous kind! I''ll deal with it!" He jumped out behind the wolf, which caused it to quickly turn around and begin to growl.

    Ko held his hand back toward Leon, "Just make sure you don''t get it by its mes, they might get you if you are in its area of attack..." He spoke heroically.

    Leon hadn''t unsheathed his sword even once yet, since nothing was strong enough to need it. He squinted his eyes slightly in confusion before quickly dashing in, nearly unsheathing his sword for the first time as he stopped himself from doing so. The wolf was suddenly thrown back as multiple fast daggers pierced through it.

    Looking back, Leon noticed a few facese out from the bushes behind him and Ko, "You... I knew it." He said, recognizing every single face.

    "We didn''t have to be too unsuspicious, just enough for you to think we weren''t a threat." A boy from the 7 said as they all showed themselves with smirks on their faces.

    Leon thought about the best course of action here. He wasn''t a fool, a situation like this was calcted precisely by someone, which could give him power over that someone depending on how he yed this situation.

    He let go of the hilt and put his hands up, "Listen, before you guys eliminate me... I want to know something, a final wish." He spoke nonchntly, not willing to act out anything.

    "Huhh!?" Ko eximed in shock, looking at Leon and then at the 7 kids back and forth in shock, "What the hell is--" He cut himself on, too surprised to even exin himself. His tough facade from before was broken, almostedically.

    Still, Leon''s words were enough, as the kid who spoke before from the 7 began to speak, "Final wish huh? Sure... You heard of the Deck group?" He questioned.

    "Yes."

    "Then you know why we are here..."

    "I don''t have any cores though..."

    "We know... we also know who does have them."

    Hearing this, a concerned expression shadowed Leon''s face, but inwardly he smiled, ''Giving away information so easily... pfft. But... I guess I should get back to Alten as soon as possible then.''

    ***

    Back within the cave, Lyrian created away, using the Art of smithing to forge a brand new creature with the most optimal of attributes from both the Hobgoblin Shaman and The Generational Grizzly...

 Chapter 127 The Generational Hobgoblin

    ?

    <A Few Minutes Prior>

    Seeing that he could alter everything on the canvas to his will, Lyrian was filled with an eager exhration. Not dwelling on the feeling too much, he decided to begin creating something, since he didn''t want to waste too much time experimenting and get to the center as soon as possible.

    ''The best attributes of the bear are its size-changing ability based on its age, its monstrous strength, and also itsrge size when it gets too elder. Thinking about pure animal abilities, its sense of smell and ws might also be useful.'' Lyrian thought to himself as he manually imagined all of those qualities being taken from the bear.

    Once taken, he then began thinking about the Hobgoblin, ''Its higher intellect and athletic abilities to move around better than the bear is probably its best qualities.'' Lyrian thought, taking out those qualities as well.

    Finally, he now had to create a body with these picked attributes. He couldn''t create an entirely new body, so he would be forced to use one of the two creatures'' bodies in front of him.

    ''I''ll use the Hobgoblin''s body. It''s human-like, giving it the athleticism and ability to move in certain areas better than the bear. Those are its best qualities, so it fits. It will get the age-to-size transformation power, which will make him either white when he''s small, green when he''s normal, and ck when he''s elder.'' As he confirmed all of this to himself, the hobgoblin was equipped with all of the spoken attributes.

    ''The small form would be for hiding and moving in small areas, the normal form would be to fight weaker opponents, and the elder form would be to fight the strongest opponents, so I''ll give the bear ws to the elder form since it might hinder the normal form''s ability to carry weapons. That''s not a problem for the elder form though, since its main purpose is to just fight, not carry things.''

    He finally added some of thest attributes, ''I''ll give all of the forms an advanced sense of smell, and I''ll also give them some thick bear fur on important areas such as the shoulders, shins, and forearms.''

    And with that, he had finished his creation. Leaning back slightly, he marveled at what was there. For thest few moments, he thought of any final adjustments but was happy with what he made.

    He wasn''t free to fully experiment with it right now, so he wasn''t going to go any further.

    [Creature-link: Hobgoblin Shaman + Generational Grizzlymencing]

    As this message sounded, a purplish haze of mist suddenly appeared in front of Lyrian.

    *Ding* [Creature-link sessful! You have created a new creature!]

    [New Creature: Generational Hobgoblin]

    The misty cloud morphed into the figure of a Hobgoblin before quickly solidifying.

    ''Huh? Why is it so small?''

    Lo and behold, as the mist cleared, a 2-foot Hobgoblin that was butt-naked and as white as snow appeared in front of Lyrian.

    ''What the?'' Lyrian was thrown off by this since it wasn''t at all what he was expecting.

    The Hobgoblin looked at him like an eager human child would look at a parent who just came home from work, its azure eyes twinkling as it grinned widely at Lyrian.

    Suddenly, it jumped up into the air and began running around the entire cave while giggling, its hand stretched out to the side signifying its freedom.

    "Ga ha ha! Gu ha!" Itughed in a cute, high-pitched voice as it ran.

    Lyrian quickly stood up, wanting to make sure it didn''t somehow escape as it ran around in circles.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    [Please name your creature]

    ''Name it? Hmm, Hobgoblin is a tiresome word to say each time...'' As he thought of what to name it, he looked at it running around and enjoying its life.  It was enough to bring a smile to his face, as the creature didn''t look horrid like its real-life counterpart.

    "Zuuc, that fits you. From now on, your name will be Zuuc." He stated, feeling that such a name signified both freedom and also the essence of a Hobgoblin.

    *Ding* [Generational Grizzly name has been formed: Zuuc]

    Lyrian continued to look at the little guy running around, almost in awe. Creating an entirely new being, one with its own individual consciousness... it was an odd feeling, to say the least.

    [Due to your low OP, a creature of this magnitude will not automatically respect you]

    ''Oh yea... that again.''

    [However, an intellectual creature such as a Hobgoblin may choose to respect you despite your low OP sooner than a creature with lower intellect]

    ''Oh?''

    [As time passes, it''s up to the creature to respect you or not]

    [Some creatures may only want to respect you when you are powerful enough, while others may choose to do so based on their whims]

    ''I see. But I don''t have the time to figure that out right now.'' Lyrian thought to himself, intrigued by what Gear said.

    He held out his hand, "Shadow," He said, as Zuuc was enveloped by a purpose haze and was absorbed into Lyrian''s shadow, or soul.

    Lyrian quickly stepped out after this, finally able to intake the sunlight again. He noticed that the colors of the world were more vibrant than before. Sounds of water flowing in the distance, birds chirping as they flew from tree to tree, and the random, ambient rustling of the forest floor were all clear and heightened to him.

    Everything was more enjoyable to experience. Throughout the days he had cultivated, his body had been showered in sweat, so before heading out he decided to wash himself first in a nearby river.

    With his new heightened hearing ability, finding a stream of water was easy. Even his Rock Ostrich decided to take a dive.

    After naming Zuuc, Lyrian was in the mood for naming, so he decided to name the ostrich as well

    As it calmly enjoyed swimming in the water, Lyrian called it out, "Hey, ostrich!"

    Hearing this, the ostrich suddenly went from floating to nearly drowning as it abruptly tried to turn around. After catching its bearings, it looked at Lyrian with a concerned expression and widened eyes.

    "Your name from now on will be Rird! Rock Bird!"

 Chapter 128 Hunting The Hunters

    ?

    After taking a bath in the river, Lyrian quickly dried up and got on Rird as they started their journey toward the center. Lyrian trailed his way back to where he left off Alten and Leon before beaming it forward, directly towards the epicenter of the Tasnan Wildends!

    ***

    The information that the kid from the 7 ambushers was alerting Leon, and also quite concerning, since it meant that they had already found out that Alten had the cores and that he was currently in trouble.

    But the concerned expression on Leon''s face wasn''t real, it was only to make the 7 lower their guard. He wasn''t willing to act anything out, but showing a face of concern, an emotion he was already slightly feeling, was easy.

    "Hahaha!" A fat kid from the 7ughed as he stepped forward, "I love their faces when they realize the situation they''re in! It''s the best part of this entire entrance exam!" Heughed.

    A girl from the 7 also retorted in amusement, "Haha! I know right? I will miss this exam when I pass it for that exact reason!"

    Hearing this, Leon scoffed at their foolish arrogance, "Your leader... tell me his name." He said.

    "Huh?" The first kid from the 7 that was talking to Leon a moment ago seemed to be slightly annoyed by this remark, "Who are you giving orders here?"

    Leon paused, "I--it''s just a final wish." He made sure to say, almost forgetting to keep up the act since he was only moment''s away from cutting all of these fools to shreds.

    The boy from the group furrowed his brow, puzzled by Leon''s peculiar behavior. He couldn''t fathom how such a wish could be of any benefit to someone facing elimination. Nevertheless, he shrugged off the thought, convinced it was inconsequential. "Our leader''s name is Spade, but it won''t change anything for y--" The boy''s words were cut off sharply as Leon''s hands dropped from the air, and in a sh, his sword was unsheathed.

    That was all the confirmation Leon needed. These kids were now nothing more than obstacles in his path that needed to be exterminated. A fiery, white ze of determination ignited in Leon''s eyes, and he channeled his focus on the boy who had been speaking.

    "What?! Everyone, attack!" the boy yelled, the terror evident in his voice.

    But before he could react, Leon moved with extreme speed, and the boy was eliminated just a moment before the sword would have met his neck. The other six attackers retreated in a panic, some leaping onto nearby trees, while others dashed backward, seeking some distance.

    "Don''t drop your guard! He''s not weak!" the girl urged herrades, her resolve strengthening as she drew kunai from her robe, ready to retaliate.

    However, as she prepared to throw the kunai, a white blur materialized before her, causing her body to freeze in horror. Her widened eyes reflected her disbelief as a sword nearly pierced through her abdomen, leading to her swift elimination.

    The remaining 5 attackers were now thoroughly shaken. "This guy''s speed... I can barely see him!" the fat boy eximed, feeling a poke in his back before being swiftly eliminated from the exam.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    Leon continued his relentless assault, moving with a grace that defied the eye, and eliminated each of the remaining attackers with calcted precision. Ko watched in awe and shock as he witnessed this extraordinary disy of skill, like witnessing a shooting star zing through the sky, obliterating his foes with ease like they were nothing but watermelons.

    With only 4 assants remaining, their bodies felt heavy and their minds struggled to keep fighting. It was as if they were trying to convince themselves that facing Leon head-on was a rational decision��a futile attempt at best.

    With a fierce burst of energy, Leon leaped onto a nearby tree and swung his sword toward another attacker, eliminating him before half of his head was sliced clean off.

    The final three ambushers couldn''t bear it any longer. Their kunai missed their marks, and they decided to flee, scattering in different directions. "H-he''s a monster! Just run! We''ll regroup and--" One of them was interrupted as Leon''s sword nearly pierced his abdomen, resulting in his swift elimination.

    As the remaining two ambushers saw theirrade fall to Leon''s swift strike, fear gripped their hearts like a vice. Their resolve weakened, and they knew they were up against an opponent far beyond their league. Nevertheless, they couldn''t afford to surrender; they had to escape, to survive.

    Without a word, the two remaining ambushers split up, taking different paths through the dense foliage, their footsteps barely making a sound on the forest floor. Each breath was a struggle, their hearts pounding in their chests like drums of impending doom.

    Leon, with his eyes aze and senses heightened, focused on the task at hand. He let out a deep breath, trying to calm his senses.

    �Ѧ���d��s����vel.c��m Chasing after one of the ambushers, Leon moved with incredible speed, his agile form darting between trees and branches like a shadow in the night. He almost seemed to blend with the forest, a phantom seeking its prey. With his keen instincts and years of training, he predicted the ambushers'' moves, anticipating their every step.

    Meanwhile, Ko remained in awe, watching the scene unfold with a mixture of fear and admiration. He had never witnessed such power and skill before. Leon was a force of nature, and it was both terrifying and captivating to see him in action.

    As Leon closed the distance, the first ambusher nced back in a panic, catching a glimpse of the relentless pursuer hot on their trail. Desperation consumed them, and they mustered thest bit of energy to increase their pace, but it was futile. With one swift leap, Leon closed the gap, and his de found its mark, eliminating the second-tost adversary.

    Only one ambusher remained, and they knew their chances of survival were slim. Their heart pounded like a drum, and their breaths came in ragged gasps. They couldn''t escape the fact that their end was near, but they wouldn''t go down without a fight.

    Gathering their courage, the final ambusher skidded to a stop, turning to face Leon. Their hands trembled as they wielded their kunai, the weapon now feeling heavy in their grasp. Beads of sweat formed on their forehead, but their eyes held a glimmer of defiance.

    Leon approached with caution, his gaze unwavering. As he neared, the ambusher lunged forward with a desperate strike, attempting to catch Leon off guard.

    But Leon effortlessly sidestepped the attack, his movements fluid and precise. With a swift counterattack to the heart, the final ambusher was eliminated.

 Chapter 129 Confrontation In Center Hub

    ?

    Leon sheathed his sword. After each elimination, he noted that not a single examinee had any cores, or anything else worth looting for that matter. He looked up at the sky after eliminating the final ambusher, his expression indifferent.

    ''Look''s like it''s been almost four and a half hour''s since this hunt began. It will look suspicious that 7 of the participants have been eliminated, and I''m the only one that''s missing, but I don''t have a choice right now.'' He thought to himself before beginning to dash toward the center.

    ***

    Alten and Rn sat in the tent, continuing to think of ways to avoid giving the cores, and also avoid the punishment for doing so. They were the smartest in their sses for their entire lives, yet, they still couldn''t find an answer to this dilemma.

    Alten seemed to be far more mortified than Rn, "Im so pathetic! We are all going to fail this exam because of me!" He sat with his arms wrapped around his knees, pushing them into his torso.

    Rn could only look from afar, not knowing what to do. He tried to better Alten''s viewpoint of the situation, "It''s alright man, it''s not your fault! It''s obviously the fault of those bastards that want to steal your cores!" He eximed.

    Alten looked up at Rn, his eyes slightly teary, "There will always be problems like them... it''s my duty to be strong enough to continue in life without being slowed down or stopped by them. I can''t just go on living andining about problems, I should be able to ovee the problems!" He shouted, frustration coating each word that came out of his mouth.

    Rn was slightly taken aback by this somewhat deep statement, but he wasn''t going to back down. He knew that what Alten was doing right now wasn''t the answer either, "Look! I get what you are saying, but sitting here crying about what you could or should have been or done isn''t going to help you either!" He yelled back, trying to make Alten understand.

    A few moments of silence passed, as the two came to a somewhat mutual understanding of each other, but were also too upset to speak.

    *Step step step*

    Both Rn and Alten turned to look at the entrance of the tent, hearing the footsteps very close by. Outside stood Kedward Sigel, the boy with the long white hair and white clothes from before who threatened Alten. Behind him were Rn''s bullies from before as well.

    "Boys... you can''t want to hide... while yelling at each other at the top of your lungs! That''s a dead giveaway!" Ked said, a smirk on his face. The others also grinned behind him as he quickly opened the p to enter the tent.

    Crawling inside, he quickly surveyed the inside as he spoke, "Sun''s down. You better have the 500 prepar--" He stopped talking, as he noticed a hole in the back of the tent with air flowing through it, "Behind! They made a run for it!"

    20 meter''s up from the tent, Alten and Rn were desperately trying to make their way back to the main hub of the center. "You sure this is our best chance!?" Rn said, questioning Alten as they ran.

    "This isn''t a chance at all. There''s no way it will work, since we aren''t faster than that Kedward boy... not even close. But trying to get to Leon is our only option! I don''t care if it won''t work, I''m still going to try!" Alten shouted as they made it to the center of the main hub in the middle of the dome.

    At sundown, many people were still up and about, roaming freely. They were thankful that they made it there but were quickly stopped by the wandering kids spread around.

    At that moment, the bullies had already caught up to them. "St--stop right now!" The fat one eximed, panting heavily as he pushed his hands against his knees, hisckeys arriving shortly behind him.

    Alten and Rn turned around. A crowd had formed behind them of people wanting to spectate what was going on. It waste at night, so this kind ofmotion warranted some interest.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    "Stop right there! Where the hell do you think you''re going!?" The fat bully eximed, straightening his posture.

    Murmurs from the crowd began to surface as Alten and Rn tried to back up. By now the crowd was too thick. Even if they tried to squeeze through, they would be caught while trying to do so.

    "What''s going on?" A kid from the crowd questioned.

    "This stuff... it usually doesn''t happen in such public. I''d think the other factions would fight back."

    "These two aren''t a part of any faction though, so why would they be protected?"

    As whispers such as this continued to sound from the group of kids gathered around, Kedward emerged from the slight slope that led to the center hub.

    Making his way past the bullies, he saw that along with random kids, a few kids from bigger factions had also appeared. At that moment, a giant circle of kids had formedpletely around Kedward, the bullies, and Alten and Rn.

    Suddenly, from the left came a small group of kids. Everyone looked at them, shocked, "What''s going on here!? Is one of our group members in trouble?!" A kid shouted from the front of his group.

    �Ѧ���d��s����vel.c��m Alten recognized one of the faces of the group members. It was the ck kid who saved Rnst time from the encounter with the bullies. The boy who spoke right now wore the same thing that the ck kid was wearing, and everyone else in that small group of five was also wearing clothing simr to that.

    A sleeveless tunic in a pristine white hue, crafted from a unique blend of iron and stic, which not only emphasized their well-defined arms but also extended slightly above his shoulders.

    "White Knights!" One of the kids from the crowd eximed.

    "They are one of the top four strongest groups that are also in the yellow dome!"

    At that moment, another group of kids popped out from the left side. Wearing all-ck robes, simr to the one that was hosting the hunting event that Leon joined, they made their stand simr to the adjacent group that appeared before them.

    "Dark Horses..." Rn spoke under his breath, as Alten looked over, slightly confused.

    "No wonder they would show up. All of them. They''ve been looking for a reason to confront or at least, deal with the Deck Group... the real reason they are alling here in thismotion isn''t to see if their group members are in trouble, but to confront the core stealers..." He put the pieces together, slightly surprising Alten.

    Rn looked around, waiting for the final group to show up. "Are they not going toe? Supposedly the strongest one... the Yaltan Wind group..."

 Chapter 130 The Jack Of Spades; Unexpected Arrival

    ?

    "What kind of names are these?" Alten questioned in confusion, "Yaltan Wind sounds like some sort of national natural disaster or something."

    Rn quickly answered, "Well... they didn''t choose the name themselves. These nicknames were given to them by the kids. It''s what they are most memorable for I guess."

    Hearing this, Alten was slightly taken aback by a sudden realization, "Most memorable? Yaltan... Wind?" Hearing this, a sudden puzzle seemed to meet in his mind, that he was confused about for quite a while earlier.

    "Arrgh! Everyone be quiet!" Ked suddenly stepped forward, his tone angry and even a bit frustrated.

    As he looked around at everyone in the crowd, the intrigued faces of the random onlookers, and the worried yet eager faces of the stronger groups, the thought about the best course of action to get done what he needed to get done.

    ''Bastards! Of course, they just had to run here! Now the big dogs are here... fine. If they want to fight, we will fight. There''s no point in hiding what we do anyways, everyone already knows it at this point.'' He thought to himself, ''Before I was just going to let them go... but after today, I will eliminate them and take all of their cores as well. That''s what they get for being such annoying fucks!" He finally began to shout out to the crowd.

    "Listen up! What''s going to happen here is simple!"

    ----

    *Stomp stomp*

    ----

    (Author Note: ---- Means something that is being heard from a distance.)

    Everyone raised their heads and faced Kedward as he began to speak, "These two weaklings here will hand over 500 points worth of cores to me, yes! A representative of the Deck group! If they don''t they get eliminated. If anyone wants to interfere, you will be dealing with the entire Deck group!"

    As he shouted this and looked around, for a moment there was only silence from the crowd. Even the strong groups didn''t speak up, since what they wanted was a confrontation, not an all-out brawl. That would be stupid, as many of their teammates had a chance of being eliminated.

    ----

    *Stomp stomp stomp*

    ----

    Hearing no objections, a smile appeared on Ked''s face as he approached Alten and Rn, "Alten Apollon! Do you want to be eliminated, or do you wish to give over the cores!?" He shouted, getting right in front of Alten''s face as he grabbed his hair.

    Alten slightly eximed in pain as he looked down, not knowing what to do, ''I can''t... I can''t betray my group and make them all fail!'' He thought to himself as gasps reverberated from the crowd.

    *Stomp stomp stomp!!*

    "Huhhh? Eliminated?" A sudden voice rang from outside of the crowd as multiple loud stomps made people scurry, creating a path for something to enter the group.

    The loud ostrich stomps ceased, as Lyrian jumped off of Rird''s back and slowly walked into the group circle. Everyone''s attention was quickly drawn to him. Immediately, a serious expression washed over his face as he saw what was happening inside.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    Hearing this voice, Alten looked up, his teary eyes regaining some color as he saw Lyrian.

    Lyrian paused after getting inside the crowd. He looked around, surveying the area to try and see what the context was behind the situation. But all it led to was an angry expression, as his eyebrows furrowed and his gaze met Kedwards with intense killing intent.

    "What the hell is going on here?" He quietly said as small whispers began ringing from the silent crowd.

    Kedward let go of Alten''s hair and faced Lyrian who was about five feet away, "What? What the hell are yo--" Kedward was cut off as a clenched fist suddenly dug into his skull, causing his to nearly pop out of their sockets. The impact was sickeningly brutal, the sound of bones shattering and flesh tearing filled the air. A sickening crunch echoed as Kedward''s nose was obliterated, sending blood gushing out like a grotesque fountain.

    The force of the blow caused Kedward''s head to whip back violently, nearly snapping his neck with a sickening split. He slightly eximed in pain before being abruptly cut short as his jaw dislocated, hanging limply from his face.

    With blood spraying in all directions, Kedward''s limp body fell backward before thumping onto the ground. His eyes were wide open, full of shock and pain, while not being able to exim those feelings.

    Some from the crowd gasped in horror, their faces pale and filled with shock. Lyrian stood there, his hand still coated in Kedward''s blood, his chest heaving with anger and fury.

    Alten and Rn stared in disbelief at the gruesome scene before them.

    Silence engulfed the area, broken only by Lyrian looking up from Kedward''s dislodged body.

    "You alright?" He asked Alten, who quickly broke out of his shocked trance and answered.

    "Yeah! Im good... thanks. I nearly got eliminated there." A smile formed on his face, knowing that Lyrian was back.

    Lyrian whipped his hand in the air a few times to clear the blood, "Care to exin? Why was this guy threatening you?"

    As they talked, the silent crowd and the stronger groups could only look on in awe and shock. Even the nonchnt-faced kids couldn''t help but widen their eyes at what they had just seen.

    One of the Dark Horse group members whispered amongst themselves, "Did he just one-shot Kedward?"

    "What... a monster. Who is that guy?" Another said, shocked.

    Those from the White Knights were equally as shocked. As everyone stayed slightly silent in themotion of pure perplexion, Kedward started to move once again.

    He slowly got back up onto his feet, as Lyrian turned to face him, now equipped with the context behind the situation. "I thought this was going to be a funst few days..." He said, readying to fight as a killing intent also exuded from the boy in front of him.

    Kedward threw his head back, clearing his long white hair--now drenched in blood--from his face as he held his jaw with both hands and logged it back into ce.

    With a white aura enchanting his hands, most of therger injuries seemed to heal as he hovered his hand over his face. "I don''t know who you are..." He began to speak before spitting out a lump of blood, meat, teeth, and bones.

    "But you messed with the wrong card." He tore his white tunic off, revealing the symbol of a jack of spades from a deck of cards.

 Chapter 131 Close Call

    ?

    "Woah... is he going to fight seriously here?" A boy from the crowd eximed in surprise.

    A boy next to him couldn''t help but speak, "Didn''t you see what that other guy did to him? Of course he would fight seriously after that..."

    Everyone started to back up and make some space as Lyrian and Kedward neared the center of the crowd of examinees. As Kedward''s aura exuded into the atmosphere, making contact with everyone in the crowd, Lyrian looked down at his hand.

    ''Perfect... I can test out my new power on this guy after absorbing the Molten Essence.'' He thought to himself, looking back up to Kedward.

    "Picked a fight with the wrong card? What are you talking about? You were hurting my friend, so I had to stop you."

    Everyone stayed silent for the most part as Kedward replied, "What a fool. Barging into a situation like that without any context only to attack without any thought behind that skull of yours."

    Lyrian didn''t back down, "I could care less about the context. Thates only second." He stated seriously, looking directly into Ked''s eyes.

    Hearing this, Alten was impressed and surprised that someone with the power of Lyrian considered him to be somewhat important. He saw him in a new light of respect after that.

    Kedward on the other hand seemed to have had enough of the mindless talking, "Be quiet, just shut up! You fucking idiot!" He yelled, silencing the crowd once again, "You''re nothing but a low status, no name, no backing weakling! Someone like you could never defeat me!" He screamed at the top of his lungs before dashing forward, pushing a hole in the floor where he jumped off.

    His hands flew to his sides as he ran, almost as if they were cloth fluttering in the wind. Lyrian, sensing that Kedward was undoubtedly serious, took out his de and held it to the side.

    Just then, a pair of eyes could be seen appearing a few meters away on top of one of the stalls, behind the group lines where no one could see them.

    As soon as Ked got mere feet away from Lyrian, he threw his right arm towards Lyrian''s abdomen with a precise jab, the force of his attack fueled by it swinging in the wind just moments prior. The attack looked to be a surefire one, seemingly unable to miss. A slight grin came onto Ked''s face as he noticed this.

    Everyone else also gasped slightly. Ked''s attack was so fast and so strong that it had already reached mere inches from Lyrian''s abdomen, yet Lyrian hadn''t even made a move yet.

    ''He''s too slow! Ked will eliminate him with only this attack...'' One of the group members from the White Knights thought to themselves.

    ''Did I overestimate his speed from before?'' Another kid from the Dark Horses couldn''t help but question himself.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    Without a loud impact, Ked''s fist mmed into Lyrian''s abdomen, sending a boom through his body as the force from it pushed even the kids to the side back a little bit.

    However... Lyrian didn''t move even a little bit. His clothes near the impact spot were torn right off, and a slight red bruise that was barely visible was left on the side of his stomach, but that was all.

    Noticing this, Ked''s eyes widened in shock as he slowly looked up at Lyrian, only to see him staring down back at him with a disappointed gaze.

    ''Huh... Enhance is much stronger now. Concentrating it into one ce makes for a hefty defense.'' Lyrian thought to himself, indifferent to the results of the blow.

    The face that was on one of the stalls lost the small smirk that it had only a few seconds ago, as Lyrian gripped the hilt of his de hard before beginning to move it upward toward Ked''s body.

    Ked looked down in horror as he identally shrieked slightly and attempted to move away. The audience held their breath as it seemed Ked was going to avoid the attack by mere millimeters... but suddenly, Lyrian grabbed Ked''s long white hair and jerked it back, causing him to trip and fall backward as Lyrian''s de neared his abdomen.

    At that precise moment, the eyes from atop the stall disappeared, as a random figure suddenly appeared in the middle of Lyrian and Ked and stopped the de.

    The speed of this movement caused a whiff of air to blow everyone''s hair slightly back as Lyrian let go of Ked''s hair and he fell onto his back before scurrying away on his legs, his expression horrified.

    A wave of surprised sounds mixed with impressed noises washed through the group of onlooking kids as the boy holding Lyrian''s de let go. The boy was smiling once again. He had short ck hair and wore a ck and white kerchief on his head.

    Lyrian noticed the symbol of a queen of spades on top of his eyebrow, along with his dark clothing in contrast to Ked''s white garments.

    The boy spoke, looking first at Lyrian, "The Deck group apologizes... clearly, you are powerful, but even if you weren''t, we don''t want to cause unnecessary trouble. From today onwards, our core stealing propaganda will stop." He said, now looking at everyone in the crowd.

    "Please! We are well in this together and will need to band together soon! Let us not fight amongst each other!" He looked back at Lyrian, "And please, if you could forgive us, and forgive me for suddenly appearing before you to stop your de, it must havee as a shock." He said with a confident tone.

    Everyone else seemed to know who this kid was, as even the strong groups had slightly worried expressions on their faces, and the group had backed up a bit from before.

    Seeing this, Lyrian raised his eyebrow and looked at the boy with an unimpressed expression on his face, "You didn''t shock me, I already knew you were on that stall."

 Chapter 132 Exploring The Center

    ?

    ''... He could sense my presence?'' The dark-haired boy thought to himself, a slightly confused expression on his face.

    "I don''t care about forgiving you, just don''t do stupid things again and there won''t be any problems." Lyrian nonchntly said to him with his back turned as he walked back to where Alten was.

    The crowd was slightly confused about what Lyrian was talking about but soon dispersed as well. All in all, they seemed to be slightly worried, but overall happy with the experience. It was thrilling after all, and everyone craved a bit of that.

    "Hey... my name is Joltun by the way. Joltun Namiel. What''s your''s?" The ck-haired kid suddenly decided to ask.

    Lyrian looked back over his shoulder, "Lyrian Theageld." He nkly stated as he resumed walking over to Alten and someone who seemed to be his new friend.

    Joltun stood there for a few seconds before walking towards the two stronger groups and having small talk with them. By now, the entire crowd had dispersed.

    As Lyrian got to where Alten was, he asked, "So... what about Leon? What happened to him for him to not be here?"

    They had already hashed out most of the details of the situation by now, but this was still slightly puzzling to Lyrian.

    Alten suddenly came to a realization, "L-leon! He went to a hunt with another group of kids and I couldn''t go since the slots were filled but... I think he''s in trouble! That Kedward guy spoke about the two of us being separated, so they must have sent some goons to eliminate him out there!" He eximed, his tone full of worry.

    "Eh... I''m alright." Leon suddenly said from atop one of the stalls as he quickly jumped down and neared them.

    Hearing Leon''s voice suddenly sound scared the shit out of Alten for a moment, "Dude! Don''t just appear like that out of nowhere!" He said, cing his hand on his heart, "Wiat... why are you back early from the hunt if there was no one sent to eliminate you?"

    "Oh no... there was. 7 of ''em." He said as all three who heard that looked at him with slightly surprised expressions.

    Looking at Lyrian surprised, Leon quickly followed up, "They were weak. Must have underestimated me. But I also got some information about their leader. His name is Spade apparently."

    Hearing this, all three had different reactions. Rn thought to himself, ''Yeah... that bastard.'' With slight frustration and fear mixed into his tone of thought.

    Alten fearfully said to himself, ''Got information? What the hell did this scary bastard do to them!?'' He imagined a scene where Leon tied them all up and tortured them until they gave their answers, which sent shiver''s up his spine.

    Finally, Lyrian was most shocked to hear this, ''Spade... Spade? I remember that name. From the start of the exam, that was that kid I met back then...''

    While the conversation about the topic continued, Lyrian became better acquainted with Rn. Eventually, they all walked back to Rn''s camp and pitched their tents nearby. Following Alten''s suggestion, Lyrian allowed his ostrich to join the others and rx. Once everything was set up, they gathered around a hastily constructed campfire in the middle of the tents.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    "You arrived astonishingly quickly... on the 24th day. It took us more than a day to reach here. How did you manage to cover the distance in just a few hours?" Alten inquired with genuine curiosity.

    Lyrian pondered for a moment before responding, "I didn''t need to stop hunting as you all did on the route. I had the same pace the whole way through." Hispanions nodded inprehension, responding with a collective "Ohh..." or "Ahh..."

    He continued, "And there''s something else... I tested my new power by running part of the way on foot. Needless to say, I''ve gotten a lot faster."

    "What?!" Alten eximed incredulously.

    "Huh!?" Rn blurted out in surprise.

    "Hahaha!" Leon burst intoughter.

    And thus, the 24th day concluded in such lighthearted camaraderie. After going to sleep the next day soon arrived. Everyone spent the morning of that day getting ustomed to the center, and Rn also introduced Lyrian and the others to some things that they hadn''t seen yet.

    As they walked around, they could sense the tense atmosphere wherever they went. There were several eyes on them, and they didn''t know what intention was behind those eyes.

    Nheless, their day continued as normal as ever. No interesting things happened, allowing them to explore. They visited where the bulk of the tents were, where potentially tamed mounts rested, where most hunts were hosted, and even a ce where kids were selling some items.

    All of these ces, except for the main hunt hosting area, were pretty far from the main hub where the food stalls were for some reason. But, it kind of made sense.

    This wasn''t some town or vige, but an environment created by kids. Since stealing and other crimes weremon, everyone wanted safety at a distance.

    Lyrian wanted to check out the things that everyone was selling a bit more before heading back to camp, as the sun was soon going to be its brightest at noon, where the next hunt was going tomence.

    In the selling area, there weren''t any stalls or anything like that, but a few grass carpetsid on the floor with some items on top of them. They all split up to look at stuff to buy for themselves, and as Lyrian neared one of the shops with a bunch of creature remains, the kid selling the items shouted out, "These are all tier three creature remains. That mean''s in the real world, they will sell for quite a bit."

    Lyrian stopped as he heard this a took a good look at him. He looked to not be a noble, or if he was one, he was a low-status one. He knelt down, "You can sell this stuff for money?" He asked, having almost no idea of this.

    He had heard about the concept before, but it wasn''t exactly popr it seemed, since the information he had learned wasn''t enough to convince him that it was a real urrence.

    "What? Of course, you can. What are you? Some moron?"

 Chapter 133 Spade Agustus

    ?

    "A moron huh?" Lyrian questioned himself as he looked through the several items on the carpet, flipping them over and inspecting them all around.

    The storekeeper simply stared at him with a confused expression as he said, "It''s 5 points for each thing..."

    Lyrian looked up, "5 points? Isn''t that half of what a tier 3 creature core is even worth? That''s a bit expensive don''t you think?" Lyrian grinned slightly.

    The kid seemed to be angered by this, "Shut up! You probably aren''t going to buy it anyways!" He eximed.

    Lyrian quickly responded, "Look, just tell me what you think the best item you have is, and if you''re honest I might buy it."

    The kid slightly pushed his head back, "What? So there isn''t even a guarantee... argh! Whatever. Here, this is the only tier-four thing I have. It''s from a Lightning Mane Lion." He said, handing over a beaded string with tworge white teeth sewn onto it.

    The teeth were 4 inches each in length. As Lyrian grabbed the string he could feel slight electrical current''s going through it, ''Huh... Scan.''

    The Scan ability allowed him to not only be able to Scan beings but also items, as stated by Gear when he first got the ability.

    ��������Item Scan��������

    Name: Lightning Fang

    Grade: D+

    Description: The fang of a Lightning Mane Lion. Helps conjure lightning abilities slightly.

    ������������������������������

    ''Helps with lightning abilities huh? That''s a bit too advanced for me right now so I don''t have any use for it in that aspect, but I could sell it I guess. Would it sell on the school grounds for credits though?'' As Lyrian pondered this to himself, another kid suddenly knelt next to him, causing a series of chills to run down his back out of nowhere.

    "Kozo, this is a Fire Fang right?" The kid wearing dark clothing said as he held up a small orange tooth, his deep crimson eyes looking at the store owner.

    Although he was still looking at the Lightning Fang, Lyrian felt an ominous aura from the kid next to him. Looking up at the storeowner''s kid, Lyrian saw that he was now on his rear. His face was pale, and almost even blue from shock and even a little bit of horror.

    With his mouth already slightly agape, he said, "Y-Yes! It is, Sir Agustus." He bowed his head slightly as he spoke.

    Confused, Lyrian then decided to look at the boy next to him. As he gazed at him, he noticed that he had seen his face before. The boy was smiling, but Lyrian could still almost recognize him.

    Just then, as the realization hit him, he was slightly taken aback, ''Spade?'' He thought to himself, as the boy turned to face him as well.

    "Hello there, Lyrian Theageld. It''s nice to meet you again after so long." He said, his tone almost kind sounding.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    Lyrian paused for a moment to think before replying, "You know my name huh?"

    Spade didn''t hesitate to reply, "Who couldn''t know the ck Sheep? You defeated that brat Silvus after all."

    ''He''s calling Silvus a brat. Most normal people can''t do that without fearing severe punishment, and he was also called sir by the store owner''s kid. He must have some incredible backing then.'' Lyrian quickly thought to himself in the middle of their conversation.

    Spade suddenly stood up with the Fire Fang before throwing a tier 2 core at the storeowner, "I hope on the final day, you will be strong enough to pass." He said, before turning around to walk away.

    ''Strong enough to pass on the final day? What does that mean?'' Lyrian thought to himself on this sudden remark.

    "Wait," He said, prompting Spade to stop walking and turn his head past his shoulder toward Lyrian.

    "The final day, is that when Yang will arrive?" Lyrian asked. If anyone were to know something like that, it would undoubtedly be Spade.

    �Ѧ���d��s����vel.c��m Hearing this, Spade fully turned around, "I haven''t the clue," He smirked widely before saying, "Hey... have you heard of a boy named Zoldith? He was supposed to be here by now. A fellow high-status noble, albeit, not near my level."

    Lyrian didn''t pause this time before answering, "I eliminated him." He said indifferently, keeping his gaze.

    Hearing this, Spade stayed silent for a few seconds, as Kozo, the storekeeper kid in between the two, almost crumbled under the pressure that only he seemed to be feeling.

    "Hm... okay, see you then." Spade suddenly said before turning around and walking away.

    After he left, Kozo let out a heavy sigh of relief, "What the hell was that you bastard!? Are you trying to eliminate both of us!?" He suddenly yelled at Lyrian, who was still looking in the direction where Spade left.

    On hearing this, Lyrian turned to face Kozo with a pair of serious eyes, causing Kozo to be slightly taken aback by fear, "We were not the ones in danger at that moment."

    Kozo stuttered, confused, "W-What?"

    After another few seconds of pausing, Lyrian said, "I''ll take this" dropping a tier 3 and tier 2 core and leaving.

    After this, he walked around the few other shopsying around for a while longer, dropping by another, weaker beast item drop shop, and a few trinket-selling ones as well.

    The final shop was another trinket-selling one. It was lessmon than the beast part selling one, but it was still popr. Lyrian was initially slightly confused as to how one would get a supply of trinkets to sell in the exam, but seeing the two shopkeepers quickly made those confused thoughts go away.

    The two shopowners were the kids at the entrance of the dome near the grasnds area where Lyrian first entered. He remembered they asked for his cores or something, but were nearly trampled as he sped on past them.

    Lyrian neared the shop as the two kids looked at him with slight concern on their faces, ''They attempt to steal cores... so no wonder they would steal trinket''s to sell as well.''

 Chapter 134 Yaltan Wind Group

    ?

    As they cautiously looked at him from the other side of their sewn grass carpet, Lyrian scanned through the various trinketsying around. The trinkets consisted of smaller items from beasts that had simple abilities like healing and mana regen, and also some potions and magical items.

    Lyrian noted the potions but knew that magical items were pretty much just for show since they didn''t work on the school grounds or the exam, as stated by Julius before the exam began.

    As the sun neared the middle of the sky, Lyrian finally finished his shopping. The n was to head back to camp before noon and begin the hunt afterward, but as Lyrian regrouped with the others near the middle of the shopping area, they all decided that it was toote for that.

    It wasn''t like the people hosting the hunt were going to simply wait for them, so they didn''t have any other choice but to go now.

    As they walked to the stage where the hosts picked the hunters joining them in the hunt, Rn decided to exin the hierarchy a bit more in the center.

    "There are the four groups in the center right now that reign over everyone else pretty much. The weak ones are the White Knights and the Dark Horses, at least, ording to my information."

    He continued to speak as everyone else listened somewhat intently.

    "The other two are the Deck Group and the Yaltan Wind Group."

    As he said this, the other''s seemed to lean in a bit more, intrigued by the winner between the two groups.

    "Out of these two, I have no clue who''s stronger."

    The other''s leaned back in disappointment.

    "Well, one side has Spade Agustus, someone you all of course know."

    Everyone else nodded in agreement as they heard, this, while Lyrian thought to himself, ''Huh? Is he that popr? I guess I was right in thinking that he was a noble with a big backing...''

    "Not only does the bear the name of Agustus and is extremely powerful, but his group of oddballs and their unique abilities make him a lot stronger, especially in this exam. On the other hand, there is..."

    Lyrian wanted to hear who was the strongest on the other team, as that would confirm one of his earlier suspicions.

    "Silvus Yaltan, someone, again, who you all should know. I mean he''s the imperial prince after all." Rn nced at Lyrian, "Someone who you, the ck Sheep, defeated." He grinned, an excited feeling swelling up within him.

    "Anyways, so yea. He''s apparently much stronger than he was before now."

    As Rn said this, Leon and Alten were slightly taken aback, not expecting to hear this. Lyrian was most surprised, "Stronger? How so? He couldn''t have done it through cultivation could he?"

    Rn was quick to answer, "That''s the thing, he isn''t stronger because of actual power. That''s not the reason, the reason is you, Lyrian." He looked at Lyrian again as he spoke.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    Lyrian put on a confused expression, "Me?"

    "Yes... in the preliminary duels, you defeated him, but it was clear to see that he was more powerful than you in terms of magic. You only defeated him because you outyed his spell, and the only way you were able to do that was because he severely underestimated your abilities, or rather, overestimated his. That gave you an opportunity tond your attack."

    Lyrian nodded, agreeing that this was probably true to a certain extent.

    "But now, Silvus takes things seriously. He uses precise amounts of power to exact defeat on another opponent. His power was already immense from before, with all the mana-increasing pills and elixirs he must have been taking, but now, that power is much more controlled."

    As he said this, they arrived at the area where the hunt was being hosted. A crowd of kids had already gathered around, jumping up and down in order to be noticed and picked.

    Rn had always found it odd why kids didn''t just go to the front but didn''tin about it either. All it did was give him an easier chance at getting picked.

    As he quickly slithered through the crowd and arrived at the front, Lyrian and the others had to push and shove a bit more. The reason why Rn had found it easy his entire life without thinking that there was anything else to it was because he was so small that his experience of getting through crowds was iparable to the normal-sized human''s.

    On the stone tform in front of the kids were some kids that wore different-looking clothing, which was a surprise.

    Lyrian and the others were pretty shocked to see Kedward on the stage to the left. To the right was the ck kid from the White Knight''s group. Finally in the middle was an unfamiliar face, a boy who quickly spoke up.

    "This host will be big, hosted by the Dark Horses, Deck Group, and the Yaltan Wind!" He shouted as everyone cheered in amazement.

    More hosts meant more power, which also meant more cores to be shared amongst the people.

    ''So he''s from Silvus'' group huh?'' Lyrian noted his features; A white robe with light green lining, a crest of the Yaltas kingdom on the side of his chest with the light pattern of flowing wind on his robe. He had ck hair, a pair of brown eyes, and a wand attached to his waist.

    "We will start picking the hunters in a few minutes! 30 in total!"

    The boy shouted.

    "That''s Ray Heesal. He''s the third inmand in the Yaltan Wind." Rn said, looking at the boy in the middle.

    Lyrian could feel an angry stare directed toward him. He knew where it wasing from. Kedward. Gazing towards him, the boy was looking back with vengeful eyes of fury.

    Before, Lyrian didn''t know the exact situation and restricted himself from going all out, but now, he wasn''t going to y any games. If he was to be attacked, the attacker would not exist in the exam any longer.

 Chapter 135 Revolt Of The Examinees; Golden Tier Of The Tundra!

    ?

    After a few minutes or so of waiting around, Ray from the Yaltan Wind group took a step forward, as everyone changed their attention to him and began ceasing their conversations.

    "We will begin choosing the hunters now!"

    Everyone stood tall, wanting to be seen as the best candidates, as the White Knight''s representative stepped down from the small stone tform and began to choose seemingly random kids for the exam.

    "You, in the green. You, over there in the red. You in the sses in the back!" He continued.

    As he did this, Ray began to speak once again, "Listen up! You all are wondering why there is such a big hunt with three big groups as your hosts, so here''s your answer!"

    On saying this, everyone quickly perked up their ears and listened intently to what Ray was saying. Ray was known to not be a very frequent speaker, but when he did speak, it seemed he always had something somewhat important to say.

    "We will be entering the tundra!"

    A wave of gasps and awe-filled sounds resonated from the crowd of students as they heard this. The tundra of the Tasnan Wildends. Apart from the actual Forbidden Area that existed within the easiest biome of the entire Tasnan Wildends, it was the known hardest and most treacherous starting point amongst the examinees.

    This was mainly due to the weather conditions of the biome, which not only made it near impossible to survive there with basic equipment but also made it so that all creatures within the tundra would have evolved to be powerful enough to survive and even thrive there, making hunting much harder as well.

    Those who started in the tundra were cursed, seeing as how 80% failed. Or at least, those were the rumors at the time. As whispers and murmurs that had started up in the crowd quieted down, Ray continued his speech.

    "The reason behind this is very simple. As you all know, this exam is sooning to a close, yet no one to our information has even gotten a glimpse of anything close to the golden-tiered creature."

    As he said this, another wave of amazed sounds reverberated through, the simple words of "golden tier" sounding like some sort of fantastical myth of wonders. Safe to say that it raised an ambition within almost every kid standing there.

    Lyrian and his crew on the other hand had different thoughts. Alten was actually slightly thrown off by this, ''That''s right... no one knows yet. But the information will probably spread here eventually.''

    Lyrian looked forward, his gaze the same as before. Currently, he held no intention of showing that he had the Yin core, as that would put it at risk. However, what intrigued him was where Ray was going with this speech.

    �Ѧ���d��s����vel.c��m "We don''t exactly know its whereabouts, but nevertheless, we have to try and find it before this exam ends!"

    As he proimed, his voice resounding through the crowd and instilling confidence within anyone, questions began to spring up in the minds of Lyrian and the others. The tundra biome, just what did it have to do with the golden-tiered creature? Lyrian tried to piece the two together, but couldn''t find how they rted.

    "ording to my sources, there are two possible ces where the creature must be! Either in the heart of the tundra biome... or in the forbiddennds! To be specific, the cave within the tstone Mountains."

    The crowd seemed to be more and more amazed and curious as he spoke, interested in his words.

    "We were meant to get some sort of intel from there, but unfortunately that intel has been cut off for some reason. We can only assume that there is nothing there."

    A disappointed tone settled in, kids wondering the possibilities of what kind of information could havee if the intel wasn''t cut off. <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    Lyrian knew what Ray was talking about, ''Intel huh? It must be Zoldith and his crew.'' That''s when the thought of Kang came to mind. He had let him go, and now, he was the biggest potential danger.

    If Zoldith and the factions in the center were to be teammates, then they would undoubtedly be targeted. They weren''t the ones who actually eliminated him, but who would believe that?

    "With that possibility cut off, we have to go with our original thoughts of where it could possibly be. The most difficult natural biome within the Forbidden Wildends!"

    This incited cheer from the crowd of kids. They were pumped to get that core. Ray finished his speech and looked around, thinking of something before a sudden voice yelled from the side.

    "Wait right there!"

    The kid who spoke was the third inmand of the Dark Horses, the ck-robed kids who had hosted the hunt that Leon joined.

    As he walked there, he had 4 people behind him from the Dark Horses. "I don''t know why you haven''t included us, but we are going as well."

    Everyone quickly changed their attention towards the Dark Horse group that had just showed up, as Ray eximed, "There can only be 30--" But was cut off.

    "I don''t care! This is the golden core you''re talking about! Im going!"

    A sudden wave of silence hit the crowd of students, and even stragglers nearby as they heard this.

    An annoyed expression shadowed Ray''s face, ''Damn it... he just had to go and break that barrier... this is what we were trying to avoid. It''s why we didn''t invite these fools.'' He thought to himself as he looked around. What he expected to happen after this quickly took ce.

    A random kid walking by heard this and yelled, "Wait! That''s right! Screw the hunt and the cores! I''ming along! I don''t have enough cores to pass anyways if I can get that golden-tiered one..." He started to imagine the possibilities.

    "That''s right!"

    Kids from the crowd also began to realize, not caring if they were picked or not anymore.

    "Hey! Everyone gather! It''s the golden-tiered creature hunt!"

    Kids began to spread the word.

    "Really? Finally!"

    Before long, over a hundred had gathered in front of the stone tform.

 Chapter 136 Preparing For The Tundra Raid; Cavalries Line Up

    ?

    Lyrian looked around, noticing everyone that had shown up, ''This is... not the ideal situation. I wanted to explore the different groups at the very least, but it seems the final few days of this exam are going to be nothing but a fiery dance of determination and battle.''

    Seeing Ray''s somewhat frustrated expression, Lyrian realized what he was probably thinking in his head. They clearly didn''t want many to know of this since it would lessen their chance of getting the core.

    ''They tried to hide it as a big hunt and even tried to seem honest with that little speech. No wonder they didn''t have the faction leaders show up, as that would entice too much attention.''

    Leaning in near everyone in his group, Alten said, "Guys... the tundra... it makes sense."

    He almost whispered amongst themotion of the crowd behind him, as Leon, Rn, and Lyrian leaned in as well to listen in.

    Alten, noticing Leon and Lyrian looking at Rn, first started off by saying, "He won''t give away our information... trust me--" Alten was about to say, but stopped himself.

    There had been many instances where he had let down his group, and this felt like another one of those times when the same might happen, ''I should... just tell Rn to back off from the conversation for a moment,'' He thought to himself.

    �Ѧ���d��s����vel.c��m Before he could speak, however, Lyrian interjected, "Rn will stay and listen. He may be weak, but he has some valuable information that I want to know about the factions."

    Rn nervouslyughed on hearing this, seeing the situation he was in. He could tell that there was something secret that they wanted to discuss amongst themselves, but although it was backhanded, he took thepliment from Lyrian.

    "Are you sure? What if... you know."

    Alten didn''t want to say it out loud, but everyone knew what he was thinking -- and that was that Rn was a spy. Alten didn''t want his team to be screwed over because of his ill decisions once again.

    However, Rn looked down at the ground, kind of in a little bit of an upset tone himself. The thought of his childhood friend imagining him to be a spy was a rough one, but it wasn''t totally uncalled for. They hadn''t seen each other for the entire exam, so there would be some doubt there.

    However, what Rn didn''t know was that Alten wasn''t suspicious himself, but unsure of his own decision-making abilities at this point.

    That''s when Lyrian spoke again, "Listen, if this is really where the Yang creature is, then it is the end of the exam pretty much. If all hell breaks loose..." Lyrian smiled, "So be it."

    Both Alten and Rn were slightly taken aback by this.

    "If Rn over here turns out to be a spy," Lyrian ced his hand on Rn''s shoulder, making him lift up his head and look at Lyrian, "Then we will eliminate him instantly before he gets the chance to spill any information. We will keep an eye on him until then."

    Leon nodded in agreement, the proposal making sense to him. Alten paused for a moment but also agreed. Rn didn''t really have a say in the matter but wasn''t totally upset at the oue. Now, he was seen as someone who was half trustworthy, which was better than aplete spy.

    After this, Alten finally said what he was going to in the beginning, "Yin was the creature of darkness, and he appeared in arguably the darkest ce in the entire wildernds. Under the earth, inside of a cave. A difficult area as well."

    The others followed what Alten was saying closely.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    "Since actual trials were leading to Yin, as spoken about by Zoldith and now even therger factions here in the center, we thought that there were no clues to Yang, as those who knew the Yin clues didn''t know the Yang clues... but that''s wrong. The clue was in the Tasnan Wildends all along. All you have to do is look at the creature and where they could possibly exist."

    At this moment, the idea had already clicked for Lyrian, "I see... The creature of darkness resides in the depths of the caves, and the creature of light resides in the most bright biome within the Tasnan Wildends; the tundra."

    With this, everyone had a moment of understanding and realization. They paused for a moment, thinking of what to do next now. Leaning back, they delved back into the situation at hand.

    "Fine, all of you are free to do as you wish! But know this! If the golden-tiered creature isn''t there in the tundra, all of you will return as enemies of the three factions!"

    As Ray eximed this to the frivolous crowd that had only grown from before, the kid from the Dark Horses shouted back, "Using fear to divert us huh? Well, it aint gonna work. If you really believed that the golden-tiered creature wasn''t there, you would leave some of your group members here, but I doubt you would do that.

    With this, Ray abruptly turned around and stepped down from the stage. Those who had gathered began preparing for the tundra raid. They readied their weapons and equipped their pieces of protecting armor and the scarce few who had mounts got atop those as well.

    Following the four main factions, everyone stationed themselves at the edge of the dome nearest to the tundra biome.

    Getting atop their ostriches, with Rn on Leon''s ostrich, Lyrian and his crew also prepared and rode to the front of the giant crowd of nearly 150 kids, and began moving towards the front where the four factions were lined up next to each other horizontally.

    Each of the groups had about 4-6 people, all separated 10 feet apart from each other. Most of the group members were standing, but each faction had at least two mounts.

    One for the leader, and the other one presumably for the second hand. The Dark Horse group leader was another boy with brown eyes and brown hair, wearing a simr dark robe to the rest of his group mates.

    However, what distinguished him was arge ck mages hat on his head. He rode atop arge ck stallion and so did his second inmand.

    The White Knight group leader was a bigger boy than an average 10-year-old. His build was alike to that of Kang''s, taller and much more muscr. His sleeveless arms were popping out, making him look even bigger. He had a knight''s helmet on his head as well, hiding his face.

    He rode atop arge gray wolf, as his second inmand, the ck kid who identally saved Rn from the bullies, rode on the same type of mount.

    The Deck Group leader, Spade, rode atop arge gray rhino that had green patterns swaying through it, as the second inmand, a boy who Lyrian recognized as Syanr, also rode the same. A tribal tattoo on the side of his face was enough to distinguish him.

    Finally, as Lyrain and his group lined up right next to the four groups, they saw The Yaltan Wind group. As soon as they pulled up to see them, Alten''s eyes widened in pure shock, and even Leon was taken aback.

    Lyrian too was perplexed, as he saw somethingpletely out of his expectations.

    They, however, captured everyone''s attention. No fool would dare line up next to the factions, but here they were, with one more mount than the others as well, and formidable one''s at that.

    The other groups also gazed at them, but at that moment, a simple smile appeared on Lyrian''s face, "This is going to be... interesting."

 Chapter 137 The Tundra

    ?

    What Lyrian wanted badly right now was to use his power. ''I want to know how much closer I am to being powerful.'' He thought to himself.

    Although the crowd of kids behind the factions, ready for a battle, were surprised by the actions of Lyrian and his team, they couldn''t say much. They weren''t in the position to after all.

    It was up to the factions themselves, and how they handled the situation.

    While looking at the Yaltan Wind Group, Lyrian noticed not only Silvus, who had clearly recognized his presence but was refusing to look in Lyrian''s direction but also two other familiar faces.

    Alten was equally, if not more shocked to see them, "Cedric!? Madam Glis!?"

    Seeing Lyrian''s perplexed expression, Glis looked away, as if she was ashamed to show her face. Lyrian didn''t catch it for long, but she seemed to have a slightly angry expression.

    Cedric on the other hand didn''t even look toward them, only forward, his face forced to be serious.

    Lyrian found this situation pretty amusing. If nothing else, it would be fit to test out his new strength after absorbing the Molten Essence. He noted the entire group.

    Riding atop an outstanding mount; the Emperor Tiger was Silvus. Seeing this, Alten first eximed, "No less than an emperor for the future emperor huh..."

    The others were all on foot, but apart from Sndra and Cedric, there were two other unfamiliar faces in Silvus'' group.

    "This isn''t some coordinated attack."

    A voice shouted out as the leader of the White Knights stepped forward on his wolf mount in front of everyone.

    "It''s practically a race. Let''s go!"

    He yelled out to his team as his wolf dashed out of the dome and began sprinting toward the tundra biome. After a small cheer performed in unison by his team, they all quickly followed behind him.

    This small speech also enticed the crowd of kids to want to go.

    "He''s right! Whoever gets it first wins!"

    A few kids began to step forward.

    "Im gonna go get that damn core, don''t try to get in my way!"

    The crowd started to move faster, as confidence grew.

    "The core is mine!"

    Suddenly, with a final outburst of cheers, the crowd began storming through the dome barrier.

    "Hoorah!"<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    With this, the other factions didn''t waste any time either. If they were going to fight, it was going to be in the tundra!

    ***

    A few minutester, all of the factions had split up a few hundred meters each. The tundra was very close by, so they were going to arrive soon. They could see their destination even from the dome ever since they began running.

    "Alten, do you have any idea where the Yang creature could be in the tundra?"

    Lyrian asked, wanting to have a destination to travel to.

    "The tundra... I have no doubt that it will be that ce if it''s in the tundra."

    Alten said, looking forward to his mount.

    Lyrian closed the distance slightly, "That ce?"

    Alten didn''t hesitate to reply, "If the Yang creature is there, it will be in the Tundra Arena."

    Since no one knew what he was talking about, Alten continued to exin.

    "As you know, there are many ces in the Tasnan Wildend that are special areas. The forbidden area, the swamp, and even the tstone Mountains inside of the forbidden area. Just like these special areas where unique obstacles and beasts exist, there is a simr one in the tundra that''s called the Tundra Arena."

    With everyone more intrigued to learn about this area, Alten continued to exin it.

    "I don''t know a lot, but it''s a supposedly enclosed area where beasts fight mysteriously for some reason. For this reason, many powerful one gathers there as well. I imagine the Yang creature will be there if anywhere in the Tundra."

    With Alten finishing this up, they had already arrived at the tundra biome. The grasnd slowly began turning into a white color as ayer of snow began to build atop it.

    Finally, Lyirna''s group, which was ahead of most of the others by now thanks to the speed of the Rock Ostrich, arrived at a river spanning about 30 feet in width. Without stopping, Lyrian ordered his ostrich to continue forward.

    With one push his ostrich leaped right over it with ease, not falling into the ravaging water down below that flew as fast as the wind. The currents were dangerous and sharp, also having chunks of ciers and fallen dead trees within.

    On the other side, Lyriannded in the real tundra for the first time. As he ran, his team following behind him, he surveyed the area. Thend had groups of lifeless trees scattered here and there, their branches crowned with ayer of snow, and nestled beneath were resilient bushes adorned in dark green leaves, valiantly persevering against the harsh conditions.

    Aside from a few boulders that punctuated the rtively level ground, thendscape stretched out in an expanse that seemed almost uniformly t. A sudden rush of wind sliced through the air, causing Lyrian to feel an immediate, biting chill on his skin. The climate held nothing back, proving to be an unyielding force. Even with the fortifications that his training had bestowed upon his body, the cold seeped through his defenses, a tangible reminder of nature''s formidable power.

    As the remainder of Lyrian''s team arrived on the far bank of the river, the sting of the frosty air was collectively experienced. Each subsequent gust carried a sensation akin to being scraped by coarse sandpaper, leaving behind a lingering burn that danced across the skin''s surface. The inhospitable weather and the reality of the tundra were now vividly etched into their shared experience.

    "The arena should be in the heart of the tundra! Let''s go!"

    Alten suddenly shouted as he took the lead. As they all followed him and left the area near the river, a masked figure quickly came jumped out of a few bushes before beginning to trail behind them.

 Chapter 138 The Endless Ravine

    ?

    Traveling through the harsh, sheer cold biome that was the tundra, Lyrian, and his crew could almost feel that the environment itself was alive. Each step felt like it triggered something else to move.

    Whether it be snow being crushed under the Rock Ostriches foot, bushes swaying, snow falling from the trees, or wind howling through the air, everything felt organic and real. Creatures moved along, quickly dashing away from the group, and sometimes the group dashed away from certain creatures instead.

    Right now, their goal was the final cores that they would need to pass. Fighting any creature wouldn''t do them any good. This was the final stretch. It would only be a waste of time to get into a fight now.

    "How much longer do we have to go?"

    After Lyrian said this, Alten took a moment to look at the sun, and then at the surrounding area before replying.

    "I''d say two hours! That''s if we don''t fight anything on the way!"

    That was much sooner than Lyrian was expecting, so he was happy with it. At this moment, Lyrian turned his head past his shoulder and nced backward for a short moment before looking forward again.

    ''He''s still following us. I wonder who he''s sent by.'' As he thought this to himself, the kid following them also had his own thoughts.

    As he dashed across the bushes and boulders, he smiled arrogantly, ''They aren''t showing any signs of stopping... foolish confidence, or determination. I wonder which one it is.''

    At that moment, the spy kid saw Lyrian ncing back for only a moment. He suddenly got chills that ran down his back but continued without hesitation.

    Although, he was thrown off slightly by this, ''What... he didn''t sense me did he? No... there''s no way. A kid like him?'' He assured himself.

    However, thinking about it, his mind began to be more and more anxious.

    ''I mean... he did somehow defeat him after all. I wasn''t there to see it, but that''s why he''s called the ck Sheep.'' He contemted, ''Whatever... it''s not like that matters anyways. I''ll just eliminate him whether he knows him here or not.'' A serious expression dawned on his face.

    Just then, Alten made a sudden stop ahead of everyone, prompting the group to halt. Looking forward, Lyrian couldn''t see anything that would stop Alten from continuing.

    "What''s wrong?" He said as Alten replied slowly.

    He calmly walked his ostrich forward, "We''re already at the ravine? That''s odd... it still should be quite a while away."

    Hearing this, Leon retorted, "Maybe it''s a big ravine then." As he walked his ostrich to the front where Alten was.

    Rn also peeked out of the side and saw the giant drop off from where they stood, his eyes widening as his sses nearly fell off of his face

    "What in the hell!? It''s pure dark death down there! The terrain was so t and covered in snow that it was almost impossible to see from afar!"

    Lyrian also pulled up in front of it. It was a giant chasm of missing earth that was as wide as the river and stretched for seemingly as far as the eye could see on both sides. Looking down into it, it almost felt like the infinite darkness was pulling you into it.

    The spy who was following them stopped, hiding in one of the bushes as he stared at them. ''They''re looking down... a hole? No... it has to be natural... then a ravine? Maybe a river like before. If so, it would be the perfect opportunity to push them in.'' A spark lit up in his eyes.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    "So... what do we do?" Rn questioned, perplexed by everyone''s silence.

    The three looked at each other, seemingly understanding that they were all in coherence, before looking back at Rn, who was horrified.

    "No! No way! It''s pure death!"

    Hearing this, the spy was also slightly confused, ''Huh? What''s that kid bbering about? Pure death? Do they have some sort of pois--'' Before he could finish his train of thought, the three ostriches suddenly jumped down into the abyss, disappearing from in sight.

    His eyes opened wide as he jumped out of the bush in shock. Staring at their footprints, he thought to himself, ''What in the hell!?''

    Hearing them not touch the ground yet, he quickly looked over the ravine as well. On doing so, his legs went slightly limp, as he took a big gulp.

    ''I won''t do it. I can''t do it. How the hell is this worth it? Fuck this shit, I''m out.'' He took a step back, before stopping himself from going any further, ''No... they did it. They wouldn''t just eliminate themselves... damn it, I hate this job!'' He yelled before backing up a few steps and hurling himself into the ravine.

    Lyrian and the others on the other hand had jumped down and were traveling at super-fast speeds that blew ck their hair and skin, with Rn and Alten screaming their heads off like chickens.

    "AHHHH!"

    "MOMMY!!"

    ''What the heck is this drop? I don''t see the end and it''s been over 10 seconds!''

    Lyrian began to grow slightly concerned as well. He trusted Alten, but now he was thinking that it might have been smart to ask some questions about what the hell this even was or where it lead to before jumping down like a jackass.

    Even with his newly fortified body, his shoulders would be obliterated by this impact, there was no doubt about that. At that moment, a sudden gust of wind assaulted the group once again, blowing them closer together and toward the left.

    This time, however, the wind was not the same old icy st of chilling air, but instead, a rather hot, steaming whirl. Feeling this, Lyrian was left confused.

    Finally, he saw something at the bottom, it was white.

    ''Snow!''

    He thought to himself, slightly relieved.

    ''Of course, all these years of snowing, of course, there would be a bunch of snow at the bottom!''

    However, he got another thought at that moment as well.

    ''But if that''s the case... then did the hot winde from?''

 Chapter 139 Shortcut

    ?

    With a snap of powerful wind, the four examinees along with their three ostriches fell into a mound of deep white snow. Lyrian quickly stood up before digging out space in the snow to be able to breathe.

    After taking in a deep breath, he held it as he began to dig through one side with his hands. The more he dug, the denser the snow got, since it was building up when he pushed it forward. After about 20 seconds, or so, he thought to himself, ''Wait... Why am I even doing this.'' Before casting a wind spell forward.

    In a giant gust of whirling wind, the snow wall in front of him was obliterated at once, clearly a way for him to step out into the open as the snow flew into the air.

    His teammates also were free from the snow with the impact of the st, as they also stepped out. The thing they had exited was nothing more than a pile of unmelted snow that had built up.

    Alten became slightly confused at this concept.

    "Why would only one ce hold the snow?"

    Lyrian had already found the answer.

    "Lava. This ce has streams ofva flowing through it."

    Surprised, everyone walked over to where Lyrian was, which was a few feet away on the ck stone floor. There, they could see multiple brilliant streams of magma of red and yellow color, casting hues of orange all throughout the walls.

    The stream ofva was in the ground, some being 2 or 3 feet in width, and some only a few inches. Looking around some more, Lyrian realized that wherever theva streams weren''t near, the snow from multiple years of blizzards had gathered up.

    Lyrian turned around to face the rest of his group, who were wiping off snow from their bodies and re-mounting their ostriches.

    "So what was the reason we fell down here in the first ce?"

    Alten quickly replied, "It''s a shortcut to the Tundra Arena. But it is more dangerous as well since this ce holds a lot of Magma Dwellers."

    Lyrian put on a confused expression, mounting his own ostrich.

    "Magma Dwellers?"

    Alten cleared up the confusion, "Tundra creatures who fell down into here and survived, slowly evolving into beasts that thrived in hot environments, since natural heat waves aremon here. Theye from the cracks in the ground, which probably leads to some sort of underground volcano."

    Lyrian understood what Alten was saying, but wanted to know more about these creatures who were called dangerous, "I see... so what makes them so dangerous?"

    Alten paused, "I... Don''t know. To be frank, I only knew of their name, and that they were dangerous. I didn''t even know this ce heldva. But I guess the name suits the Magma Dwellers."

    ***

    A minute or so after that moment, the group began traveling through the ravine, as the spy suddenly burst out of the mount of snow at once, heaving out arge breath of air as he panted loudly, hands on his knees.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    He had fallen into the snow just like Lyrian and the others, but since the snow blocked the noise of his fall, he had to stay in there while holding his breath.

    ''I survived!'' He rejoiced quietly, ''Wait... if the snow blocks the sound anyways, why did I hold my breath?''

    ***

    "This ravine though, I heard it was a shortcut, but I don''t actually know what that mean''s either."

    Hearing this from Alten, Rn suddenly looked at him confused, "Huh? What the heck are you talking about? You don''t know?"

    Alten nervouslyughed, coursing through the ravine at top-notch speeds with the ostriches, as he replied, "Well, to be frank, I don''t know anything about the way to the Tundra Arena anymore, I just know that if you enter the ravine, it will be a short cut to the arena..."

    Alten didn''t want to admit this, but since they were already here, he thought he would be truthful. He felt quite bad about it though.

    "It''s fine. As long as this is a shortcut, we will figure it out." Lyrian retorted, not having much of a problem with that.

    Without the shortcut, they would have probably been lost by now, so this was better than nothing. Although... they might have still been lost.

    ***

    Another 20 or so minutes of traveling through the ravine passed by. Alten had spoken about the heatwaves that urredmonly, and how they differed in strength sometimes, but they had yet to experience one.

    Still, they could feel the leftover hot breeze that traveled through the cracks in the floor here and there, which were rming at best. At the mark of the 21st minute, Lyrian suddenly began to slow down, as the rest of the group caught up to him.

    ''What the hell is that?'' A concerned yet wary looked shadowed his face as he slowly approached with his ostrich.

    In front of him was a ghastly creature that was knelt over, facing opposite from him. Its entire body seemed to be burnt to a crisp, or made of ck stone, and it had hundreds of streams ofva flowing through it as well.

    Its body was odd to look at, like a human''s but with incorrect proportions, more simr to a gori''s. it was seemingly knelt over another one of its kind, except the oneying down was muchrger than it was.

    Therger one even looked to have a different body then the smaller one, as if they were different creature''s altogether. Alten and Leon lined up beside Lyrian. Alten''s eyes widened in shock.

    "Thats it... a Magma Dweller."

    This suddenly rmed the creature that was kneeling over, as it jerked its body suddenly before slowly turning its head around. It finally revealed its face, enough to cause shivers to run down Alten and Rn''s back.

    The face was extremely distorted and odd looking, but more then that, the beast looked to be crying tears of magma, which trickled down its sorrowful face.

 Chapter 140 Magma Dwellers Heart

    ?

    With everyone else too confused and taken aback to do anything, Lyrian got off of his mount and slowly stepped forward toward the creature with a stern expression on his face.

    The sorrowful tone in the dweller''s face was almost human-like, and Lyrian didn''t sense any ill intentioning from it. Just pure sadness, which he couldn''t help but try to decipher. ''Is it potentially the child of the fallen creature? That would exin its size difference...''

    With the bright orange eyes of the creature following his every movement, Lyrian appeared mere feet from it and stopped. The beast quickly stood up, its movement fast and unpredictable like a chicken moving its head around frivolously.

    With its knuckles on the ground like a gori, it began to slowly circle around Lyrian, examining every part of his body. It sometimes came in close, smelling something, before retreating once again.

    Finally, it walked back over to the fallen body of the other Magma Dweller and sat down. At that moment, Lyrian''s eyes were opened wide in shock, almost frozen in fear.

    ''This thing... it''s almost as strong as the Poison Tarant. The aura it exudes is almost like a king!'' He thought to himself, perplexed.

    He first thought of it as a child, but when it circled around him, he caught a glimpse of just how powerful it was from its simple aura. It wasn''t just some weakling... no, it might have been the leader of the entire poption of Magma Dwellers for all he knew.

    ''Wait... no. I don''t know how strong they all are, so I can''t assume an extremely strong one is the leader. But still... if all of them are this strong.'' He imagined having to fight them and then stopped that train of thought quickly.

    ''Scan.''

    ��������Scan��������

    Name: Krota

    Species: Magma Dweller

    Age: 256

    Overall Power (OP): 8

    Health: 89/89

    Stamina: 89/89

    Strength: 89

    Agility: 89

    Defense: 89

    Rank: Genesis: Layer 1

    Special: Tier 4 (Exam Tier), ...

    ����������������������

    ''It... it''s strong. But...''

    Lyrian was slightly confused after seeing the stats, he was a bit unimpressed. Currently, even he could not defeat such a thing at his level. His chances were slim to none. However, the aura that it had exuded was superior to this, simr to the ck Kailion even, but of course, not at that level.

    Then, he noticed that there was something more in the Special stat.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    [Special: Tier 4 (Exam Tier), Uncrowned King]

    ''No description for that? I mean... I guess it''s self-exnatory.''

    Suddenly, the creature patted the ground next to it, like a parent telling a kid to sit down. Lyrian didn''t object, seeing as it wasn''t posing some sort of threat, at least, he didn''t think it was.

    After he sat down, the creatureid down t on its back, looking up towards the bright, blue sky far above it. It was only a sliver of light from all the way down here, but another tear dropped from his eye as heid down t on the ground, his hands out to the side.

    However, these tears weren''t from sadness as before, instead, the Magma Dweller had a smile on its face. Lyrian was taken aback, confused with the situation. He didn''t really know what to do at this point.

    Then, the dweller suddenly reached towards the sky before stabbing its hand inside of its chest out of nowhere, causing Lyrian''s eyes to squint in concern.

    Finally, it took out a still-pulsating heart, looking to be forged by magma and ck stone, as it handed it over to Lyrian, before finally closing its eyes, a smile still resting on its face.

    The heart was extremely hot, so Lyrian couldn''t hold it for long. But as the life of the Magma Dweller slowly escaped it, the heart cooled down as well.

    After this, Alten heaved a heavy sigh before walking his ostrich near Lyrian. "That was... intense... and sad." He suddenly looked up and clenched his teeth, tears trying to break through his eyelids.

    "The way he looked up at the sky and smiled... it was beautiful. Like a frog trapped in a well with hopes of leaving or something." He eximed, trying his best to hold it in.

    Leon also rode forward, "I wonder why it smiled though..."

    Lyrian stood up, "A long history, Leon. One that we probably will never know. Who knows how many struggles this intelligent being went through for that ending right there. But... it gave me its heart." Lyrian was confused at this. "I wonder what It wants me to do with it."

    Leon smiled, "History huh... I suppose it continues on naturally. You don''t know to do anything specific with it, you just do what you want, that eventually, you will be a part of this things history." He looked down at the dead beast.

    "Huh," Lyrian thought, hovering over its body.

    "Want to get its core?" Alten asked Lyrian, as it felt like that was the right thing to do at this moment.

    "No."

    Alten understood, "That''s fine. It gave you its heart and all... we shouldn''t disresp--" He was suddenly cut off.

    "Im going to get that core of light no matter what, so there isn''t any need to get any more cores."

    Alten didn''t say anything else after that. Lyrian, however, was thinking of another thing.

    ''I do have enough storage for it, two extra, in fact. However... If one of them is this strong, then surely..." A slight grin appeared on his face, ''There are stronger.''

    ***

    The group moved on, as the spy closed in on the body of the two Magma Dwellers, ''So these are the Magma Dwellers huh?'' He thought to himself, seeing a hole in the chest of the creature.

    ''They took its core already then?'' He questioned, leaning over to look inside the hole as he saw a sparkling object.

    ''Oh? Did that forget? What morons!'' Heughed inwardly as he swiftly retrieved the core from the beast''s body.

 Chapter 141 Black Stone Tower

    ?

    As the group traveled across therge ravine pathway, made up of the darkest stones, they eventually came across what looked to be a dead end. In front of them was a giant wall of this ck stone, causing Alten to be most disappointed in everyone.

    "What the heck? Why is there a dead end?"

    The unamusement was palpable within the group. As they neared the "dead end", however, they came to a sudden realization that the wall ahead of them wasn''t a dead end after all, but instead, something simr to an enormous spire.

    They quickly saw that the ck stone path that they traversed across was also surrounding this spire. Getting even closer, now about 40 feet away from it, they saw that on the left and right sides of thisrge spire were ravine pathways that lead to it as well, simr to the paths that had led to the giant tree back in the tstone Mountain cave system.

    "Paths leading to a giant tower of rock huh?" Lyrian looked up, seeing the round spire reach the surface and above.

    "This is odd, to say the least."

    Alten stepped up, getting close to the spire.

    "If all pathways lead to this, then this must be something of importance. But... it doesn''t look like it. For all we know, this could just be a natural formation."

    Lyrian understood what Alten was saying, but that, of course, wasn''t good enough. The path leading to nothing but a giant rock? That wasn''t what he was looking for, and nor was he willing to give up on this giant rock either.

    "It doesn''t look like much from this angle, but we haven''t seen all around it. Let''s examine it first before we make any more judgments."

    He said, beginning to walk towards the left of the circr spire as Alten quickly followed.

    "We''ll do this side and meet in the middle on the other side, it''ll be faster that way."

    Leon quickly shouted as he began heading toward the right on his ostrich. The two teams continued at full speed, examining the tower of rock up and down as they traveled -- finally arriving on the other side in a longer time than expected.

    The actual square area of the spire seemed to be over the size of 10 football fields, meaning the circumference of the spire was over an entire mile.

    As Lyrian arrived to the other side and closed in on the middle, to his left he saw the fourth and final path that was being blocked by therge tower from where he started. He also saw Leon in the distance getting closer to meeting in the middle.

    "You find anything?" <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    Lyrian shouted, for Leon to quickly reply back with a no. Lyrian shook his head in disappointment. It might have just been the case that this was all nothing but a big waste of time. After all, there was no guarantee that the Yang creature was actually here in the tundra.

    Seeing Lyrian disappointment, Alten decided toment, "Hey, just because this isn''t a shortcut to the Tundra Arena doesn''t mean the golden-tiered creature doesn''t exist. Even if we have to get there not using the shortcut, we will still get there." He said with a determined look in his eyes.

    Lyrian looked back, "That''s obvious, but it still is sad that there wasn''t a shortcut. Too bad, can''t dwell on it forever." He said, thinking back on the time when he trained with Brokkr.

    He remembered the old fart saying, "A smith following the art should never allow himself to indulge too much in his feelings, for when ites to serious times, he falls. Having no control of the senses, he loses control of the self as well. An irritated mind is a weak one."

    Back then it sounded profound but also slightly weird. Now... it sounded the same, but it was still memorable to Lyrian. Leonughed out loud at what Lyrian said, amused by his confidence as they finally arrived at the center.

    As soon as they got there, however, Lyrian saw something odd in the wall of the spire, "Wait... what that?" He said, quickly getting off of his mount in anticipation as he walked towards the wall.

    Alten was slightly surprised, "I guess we didn''t search the entire spire when we made the decision the shortcut wasn''t here... the actual middle was yet to be checked." His voice was almost in awe as he stared at Lyrian''s walk toward something that looked like an outline of a giant gate of stone in the wall.

    "What''s this?" He said, putting his hand on the wall that towered 20 feet into the air, making him seem like a little ant.

    As soon as he touched it and looked around, he noticed a keyhole to the left. Seeing this, Rn quickly eximed, "A key!? What kind of civilization lives here for us to have a key? Are you kidding me?" He eximed in frustration.

    "The Magma Dwellers perhaps?" Alten suggested, "That means... we can''t get in unless we find the key. I wonder how long that will take, and we are practically in a race here, wasting time will hinder our chances by a lot."

    Lyrian stayed silent as Leon watched him closely. He thudded his fist on the wall a few times, as Alten called him out, "What are you doing?"

    ''It''s hollow... maybe a few feet of stone only.'' Lyrian thought to himself as he took a step back.

    Leon grinned, watching as Alten and Rn exchanged puzzled nces. It was the first time, since absorbing the molten essence, that a gentle green glow wrapped around Lyrian''s hand once more. The trio of ostriches took a few steps back, observing as Lyrian coiled his hand, his grip firm, and then released a strong punch right at the wall, "Shock Fist."

    His fist mmed into the ck stone like a cannonball, obliterating it at once into a pile of stone and dust as a following giant shockwave thrust its way through the debris and inside of the cave, clearing all of the dust at once.

 Chapter 142 Separated; The Magical Key

    ?

    The resulting cascade of stone and dust filled the air, the impact of Lyrian''s Shock Fist echoing through the cave as the dust gradually settled. As the haze lifted, a previously obscured opening emerged from behind the shattered wall. The group stared in astonishment at the unexpected development.

    "Holy... what just happened?" Rn eximed, his eyes wide as he took in the scene.

    Alten chuckled softly, shaking his head in a mix of disbelief and amusement. "Seems like Lyrian''s punch was more effective than any key we could have found."

    Lyrian, standing amidst the aftermath, looked at his fist with a mix of surprise and pride. "I didn''t expect that to be so powerful," he admitted, still marveling at his newfound ability.

    Leon''s grin grew even wider. "Well, looks like we''re not locked out anymore."

    The group cautiously entered the newly revealed passage. As they ventured further, the narrow corridor opened up into a cavernous space beyond. The interior of the spire was not what they anticipated at all.

    The walls of the chamber were adorned with intricately textured stones as if they were inside of the halls of a castle, with pirs near the sides and carvings in some of the walls depicting scenes of ancient battles, creatures, andndscapes.

    The ceiling stretched high above them, revealing a stunning building of medieval architecture. It honestly looked like it was made by humans. A cathedral of sorts.

    Lyrian approached one of the carvings, studying it with fascination. "This... this is incredible. It''s like a glimpse into the history of this ce."

    Alten nodded in agreement. "Definitely not what I expected from a mere rock tower."

    As they continued exploring therge hall, the group stumbled upon a tform at the center of the chamber. A pedestal stood atop it, holding an ornate key with a unique design. The key seemed to resonate with faint energy, giving the impression that it held more significance than a simple door opener.

    "What''s this?," Rn remarked, a touch of confusion in his voice.

    Alten picked up the key, feeling its subtle vibrations in his hand. "This key feels... special. Like it''s connected to something important."

    Lyrian examined the key with a keen eye. "Given the level of craftsmanship and the engravings on it, this must have been made by skilled artisans. This ce might have held greater importance than we thought."

    �Ѧ���d��s����vel.c��m After receiving the key from Alten, an odd wisp of magical energy suddenly appeared from out of nowhere before slowly floating toward the group, and even closer to Lyrian who was holding the key.

    The teal aura finally stopped moving after reaching mere inches from the key in Lyrian''s hand, before suddenly forming into a transparent keyhole floating in the air.

    Everyone was slightly taken aback by what just happened, "That''s odd. It only did that when you took it," Alten eximed, slightly puzzled.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    Looking at the key clearly buzzing to enter the hole, Lyrian put it in and heard a subtle click, before rotating it to the left.

    Another click sounded, and with that, a teal light began summoning from beneath the feet of everyone there. As it got increasingly brighter, the group members looked at themselves in slight confusion and concern, as they all suddenly were engulfed by the bright light and disappeared into thin air.

    Now, all that was left in the ck stone cathedral were the ostriches. For Lyrain and the others, as soon as they were engulfed by the light, it felt like only the blink of an eye before they appeared in an entirely different room.

    Looking around, everything was dark, darker than the room that they just came from. As they all stood up in unison, looking around the room that looked like it was nearly abandoned, simr to some sort of prison with hanging chains and cracked/scratched walls, they tried to look at each other, but realized... they were all alone.

    That''s right, they had all been transported to different rooms. Lyrian crew was slightly concerned, not knowing that fact.

    "Did we all get transported to this type of room? Or was it just me?"

    He tried to stand up from the floor but realized something odd. His feet seemed to not want to move, and that''s when he looked down to realize that both his hands and feet were chained up.

    "What the hell?" He said, as he suddenly heard a quiet roar of cheers from somewhere as if there was a giant crowd in the distance.

    Looking up, he noticed that a few hundred feet away from where he sat in the cold, dark room, there was a hallway that led to a hole of light. However, since his surroundings were so dark, he couldn''t discern what was at the end of that light, it just looked like the sun gleaming at him.

    "I have to figure out what''s going on and get back to them. I can''t afford to waste time here."

    Lyrian dug his toes into the ground and stood up, causing the shackles on his feet to crack slightly.

    "Oh?"

    He forced his feet apart in one swift motion, causing the shackles to break instantly. With a slight smirk on his face, he tried to do the same with the ones on his hand, but they didn''t budge at all.

    The ones on his feet were of a darker metal, but this one was a silver-colored metal that had a slight hue of purple. For some reason, it wasn''t budging even an inch. Just from his initial effort of trying to break it, he knew he wasn''t going to be able to, so he didn''t try any longer.

    With his feet now free, he decided to walk toward the light, the cheer from the crowd in the distance still quietly ringing in his ears. He wasn''t too concerned, since he seemed to still have all of his items, but it was a worry nheless.

    The shackles especially were concerning, since his main attacks couldn''t be used without his hands.

 Chapter 143 *Ding* [Dungeon Quest Started]

    ?

    As he walked towards the light, the moment reminded him of when he was first born into this world. For some reason, he had a moment of reminiscence. A moment of rity, to see once again why he started this journey in the first ce.

    It was always at the back of his mind, but each time he directly thought of it, his will was fortified that much further. He was going to be free from every single shackle in life no matter what.

    Finally, as he neared the end of the light, where it was the most bright, the cheers became muffled and he lifted his hands above his face to block out the blinding effect.

    With another few steps, Lyrian lowered his hands and opened his eyes, as his hearing became clear again, and the sounds of loud cheers resonated through his entire being, shaking even his heart slightly.

    With the thudding of the feet and the excitement in the air, he opened his eyes to see that he was in a ginormous arena, something that looked like a goddamn coliseum.

    There were 20-foot high walls made of white granite that lined the round walls of the giant arena of hardened dirt that was dusty and looked light brown. Above those two-foot walls were lines of thousands of beings, Magma Dwellers, of all shapes in sizes that screamed to their heart''s content as Lyrian walked out of the tunnel.

    Above him was a giant roof full of amber crystals, and the walls that seemed to be thousands of feet away were made of dark stone. There was no doubt that he was still in the rock tower, but this waspletely out of his expectations.

    Finally, as he became less dazed, he saw in front of him a higher elevated tform which was the emperor''s seat box. There was a seat there, however, no one sat on that seat for some reason.

    Looking down from that elevated tform, Lyrian noticed a Magma Dweller was there, standing in front of him; a big one at that. It looked like some sort of rhino that stood on its hind legs, fully covered in ckstone and magma like the rest of them.

    The creature looked at Lyrian, seeming to smile, as it showcased its weapon, which was a pair of revolving sythes attached to chains.

    ''What in the world is this?'' Lyrian was at his limit of confusion at this point.

    *Ding*

    ''Huh?''

    [Dungeon Quest started]

    [Defeat the Floor Ruler and retrieve the key to enter the next floor]

    ''A dungeon quest? Is this rock tower a dungeon!?''

    Lyrian attempted to Scan the creature in front of it as quickly as he could.

    [Error!]

    [Something is stopping you from Scanning]<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    ''What?'' Lyrian couldn''t think of what it could be, ''Is it this?'' He looked down at the shackles on his arms. He couldn''t be sure, but he looked back up at the beast about 100 meters away from him.

    ''That thing is powerful, there''s no doubt about that. But, I guess I have no other choice but to beat it right now.''

    Instead of thinking of a way out, Lyrain was now going to focus purely on defeating the creature in front of it. The Magma Dweller in front of it stepped forward, and so did he.

    "RAKKAA!!" The creature screamed a guttural roar from the depths of its stomach as it pointed one of its two sythes attached to the chain to itself, inciting a giant cheer from the crowd. Then, it pointed the scythe toward Lyrian.

    ''My name?''

    He looked around. The Magma Dwellers didn''t seem to be super unintelligent creatures. For some reason, their emotional intelligence and even intellectual intelligence were higher than most creatures from what he had seen.

    The creatures on the sides looked at him almost in awe, waiting eagerly to hear him speak. From what he could tell, they were impressed by his opponent speaking the humannguage and wanted to hear more of it.

    Turning towards the beast, Raka, Lyrian infused his vocal cords with mana, strengthening them, as he yelled, "LYRIAN!!"

    His voice sounded simr to a roar as well, booming throughout the entire arena room as silence swept through the entire crowd for a few seconds. Clearly, no beast was expecting Lyrian to do such a thing, since he seemed so weak.

    After only a short moment of pause, the crowd suddenly broke out into an even louder cheer for the boy. Lyrian smirked as he heard this, it was pretty entertaining. Looking at his opponent, he didn''t seem to be so happy.

    Without wasting any more time, it began running towards Lyrian quickly, swinging its scythes around its body. Lyrian was in the same position of not wanting to waste time, so he also ran forward.

    ''Should I try to preserve mana?'' He thought to himself for a second.

    The two opponents closed the distance to about 10 feet. The air was charged with anticipation as they prepared to sh. Raka swung its scythes with a sweeping motion, the chains whirling around in a deadly dance. Lyrian met the attack head-on, his resolve unyielding.

    He deftly sidestepped the swinging scythes, his movements fluid and instinctive. The scythes whooshed through the air, narrowly missing their mark as Lyrian dodged with the precision of a swordsman. The crowd''s cheers intensified as they witnessed the young human''s agility and bravery.

    Lyrian lunged forward, his own weapon��a noggin infused with Enhanced mana��surging forth as he aimed a well-aimed headbutt onto the beast''s dome. The strike connected, cracking the tough ck stone armor slightly.

    Raka let out a guttural roar of pain and fury. The strike had wounded it, but it was far from defeated. The creature retaliated by swinging its scythes again, this time in a rapid, unpredictable pattern. Lyrian had to rely on his instincts, his eyes locked on the lethal weapons as he evaded each swing narrowly.

    Sweat formed on Lyrian''s forehead as he continued to dance with death, his heart racing in his chest. He managed to dodge most of the scythe strikes, but one grazed his shoulder, leaving a searing burn. The pain only fueled his determination, his focus sharpening.

    With a surge of determination, Lyrian saw an opening. As Raka''s scythes swung wide, he dove forward, rolling between the creature''s legs. As he emerged behind it, he unleashed a powerful kick to its back, his leg mming into the ck stone with a satisfying crunch.

 Chapter 144 Ascending The Floors

    ?

    Raka staggered, its movements slowing as the damage took its toll. The crowd''s cheers reached a crescendo, the arena vibrating with excitement. Lyrian didn''t let up, pushing forward with renewed energy. He delivered a series of swift unenhanced kicks, targeting the weakened spots on Raka''s body.

    The mighty creature fought back, its scythes swinging erratically, but its movements were bing sluggish. Lyrian''s persistence paid off as he managed to disarm Raka, sending one of the scythes flying across the arena with a precise kick.

    With a final, powerful Enhanced strike, Lyrian severed the chain holding the scythe to Raka''s hand, causing the weapon to tter to the ground. The Magma Dweller wavered, its strength finally giving out. Lyrian swiftly ran up to it and delivered the final blow, mming his foot into the beast''s stomach as it was sent flying several feet before skidding to a stop.

    The arena erupted in cheers, the crowd''s excitement unmatched. Lyrian stood victorious, his chest heaving as he caught his breath. He nced around, realizing that he had earned the respect and admiration of the Magma Dwellers.

    As the cheers subsided, Lyrian thought to himself, ''That wasn''t good. I''m too tired after just one fight... what if I have to do this several more times. I think instead of prolonged fights like this, using more mana to quickly finish off my opponents is the correct way.''

    A short rest of a few seconds urred, as a teal light suddenly began to shimmer in the middle of the arena. Lyrian quickly made his way there to realize another key and keyhole had formed there. Taking the key with his mouth, he put it into the key and clicked it sideways again.

    Just like before, the floor beneath him started to glow in the teal-colored light, as it quickly engulfed him. In the next second, he was inside an identical room to the one he was transported tost time as well.

    ***

    A momentter, Leon also defeated his opponent. It was a beast that wielded a giant hammer and had the body of an enormous gori, but with a swift motion, he severed its head with the attack, "Iron Blitz."

    Arriving at the next arena, he saw that the floor he was in... was 86.

    ***

    Alten defeated his opponent as well, but narrowly. It was only a rabbit Magma Dweller, but for Alten who wasn''t nearly as strong as his teammates, it was still a struggle. Moving on, he arrived at the final 100th floor.

    ***

    Finally, Lyrian stepped out of his room as another cheer sounded from the crowd. Last time, he was too preupied with the fight to notice that there was a number on the wall below the king''s seat box.

    His number read: 2

    [Room 1/100pleted!]

    [Defeat the Floor Ruler and retrieve the key to enter the next floor]

    His mouth gaped slightly as he heard this from Gear, ''I can''t do it... there''s no way.'' He thought to himself.

    If he was to have to fight something as powerful as Raka once again, especially with his hands cuffed, there was no way he was going to have the mana, let alone stamina, to get that done.

    Looking forward at his opponent, however, he realized that it was much smaller than the previous Magma Dweller. It was a reindeer on its hind legs, holding a simple bow.

    "Huh? That''s it?" He said, not feeling any dangerous manaing from it either.

    With one swift motion, he dashed towards the creature and mmed his Enhanced noggin into its head, cracking the armor on its body as its magma eyes rolled back into its head.

    Just like that, the following key presented itself, with a roar from the crowd. Lyrain neared the key, "I see... it seems that the creature strength levels are random. If that''s the case, I have a chance." A grin formed on his face as he entered the next floor.

    [Room 2/100pleted!]

    [Defeat the Floor Ruler and retrieve the key to enter the next floor]

    ...<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    [Room 3/100pleted!]

    [Defeat the Floor Ruler and retrieve the key to enter the next floor]

    ...

    [Room 4/100pleted!]

    [Defeat the Floor Ruler and retrieve the key to enter the next floor]

    ...

    [Room 5/100pleted!]

    ...

    [Room 6/100pleted!]

    ..

    [Room 7/100pleted!]

    .

    [Room 8/100pleted!]

    [Room 9/100pleted!]

    Just like this, Lyrian quickly advanced to the 10th floor. Although he was a bit tired, he was confident as ever. His opponents through the 9 floors were mostly weak, but some were a slight challenge. Nheless, he easily advanced past them using high amounts of mana toward the stronger beasts in order to preserve his stamina.

    Although preserving mana seemed smarter, that wasn''t exactly the case here. In a battle of endurance, no mana would mean that Lyrian still had a chance with his basic ability, but no stamina meant death. With the inability to move, no Enhanced attack would be worthwhile.

    Finally, as he began walking out into the arena on the tenth floor, he noticed that the aura of the ce felt different than before. Stepping out, he noticed that the crowd wasn''t nearly as cheerful as before, instead, many looked to have concerned expressions on their faces.

    Lyrian finally witnessed his opponent, a Magma Dweller whose body was that of a giant snow leopard. It was no smaller than a rhino, and standing up on its hind legs, it looked menacing. Its feline stripes still covered its body but with magma instead of fur.

    By taking a single nce at it, Lyrian could simply feel the mana exuding from the beast.

    *Ding* [The Dungeon Quests'' first boss has arrived]

    [Defeat the Mini-Boss: Jaqu; in order to advance onto the next floor]

    As soon as Lyrain stepped within a 100-meter radius of the beast, it unleashed a higher amount of killing intent directed toward him. This spread around a little bit as well, silencing the nearby crowd.

    Not wanting to be outdone, Lyrian challenged the arrogant beast with a taste of its own medicine. Allowing both Garmr and Zuuc to show their own respective bloodlusts, hebined it with his own and unleashed a powerful wave of spiritual energy that quickly shot toward the Magma Dweller''s body.

    In the very next moment, it stopped releasing its killing intent, its eyes slightly widened in shock as it unsheathed a spear attached to its back slowly.

 Chapter 145 First Floor Mini-Boss

    ?

    Lyrian''s bloodlust wasn''t fully directed toward the leopard Magma Dweller, so even the crowd was surprised at his power. Lyrian dashed forward, as the leopard jumped into the air with its spear in hand.

    While in the air, Lyrian noticed the color of the de on the spear. It looked exactly like the cuffs on his hand. This gave him an idea, so he jumped up toward the leopard.

    Seeing this, the beast didn''t hesitate to quickly swing itself around in a circr motion, changing its course mid-air as it dropped towards Lyrian with its spear aimed in front of it. As soon as it came 10 feet away, itunched the weapon toward the boy with a fierce throw that made it spin around in the air a few more times.

    The spear darted through the air, almost cutting through the atmosphere, as it came mere inches from touching Lyrian. Before it could, however, Lyrian braced himself while putting his shackles in front of his face, where the spear was headed.

    This was a risky move since if the spear was strong enough to cut his shackles, it could potentially kill him as well. However, Lyrian hoped that as soon as he noticed the shackles being cut through, he could remove his hand and deflect it before it fully sliced through the metal and neared his face.

    This, however, was near impossible. Since the shackles were right in front of his eyes, they would block his vision of the spear until the veryst moment when it pierced through and was inches from his face.

    So instead of vision, Lyrian was going to have to use his hearing to know when to pull away. It was still something that needed more consideration, but he didn''t have the time to do so anymore.

    As time seemed to slow, Lyrian closed his eyes, focusing his entire mind on hearing the spear. Suddenly, he felt a forceful object sh against his cuffs. Just as the time came to hear if the spear was ripping through the metal, the leopard Magma Dweller, Jaqu, let out a loud roar from its gut.

    This instantly, disturbed Lyrian''s state of smithing concentration, as he knew that it was toote and that he had to bail out right now. He quickly threw his hands to the side, and as soon as they were inches away from his torso, the spear sliced forward and through the entire chunk of metal, swiftlynding in the ground as Lyrian''s hands were freed at that very moment.

    He let out a small sigh of relief. If he were to be mere moment slower, his exam could have ended right then and there. With the leftover cuffs on his hand loosely falling off, he fell to the ground as he rotated his wrists to make sure they weren''t dislocated by the force of the spear.

    A slight grin formed on his face as he stared the leopard down. The sounds of resounding surprises waved through the crowd. They had only now noticed Lyrian''s goal to take off the shackles.

    Not paying any attention to them, Lyrian reached for his de before finally sticking it out towards the leopard who had finally arrived at his spear. He hadn''t been able to properly use his Obsidian de by now, and nor had he used his full fortified power from the Molten Essence, but it seemed that now was a time more perfect than ever.

    Without any more shackles, he was in a simple fight with no other distractions. It was a perfect environment for him to test his power, exactly what he wanted from the start when they first left toward the tundra.

    Jaqu looked at him after picking up his spear with what seemed to be a newfound respect. Lyrian dashed forward, and Jaqu did the same without hesitation.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    The arena seemed to hold its breath, the air thick with anticipation as the two figures drew nearer, their intent etched on their faces.

    The sh was imminent and fierce. Lyrian''s de met Jaqu''s spear in a dazzling collision, the resounding ng echoing through the arena. A surge of power coursed through Lyrian''s veins, his muscles flexing with the effort to parry the leopard''s weapon. The force of their sh reverberated through their bodies as if the very ground trembled beneath them.

    As the des parted, Lyrian capitalized on the momentary opening. With a swift and fluid movement, he pivoted on his heel, bringing his de around in a sweeping arc. Jaqu responded with astonishing agility, evading the blow with a deft sidestep. The leopard''s movements were fluid and graceful, a testament to its prowess inbat.

    Lyrian pressed on, his every move calcted and deliberate with the help of smithing concentration. He feinted to the left, then lunged to the right, attempting to outmaneuver his opponent. Jaqu''s eyes, sharp and unyielding, followed Lyrian''s every move, never underestimating the potential threat before it.

    By now, Lyrian was satisfied with his ability on the battlefield without any mana. But he didn''t want to waste too much of his stamina either, so he decided it was time to end the fight.

    Enhancing his entire body, he surged forth and released a barrage of shes toward Jaqu, who was thrown off by the sudden increase in power. In a seamless motion, Lyrian propelled himself into the air, his de descending like aet aimed directly at Jaqu. The leopard responded with a rapid thrust of its spear, an attempt to ward off the impending strike. The sh of their weapons resonated through the arena, a collision of force and determination.

    Yet, Lyrian''s strategy was far from over. With a calcted precision that seemed almost impossible in the heat of battle, he nted his foot onto the side of Jaqu''s spear. In a breathtaking twist of agility, he rotated his body mid-air, employing the spear''s own momentum to propel it skyward. The spear spun through the air, its trajectory unpredictable and chaotic.

    Now stripped of its primary weapon, Jaqu found itself in a vulnerable position. The once-formidable Magma Dweller stood defenseless, unable to evade or counter Lyrian''s impending assault. Panic flickered in its eyes, a flicker of realization that its fate hung by a thread.

    Desperationpelled Jaqu to raise its hands in an attempt to block Lyrian''s oing strike. However, Lyrian''s de was guided by a precision that surpassed mere physical force. With a single, deft slice, his sword cleaved through the creature''s hands and body with almost eerie ease, as though parting through molten butter.

    A moment of shocked silence enveloped the arena as Jaqu''s f crumpled to the ground, defeated and vanquished. The weight of the battle''s conclusion hung heavy in the air, a blend of awe and respect permeating the hushed crowd. Lyrian stood amidst the aftermath, his chest rising and falling with each breath, his gaze fixed on the fallen foe.

    The battle was over. The victory was his. And as the dust settled, the crowd erupted into a mixture of apuse, cheers, and admiration. For Lyrian, this was definitely a testament to his growth.

    "I still have a long way to go."

    Lyrian spoke, feeling the pounding of his heart.

 Chapter 146 The Final Floor! Floor 100

    ?

    [Room 10/100pleted!]

    [Defeat the Floor Ruler and retrieve the key to enter the next floor]

    Lyrian had stepped foot into the 11th floor. By now his determination was unwavering. He found his rhythm in the arena, moving swiftly, striking precisely, and making the most of his mana and stamina.

    With each new boss battle, he faced a different opponent, each with its own unique abilities and challenges. Some were fierce and formidable, while others were cunning and elusive. But Lyrian adapted, finding their weaknesses and exploiting them, or simply burning through them with sheer force.

    As the rooms went by, Lyrian''s victories stacked up. Before he knew it, he was near the finish line.

    [Room 20/100pleted!]

    [Room 30/100pleted!]

    [Room 40/100pleted!]

    [Room 50/100pleted!]

    [Room 60/100pleted!]

    [Room 70/100pleted!]

    [Room 80/100pleted!]

    [Room 90/100pleted!]

    Battered and bruised, the boy arrived at the 99th floor. He was exhausted, and from what he could tell, sleep-deprived as well. It wasn''t for certain, but he imagined multiple days had passed. Still, he had gone through the floors as quickly as possible.

    As he arrived at the final floor, there was a seemingly weaker wolf opponent waiting for him, his weapon being a dagger. With a tired and unimpressed look on his face, Lyrain ran forward and quickly decapitated the creature...

    ''Meh... a weak one.'' He thought to himself as he grabbed the key in the middle and instantly put it into the keyhole. He had done this so many times now that his body seemed to move on its own.

    But before he turned the key, he stopped. Thest room was the final one, and he didn''t have a clue of what to expect. But nheless, fighting so many strong opponents... was one of the greatest gifts he had ever received. His experience in the art of fighting had grown severalfold. It was safe to say that he was no longer the same examinee as before.

    He could utilize the extent of his power now, unrecognizable from when he began the climb. Finally, he turned the key, and as that satisfying click sounded, he was transported once again.

    ...

    �Ѧ���d��s����vel.c��m He opened his eyes, an unfamiliar sight hitting him now. He was still in the same looking dark room with chains hanging everywhere and scratches filling up the walls, however, this one was fully lit up with several torches on the walls.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    "What floor did you get to?" A kid suddenly spoke to the side, jerking him slightly in shock as he noticed that there were several examinees in the room with him.

    He looked around in shock, ''50? There are over 50 here...'' He even noticed some of the faction members from the four factions. Lit up, the room was giant, muchrger than he had anticipated, with four pirs near the four corners of the room as well.

    "Dude! I got so unlucky! Floor 91!" The kid being asked a question answered back with a frustrated tone.

    "Haha! How unlucky! Anything under 10 floors of 100 is horrible. I guess you were almost too strong." The first kid who asked the questionughed.

    Another kid joined in, "Too strong? So are you saying that the stronger you are, the lower the floor you start at?"

    The first kid nodded in approval, as Lyrian was slightly relieved by this revtion. At the very least, he knew that Alten, Leon, and Rn were given somewhat fair chances. That is if the kids were telling the truth.

    "Lyrian! You''re finally here!" A familiar voice suddenly called from afar. Near the main four factions were three familiar faces.

    "Alten? You guys, you made it before me." Lyrian said, walking over to them with a smile on his face. They could tell he was utterly exhausted since even his smile looked tiring.

    "Yea... we got the easier end of the stick. Believe it or not, you''re the first big dog that has arrived."

    Alten said, looking towards the group members of the four factions to the left, as Leon added, "No other group leaders have arrived yet."

    Lyrian looked at the groups, and sure enough, all of them were missing their leaders. Noticing Lyrian, one of the Dark Horse group members said, "They aren''t here yet because they are stronger than you and therefore got lower floors! They are my opponents, but I can still respect their power, unlike you, who''s just a nobody iming to be one of the big dogs."

    Lyrian raised his eyebrow in confusion, "What? I never even imed to be a big dog. And... I doubt they got a lower floor than me." He said as one of the other Dark Horses chimed in.

    "Pfft! Who do you think you are huh? If we, the faction co-leaders, who are second inmand and closest to the strength of the leaders, got the higher floors on 80, the leader''s probably got around the 70s, or maybe even the 60s. You probably got the lower 90s, since you aren''t fully weak."

    Before Lyrian could speak, Leon said something, looking down at the floor in confusion, "It''s odd, even I got the upper 80 floors. I got 86."

    Lyrian was also slightly surprised upon hearing this, "What? Surely not... you should have easily gotten around floor 55 ording to your strength." Thinking on it, Lyrian realized something about Leon''s strength, "You know, you don''t actually have any mana, so that might have caused you a higher ranking."

    Leon noticed that what Lyrian said was quite reasonable, as Rn added, "Ha! To think, even though you got a higher floor, you still are stronger in this tower than the co-leaders over there!" Heughed.

    At that moment, a boy from the Deck Group, Syanr, suddenly spoke up, "I got to floor 65. Spade will get no less than floor 40. And Lyrian, why do you say floor 55 is a good fit for your friend there as if you actually got that. Don''t joke around. Just because you defeated a weaker Silvus, does not mean you are suddenly stronger than everyone here. Arrogance can kill you, you know?"

    Everyone stayed silent after Syanr spoke, and it even caught the attention of most of the room. He was a formidable persona, so no one dared to go against him. Nheless, Lyrian had enough of this "Don''t im to be the best" bs, when he had never done so in the first ce.

    As Syanr looked away, Lyrian suddenly broke the silence, "Hey, tattoo-head. I never said I was the strongest, but I can prove it to you right now if you want."

 Chapter 147 Floor 100: The Wait

    ?

    Most of the people in the room -- who were already paying attention to the conversation -- were taken aback in a resounding aura of astonishment as they heard what Lyrian said.

    The room then dropped dead silent as Lyrian stared at Syanr who was sitting on top of a few barrels of wine that were stacked on top of each other. Syanr slowly turned to look at Lyrian, in disbelief himself.

    "You..."

    Syanr paused, looking down at the ground, everyone held their breath in anticipation of what was going to happen. Had Syanr''s rage ensued, or was it something else? No one could tell, since he was hiding his face.

    Out of nowhere, his head popped back up with a giant smile on his face, "Hahaha! Good one! Alright Lyrian, let''s not cause any trouble before our team leaders show up. After all, this might be something we all have to work for."

    The boy smirked, as the tension in the room calmed down. Lyrian sat down after this as well, beginning to speak with the rest of his group. Kedward, who was sitting down on one of the lower barrels next to Syanr, chuckled, "Ha! You totally punked him. Letting him off like that is a respectable thing to do for someone so much stronger."

    Syan didn''t speak, as the person standing behind him -- the boy with the queen of spades on top of his eyebrow; rank 3 of the Deck Group -- stared at Syanr, knowing what he was thinking deep inside.

    To his surprise, Syanr began to speak, "The ck Sheep huh..." he said, before suddenlyying down on his back and closing his eyes after taking a deep breath.

    Alten and the others were curious about two things, first thing was, how in the hell did Rn make it all the way to the top!? On questioning him, Rn stood up in front of everyone and slightly fixed his cor, a bit nervous to speak.

    "I may seem like a total weakling, but I have some tricks up my sleeve. It''s not from my physical strength, skill, or even magical power, but more so, from technology."

    The boy reached into his pocket before pulling out a small square, the size of a golf ball. It looked to have many mechanical parts and was of various different colors, like a culmination of some sort ofputer chipboard.

    With the interest of the group received, Rn continued to exin, "All I have to do is push this button and..."

    Suddenly, the small cube in Rn''s hand expanded into a giant gun ster of sorts that was asrge as an AK-47. It was made of multiple metals and chips and whatever else, to be frank, Lyrian didn''t have a clue as to what he was looking at.

    Nheless, Rn said that it was something he made at home and that since it didn''t use actual magic, it was legal in the exam as a normal weapon.

    "All you have to do is aim at something..." He said, aiming the gun towards a pile of barrels with no one nearby, "And shoot... I''m going to do the weaker bullet since I don''t want this entire corner blowing up."

    He pulled the trigger, and arge bullet shot out from the gun at extreme speeds, making it seem like a dart of light, before piercing straight through the barrels. Out of nowhere, Rn was showered by a stream of whine, causing him to bare an unimpressed expression.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    The groupughed, but the power of the technology was still impressive, Alten was the most surprised, "I didn''t even know you had this!? When did you start making guns and not slingshots!?" He eximed in confusion.

    Rnughed nervously, "Yea... it was a somewhat recent endeavor."

    After this, they moved on to the second, and most intriguing thing, that the entire group wanted to figure out. Looking at Lyrian, seeing his ripped clothing and damaged body, they couldn''t help but wonder, what floor did he start at?

    With the eyes of everyone in his group on him, who wasying back nonchntly while waiting for something to happen, spoke, "What floor? Oh yea... floor 1." He spoke, indifferently as if it were no big deal.

    The jaws of both Rn and Alten dropped to the floor, as Leon''s eyes widened in surprise.

    "You''re that much ahead of everyone? That..." Leon paused, "That''s just like you. I wouldn''t expect any less." He slightlyughed.

    The other two however were blown out of their own minds. "What the fuck did you just say!? Floor 1?!" Alten shouted in shock, as several heads suddenly turned to look at him.

    He quickly noticed this, and closed his mouth before pausing to speak, allowing the other kids to go back to what they were doing. After a short sigh of relief, he returned to what he was saying with a whisper.

    "That''s insane! How did you survive all of that!? I know I haven''t even gone more than one floor, but from what I''ve heard from Leon, it''s supposed to be extremely difficult, especially the bosses."

    Rn was no less shocked, asking questions of the perplexity of his own.

    "It is what it is. I can''t say for certain why I was given that floor, but I still got here." Lyrian gave this answer since it was also the truth, but he was thinking inside, ''To be frank, it must have had something to do with Garmr and Zuuc living inside of me, mostly Garmr. If that''s the case, future strength-ranked dungeons that give you harder missions purely based on my power won''t be great to deal with...'' He contemted with slight concern.

    "So... I''ve seen that hallway to the outside open this entire time. Why hasn''t anyone gone through yet to start the final battle?"

    Lyrian suddenly said, throwing his team members off guard. Alten didn''t mind exining.

    "Oh, that... well, it''s because people have tried in the past. Half of how many are in this room actually. I know since I was the first one in the 100th room. They all failed miserably, and that''s why all the factions are waiting for their team leaders to arrive. They either want to n more, or go in for a full-on raid of the final boss..."

 Chapter 148 Floor 100: Entering The Arena

    ?

    At that exact moment, two more examinees suddenly appeared in the middle of the room, a cascade of teal light enveloping them, before quickly disappearing. The faces were familiar, to say the least.

    A bratish-looking kid with spiky red hair, and a girl with ice-cold eyes. The two of them looked through the crowd and seemed to quickly find their group, and headed there without any hesitation.

    ''Cedric and Glis huh... I wonder what they''re doing in Silvus'' group. I mean... I get Glis, but Cedric? He would be too weak I''d imagine to even join that group.''

    Lyrian sat on top of his barrel specting things as he waited around. He was tired, and to be honest, wanted to get this over with as fast as possible. After all, there weren''t many more days left in the exam.

    "Hey, Alten."

    Lyrian turned to the left, as Alten met his gaze.

    "What day are we on right now?"

    Alten paused, thinking for a second before responding.

    "Oh wow, I forgot about the days since I haven''t seen sunlight in so long... but it should be the 29th day right now."

    This didn''t exactlye as a surprise to Lyrian. After this short conversation, nothing else happened for a while except basic small talk. Finally, it seemed multiple hours passed by as one by one, four circles in the ground lit up with a teal aura, as each figure stepped out from the light that epassed them.

    Everyone near the middle of the room made way, having a feeling that it was finally the time they had all been waiting for. The first figure that stepped out was the leader of the Dark Horses -- Uis Jacl -- after that was the leader of the White Knights -- Nelmis Opal -- following him was the Deck Group leader -- Spade Agustus -- and finally, stepping out of the final tower of teal light was the leader of the Yaltan Wind group -- Silvus Yaltan.

    All had somewhat serious expressions on their faces. They were the faction leaders, the ones who would control andplete this mission. One of them would undoubtedly be the one to retrieve the golden-tiered core. At least, that was the overall opinion of everyone inside the room.

    As the four walked to their groups, they simultaneously shot short and quick nces over to Lyrian, who looked at them all with one eye open and the other shut, since he was too tired to open them both for no reason.

    Another hour passed, and Lyrian was nearly drowning in a sea of boredom by now. He had wanted to just go in there and decimate whatever boss or ruler was waiting for him, topile the dungeon quest as well as get the Yang core, but his team had stopped him.

    ''I mean... I already know what the final boss will be. It will be the king who hasn''t been in the king''s seat box for the entire 99 floors that I''vepleted. However... I just don''t know whether that beast will be the true Yang creature.''

    Finally, the members of all the factions stood up. Stepping up, Silvus was the one who looked to be chosen to speak. As he simply waved his hand in the air, everyone in the room shut their mouths instantly.

    They all stared at him with invincible concentration, not a single out-of-ce urrence slipping out of their body during this time.

    "We have decided to do an all-out attack on the final boss. Everyone here needs more rest, but we don''t have the time for it any longer, I''m afraid. Those who wish not to go may, I couldn''t care less. Those who will go will be led by us. Once you enter through that passageway," <novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    Silvus looked towards the hallway to the arena, as everyone did the same.

    "You follow our orders, and our orders only. If you do not, you will be eliminated on the spot."

    With this, a resounding aura of eptance filled the room, "Yes!" The room shouted unanimously, like soldiers taking orders from their general.

    "Then, let''s go."

    Everyone had expected him to say more. But at the end of the day, Lyrian knew that this was nothing but a battle for one person, for any person who wanted that golden core.

    Such a person wouldn''t give details on how the fight wouldmence for no reason, not even himself.

    Finally, as everyone began preparing to exit the room, Lyrian walked to the front where the factions were. It wasn''t a rule or anything, so although faction members were slightly annoyed, they didn''t say anything.

    Lyrian on the other hand didn''t care about them. Even if they said he had to go to the back or something like that, he would simply ignore them, because he had another n in mind. One that made him chuckle slightly in amusement.

    It was a n that was going to kill two birds with one stone. Himpleting the dungeon quest, and also a way that conserved the most amount of time possible.

    Leon and the others stayed in the back, as per Lyrian''smand, while everyone began to make their way out into the arena, led by yours truly.

    Seeing the back of that boy''s head in front of him, many in the factions couldn''t help but be irritated.

    ''Bastard... he is too cocky. To think he can do this and get away with it. At the very least, I''ll make him a sacrifice for the final boss.'' Kedward thought to himself.

    Finally, as Lyrian stepped out into the bright coliseum, a roar of cheers resounded from the crowd. Those in the crowd of examinees looked around in shock, including the faction members.

    None of them had ever heard such cheer from the crowd before when they came out. Actually, they hadn''t heard such a cheer ever before.

    Lyrian grinned slightly, already used to such cheer on his entrance. But he wasn''t concerned with any of that. He looked forward, only to see that no one was on the battlefield before him.

    As the examinees lined up, weapons in hand and prepared to fight, they created a group near their side of the arena. Lyrian looked up at the seat box of the king, and lo and behold, a being finally existed there.

    Seeing him, Lyrian''s grin widened.

 Chapter 149 Floor 100: Requesting A Duel

    ?

    As the cheers hushed, the figure on the throne in the elevated seat stood up. It walked nearer to the railing, raising its chest toward the sky. Lyrian couldn''t quite discern the creature''s origin, yet its aura and appearance exuded might, threat, and an unyielding danger. It was enough to stir his excitement.

    Perched upon its head was a crown crafted from molten magma and dark stone. Its chest protruded and its shoulders bulged, while its waist maintained a slender profile. The lower body and legspensated for this, resembling those of gazelles. The ankles were almost half the length of the legs, sturdy and robust like a bodybuilder''s, but fashioned from magma and stone.

    With a lengthy tail tapering to a blunt arrowhead-like tip, the being bore an imposing presence. Two colossal swords, each the length of its 9-foot stature, were sheathed on its back. Its maw parted, and it uttered words that jolted all the examinees, Lyrian included. "Small humans! You''ve journeyed this far, yet you die here!" The words thundered forth in a gravelly, deep, and raspy tone, sending shudders through many examinees that were present.

    *Ding* [ckstone Tower Dungeon Quest: Defeat the final boss to clear the dungeon]

    [Quest reward: ...]

    ''Perfect timing...'' Lyrian thought to himself, walking forward.

    Suddenly, he felt someone grab his hand from behind. Looking back past his shoulder, he saw that it was none other than the leader of the Dark Horse group, Uis.

    Lyrian looked at the boy''s hand, then back up at his face, with a questioning expression of his own. To this, Uis replied, "If you think you are going to do what I think you are, then I must stop you." In a calm andposed tone.

    Lyrian fully turned around, "You are going to stop me?" He said in a serious tone, his words sharp like the edge of a knife.

    "Not just me, but all four of us. We have decided that this decision of yours is going to cost the entire group, so it is against our rules. Like we said before, those who go against us, full get elimin--"

    The boy was abruptly cut off by a scoff. Lyrian didn''t say anything to the others, simply looking at their faces. Nelmis of the White Knights stared at him with a rough expression, Spade too looked at him, except with but a smile on his face. Finally, Silvus only looked forward nonchntly, serenity seemingly dwelling in his eyes.

    Lyrain scoffed once again, making that twice, as he turned back around and began walking towards the king''s seat box where the final boss was. As he began to walk there, the king had already been speaking the entire time.

    "This arena is one created by our gods! Those who wished for us to escape this domain! However, we refuse to leave this ravine, no! We will stay as Magma Dwellers until the end of time itself, for it is fun for us."

    As the king spoke, the crowd erupted into thunderous roars each time he ended off a long sentence, making the ground shudder as if a cavequake was about to happen.

    "What''s in it for life, if not fun!? We shall stay here and fight to be the king of the Magma Dwelling species until the end of time immemorial! That is what gives us satisfaction!"

    A boom of unified cheers exploded as the king said hisst sentence, *Kaaraahh!*

    "That is what gives us purpose!"

    *Kaaraahh!*<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    "That is what gives us salvation!"

    *Kaarahhh!!*

    As the king looked around, rejoicing in his giant entourage of beasts, he finally caught a glimpse of the boy who arrogantly walked towards him without a single person behind him.

    "King!" Lyrian shouted, waving both of his hands in the air, as the king squinted his eyes to get a close look at the boy.

    "Whatever ns you had in mind, scrap them! I want to end this quick, so how about you fight me one versus one!"

    Lyrian''s words echoed throughout the arena, quickly followed by a resounding wave of astonishment that swept through the crowd. Even examinees who didn''t know Lyrian''s ns were taken aback in shock.

    The king, not knowing what to say, slightly stumbled on his words before speaking, "What did this puny human bean just say? Hahaha!" He retorted to the crowd, resulting in an enormous ball ofughter across the entire coliseum.

    "Fight me, weakling!" A figure suddenly appeared beside Lyrian.

    Surprised, Lyrian looked to his side to see... Silvus, stood there as he stared at the beast. ''Silvus? He wanted to fight it as well?'' Lyrian thought to himself.

    At that moment, Silvus actually turned to look at him, which was unexpected, and said, "You aren''t going to get all the glory, peasant." He was serious and cold.

    "Yes! Yes! Me as well! I too will fight you!" Another voice eximed from the other side of Lyrian, as he turned to look, and saw Spade staring at the beast with a smirk on his face.

    The examinees went wild in shock as Uis suddenly shouted, "Are you guys insane!? I thought that poor brat was a fool, but you two as well!?" He screamed at the top of his lungs in frustration.

    Suddenly, at the same time, both Spade and Silvus looked back at Uis with chilling gazes of serious intention. At that moment, Uis realized he was speakingpletely out of line. He felt shivers go down his back as his body became slightly limp and he stared at the ground, beginning to sweat from his forehead.

    �Ѧ���d��s����vel.c��m ''I--I got toofortable... I can''t forget what kind of status those two hold.'' He thought to himself, terrified of what was going to happen next now that he almost called those two fools.

    Just then, the king began to speak, "One versus one!? Hahaha! That is called a duel, brat! But a duel is not what you deserve. A duel is something for the worthy, for those who deserve respect! You, especially teamed up with two others, are not worthy of dueling me!"

    Both Spade and Silvus were slightly surprised by this, but Lyrian was most disappointed. He stared at the sky before yelling, "You goddamn idiots!"

 Chapter 150 Floor 100: To Be Worthy

    ?

    Uis looked back up from the ground, shocked at what the foolish peasant was spouting toward the two royals. However, his eyes widened further as his mouth gaped slightly when he realized they didn''t have any reaction whatsoever to Lyrian after he called them both fools.

    ''That kid... who the hell is he!?'' He eximed to himself in confusion, ''To have that much respect from those two, what am I missing here?''

    "Come out! Gdral! Huragal! Ragahal!" The king suddenly bellowed at the top of his rough lungs, as three chained gates made of thick and rusty iron bars located at the sides of the arena walls suddenly began to lift up.

    Without any warning, three ginormous beasts made of magma and ck stone, as big as Garmr, suddenly leaped out of the gates and stormed towards the examinees, as they all broke formation and began to hurriedly scatter.

    The beasts resembled wolfs, or tigers, but were bulkier and had giant heads with teeth the size of humans! Before long, they became causing a frenzy amongst the examinees. They weren''t extremely fast, but if they were to catch their prey amid the chaos they were causing, it was lights out.

    The crowd erupted in another loud cheer as they saw this happening. Lyrain looked around, noticing that this entire tower was nothing more than just an entertainment show from the start. However, he already knew that. That wasn''t important now, what was important, was fighting and defeating the boss.

    Before he could do anything, however, the third beast, Ragahal, suddenly leaped toward him and the other two boys. They all dashed backward, revealing their respective weapons. At that moment, slight smirks appeared on all of their faces as they prepared themselves to attack.

    In that situation, there was an unspoken challenge of who''s skill wouldnd first, and whose would be most powerful. Spade first went in for the attack, using only his hands, as they instantly became as sharp as a spear. Closing in on the beast, he darted across its abdomen and appeared on the other side.

    In one sweep, a giant gash was left searing across the beast''s entire torso, with magma spilling out as though it was the creature''s blood. Next, Silvus waved his wand in the air, before pushing it down towards the ground, "Wind Puncture!" He yelled, as fourrge spears of wind suddenly formed in the air before crashing down onto the beast''s four limbs.

    Silvus was going to use another spell to finish off the beast, but before he could, Lyrian unsheathed his sword and dashed in, saying "Too slow."

    With a precise cleave, the beast''s head was decapitated, rolling around before arriving at the feet of the king''s seat box.

    Silvus bared a slightly angry expression as this happened, pissed off because Lyrian stole his kill, but Lyrian on the other hand looked up at the king, wanting to see his reaction.

    Was what he did impressive enough to garner respect? That was the question in hand. However, the king simply smiled before lifting his hand in front of his chest. There, Lyrian say that half of the beast''s pinky finger was missing. He found it to be odd, but he didn''t know why the beast would show him that either.

    It made sense, however, when the king tapped his finger once, and the giant in beast; Ragahal, was quickly absorbed from the ground into his hand, reforming that little piece of finger that was missing before.

    Now, Lyrian knew exactly what the beast was implying. "You defeated half of my pinky finger." Was the message that was tranted across.

    In turn, this gave Lyrian a glimpse into the power dynamic between the two, but nheless, he still had to fight the dungeon boss. Not just for the reward, but also because of this...

    [Quest failure: Random penalty]<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    "Haha...hahaha!" Spade suddenly broke out into a fit ofughter.

    Lyrian and Silvus looked back at him, also seeing the rampage of the 1 final beast that was still alive behind him to the examinees.

    The other one was already in by Leon.

    "Insane. We''d be insane to try and duel such a thing. I don''t care who you are, to think you can fight that and win... you have to be out of your mind." Spade suddenly took a step forward.

    Lyrian was confused by the seemingly retarded brat, but he shrugged it off and changed his attention back to the king. He had to kill the thing he looked at, but he didn''t know how he would initiate the duel. On top of that, there was another factor that yed into this.

    [Quest time limit: 10 minutes, 8 seconds]

    ''It''s unfortunate, but I have to fight this guy as fast as possible. Even if I begin the duel right now, who knows if I will defeat him before the time ends...''

    He thought about what to do for a while, his mind racing at a million miles per second. Just then, he remembered something from just a few days ago.

    ''The magma heart.'' He thought to himself, as a realization hit him.

    When he scanned the holder of that heart, there was a special title given to him by the system. It was none other than...

    [Uncrowned King]

    Without any other option, Lyrian went with thisst resort. He didn''t know if it would work at all, but what else could he do.

    Reaching into his shirt, he called out to the king, "Something that makes me worthy and respectable huh? How about... this." He said, taking out the magma heart from his shirt and revealing it to the king.

    The crowd quieted down as he did this, the king squinting his eyes once again to look closer, as a few gasps of shock began to resound around the arena. The king, who was having the time of his life, suddenly bared a sorrowful expression.

    His lip began to quiver, as his eyes became moist ofva. Before long, his entire body had begun to shake slightly.

    "Fa--Father?"

 Chapter 151 Floor 100: Uncrowned King

    ?

    "Father?" Lyrian also suddenly said, confused. Out of everything he expected, this was not the oue that was even close to his imagination.

    Silvus raised an eyebrow in confusion, as he tilted his head ck slightly, "Father?"

    Spade was no less confused, "Did it just say, father? How did he..." He didn''t continue speaking, simply looking at Lyrian holding the heart.

    The crowd of examinees now finished fighting the magma beasts that rampaged them, also noticed the situation and were perplexed by it. Along with that, the entire arena, full of thousands of Magma Dwellers, began to sound their astonishment. An eerie feeling swelled amongst them, as Lyrian didn''t know the oue of this either.

    The king suddenly jumped from his seat box down to the arena floor.

    "You... how did you get that heart."

    The beast spoke while looking down at the ground, refusing to show its face. Its body was still shaking, and light smoke wasing out from its back all of a sudden.

    "I..." Before continuing, Lyrian thought of the best route of action here, "What other way would I have possibly gotten it?"

    Another gasp of astonishment and horrification swept through the crowd as they heard this from the malicious boy in the arena who was now smiling deviously, like some sort of heartless killer.

    The king did not speak, allowing Lyrian to dig it in even further.

    "Murder... ice cold murder! It was easy to kill that old bastard!" Lyrian put on a horrible smile. ''This is the best route... as long as he gets mad enough to fight me, I have a chance at defeating him before this timer runs out.''

    [Quest time limit: 8 minutes, 7 seconds]

    "What are you doing!? Are you insane?" Uis suddenly blurted out. Looking back, Lyrian saw that the boy was slightly roughed up from the magma beast from before. He was surprised at the boy''s demeanor, even after everything that had happened.

    There was no going back now, so not going all in would not only be foolish but also... too optimistic. Looking forward, the Magma Dweller king was still silent, his body trembling even more than before, yet silent.

    "Impossible... you did not... you could not have done such a thing. I refuse to believe it."

    Hearing this, a more worried Lyrian thought to himself, ''Shoot... it''s not working!''

    [Quest time limit: 7 minutes, 40 seconds]

    "Impossible? Hahaha!" Lyrian suddenly burst out into fakeughter, putting all of his emotions into this act so he could convince the king that he was actually telling the truth.

    "Then how do you expect me to have that idiot''s heart!? I not only killed him but even tortured him!"

    Hearing this, the king suddenly raised his head and directed his ruthless gaze toward Lyrian. In the fraction of a millisecond, Lyrtian was hit by a powerful st of killing intent, one even greater than that of the Poison Tarants... far greater, in fact.

    [Warning! A creature with a lethal threat level has bloodlust over you!]

    [Creature threat level: GUARDIAN]

    ''Guardian? Just like the ck Kailion... Surely, this creature is not the Yang creature of light, the holder of the second half of the golden-tiered core...'' Lyrian quickly thought to himself, as he continued his act.

    By now, even the devastated crowd believed the boy who spoke with such an evil tone. They were convinced that he had killed the king''s father. All the proof that they needed, was in his hand.

    "Do not go overboard with your lies, boy!" The king yelled with his deep and guttural voice, sounding as though it had been forged in the heart of purgatory itself. Except, it was forged in the heart of the tundra.

    [Quest time limit: 7 minutes, 6 seconds]

    "I tortured him ruthlessly! Day in and day out, his entire life consisted of nothing but pain for an entire week before he died so pathetically! Fire, ice, wind, or even earth! I used all elements on him, to give him the worst experience that I possibly could!"

    The crowd was more shocked than ever after hearing this statement, as Alten and Leonughed with concern under their breaths, as they too were almost convinced by Lyrian''s incredible ability to act.

    But... the king had a different reaction.

    "Wh-- What? Fire you say? Ice? Wind? Earth?" He suddenly said in a much calmer tone.

    ''What the hell? Why is he not angry all of a sudden!?''

    [Quest time limit: 6 minutes, 40 seconds]

    "Haha...hahaha!" The king suddenly broke out into a peal ofughter, cing his hand atop of face as he couldn''t believe the stupidity of the boy''s statement.

    "Boy... you must not know who that man was. My father, the Uncrowned King."

    Hearing this, the crowd chimed their attention to the king''s words, as their interests were piqued. Everyone else''s interests were also piqued, including Lyrian''s.

    ''Yes... the Uncrowned King. It makes perfect sense for that to be his title even in the Scan. Since he was the father of this king, he must have been the previous king, that''s how a hierarchy works. After his old age, he must have had to give his crown to his un, garnering the title: Uncrowned King. What else could it possibly mean?''

    With Lyrian''s worry being extrapted, and the timer quickly ticking out, the king finally spoke.

    "He was named the Uncrowned King... because he never received the crown. Why? Because he was banished from our society long ago by the decision of our elders. I was too young tobat such a decision and had been wanting to meet him for decades, and when I saw his heart in your hands, I was fueled with rage."

    Lyrian didn''t know where he was going with this, but he had no other option but to listen.

    [Quest time limit: 5 minutes, 56 seconds]

    "My father was banished... because of his curse. One that stated he wasn''t a part of our society... one that allowed him to be immune to the elements of magic!"

    Hearing these words, Lyrian''s eyes felt as though they had finally been opened. ''That old dweller... couldn''t be affected by magic!?''

 Chapter 152 You Have Completed The Dungeon Quest!

    ?

    It all made sense now, why the king had calmed down, but what hadn''t made sense, was how in the hell a creature was immune to magic! From what Lyrian read in Illstria in the library, magic was the very foundation of creation and reality itself.

    To be not affected by such a thing... a reality-breaking curse that must have been...

    "It was a curse that wasn''t with him since birth, but was given to him by a wandering passerby who went by the name "Cronos Helnish" whose actions resulted in a prophecy that stated that my father would eventuallye to be the cause of Magma Dweller society destruction! I never believed such a pathetic prophecy by those old elders, and it didn''te true either."

    The crowd was now flipped on its heel, with no sign of belief amongst any of them after they heard the king''s exnation of the situation. And Lyrian was out for the count. In terms of strategy, he had nothing left.

    [Quest time limit: 1 minute, 40 seconds]

    "You, boy, have not earned any worth, or any respect of mine. Instead, you have tarnished any reputation that you had. You do not deserve a duel from me..."

    These words were like the final nails to a coffin, which Lyrian was ced inside.

    "However..."

    ''However?'' Lyrain thought to himself on hearing these words. What possibly coulde after those words...

    "For the insulting that you have done to my father, you deserve something else... punishment. And for that, I alone will exact your death."

    The king slowly began to unsheath the two des on his back. Just then, a smile began to slowly form on Lyrian''s face.

    [Quest time limit: 20 seconds]

    He took out his own sword as well. He already had a clear n in mind, as to how exactly he would defeat the king. Although he was most likely weaker, an all-out attack would still suffice. How did he know this?

    It was simple. In the tower, especially floors like 80 and 90, he had fought beings that were undoubtedly stronger them him, yet, he was still able to defeat them using arge chunk of his mana at once and using the sword to boost the damage of that mana even more.

    It wasn''t as if he was coating or infusing the sword itself with mana, more moreso that he was Enhancing his hands which held the sword, giving it more sheer power.

    [Quest time limit: 12 seconds]

    After taking out his des, the king immediately dashed forward, using his powerful gazelle legs, which left a deep indent in the crowd. Lyrian, boosting his arms with all of the mana left in his body using Enhance, also ran forward.

    ''If I don''t finish him off with this one move... I will lose.''

    The king, running as he dragged his two des on the floor beneath him, melting the ground as he ran -- spoke with confidence.

    "You want to know why I disagree with the decision of those prophesizing elders!?" He yelled at the top of his lungs, allowing the entire crowd to hear clearly.

    "It is because... I too have the same curse as my father!" As he said this, his swords erupted into magma spewing cannon, whichughed the dangerous material all around Lyrian.

    Lyrian''s heart felt as though it dropped as he heard those words. All of the mana pumped into his hands, causing them to even have small tears due to the sheer velocity of the element... it was all going to be useless!

    Using his ability to dodge falling stctites, Lyrian sidestepped across all of the magma balls. Although moments prior, his determination to fight seemed to be vanquished, an idea suddenly came to his mind.

    As his hands began to rip further, he decided that it was his only option if he wanted to win this damn battle and pass the exam!

    [Quest time limit: 3 seconds]

    The two fighters neared mere feet from each other, as the king lifted his swords and swung them from both sides towards the boy in front of him with enough force and speed that dodging would be impossible.

    Even Lyrian knew this and didn''t even try to dodge. Instead, he charged forward.

    [Quest time limit: 2 seconds]

    Digging into his vest pocket, he pulled out a massive ivory fang, alive with shimmering bolts of blue lightning dancing around it. With hands already torn and bleeding, he crushed the fang, and in an instant, a surge of lightning erupted, coursing through him like a storm. The shock was agonizing, a punishing ze that would have crumbled most, yet Lyrian remained unyielding. His determination drove him forward, and with electrically charged hands, he plunged his sword into the heart of the Magma Deller King.

    In that very moment, a torrent of mana fused with the crackling energy of the Lightning Fang surged forth, hurtling through the beast''s belly like a radiantet. The creature''s abdomen exploded with a brilliant burst of light, creating a vast cavity as Lyrian''s body soared through the colossal gap, propelled by sheer force.

    Tumbling to the ground, his form skidded across the arena, a testament to his relentless resolve. He summoned the strength to gaze back at the fallen king, its once-mighty torso now bearing a colossal 3 by 3-foot void.

    The body of the king, after standing still for less than a second, fell to the ground.

    *Ding* [Congradtions! You have defeated the Final Boss of this dungeon! Magma Dweller King]

    *Ding* [You havepleted the Dungeon Quest!]

    *Ding* [You havepleted the quest wlessly]

    [Value of reward has been increased +]

    *Ding* [You have in the boss in one hit]

    [Value of reward has been increased +]

    *Ding* [You have cleared the dungeon alone]

    [Value of reward has been increased +]

    [MP: 1/200 (+50)]

    [Warning, your body is currently severely weakened]

    Barely being able to think... Lyrian pondered his final words before he suddenly fell unconscious.

    ''It... worked...''

    [The Dungeon Quest: ck Stone Tower; reward is being calcted...]

    [Dungeon Quest reward: ...]

 Chapter 153 Ingenious Or Lucky?

    ?

    [Dungeon quest reward: ...]

    Before Lyrian could hear it, he had already fallen unconscious. Not only did his body no longer have the strength to stay awake, but after 100 fights back to back, virtually without any rest, he was beat up and ready to rest.

    But, on top of that, he was also happy.

    Proud of his work, and also proud that his thinking capabilities allowed him to surface at the final, most crucial climax of what seemed like his entire life.

    In the heat of the battle, having no other choice after the king stated that he too had the mana immunity curse, imagined a possibility that seemed preposterous.

    In that span of a short millisecond, he thought of the time when he spoke about torturing the king''s father with the four main elements. Lyrian now only noticed that when he said this, the king had augh for a reason that wasn''t true at all.

    The kingughed... because he thought that those four elements were the only ones that existed. It all made sense to Lyrian at that moment after this realization. The Magma Dwellers lived in secluded areas, so their thinking that the four main elements were the only possible elements waspletely logical.

    So, when he and his father were immune to those four elements, which they thought were the only ones that existed, they imagined themselves immune to all magic itself. However... more elements existed than that, that they hadn''t taken into ount.

    Apart from the four main elements of the first pir, there existed the second pir elements which were thebination of the first four, and then the third pir elements which were thebination of the second eight, and so on.

    Lyrian couldn''t use any other elements except for the first four and some of the second pir elements as well, such asva and ice. However,va and ice were extremelymon, especially in this tundra where they both seemed to dominate the environment.

    Lyrian imagined that the dwellers were aware of this type of second-pir magic, and were immune to it as well since it was so closely connected to the first pir. However, he had something in his pocket that was of an entirely separate pir, he had no clue which pir it exactly was on, but nheless, he knew it would be useful at that moment.

    So, testing this entire theory out, he took out the Lightning Fang that he had purchased from the shop in the center, and used it to conjure his mana into lightning. After that... the story wrote itself.

    At this moment, a sudden silence made its way through the crowd. Even the kids, who had very mixed opinions on the situation at hand, were now equally perplexed and at a loss for words.

    Shocked. That''s what they were. Shocked at the power that Lyrian disyed. Lyrian''s team was happy for him, but quickly rushed over to his fallen body to check the damage. As they did, both Silvus and Spade stood there with their eyes wide open.

    They were confident people, but they never even once imagined actually fighting the brute that was the king in a one-versus-one situation. They thought it was an impossible bluff by Lyrian, and so they bluffed the same in order to not be overshadowed.

    But... overshadowed they were, far outssed. However, currently, they cared more about their new approach to the situation at hand than anything. With Lyrian seemingly on hisst breaths, they made their way to the Magma Dweller King''s body.

    ''That kid is a beast. I don''t care if he is a peasant or a king, his power is to not be scoffed at.''

    Spade couldn''t help but make himself more wary of Lyrian as he approached the body of the king. For him, the king''s body held the golden-tier core. What else could possibly be the golden-tier creature, if not the boss of the tower, the king of the Magma Dwellers?

    The two boys neared about 20 feet from the fallen body of the king, before a sudden roar boomed through the crowd, a roar of confusion, frustration, disbelief, and rage! The crowd stood up on their feet, in aplete uproar as to what just happened.

    This was meant to be a fun event, but instead, their king had died! Feeling the uncontrolled and static emotion from the crowd, Silvus and Spade did not dare to move. Right now, what they were faced with was like being inside a room full of rubber.

    The emotions of the Magma Dwellers were so bouncy right now, that anything could tick them off and send an even further rage ricocheting towards the thing they were mad at.

    Even those two knew that if they were to be the target of all of those critters, they wouldn''t stand a chance. However, it seemed their n wasn''t working, as many Magma dwellers began to get up off their seats and attempt to move down into the arena. Those who were closest to the edge, even jumped down into the fighting ground, freaking out some of the examinees.

    ***

    Julius stared at his mana crystal with a slight hint of worry shadowed across his face.

    "This situation is dangerous. The king... was not meant to die."

    He said in a cautious and concerned tone, furrowing his eyebrows. The other examiners nodded and grunted in agreement, realizing the severity of the situation.

    "Get ready to end the exam, if anything reckless happens. If those Magma Dwellers try to revolt and attack the kids, they will have to be dealt with by the school itself."

    Julius sped his hands below his head, as though putting it on a pedestal, as he thought of what to do next.

    "My my..."

    Yesan grinned widely under his feather veil, "What a fine specimen that Lyrian boy is. The more I witness him, the more perfect he bes. He is just fit for what I need."

    His eyes narrowed as he grinned, as though they were closed.

    "What do you keep going on about, Yesan? How is that boy fit for what you need?"

    A random examiner, one that looked quite young and new, spoke as he heard the Chairman of the kingdom say those words.

 Chapter 154 The Turn

    ?

    Hearing Yesan be outright confronted like this was new, even to Julius, who looked at the conversation from afar. The new candidate was a teacher who had climbed up the ranks quickly with his prowess in magic, and skill in teaching. His name... Jalls Sndra.

    Yesan looked at the rookie and grinned even wider.

    "Do you want the true answer or the stage answer..."

    Yesan deviously spoke, as Jalls suddenly felt a chilling feeling that caused a hint of cold sweat to form on his back. It was an ominous experience, as though he was inside a haunted house.

    "I... want the true answer."

    Jalls did not back away just because he felt that feeling. With a determined look in his eyes, he leaned in and spoke those words.

    "The true answer... is an analogy. How does the strongest lion teach his cub with the most potential how to hunt?"

    As Yesan said this, a confused expression shadowed Jalls'' face.

    "I''m sorry? I don''t understand what you are saying..."

    He said, wanting some rification. Yesan paused for a moment, and Julisu already knew what Yesan was implying.

    "The answer to my question is the answer to your own."

    Yesan said with a polite smile this time, as the creepy feeling around Jalls suddenly disappeared.

    ***

    Back in the ck Stone Tower, tensions rose as more and more Magma Dwellers began pouring into the arena grounds. However, the appearance of a few unfamiliar figures stopped this at once.

    Two Magma Dwellers, short in stature but controlled in their demeanor, suddenly entered the king''s seat box, before making their way towards the deceased body of the king.

    As they showed their presence, the crowd seemed to calm down a little. It wasn''t as if their presence seemed reassuring, but rather, confusing to the crowd. The examinees who were nearly having panic attacks also took a breath of relief but were still wary of the unknown, which was those two dwellers.

    They looked old. As they walked to the body of the king, they turned around and faced the examinees.

    "Our prophecy hase true! Our king has fallen, and our society will now be destroyed by these humans who havee here!"

    One of the two yelled, causing a collective gasp of astonishment from the crowd. They seemed to be shocked by what one of the dwellers said, as though a realization had hit them.

    "Do not listen to these con artists!"

    Another voice suddenly echoed from the king''s seat box, as threerger dwellers made their way out into the arena and towards the two older ones. They walked with prestige, their heads held high and their hands behind their back.

    More gasps sounded from the crowd, seeing these figures. This time, the crowd actually calmed down with a sense offort, not confusion.

    "You! You were the clowns that the king banished, for banishing his father on false ims many years ago! How dare you show your face here, when the king has died."

    The crowd seemed understanding of these new voices, switching sides again to be angry at those elders now. Noticing the crowd angry at them, the two elders quickly tried to make their case seem usible.

    "No!"

    One of the elders said, throwing his hands in the air and waving to catch the crowd''s attention.

    "Listen! Magma Dwellers of our kin! The proof is right here! The proof that we are right and that these new council members are wrong! You may not like this truth, but the fact is that the king is now dead! Are you going to ept that nothing bad has happened, as these false tellers im!?"

    The old elder yelled, beginning to make the crowd of Magma Dwellers think some more.

    "Be quiet! Heathen! You deserve death!"

    ***

    Julius now looked at his crystal ball with a slight smile on his face.

    "It seems... the problem will resolve itself..."

    He said, still cautious of the possibilities.

    ***

    "The one who deserves death... are them! Ourmon enemy!"

    Both of the old dwellers suddenly turned toward the examinees, as did the newer council members, and so did the entire crowd.

    "Shit... get ready, we have to try and make it out of here still in the exam at the very least..."

    Uis said, looking over to his faction leaderrade, Nelmis. Now that the Magma Dwellers who were fighting amongst each other were teaming up against them, they too knew that teaming up would be the only option to escape.

    ***

    Julius now thought something different, a frown appearing on his face.

    "Ah... or not."

    ***

    Out of nowhere, the five old and young Magma Dwellers in the middle of the arena next to the king''s body leaned in, having a private conversation as the examinees prepared to fight the mob of dwellers in the crowd that was eager tosh out at them.

    "Listen, boys. You must understand our concern. We are not fools, we are not false tellers. We have no merit, no fame, nor fortune in telling those lies."

    One of the elders said as the young council members retorted.

    "Youmitted a sin, banishing a future king for no reason. Actually, you had a reason, but a false one. One that you crafted out of thin air. It was because you hated the father of the king."

    One of the elders tried to reply, but the other one butted in, seemingly more angry.

    "Listen here, you brats! We loved Krota more than you could ever imagine!"

    On saying this, the younger council members were taken aback. Shocked by what they were hearing.

    "That''s right! Who do you think you are to lecture us on such a topic!"

    The younger council members were at a loss for words.

    "The reason why we did what we did... was because that wandering traveler, Cronos Helnish, told us to do it. Without him, we would not have performed such an act, but we did it to preserve society, you see. And look, now, what has happened."

    The elder gestured to the king''s deceased body, as looks of concern and truth veiled the younger council member''s faces.

 Chapter 155 Summon The Gods!

    ?

    "Do you think our society will not fall to destruction without a king? Who will be the next king? You?"

    The elder suddenly pointed to one of them and answered with a quick nod.

    "You? Or maybe you?" All of them denied such a responsibility, "We will not have a king, meaning it is the end."

    The younger council members looked at each other after hearing these words. They couldn''t fully trust these elders, but the death of the king, and what that brought. Those things were evident.

    "I say... before all fall to doom, we summon the gods to help us!"

    As one of the elders said this, the young council members immediately looked at them with serious expressions.

    "Do not go overboard, old man! Summoning the gods is not something to be taken so lightly, it requires the blood of the king himself!"

    The other council members seemed to agree, nodding as they acknowledged the merit of the dweller''s words.

    "You fool! Do you even know why we need the blood of the king!?"

    On the elder saying this, no council member coulde up with an answer.

    "It is because, of the king''s great power, one that not only allows him to be stronger than all other Magma Dwellers, but one that also allows him to split up his body parts, and creature different beasts out of them, that alles from the power of the gods themselves!"

    The younger council members seemed astonished to know this fact. Suddenly, the elder replied, but this time, in a yelling context for the entire crowd to hear.

    "We need a new king! To do that, we need the blessing of the gods once again. Our king had no offspring, and therefore, that powerful bloodline of royalty given to us by the gods is no longer! We must attain it again, for the sake of the Magma Dweller society!"

    A roar of excited cheers sounded from the crowd out of nowhere after a short pause. It seemed this idea was highly favored by all.

    "And to kill these sinners, who have in our old king, we shall summon him once again, the Bringer Of Light!"

    As another roar from the crowd sounded, Lyrian opened his eyes at the sound of those words.

    "Lyrian! You''re awake!"

    Alten eximed, his voice mixed with relief and concern at the same time.

    "I was awake the entire time... I think. I was just too tired to move."

    Lyrian said, only moving his mouth.

    "What should we do then..."

    Leon asked, gesturing to the five dwellers that stood in the middle. Lyrian looked over at them barely, then took a deep breath.

    "Shit... everything hurts like a bitch. Iplect destroyed my body."

    As he said this, Rn, Alten, and Leon, imagined the excruciating pain he was going through. Simply seeing his body, it looked like some sort of meat shredder had craved through him. They couldn''t help but feel bad.

    "First things first, give me the healing potion in my pocket."

    Hearing these directions, Alten quickly reached into his pocket and found a small ss potion with red liquid inside. He hurriedly fed it to Lyrian, as a thin aura of light-green glow enveloped him for a few seconds.

    Much of his bleeding was stopped in an instant, but his wounds were still open and somehow even more painful than before. At that moment, another kid suddenly appeared in front of the group.

    Looking up, Lyrian seemed to recognize the face a bit.

    "You... from the white knights?"

    He barely managed to say, as Rn quickly stood up.

    "You''re the one who saved me from those bullies! I wanted to thank you even more for that time, man! I''ve been thinking about it, and they would have probably eliminated me that day if not for you, so thank you!"

    Rn said, bowing slightly.

    "It''s fine. Let me see your leader." The kid said, as Rn quickly moved to the side.

    As he came close to Lyrian, Leon stepped ahead of him slightly, his hand on his de.

    "Hey... what''s the deal. Why are youing here all of a sudden."

    As Leon said this, the boy stopped and paused for a moment.

    "The ck Sheep... Lyrian Theageld. He is the only person who can save us now. Our only hope is to get out of this shit hole. Even though he caused it in the first ce, even I know that he is the strongest here... by far."

    Although Rn and Alten were shocked to hear this, Leon seemed unmoved, not speaking at all. Clearly, he still wanted to know the reason why the boy had walked there himself, enough though what he was saying was true.

    "I am a healer. I want to heal him so that he can fight."

    Hearing this, Leon looked back at Lyrian, who nodded in ordance.

    "You don''t seem like you would kill me so randomly. If you saved Rn or whatever, you are probably a kind guy."

    Lyrian chuckled slightly.

    ''At this point... if worsees to worst, I still won''t be eliminated from the exam. I''d be in deep trouble though, with everyone seeing Garmr and whatnot.''

    He inwardly chuckled to himself, as the boy from the White Knights knelt down next to him.

    "The name''s Jackson."

    The boy said, hovering his hand over Lyrian before suddenly casting a vibrant red light that engulfed Lyrian instantly. Even Lyrian was a bit thrown off, as it was so thick that he felt like he had fallen into a pool of warm water out of nowhere, about to drown.

    However, once his breathing was controlled, he could already feel the wounds on his body healing at an extremely quick rate. Looking at Jackson, he realized that the kid was nning to use all of his mana right here, as beads of sweat formed on his face, which had a serious expression.

    "Oi! What the hell is going on here!?"

    A voice sounded from the belly of silence, surprising Lyrian''s group as Kedward neared them.

 Chapter 156 Blessed By The Gods

    ?

    Lyrian sat up, helped by Alten to not fall down on his back as Jackson from the White Knights healed him. While looking at Jackson''s intense expression, he also surveyed the entire arena.

    A boy wearing all white clothes, with long white hair and an arrogant attitude on his face approached him and his group. It was Kedward, of course. To the side, the elders and council members of the Magma Dwellers spoke amongst themselves, words that Lyrian could hear clearly.

    He decided to nickname them "Old Bags" and "Young Bags" for the sake of simplicity. The old bags being the elders, and the young bags being the new council members of the Magma Dweller government or whatever. It''s not like he knew, it was just what he figured.

    Around him were hundreds upon thousands of Magma Dwellers, animal figures made of magma and ck stone. Some strong, others weaker, but altogether, as dangerous as any creature Lyrain could face.

    Finally, there were the examinees, which included Silvus and Spade. Lyrian observed all of this to prepare himself for what wasing up. It was a final climax, one which he felt like he had gone through an uncountable amount of times by now, but nheless, all of those false climaxes made this one seem even greater.

    All of those climaxes were nothing but efforts piled into one objective, which was that golden-tiered core. Now, he had to exact his final moves perfectly.

    As Kedward neared, Lyrain knew that he didn''t want to be annoyed or distracted by the kid. With a hint of bloodlust in his eyes, Lyrain was moments away from ordering Leon to slice the boy up into pieces.

    "Ked!"

    Spade''s voice suddenly called from afar, stopping the kid in his tracks as he looked back to see Spade''s slightly serious face.

    "Don''t be foolish."

    Spade spoke with a piercing look in his eyes, having sensed Lyrian''s killing intent. Kedward immediately retorted, seeing his point of view as being logical.

    "Look at him." He said, pointing his head towards Lyrain.

    Spade didn''t pause either, following up directly.

    "Look at him? Look at them."

    Spade said, almost exhausted by his teammate''s stupidity as he gestured towards Lyrian''s teammates.

    Looking at them, Kedward realized that Leon, Alten, and even Rn had their weapons in hand, ready to use. For a moment, Ked was surprised by quite a dangerous killing intent,ing from none other than Leon himself.

    He tsked in slight frustration before backing away.

    "Whatever..."

    He rolled his eyes in annoyance.

    At that moment, the red glow around Lyrian suddenly disappeared, as Jackson''s exhausted body fell onto the ground. Lyrian promptly got up, feeling brand new. He checked his arms and legs, moving them around and also looking at them.

    They felt undamaged and looked the same.

    "Make sure he''s okay."

    Lyrian said to Alten, who crouched over next to Jackson before opening his closed eyelids. Seeing the boy''s face, Alten could tell that he had fully exerted himself and was going to be unconscious for quite a while longer.

    ''What should I do now? Confront the old and young bags? No... they are already trying to summon the yang creature anyways... I shouldn''t disrupt them.''

    "Hey! What the hell are you talking about, summoning the Bringer of Light!?"

    A voice suddenly sounded from the crowd of examinees. Lyrian quickly looked over to see that it was Uis that had spoken.

    ''Why is he...''

    Lyrian hadn''t expected the boy to be so outright and foolish. Before, he preached going with smart options, but this by no means was going with the intelligent route.

    "Do you truly think you can summon a god here!? You, creatures with no grace nor power!?"

    Uis seemed serious, throwing Lyrian off slightly.

    ''Where is he going with this...''

    Uis continued as attention quickly spanned over to him. The old and young bags looked at him with angered and offended looks on their faces.

    "Don''t be foolish! If you want a king, I will grant you a king! We, the human race, are the closest allies of god! We are the ones whose royals and high nobles have been blessed by advanced blood!"

    Uis sounded as though he believed his own words, as the old bags replied with an angry voice.

    "What nonsense do you speak!?"

    Uis did not yield, continuing further.

    "We humans are of the highest of grace! Even you should know this! If even a race like yours has a government, do you not have track records of history!? We are the most profound in magic, the most graceful and beautiful. We are blessed by the gods, and if you listen to our qualms, the gods will listen to yours as well!"

    With this, quiet murmurs started to spread through the crowd of Magma Dwellers, who made sense of the boy''s words.

    "The Bringer of Light only visited your race by chance, so don''t even try to call him. Instead, listen to us, and your creed will have another chance to fight once again!"

    Hearing this, Lyrian''s perplexity grew into frustration. Looking over at the stupid old and young bags, even they seemed to be getting convinced by those words.

    ''Why do they have to be so stupid!?''

    Lyrian angrily thought to himself.

    "False! What he''s saying is false!"

    He suddenly shouted, stepping forward as everyone stared at him. Uis, his eyes wide open in shock and his face turning pale suddenly yelled.

    "What the fuck are you doing!? Shut your mouth!"

    Even the examinees, who thought they were going to be able to leave after all this time, grew concerned expressions.

    "Humans aren''t the most graceful, nor are they the most beautiful! They aren''t blessed the most by the gods, nor do they wield more magic than other races. All those titles belong to the Elven species!"

    With these words, Uis was devastated, along with the rest of the examinees. The crowd of Magma Dwellers resounded a gasp of awe, and the old and young bags also felt as though they hade to a realization that the second boy was telling the truth.

    "You are right! Boy! The summoning preparations shall now begin!"

    One of the old bags said, as all five of the Magma Dwellers in the middle of the arena were enveloped in a teal light, and suddenly disappeared.

 Chapter 157 Top Of The Tower

    The crowd of Magma Dwellers roared in excited cheers. Lyrian breathed a sigh of relief, his ns almost ruined by Uis, who he now deemed to be an idiot.

    Uis on the other hand hadn''t blinked or moved even once after they disappeared, his left eye and left finger slightly twitching in shock. Out of nowhere, he took in a deep breath before screaming at the top of his lungs.

    "LYRIAN! YOU BASTARD! YOU''VE DOOMED ALL OF US!"

    He began stomping towards the boy who he was so angry at, as most of the examinees shared the same hatred, shock, and confusion.

    "Who the hell are you? Huh!? Youe and defeat the king, and now you want to summon a new king from their god!? Do you want to eliminate all of us including yourself? What is your n!?"

    Uis said, walking up to Lyrian as he took out his wand. Lyrain looked to the side nonchntly.

    "Ah... shush. I''ll deal with it. Just put your wand away and everything will be alright."

    Uis was further angered by this calm statement, as he gripped his wand even tighter than before.

    "You''ll deal with it? I don''t care about you, I care about me! My team! You''ve doomed all of us. What is it? Did you give yourself some sort of advantage? Something that saves us from this pit of death you created for everyone here!?"

    Lyrain wasn''t surprised by this level of anger. It was only eptable from Uis'' foolish and unlearned point of view. Now, he decided that there wasn''t any point in hiding the facts any longer. It would be obvious in a few moments anyway.

    "The Bringer of Light... is the golden-tiered core creature. It''s the one we''ve been searching for."

    As he said this, Uis garnered a confused expression.

    "The golden tie-- what nonsense are you spouting? That creature is in the Tundra Arena! This ce is only the damn shortcut, you fool!"

    Lyrain was slightly thrown off by this. All this time, he had thought that this was the Tundra Arena. To confirm, he looked back at Alten.

    "This isn''t the Tundra Arena... it''s supposed to be out in the open. Cold... harsh." Alten swiftly replied.

    Lyrian turned his head back around towards Uis, who stared at him with a horrible gaze, panting in his anger.

    "Listen... what this boils down to is this. That creature will be the golden-tiered creature, and I, nor my team will have more of a chance at getting that core than your team. I''m not saying your team will not be eliminated, but I''m not saying mine will be perfectly fine either. It will be a fair fight, so it''s up to you to survive."

    Before Uis could reply, a teal light appeared beneath everyone''s feet. Uis looked down at the light, then back up at Lyrian.

    "We don''t have any choice now because of you... if you are lying, I swear to god I''ll have the heads of all your family members at my feet."

    The boy said with unwavering eyes of malice and anger. Hearing these distasteful words slightly pissed off Lyrian, who paused for a moment before saying.

    "Shut up. I don''t serve you. If I wanted, I could have lied to you instead of telling you the truth. Don''t take my honesty for granted and think you can threaten my family."

    Uis didn''t say a word, his expression the same. As the final lights came over both of them, Lyrian finished by saying.

    "Understand that in both the exam and in real life, I''m stronger than you."

    These final words were enough to tip the stirring pot. Uis had tried to control his anger, but this was getting too much. At this moment raised his wand to cast a spell, but unfortunately, it was already toote for him.

    ***

    Before Lyrian could even open his eyes, he felt an almost forgotten feeling of frost that dug at his skin. Harsh cold winds nearly blew him off bnce, as he opened his eyes to realize that he was in some sort of thick blizzard.

    Arge gust of sheer cold wind came blew in out of nowhere at that moment, moving his entire body slightly as he grabbed onto arge pir that was next to him. Looking around, he could barely make out where he was, but it was undoubtedly outside.

    The skies were dark grey and consumed by the giant hurricane blizzard, throwing sheets of cold ice that felt like razors around through the air. This was easily the most difficult climate Lyiran had ever been to, he knew that surviving there for even a minute without a body fortified by cultivation would simply be impossible.

    Squinting his eyes and surveying the area as much as he could, he figured out that in front of him wererge stairs--no, they were stone seats of some sort that circle the premises of the ce, which he deemed was the top of the tower.

    All in all, the circumference wasn''t thatrge. From where he stood, to the other edge of the tower top, it was about 50 to 100 feet, but he couldn''t tell exactly since the blizzard blocked his vision.

    He noticed at that moment that he was counting the length of the tower as if he was at the edge of it, so to confirm, he looked behind him. What he saw was enough to send shivers down even his back.

    It was an endless, blizzard gray drop mere feet behind him. Noticing this, he jumped forward and grabbed onto his pir even tighter than before. Looking around, some pirs surrounding the edge of the tower top, each connected with a thin roof.

    "Lyrian!"

    Leon''s voice suddenly rang from out of nowhere, as Lyrian looked to the pir toward his right to see that Leon was also hanging on for dear life.

    "Down there!"

    Leon yelled, gesturing toward the middle of the tower. While looking there, Lyrian saw the five old and young bags, seemingly holding some sort of artifact.

 Chapter 158 Shadow Puppet

    ?

    Lyrian looked to his left pir and saw Silvus hanging onto that one. He then peered towards the other further pirs to see multiple examinees holding on for dear life. There were also some examinees scattered around the tower top, looking lost.

    Suddenly, with anotherrge gust of cold wind, three kids wereunched into the air and hurled off of the rooftop as they screamed in agony. One of them flew right past Lyrian, his face horrified and sad.

    Lyrian shrugged off this and quickly looked at the other two examinees that were close to falling off of the tower. The first one was a random kid, who at this point was already a lost cause anyways.

    The second one, however, had a short body and blonde hair, even having sses on his eyes.

    ''Rn?''

    A tinge of concern grew in his eyes as he tried to widen them to look closer, but he quickly realized that was a mistake, as debris of ice quickly poked at them, causing him to block his face and rub out his eyes.

    Looking back, Lyrian saw that the boy wasn''t Rn after all. However, even if he was, he too was now a lost cause.

    "Help!"

    A familiar voice suddenly sounded out of nowhere.

    ''What? I thought there were only 3 at were thrown in the air. Did I miss one?''

    As he thought this to himself, both he and Leon looked over toward the sound that the voice wasing from, to see Alten hanging onto one of the ledges of the tower, half of his body flying in the air already over the edge.

    Lyrian''s eyes widened as he immediately Enhanced his body. Leon also took out his de, his eyes turning white in a raging fury as both of them lunged forward and dashed toward Alten.

    At that moment, a loud roar of thunder suddenly boomed through the sky as ice-cold rain began to pour down from the sky, along with sleet, hail, snow, and everything else one could imagine. This blizzard was one hell of an unforgiving disaster.

    Seeing the two dash across the tower, Spade was equally bewildered and amused. He held onto his own pir, slightly chuckling in confusion.

    ''What in the hell are they doing? I have never seen such people in my life.''

    The other examines who held onto the several pirs that were only feet away from each other also saw the two streaks of light blitz across the tower, and were equally as shocked.

    In under 1 and a half seconds, the two were halfway there. However, Alten felt as though he couldn''t hold on any longer. He only had one hand left on the edge, and the nails he had dug into the ck stone had torn off by now, so he was bleeding profusely.

    The cold seemed to lessen the pain of his nails being ripped off, but he could feel his fingers, which were still clinging on for dear life, slowly slipping away.

    Leon arrived first since he was closer to Alten. He leaned in and grabbed at Alten''s hand, but only caught a few fingers. Still, he felt it was enough to pull his friend in when suddenly, Alten''s fingers slipped out of grasp.

    The eyes of both Leon and Alten opened wide as both of their hearts sink into their chest, feeling as though time itself had stopped. The culmination of slippery water that had just started to fall, and also the blood on Alten''s fingers, which made the surface more slimely, was enough to loosen the grip by just enough for Alten to fall away.

    Arriving there mere millisecondster, Lyrian saw what happened. Time seemed to slow down, as he also tried to grab Alten''s hand, but by this point, Alten was already 5 feet away from the tower''s edge.

    Alten''s eyes were wide open... but dead inside. Rid of emotion... as though they were lifeless. His arm went limp, realizing that it was over. He had failed the exam.

    ...

    However, at that moment, something dark escaped from Lyrian''s chest, and he seemingly fell unconscious. As though it was smoke or some sort of soul, it traveled towards Alten at extreme speeds, still connected to Lyrian like a rope.

    In size, the smoke of darkness was the girth of arge mug. But at the end of it, it was asrge as a watermelon. This seemed to be its main body, where at the end was a face that had a set of dark-purple eyes and a little below that, two small hands made of the same dark material that looked like a shadow.

    Reaching Alten, who was now thrown far away by the forceful winds, in a mere 2 seconds or so, the shadow grabbed onto Alten''s body, before reeling itself back into Lyrian just as fast as it had surged forth, leaving Alten''s body on the tower top edge.

    Leon quickly grabbed onto him, pulling him farther from the edge, as the dark being returned inside of Lyrian. He opened his eyes again right afterward and breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

    Alten couldn''t speak, panting from shock and pain. While Leon looked at Lyrian with confused eyes.

    "What was that..."

    Lyrian put his hand to his chest, where the dark being had emerged from.

    "I didn''t know if that would work, since it was the first time using it..." He said to himself, and at that point, also to Leon.

    Seeing Leon''s face growing even more confused, Lyrian quickly made up a lie.

    "It was a skill I was taught by someone... I hadn''t tried it out yet, but it worked."

    Leon seemed to be a little hesitant to believe him, but there was no point in not doing so at this point, havinge so far with Lyrian as an ally.

    Lyrian on the other hand was relieved, happy, and even exhrated at the same time.

    ''The reward I got from the Dungeon Quest... that was risky, but I''m psyched that it worked! What a powerful ability!''

    <Moments Earlier>

    [Dungeon Quest reward: Shadow Puppet (A skill that allows the user to convert his shadow into a lesser being and take control of it for a limited amount of time)]

    [Warning]

    [You will not be able to control your own body while controlling the Shadow Puppet, so use it wisely]

 Chapter 159 The Creature Of Light Emerges!

    ?

    "Holy... fuck! I almost just died!"

    Alten eximed while still panting. His heart was beating so fast that he felt like it was about to pop out of his chest.

    "Well, you would have definitely, been eliminated."

    Lyrian said, walking closer to him.

    "Lyrian!"

    Alten suddenly began crying tears of joy and gratitude as he hung onto his savior''s legs.

    "Thank you so much! I don''t know I will ever repay you!"

    He rambled, snot and tears covering his face. Lyrian chuckled, finding the situationedic.

    "I need you for my information, so I can''t have you being eliminated. Just continue doing that, and you don''t need to repay me at all."

    As Alten continued to cry in thankfulness, Leon had something else to say, as anotherrge gust of sheer cold flew through the tower top.

    "Hey... how about we stop the somber shit and get to some pirs before we fly off. We are still here, don''t forget."

    He looked forward, as the others did the same. What they saw was a dangerous blizzard, and they felt was a painful cold. They made their way to three separate pirs, before beginning to hang on.

    Finally, Lyrian noticed that the old and young bags began to move, the small, sparkling artifact in their hands. They walked up a series of steps Lyrian hadn''t noticed before, before arriving at an overarching shrine made of stone, with a pedestal below it on the ground.

    All the examinees observed the Magma Dwellers carefully, as they ced rose the artifact above the pedestal. At this moment, everyone saw that the artifact... was a ring. The reason it sparkled, was because it had a ruby on top of it.

    On top of that, many felt as though they had seen that type of ring before many times. At first, they imagined the artifact to be some sort of sacrifice to the gods, or something of that sort to summon the Bringer of Ligh. However, they all soon realized that...

    "Hey! That''s a... storage ring!"

    Kedward suddenly called out.

    Lyrian had also noticed this since he had the same type of ring. One that allowed him to store things in a ce that was 20 by 20 feet in size.

    Still, he, and the others expected some sort of ritual to go down before the god was summoned. The storage ring... must have held the things needed for the ritual. Ah! Of course, it all made sense now!

    With the ring held above the ornate pedestal, an old bag finally enacted its power. A hushed chant filled the air for a handful of seconds. And then, in a crescendo of wonderment, reality warped and yielded to an astonishing manifestation��a gargantuan red mango materialized, perched upon the pedestal''s surface.

    A chorus of exmations and gasps surged through the assembled examinees, their eyes wide as saucers, and their minds grappling with the surreal sight before them. Amidst the collective astonishment, a voice rang out, filled with surprise and a dash of humor, "What the hell? A colossal mango, out of all possible things!"

    The mango had a tinge of green at the bottom, was most red in the middle, and even had some orangeish-yellow at the top. However, what truly defiedprehension was its sheer magnitude��a prodigious fruit, nearly half the length of a city bus. This gargantuan presence cast a shadow over the very concept of ordinary fruit, looming high above even the tallest heads present.

    An aura of grandiosity enveloped the colossal mango, its dimensions rivaling the towering pirs that nked it. These pirs, which soared twenty feet into the heavens, found their counterpart in the elongated form of the fruit.

    ''A mango?''

    Lyrian thought to himself, perplexed.

    ''A mango huh... this creature that they are "summoning"... is it truly a god?''

    He was skeptical of the "god" being summoned at this point.

    "The Bringer of Light! We shall summon you now with this offering!"

    One of the old bags suddenly shouted, raising his hand in the air.

    ''Wait a minute... that''s the offering to a god? A mango? Surely...''

    Before even 30 seconds passed by, the sounds of wings pping could be heard in the distance. The old bags smiled in relief, as the young bags smiled in disbelief.

    *Kaaw!! Kaaaw!*

    The sounds of a bird resounded throughout the sky, like a reverberating divine sound. Finally, a blinding white light suddenly erupted through the clouds up above, assaulting everyone with a feeling of warmth and brightness.

    Lyrian managed to get himself used to the bright gleam, as he caught a glimpse of what was in the sky. It was a giant bird, asrge as the ck Kailion itself!

    Its beak disyed a gentle shade of yellow, while its body appeared as though it had been molded in the mes, adorned with streaks of red, yellow, and orange coursing through its form. Emitting a radiance that was nearly blinding, especially with the light refracting off the falling snow and rain, it illuminated the surroundings.

    As if addressing this issue, the colossal bird swiftly expanded its wingspan and puffed out its chest. With a decisive p, it conjured a vigorous gust of warm air, which instantaneously swept away the snow, sleet, and rain. This gust tore through the gloomy gray clouds, causing them to dissipate into nothingness within moments.

    In its wake, the awe-inspiring creature left a sky painted in vivid blue, having obliterated the blizzard''s presence with the sheer might of its wing stroke. Within mere seconds, it was as though the blizzard had never taken ce at all.

    Having shielded himself from the bird''s forceful breeze, Lyrian lowered his hands and gazed at the bird. The bird had now turned its attention to pecking at the massive mango, its actions striking a curious sight.

    ''This creature... these idiots didn''t summon a god... they just lured in a hungry bird.''

    He almost broke out into augh, but didn''t since, he was the one who suffered most from the words of the Magma Dwellers who spoke as if they were actually summoning some sort of deity.

 Chapter 160 White Pheon

    ?

    Lyrian figured that this creature that he was currently gazing upon, floating in the air as though it actually was some sort of god, was the golden-tiered Yang creature. From what he knew, that much was obvious.

    Still, he imagined that it would still have some sort of godly power that granted it the name of "God", however, from what he currently saw, it looked like the Magma Dweller species had simply mistaken the bird for a god.

    Every single one of the examinees that were present were in awe of the beautiful beast. They let go of their towers, no longer troubled by the raging blizzard storm.

    "Oh god! The bestower of light! May you cast your mighty gaze upon our species, and bring us a ruler once again!"

    One of the old bags, the more ruthless one, dered into the sky, as the bird looked down at him as if it understood what the creature was saying.

    "If you want more than just a fruit, we have brought even more sacrifices to this altar!"

    The second old bag yelled, looking back towards all of the examinees, whose faces quickly turned confused, and some even frightened.

    ''Well... that makes sense now. I wondered why they didn''t just finish us off first before summoning a new king or whatever.''

    Lyrian spoke to himself as Uis suddenly stepped forward and down the step-like rows of ck-stone. No longer caring about the pir, he approached the Magma Dwellers before stopping after arriving at the middle of the tower top, at the bottom of all the rows.

    Everyone saw him, and even the old and young bags looked at him in bewilderment, as he paused for a moment, putting his hands on his hip as he looked up at the bird fiercely.

    "Lyrian Theageld!"

    He suddenly eximed, causing everyone to look at Lyrian at once. Seeing the heads of the kids turn towards this random boy, the Magma Dweller''s couldn''t help but look at him as well.

    "Huh?"

    Lyrian replied with a hint of curiosity and confusion.

    "So this is it right? The creature with the golden tiered core, worth 500 points!?"

    This was abrupt, catching the attention of everyone as they were thrown off by such a statement.

    "What!? Did you say the golden-tiered creature!?"

    Cedric, who was also amongst the crowd of examinees, spoke in shock as he nced at the giant bird.

    "Hmm..."

    Glis, said inwardly, also switching her squinted yet determined gaze towards the beast. The others looked at Lyrian, awaiting his answer.

    "Well... for you guys, yes! It totally is!"

    With this, everyone there was convinced, their greed for those points taking over as they now all stared at the bird with malicious eyes and slight smirks on their faces, some smiling more than others.

    Silvus, Spade, and Nelmis, however, thought to themselves in unison; ''For you guys? What did he mean by that...''

    Although they questioned this, their time to be answered would be virtually nonexistent, as examinees quickly began to let go of their pirs, and head towards the center of the tower-top where Uis was, their gaze fixated on the bird as their weapons slowly became unsheathed and ready to use.

    "If that''s the case... I will be the one taking that core!" Uis said, suddenly dashing forward with his wand in his hand, which was already beginning to glow.

    Lyrian looked to his left and right, toward Alten and Rn on one side, and Leon on the other.

    "You guys ready? This fight is much more different than the other one... It''s not coordinated at all."

    Alten and Leon smirked, signifying their readiness to fight. While Rn, confused as to what Lyrian was talking about, simply put on an awkward grin.

    "Listen up... before we go in. Last time, the exam itself made us team up and use our abilities together. It forced us to be in the team mindset. Only at the end, where the golden core was at risk, did everyone show their true colors and attack rambunctiously."

    Everyone nodded, understanding what Lyrian was saying and keeping it in their heads. Even Rn now understood somewhat.

    "This time, however... it will be like that way sooner. Maybe even from the start."

    As he said this, the others nodded again, before getting a signal from him to move forward. They all did just that, unsheathing their own weapons. Lyrian stood back for a second.

    ''Scan.''

    He stared directly at the magnificent beast.

    ��������Scan��������

    Name: Yang

    Species: White Pheon

    Age: 255

    Overall Power (OP): 11

    Health: 110/110

    Stamina: 115/115

    Strength: 90

    Agility: 125

    Defense: 120

    Rank: Genesis: Layer 2

    Special: Tier 4 (Exam Tier)

    ����������������������

    ''Powerful... It''s powerful. Even stronger than the Kailion. The Pheon huh? What a beast.''

    Uis dashed forward, everyone else behind him not even taking a step. They were eager to go in but decided that using the boy as a test subject would be smart. Along with that, some were scared, and others were uncertain.

    Uis however, fearless and determined, raised his wand that was almost burning as though in ember towards the Pheon and began to speak his spell into reality.

    "Fire--"

    However, before he could, his wand was pushed down by one of the old bags, causing his body to lean forward too much and lose its bnce as he fell t on his face.

    Everyone cringed at this site, and needless to say, the boy was shocked. However, he quickly got up and brushed himself before facing the Magma Dweller that had stopped him.

    "What do you think you are doing!? Get out of the way!"

    The dweller instantly replied to this arrogant remark.

    "I was going to ask you the same! How dare you raise your wand against the Bringer of Light, you fool!"

    The dweller dered with a tone of seriousness and prestige.

    "Bringer of-- shut the hell up! Do you still not understand!? Your so-called "God" Is nothing but a big fat bird thates to you because you give it some fruit!"

    Suddenly, everyone, and everything, went silent. Stepping forward, a young bag, his face shadowed, slowly spoke, "What... did you just say?"

 Chapter 161 The Final Showdown Begins

    ?

    Instantly, everyone could feel the young bag''s spiritual aura. Its gaze locked with Uis''s, and its eyebrows furrowed in anger as well.

    "The fake spiritual aura again, huh..."

    Uis said as if to mock this feeling of bloodlust that weighed on him. Noticing this, Lyrian was immediately taken aback slightly. Uis said something that he wasn''t expecting to hear. It intrigued him as he thought to himself, ''Fake spiritual aura?''

    "Boy... I don''t know what kind of world youe from or what your true reasons are, but you won''t get out of here alive, I can promise you that."

    The young bag spoke with a tone of trying to hold in his anger.

    "We must defend the Bringer Of Light!"

    It yelled as its two young bagpanions stepped up beside it, sticking their chests out in pride and confidence. In looks, their bodies resembled that of the king''s, except they had no tails and were slightly smaller all around. Still, they were domineering beings with statures and presences that were enough to make one not want to fight them.

    Nheless, the kids in the crowd had already gone through their fair share of trials and tribtions by now and were ready to take on any challenge to get to their goals. Beside Uis, Nelmis, the leader of the White Knights, stepped up, and also Linc, the third most powerful in the Deck Group. Each of them stood opposite the three young bags, facing them as they battled their respective egos.

    ''Only sending in his third inmand, huh...''

    Lyrian looked at Spade, who was currently smiling slightly as he stared forward at his teammates. Nelmis, the wielder of the battle axe, took his weapon off of his back and held it to the side with one hand. The weapon was barbaric andrge, fit for an orc. Yet, the boy held it with ease as muscles and veins popped out of his forearms.

    Lyrian noticed the boy taking out his weapon and also saw Nelmis looking toward his second inmand, Jackson, who was currently unconscious due to mana exhaustion. With his stoic face staying the same expression, he then looked back at Lyrian before directing his gaze forward once again. Lyrian was keeping track of all the stronger kids to make sure he could n perfectly.

    If someone was too strong to handle and he couldn''t anticipate that, then it could easily ruin anything he had in mind in the future. He was also observing the other two, Linc and Uis. Linc, picking his hair, took out multiple thin, purple needles.

    Uis, on the other hand, was already armed and ready to go. As this happened, Yang, floating up top, didn''t seem to care much about what was unfolding. Instead, it perched atop therge mango and began to peck at it, eventually chowing down without concern. Finally, the three young bags took out spears from their backs, and instantly surged them forward in unison, not giving the three kids much time to react.

    Nheless, the three managed to dash back and avoid getting hit as each of them began shing with a Magma Dweller on their own, scattering throughout the tower top. "Oi!" One of the old bags shouted to the other.

    "Looks like these ignorant humans won''t back off! How much more transportation do you have!?"

    The other old bag quickly replied as he looked down at his wrist, on which appeared to be a small amulet with a teal crystal embedded in it. He acted impatiently.

    "Uh... 20! 20 of them!"

    The other one didn''t hesitate for even a moment before replying.

    "Good! Summon them all here! We need reinforcements!"

    The old bag hurriedly spoke, seeing the state of chaos on the tower top right now. sts of bright red ember shed around due to Uis''s magic spells, which were being blocked by the young bag''s spear, causing massive and loud explosions to erupt everywhere. Linc and his opponent young bag moved through the tower top at the fastest speeds, shing needle and spear as they looked to be on equal footing with each other.

    Nelmis also fought powerfully with his axe, swinging it around everywhere, which caused some worry among everyone present.

    "B-But, I can only summon random ones! They may not be strong!"

    One of the old bags said with slight fear in its voice, as the other one quickly retorted.

    "Just hurry up and do it! We don''t have any other options right now, you moron!"

    With this, the other old bag finally listened as he closed his eyes for a microsecond, and as he opened them, 20 Magma Dwellers had suddenly been summoned from out of thin air, with the teal light beneath their feet quickly dispersing into nothingness.

    "Get them!"

    The fierce old bag shouted as all of the Magma Dwellers quickly understood what was happening and stormed towards the kids with weapons in hand. Seeing the sudden creatures, Lyrian decided to count the number of fighters on each side. Without counting Yang, there were 25 on the Magma Dweller side and 23 on the examinee side.

    Most of the remaining examinees were ones that Lyrian already knew about; some were a little distant, but Lyrian still knew their connections to the majority that he knew a bit more, and finally, a few wereplete randoms that he had never seen before. While counting, he also noticed a robed examinee, which caught his attention slightly.

    But, keeping that in the back of his mind, he focused on what was happening ahead of him currently. As the horde of Magma Dwellers stormed towards the kids with weapons in hand, the kids also ran forward, not waiting for even a moment.

    Clearly, they were excited to fight. Lyrian clenched his fist, still feeling a hint of weakness in his bones. Currently, he was barely at half mana, and his health and stamina hadn''t fully recovered either, but despite all of that, he still felt exhrated to fight.

    It seemed fighting for multiple days nonstop wasn''t enough for him. The knowledge, experience, and power that he gained from eachbat experience were enough for him to continue doing it over and over again.

 Chapter 162 An Unexpected Move; The Dynamic Changes

    ?

    Before Lyrian knew it, nearly everyone was in a heated battle against the Magma Dwellers. Many kids turned their backs to one another, feelingfortable dealing with the beasts before switching their attention to each otherter on, which they all knew was inevitable.

    Right now, however, they all felt safe trusting each other. From the three major fights that happened throughout the tower top, Linc was the first one to defeat his opponent young bag. He stood on its corpse as he licked his purple needle, signifying his prowess among the students.

    Nelmis was taking care of his young bag just fine, but Uis was actually struggling. He wasn''t weak, but he was a spell user. A long-distance one at that.

    Usually, his team would be helping him, fighting on the front lines as he cast powerful spells from the back, helping finish the fights quickly. Right now, however, his two teammates who were left from the entire battle of the tower, were also busy with their own fights with the Magma Dwellers.

    Slowly, his opponent looked to catch him here and there with slight burns and scratches, as his footing became slower and slower. He cast countless spells, waving his wand around like a lunatic as he escaped on his back foot. What made his situation even worse was that he never got time to actually power up a spell to its maximum potential, with the young bag hot on his tail.

    This was a given, however, since one shouldn''t expect a beast or even a normal opponent to give him leeway. Hurriedly casting his spells and dashing backward to avoid the young back, Uis looked back to see where he was going for a split second, before stumbling into Linc, who didn''t move even after seeing Uis.

    Uis hadn''t expected the boy to stay still, so he crashed into him and lost his bnce, causing him to fall to the floor.

    "What the hell''s your problem!?"

    The boy said, getting back up from the floor as some examinees noticed this. As the young bag closed in -- Uis having his back towards Linc -- he prepared to release a powerful spell.

    Moments before the beast could get too close, he raised his wand into the air, swirling a powerful inferno within it -- but suddenly, the bright me in his wand erased without a trace, as the boy suddenly felt something pierce through his chest.

    Looking down, he was distraught to see a purple needle, going straight through his torso. Immediately, an excruciating pain assaulted his entire body, as the poison from Linc''s needle coursed through Uis'' blood, having stabbed him directly through the heart.

    Before any more could ur, however, Uis was eliminated instantly. With this, Linc quickly dashed forward toward the iing Magma Dweller, before puncturing it several times with his poisoned needles.

    In seconds, the young bag became paralyzed and fell to the floor. The eyes of many became wide in shock as they realized what just happened. All the thoughts in their head became illogical for a split second, pure bewilderment filling their mind as they saw Uis being eliminated.

    Even Nelmis, who had just finished off his opponent, witnessed Linc in the act of eliminating Uis. Without a second thought, a fury of rage swelled up within him in an instant.

    "Why did you do it!? We should be focusing on our opponents right now!"

    He yelled with an enraged tone, as Linc stared at him with a smirk on his face.

    "Right now... our opponents are subjective. Whoever I choose to kill is my opponent."

    Hearing this, Nelmis had heard enough. He was already tired of the Deck group and their bull shit ways back at the center, and now they dared to try to ruin the examinee''s chances at getting the golden core as well.

    It was enough for him to cross over the line, no longer caring about the consequences of his actions. Without hesitation, Nelmis leaped toward Linc, swinging his axe in a furious tornado as he came down upon the boy.

    The quick swirls seemed to speed up his momentum, as Linc was barely able to dodge the attack.

    "Cheh..."

    Lincughed slightly.

    "Pathetic... don''t think you can defeat me just because you are a team leader."

    He said, dashing backward as Nelmis'' tornado body continued chasing after him. Suddenly, he stopped, mming his axe into the ground, as he shed his fists together.

    "Boy!"

    He said, his forearm muscles looking like they were going to pop any second.

    "You do not know what I''ve been through! I know losers like you! Guess what? When faced with someone like me, you leeches always lose!"

    Nelmis spoke with pride and seriousness, along with authority enhancing his speech.

    Linc scoffed again at the boy, as Nelmis'' fists began to glow in a raging golden fury, as though they were on fire. It was an aura of golden color, but was so intense that it reselmed a me!

    "Golden Fist Of The Dragon!"

    He yelled, his eyes also coated in the golden aura. Hearing the name of the skill, Lyrian was slightly caught off by it, feeling like he had heard it somewhere before.

    ''That''s right... It was that Silong kid who wanted the crowned jewel from the Hydro Serpent... he also used the same skill. I didn''t get to see him use it too much, since he was sted away by my Shock Fist. He and Nelmis must be connected somehow.''

    He figured, as Nelmis suddenly dashed forward at incredible speed, several amounts quicker than before. Linc''s cheeky expression dwindled slightly, as he sensed a dangerous aura exuding from the boy in front of him.

    It was like that time when he sensed a dangerous auraing from Lyrian, right before he attacked Kedward and nearly finished him off. Linc had intervened, because he knew that Kedward wouldn''t have stood a chance otherwise.

    This situation wasn''t fully the same as that one, but nheless, it wasn''t something to simply shrug off. Using all of his strength, he tried to dash away to dodge the iing attack.

    However, Nelmis appeared in front of him way too fast for him to fully move out of the way. Seeing how dodging was impossible, a concerned expression suddenly shadowed his face as he attempted to block the attack with his hands.

    ''What the hell!? This kid''s a monster!''

    *WOOSH*

    Nelmis''s fist halted millimeters before hitting a bamboo shoot, sending a gust of air toward Linc which blew his hair back and caused a spine-tinging chill to go down his back.

 Chapter 163 Surprising Death

    ?

    Syanr had stepped in front of his teammate, with his bamboo shoot in front of him which blocked Nelmis fromnding his punch. Nelis retracted his fist, his eyes still covered in a transparent golden light and his fists burning the same color.

    "You dare intervene? What is your group''s purpose behind what you''re doing? Do you think causing mass mayhem will help you in any way?"

    He tried to control his anger, gritting his teeth as he spoke. But, to anger him even more, Syanr smirked before retorting, as though he wasn''t taking him seriously.

    "You don''t deserve to know something like that."

    He cheekily said as Nelmis clenched his fists once again, this time set on not stopping no matter what came his way.

    "You will regret such a foolish decision."

    As he said this, his entire body was enveloped in a transparent golden aura.

    Seeing this, Lyrian became eager to see the fighte to its climax, but before he could, a random Magma Dweller appeared in front of him to block his view.

    Roaring at him, the elephant-model magma beast posed a bit of a threat. Unfortunately, it wasn''t something he could just ignore.

    "I guess it''s time for me to begin fighting as well... as long as that bird keeps eating the mango, we should have enough time to get this job done."

    He said, carefully unsheathing his obsidian de as he pointed it towards the angry elephant model Magma Dweller.

    Nelmis, enraged and set on destroying the opponents ahead of him, charged forward with an even stronger resolve than before. Linc instinctively jumped out of the way, and Syanr dashed back a few times to avoid the raging bull-like boy.

    While jumping to the side, Linc was suddenly tackled by an actual bull model Magma Dweller -- which threw him across the tower top, far away from the two fighters now left at the scene.

    Syanr tsked at this in slight annoyance.

    ''Damn it... he is the brains of this group, yet he is the most untrustworthy. Whatever, it''s not like that matters too much anyway. Even though Nelmis is a faction leader, I can finish him off no problem.''

    As he continued to dash backward around the arena, with Nelmis storming towards him, fists ready to unleash a fury of punches, he nced at Spade for a moment.

    Spade, who was busy fighting multiple Magma Dwellers by hand, a bright smile of excitement on his face, didn''t seem to pay attention or notice Syanr''s peek. Noticing this, Syanr quickly changed his attention back to Nelmis.

    "Panda Shoot!"

    He suddenly said, as he blew into his bamboo stick, and a small, feathered dart quickly shot out of it. It glowed in a magnificent blue hue, being coated with magic.

    The dart was so quick that Nelmis couldn''t dodge it, which brought a smile to Syanr''s face, however, that smile quickly disappeared as the brute charged right through the dart with his hands in an X position. The dart simply flicked off Nelmis'' forearms as though it was a toothpick.

    "What the hel--?"

    Syanr couldn''t even get out his words, as Nelmis had already caught up to him by then. Nearing mere inches from the boy, Nelmis unleashed a devastating punch to Syanr''s stomach.

    Syanr looked down, his eyes widened in shock.

    ''Dangerous...''

    As Nelmis'' fist made contact with his clothing, Syanr pushed the brute''s shoulder and propelled himself in the air, causing the force of Nelmis'' blow to go into the air, as Syanr swiftlynded behind him.

    A blue aura of magic covered his bamboo shoot, as he stabbed it into his opponent''s back from point-nk range. Even with the golden aura shield, the bamboo shoot dug into Nelmis'' back slightly, as he quickly dashed forward to reduce the real damage of the attack.

    He turned around, his face as angry as ever.

    "You''re dead!"

    He shouted, his body burning up mana as his golden aura became even brighter. He stormed towards Syanr, who found the time to stick his bamboo into the ground.

    As he did, it suddenly grew taller in an instant, bing 6 feet tall. As Nelmis arrived 10 feet away from him, he catapulted himself in the air using the bamboo, finally aiming the shoot towards his opponent on the ground before expanding his chest with air; and then forcing it all out through the shoot.

    As he did this, arge dart that almost resembled an atl shot out the shoot at incredible speeds, piercing through the air as it spun around, causing an ear-tinging noise to sound -- as though a bullet was whizzing by in the air.

    ''There''s no way he will survive this. I used nearly all of my mana on that dart.''

    Syanr thought to himself, as the dart came millimeters away from piercing straight through Nelmis'' skull. As anticipation maxed itself out in Syanr''s mind, his eyes widening, Nelmis suddenly turned into a blurry mirage of his real self.

    Out of nowhere, three more blurry mirages of Nelmis appeared in front of the dart at the same time, before finally, the real Nelmis appeared face-to-face with Syanr in the sky.

    This happened in less than a second, as the dartnded in the ground and pierced all the way through. Nelmis'' afterimages were due to his incredible speed, and now, he was right in front of Syanr.

    Since they were both in the air, dodging would be tricky, if not impossible. Syanr looked around for half a second but finally looked forward as a sun-like fist of golden color beamed straight for his head.

    An impending feeling of doom struck him as he held his breath and tilted his head backward -- !!

    "You actually lost to him? How disappointing, Syanr."

    Spade''s voice suddenly sounded from out of nowhere, Syanr quickly opened his eyes and noticed half of Spade''s face behind Nelmis'' back. He then quickly looked at Nelmis''s face -- noticing how the boy''s eyes had rolled back into his head,, his limbs having gone limp, and a sharp-looking, bloody hand that was prating through his belly.

    His lifeless body fell to the floor and thudded onto the ck stone ground, as Syanr breathed a sigh of exasperation and relief. Spade alsonded back on the ground, where Nelmis was swiftly eliminated.

 Chapter 164 Trust Begins To Fall Apart

    ?

    ''When creating something, anything, a smith must always have a free heart, a calm heart. Then, and only then, can he control his creation and mold it to his will.''

    Lyrian recited these words, the words of his teacher, Brokkr, in his head, as he swung his sword in a manner which justified his teacher''s craftsmanship.

    His goal was to create the most perfect, precise, and powerful attack on this elephant Magma Dweller. Enough though his sword and body were both slightly unbnced, Lyrian having never mastered his fundamentals, he still tried his best to maintain a state of flow to attack.

    As the dweller in front of him clenched both fists together and threw them down toward the small boy below, Lyrian took in a deep breath. For the first time ever, it felt as though he could see things a tiny bit clearer. Everything was slightly slower, only by a sliver. This alone, however, was an indicator of Lyrian''s growth in the art of smithing.

    With a light smile on his face, he dashed forward, slicing clean through half of the dweller''srge body and appearing on the other side before it could reach him with its clenched fist hammer. Without hesitation, Lyrian did the same thing from the other side, finally making onerge, clean cut through the entire abdomen of the beast, causing its torso to simply slip off of its legs.

    It was a gruesome sight, but then again, all it looked like was a pile of magma and rocks. How these creatures existed and lived still confused Lyrian.

    He then changed his attention to Nelmis and Syanr''s fight but was surprised to see Nelmis gone from the scene, and Spade''s hand bloody, with Syanr with his hands on his knees behind him.

    After breathing for a bit longer, Syanr stood up straight, turning his back toward Spade, as the two of them smiled, looking at the examinees all around them.

    The examinees were frightened, to say the least. It was a scary thought... two of the faction leaders, powerful figures, being taken out like this. What did it mean for their fate?

    As everyone''s attention was slightly drawn to Spade, most still fighting their Magma Dweller foes, he looked at Kedward and Linc before letting out a chuckle.

    "Everyone!"

    He looked at the bird.

    "Kill everyone without any hesitation, go ham! It''s time to get that golden-tiered core!"

    His eyes widened as his grin stretched across his face. His words sent shivers of horror down the backs of many kids, who were extremely scared by those words.

    Suddenly, everyone looked at the deck group members in fear, as they quickly began to group together.

    "Damn it! This was their n all along! They are going to kill all of us!"

    One of the kids, a Dark Horse member, suddenly yelled.

    "Screw this, I don''t need that damn core! All I need is a hundred more points to pass this damn exam!"

    He said, looking over his shoulder towards his only other Dark Horse group member who he had his back to. After ncing at him for only a second, he could tell that his teammate was too fraught to speak.

    "Jano... I''m sorry, but Uis is already eliminated. I have to do this for my family."

    As he said this, his friend turned around, still shocked by what Spade dered, having barely heard what was told to him by his teammate.

    "What?"

    He managed to let out, as a sword pierced through his stomach and out the other end. His face was full of shock and confusion, but before he could say anything, the boy was eliminated.

    His teammate, grabbing a pouch of cores, stormed off the edge of the tower. Everyone looked at him as he did so, tears flowing down his face.

    Those tears... they weren''t because he just betrayed his friend. No... it was because...

    ''This is suicide... I don''t even have a skill that will help me survive this fall. But If I stayed there, I wouldn''t have even a single chance to pass this exam. My only hope is tond into a pile of snow.''

    However, deep down, he knew there were no snow piles near the tower. This was nothing but a desperate leap of delusion. The boy fell to his elimination shortly after...

    Seeing a kid betray his own teammate behind the back, literally! Everyone quickly nced at their own teammates and made space between each other.

    Tensions rose as no one had any trust in themselves, and this made fighting the Magma Dwellers even harder. However, people like Glis and Leon were making their way through the horde of dwellers, swiftly dispatching them as they moved.

    Now, there were only 10 of the beasts so to speak of. Leon streaked through the tower like a white lightning bolt, his eyes burning in a fiery white light that was thick and passionate.

    Glis on the other hand skated through the tower top, freezing the Magma Dwellers before breaking them into pieces with swift kicks. Although the dwellers were being dealt with, the was of course a new problem that had arisen by now.

    Not recognizing that, however, Lyrian charged straight for the two old bags. Attacking the one closest to him first, he ran straight past Spade, as though he wasn''t even there.

    ''Spade isn''t a threat or problem to be dealt with right now. First, I''ll get rid of these dwellers who are the ones to stand in my path to Yang.''

    Lyrian thought to himself, as he neared the old bag and thrust his sword toward it.

    ''Tsk... I''ll deal with himter.''

    Spade also thought in the same line of mind.

    Lyrian expected a clean kill, but the old bag suddenly put its hand on top of Lyrian''s de, pushing it into the ground as it had done with Uis'' wand moments prior.

    Lyrian nearly lost his bnce as well but made up for it by forcing his sword back up, overpowering the damn old bag. Heughed at the old bag''s disy but was surprised when he noticed the creature taking out a dagger from its waist.

    "What the? Even you are a fighter?"

    He said as he stepped back, slightly confused.

    "Boy... we two are the teachers of the king when ites to fighting. Do not underestimate us, and think we are as weak as those new council members!"

 Chapter 165 The Deck Group Attacks!

    ?

    At this point, Lyrian noticed that Silvus was right next to him, already in a fight with the second old bag. He hadn''t noticed him, but the two attacked the old bags at the exact same time.

    Lyrian didn''t pay too much attention to him, instead, focusing on the old bag in front of him. Silvus too, did not nce over at Lyrian. As he began exchanging sword shes with the old bag, he could tell that its ability and experience were most likely greater than the young bags'', but when it came to strength, it was obviously bluffing.

    From his estimation, the creature was not much higher than the 60s or 70s when it came to overall stats. This... wasn''t a challenge. No matter how talented, or experienced a creature was, sheer strength seemed to win out most of the time.

    That was the main lesson that Lyrain learned throughout his 100-floor climb. When all else failed, an onught of pure magical force was the thing that helped him seed and ascend the floors.

    Using that same logic here, he Enhanced the hand that held his sword, as he quickly dashed over to the old bag and swung his sword directly at it. It attempted to sidestep the straightforward attack, but unfortunately for it, the speed at which it moved was far too slow.

    Lyrian changed the trajectory of his attack while it was still moving, aiming to the side. As the old bag tried its best to block the de with its own, his dagger was swiftly cracked into pieces like it was ss--the obsidian sword piercing through its heart.

    The old bag was smaller than usual Magma Dwellers, so it got skewered by Lyrian''s de, the life in its eyes quickly disappearing. Lyrian swung it in the air to get rid of the body, causing it to be cut in half as it dropped to the floor before skidding to a stop.

    Looking at his de, one thing Lyrian was happy about was that the Magma Dwellers didn''t have blood. Right now, he imagined that to be a good thing, since he didn''t have to worry about his sword bing tainted.

    Looking over to Silvus, Lyrian expected him to also be finished with his fight. He was shocked to see that the young prince was still fighting, but even more shocked when he realized that the fight wasn''t with the old bag--it had already died--instead, it was with... Syanr!

    Silvus blocked Syanr''s bamboo, holding it in front of his head as Syanr pushed forward. Although thetter seemed to be struggling slightly, Silvus wasn''t even breaking a sweat, his expression as calm as ever.

    "Cheh."

    Silvus scoffed.

    "Not even a leader... not even able to defeat that brute,"

    Silvus began to say, his tone sounding disappointed and almost disgusted. Syanr didn''t speak.

    "Not even a royal... or a high noble. A rodent."

    Silvus spoke with utter disdain. Hatred could be seen rooted deeply in his seemingly calm eyes.

    "Instead of Spade... a mere rodent dares to attack me."

    He finally finished his words, as Syanr let out a final push. Silvus swiftly stepped to the side, parrying Syanr''s attack as he pulled his wand back. Syanr nearly lost his bnce, feeling a deadly aura the moment he lost his guard, making him quickly dash back a few feet.

    At that moment, Lyrian also felt a dangerous presenceing at him from his right, like a hot piece of iron that was getting closer to his skin. Not having the time to turn, he put up his sword to block any iing attack.

    *BAANG*

    A sharpened hand that resembled a spear crashed into Lyrian''s obsidian de at the very second he put it. Spade''s hand was stopped instantly, as he retracted it and dashed back a feet feet.

    Lyrian, his guard now up, finally looked at the attacker. Spade was smiling, but also shaking his hand.

    "Ouch. That''s a wierd obsidian de."

    He said, smiling. Lyrian didn''t seem to find it funny, his experience quite serious.

    ''Spade... this fight is already happening huh.''

    Lyrian thought to himself, checking his mana. Currently, it was still a little above half.

    "I knew you were probably going to defend yourself and put it up before I could slice your head off... but I also expected for me to break an obsidian de. What craftsman did you hire for such a weapon?"

    He asked rhetorically, impressed by it''s durability.

    "That''s not what you should be worrying about right now."

    Lyrian spoke, pointing his de towards the boy. It was clear to him that Spade wasn''t taking him too seriously.

    "Hahaha!"

    Spade suddenly burst out into augh. Lyrian didn''t reply.

    "You actually made me use my sword. Congrats."

    The boy unsheathed his own de. It was as ck as Lyrian''s but was clearly made of metal, not obsidian.

    ***

    Leon stopped his Iron Blitz through the horde of Magma Dwellers and sheathed his sword as he noticed Lyrian being attacked by Spade. Although he trusted Lyrian, he also knew that Spade wasn''t someone to ignore.

    He didn''t know exactly how powerful he was or what he had up his sleeve, and that was what made him worthy of being wary about.

    "Oi! What are looking at them for? You have another thing to worry about right in front of you!"

    Linc suddenly said, nearing Leon, who quickly turned to face him.

    "You? Hmm."

    Leon squinted his eyes, looking to think about something.

    "What''s on your mind, you seem confused."

    Linc mocked, chuckling slightly.

    "I''m thinking of a way to deal with this entire situation. As long as Lyrian wins... I should be able to finish off the rest of the dwellers with that girl, and then all that''s left would be the final beast. It''s super strong as well, so I''ll have to conserve some energy."

    Leon began to think out loud. Lincughed at thest part of Leon''s statement.

    "Oh no, trust me. You will want to go all out for this fight. That is... if you care to pass this exam..."

 Chapter 166 One Struggle After Another

    ?

    Several fast arrows whizzed through the tower top, where pure chaos recked the battlegrounds. Kids, untrusting of each other, were now scattered around. Running everywhere like lunatics, they attempted to avoid other Magma Dwellers while fighting their own.

    Some ran to simply avoid all fights, and some did so to attack other examinees! It was total havoc.

    The arrows that flew around were from none other than Alten, who attacked dwellers from afar. He was next to Rn, who was still trying to get hisrge magic gun, or whatever he called it, to work.

    "Damn it! The stupid thing is jammed for some reason!"

    He eximed in frustration, hitting the small mechanical block with the butt of his palm.

    "Dude! You''re always great at creating stuff, but you are never able to actually make a fully functioning item! What''s wrong with you!?"

    Alten yelled, also frustrated with Rn.

    "I don''t know man, stop yelling at me and help me instead!"

    "What do you want me to do? You''re the inventor!"

    *Stomp stomp stomp*

    Loud footsteps rapidly approached the two out of nowhere, and they immediately froze up in fear for a short moment.

    Alten managed to turn his head to look at what was behind him, only to see what he least wanted to be there. An enormous pr bear model Magma Dweller stood before him, menacingly looking down.

    "Ahhh!!"

    He shrieked in horror, quickly running forward as Rn followed.

    "C''mon, man! Stop screaming like a little girl and attack the damn thing!"

    Rn cried as the two ran around the tower top, both desperate to get some help.

    "I''m not that strong!"

    Alten eximed.

    "You''re teammates with Leonidas Serroa and the ck Sheep! I''m sure you can pull something out of your ass to save us!"

    Rn yelled as he looked back at the pr bear dweller, which was quickly gaining on them.

    "It''s catching up!"

    He cried in fear.

    "Argh!"

    Alten eximed, turning around as he quickly took out two arrows and pulled them back on the bowstring, aiming directly for the pr bear''s head.

    "Please work!"

    He shouted, letting go of the string as the two explosion arrowsnded on the dweller''s head.

    *BOOM*

    They exploded in unison as a cloud of dust covered the beast. The two ran for a while longer, both anticipating not seeing the dweller any longer after the smoke cleared.

    However, the bear ran through the dust, his face even more angry than before. The two looked forward and began full sprinting, both pretty much crying at this point.

    "Ahh! Damn it all! If only this stupid thing worked!"

    Rn continued mming his palm into the block. Alten knew that the gun was theirst option, and seeing it not work felt like they were running deeper and deeper into an abyss.

    "After all I''ve been through... I''m going to fail here!? This is a disgrac--"

    He almost finished his exasperated cry, but Rn interrupted him just beforehand.

    "Hey! I just realized! I put a button on this thing!"

    Rn yelled in excitement, quickly pressing the small button on the mechanical cube as arge ster materialized in his hand.

    Alten''s expression turned emotionless, as he paused for a few seconds.

    "You cursed idiot! How could you forget such a thing on something you made yourself!"

    He yelled angrily, as Rn quickly turned around, pulling the trigger on the ster. Instantly, a dart of light sped out of the barrel of the gun. It blitzed through the stomach of the Magma Dweller, leaving arge hole in the middle of its face as it abruptly fell down and slid to a stop.

    Both Alten and Rn stopped, panting loudly in relief. Suddenly, Rn took a deep breath.

    "Hahaha! It worked! We survived!"

    He dered into the sky with a bright grin on his face, the ster still in his right hand.

    "Damn you... You fool."

    Alten said, annoyed at the idiot, but also relieved that the dweller was dead.

    "Oh oh..."

    Rn suddenly fell onto his knees, the ster turning back into a cube.

    "I think I got excited and used too much mana. I''m gonna have to take a small rest."

    He said, looking at the ground, which seemed wavy and blurry.

    "What are you looking for down there? Lost something?"

    A familiar voice sounded from out of nowhere, and both Alten and Rn felt their hearts sink into their chest. They turned around to see Kedward slowly walking towards them.

    Alten''s eyes widened as he took a step back instinctively.

    ''No... no no no! We just dealt with something dangerous... Why is he here now!?''

    He knew what was going on with the Deck group, but hadn''t expected to be attacked... at least not yet. Rn put his hand on one of his knees and pushed himself to stand up.

    He was shaky and slightly unbnced, his vision still blurry, but he pressed the button on his cube once again. The ster materialized, and he immediately pointed it towards Kedward, who was walking closer.

    "Wow! I''m impressed! You can still get up on your feet huh? How courageous. What? Are you trying to protect your friend still? Trying to look like a hero?"

    Kedward put his hand on his face.

    "Puhahaha!"

    He suddenly broke out into a peal ofughter.

    "How amusing."

    However, Rn didn''t find it so funny.

    "Laugh at this... bitch."

    He managed to say, pulling the trigger on his gun.

    "Wait! Rn! Don''t use any more mana!"

    Alten tried to warn him, but it was toote. A smaller ball of light darted out of the gun, but as it did, Rn fell t onto his back, causing the ster to tilt up, and the mana bullet to go up into the air.

    Kedward paused for a few seconds.

    "Ha...hahaha!! How pathetic!"

    Alten gritted his teeth, furious with Kedward. He loaded up two more arrows and stared at the boy with an angry re.

    However, before he could pull the string back, Kedward suddenly dashed forward, appearing in front of him in mere seconds. He gripped Alten''s neck, lifting him into the air at once as he began to choke him out.

    "This time... I''ll kill you so fast that no savior will be able toe and rescue you."

 Chapter 167 Battles Rage Forward

    Chapter 167 Battles Rage Forward

    Kedward spoke those nasty words with a wretched smile on his face. Alten, let go of his bow and grabbed onto the hand that choked his neck. Even though he was struggling to breathe, he looked at Ked with enraged eyes.

    "You... won''t pass anyways."

    He managed to speak in short pauses, struggling to breathe more and more as Ked strengthed his grip. Soon, Alten began began to turn slightly blue. Large veins popped out of his forehead, almost protruding through his skin.

    Ked raised an eyebrow.

    "Huh? Of course, I''ll pass. Look around, fool."

    He said, signifying that the entire battleground was currently controlled by his group. Alten, however, forced his eyes to remain locked onto Ked.

    They were trying to bulge out of their socket''s at this point, bloodshot, with red rips going through them like a spider web.

    ***

    Having taken out his de, Spade dragged his tongue across it before dashing forward. He catapulted himself forward at break-neck speeds, dust left at the area where he just was, as he appeared mere feet in front of Lyrian.

    "I''ve been wanting to fight you since the beginning... ck Sheep."

    Spade said, thrusting his de forward with a powerful push.

    "Me too..."

    Lyrian''s movements were swift and precise as he sidestepped Spade''s thrust, his obsidian de glinting in the sunlight. As Spade''s de sailed past him, Lyrian spun on his heel, using the momentum to deliver a powerful diagonal sh toward Spade''s exposed side. But Spade was quick to react, effortlessly swaying his body and evading the strike by a hair''s breadth.

    They began exchanging strikes. The sh of their des created a symphony of steel, each strike resonating with the intensity of their rivalry. Spade''s grin widened, and his eyes sparkled with exhration.

    Lyrian pressed forward, controlling his breathing as he used the art of smithing to coordinate his strikes into a flurry of calcted movements. He aimed to exploit any opening, his de dancing with deadly elegance. Spade met each attack with a blend of fluidity and disciplined techniques, proving to have well-bnced fundamentals and experience. Their des shed and separated in a mesmerizing dance, the ground beneath them marked by their steps and parries.

    Spade lunged forward, his speed so quick that his body turned into a sort of blur. Lyrian met the assault head-on, their des locking in a contest of strength. With a burst of Enhance, Lyrian pushed back, breaking the deadlock and creating distance between them.

    As they circled each other, the tension in the air was palpable. Syanr and Silvus'' battle was still raging on, but both of them recognized the aura of both Lyrian and Spade.

    Spade''s eyes glinted with a mix of excitement and confidence. "You aren''t as strong as I expected, ck Sheep... are you nervous?"

    With that remark, Spade lunged forward once more, his strikes bing a relentless barrage. Lyrian responded with a focused calmness, his movements a perfect blend of defense and counterattack.

    ***

    Leon''s gaze turned steely as he considered Linc''s words. He already knew the gravity of the situation. The trial he and his team were facing was nothing more than a mere battle. Their true test of strength and strategy would onlye when fighting Yang.��

    the heart of it all.

    A looming threat of the final beast, a challenge that demanded their utmost power.

    Linc''s grin widened as he saw the calm but stern expression on Leon''s. "That''s the spirit! You''ve got to go all in for this. Forget about the golden-tiered creature... first, climb the mountain that''s in front of you."

    Leon gripped the hilt of his de, his determination solidifying. Although he knew Linc was talking nonsense, he knew that he couldn''t afford to lose this fight either. Not with the remaining Deck group members and the final beast still alive.

    "Right," Leon said firmly. "I won''t underestimate any of my opponents, but you are not worthy of my full power."

    He readied himself, his stance reflecting both confidence and ability as he unsheathed an inch of his sword.

    With a swift motion, Linc withdrew a handful of slender, purple needles from his long ck hair. His grin had a predatory edge, his confidence bolstered by his knowledge of the potent toxins he wielded.

    Leon''s grip on his sword tightened as he assessed his opponent. Linc''s choice of weapon meant he was adept at striking from a distance, exploiting any openings and vulnerabilities. It was clear that this fight would be a test of both physical prowess and tactical acumen.

    "Poison needles, huh? I''ve dealt with worse," Leon stated, his voice carrying a mixture of confidence and caution.

    Linc chuckled, twirling one of the needles between his fingers before positioning them within his hand for a quick draw. "Oh, I''m sure you have. But have you dealt with them and me at the same time?"

    Without another word, Linc moved. His form blurred as he threw a barrage of poisoned needles towards Leon, their trajectory aimed to keep him on the defensive. Leon''s instincts kicked in, as he unsheathed his sword, his eyes burning brightly with a white aura. He sidestepped, ducked, and parried, deflecting the needles with calcted sword strikes.

    As the needles struck the ground and nearby obstacles, small plumes of corrosive smoke rose, evidence of the toxins they carried.

    In response to Linc''s ranged assault, Leon charged forward with a burst of speed, his sword held firmly in front of him. He closed the distance to engage Linc in closebat, where the poison needles would be less effective.

    Linc, however, wasn''t about to be cornered easily. He darted to the side, narrowly avoiding Leon''s initial strike, and retaliated by flinging a handful of needles in a spread pattern. The projectiles arced toward Leon, aiming to limit his options and force him to retreat.

    Leon twisted his body, his muscles coiling like a predator preparing to pounce. He deflected some of the needles with his sword, but a couple managed to graze his arms and shoulders, leaving stinging wounds. Ignoring the pain, he lunged forward once more, his movements a blend of power and agility.

 Chapter 168 A Sudden Reappearance; The Victors Emerge!

    ?

    "You won''t pass... because I''m way too weak."

    Alten barely managed to say once again, his vision beginning to actually darken. It was clear, he was losing consciousness at this very moment.

    ''I probably have a few more seconds left before I pass out...''

    He predicted, not knowing what to do.

    "What?"

    Ked replied in confusion, even more perplexed than he was a second ago.

    "Stop bullshitting! Just tell me what you want to say before you get eliminated, plebeian!"

    He yelled, frustrated at the boy.

    "I''m weak... so it will be easy to take me out. But the other two... they will kill you all."

    Alten widened his enraged eyes even more at thest part of his statement, staring directly towards Ked. This remark further angered Kedward, who decided that it was time to eliminate the boy in his grip.

    "Hey... let go of him."

    An unfamiliar voice suddenly sounded from behind Ked, as he felt a blunt object abruptly m against his back. It felt as though all the air in his lungs were driven out, as his eyes tried to roll back into his head.

    His grip loosened, causing Alten to fall to the floor and begin choking, as he stumbled forward, clutching at his back before abruptly turning around.

    "Who the hell dares to--"

    Kedward yelled, stopping himself as he looked at the person who attacked him from behind. The tall kid held a rod... one that was covered in stone. He was also robbed for some reason, his face hidden.

    "You! You''re the robed kid! What faction do you belong to!?"

    Kedward barked, only for no reply.

    "It doesn''t matter anyway, you''re dead!"

    He ripped off his shirt, revealing his body which was as pale as snow. Of course, the Jack of Spades symbol was disyed across his back. His eyes turned crazy, as his breathing became frenzied.

    Alten, catching his breath, looked at the robed figure with confused eyes. He examined deeper, and from his low angle, was able to recognize a face.

    "Since I''ve already done this... I guess there''s no longer any point in hiding my identity."

    The robed kid said, taking off his brown robe and revealing his face and body. He wore a white robe underneath, one that Alten immediately recognized.

    "K--Kang!?"

    ***

    Currently, even though Spade''s technique was indeed superior, Lyrian''s higher speed and strength helped him stay in the fight. The sh of their des echoed in the open space, each strike bing faster and more ferocious than thest.

    In a sudden burst of energy, Lyrian Enhanced his hands and unleashed a flurry of strikes, each blow striking true and forcing Spade onto the defensive. With a final, powerful overhead strike, Lyrian aimed to end the battle, but Spade met the blow with a fierce upward parry, the shockwaves of their collision sending dust and debris flying around them.

    Their des locked once again, the force of their sh creating a small shockwave that radiated outward.

    Lyrian''s determination burned bright in his eyes as he seized the opportunity he had created. With Spade momentarily off bnce from their previous sh, Lyrian channeled even more mana into his hands and unleashed a rapid series of strikes. His obsidian de danced with lethal precision, each strike aimed at exploiting Spade''s momentary vulnerability.

    Spade''s grin faded as he struggled to keep up with the onught. His movements, once so fluid and confident, became frantic as he desperately parried Lyrian''s blows. The sh of their des grew more desperate, and with a final, powerful swing, Lyrian managed to knock Spade''s de out of his hand. The de spun through the air before embedding itself in the ground a few feet away.

    For a moment, there was a stunned silence as everyone around them processed what had just happened. Spade stood there, his chest heaving with exertion with Lyrian''s de pressed up against his neck.

    ***

    Linc''s grin widened as he recognized the challenge before him. He drew a thin, curved de from his belt with practiced ease, meeting Leon''s charge with a fluid disy of swordsmanship. The sh of steel echoed in the air as their des met, the sound resonating with the weight of their determination.

    Each strike, each parry, was a dance of skill and strategy. Leon''s brute strength shed with Linc''s finesse and precision. The battleground around them seemed to shrink as they engaged in their intense duel, their breaths mingling with the tension that hung in the air.

    In a swift maneuver, Linc disengaged, leaping back to create distance between them. His chest heaved, and his grin had a mixture of respect and exhration. "Not bad, swordsman. You''ve got more than just determination."

    Leon didn''t respond, nor did he stop attacking, dashing forward once again before swinging his sword towards his opponent. Linc narrowly dodged, the force of the blow sending tremors through the ground. His back hit a pir, and he struggled to regain his footing.

    ''Damn it... He''s stronger than I thought. He doesn''t stop either, like a machine. I underestimated him.''

    Linc thought to himself, looking at his palm. Purple tears of energy coursed through them. It was the consequence of using poison magic without a proper poison base...

    ''I can''t fight for much longer. I''ll need help.''

    Leon''s eyes were locked onto Linc, his focus unrelenting. He saw an opportunity��a chance to end the battle decisively. With a fierce roar, he charged forward, his sword raised for a final, crushing blow.

    Linc''s heart pounded in his chest as panic gripped him. The realization hit him that he was on the brink of being overwhelmed. Fear surged through him, threatening to paralyze his limbs. He knew he had pushed himself too far, and undermined his opponent, and now he was paying the price.

    In that fleeting moment of desperation, Linc''s survival instinct kicked in. He had faced danger countless times before, but this was different. He had danced too close to the edge, and the threat of failing this exam was all too real.

    Just as Leon''s de was about to descend upon him, Linc made a split-second decision. He dropped to his knees, his sword falling from his hand as he raised both arms in surrender. "Stop! I yield!"

 Chapter 169 Merciless

    ?

    Alten was utterly shocked to see Kang underneath the robe. The boy took the brown rag off of him before tossing it to the ground, revealing his full body. Not knowing was Alten confused as to how Kang had even gotten here, he was also confused about why the boy was defending him right now.

    So much so, that he couldn''t help but to ask.

    "Why? Why are you helping me?"

    Kang spun his rod around him in a disy of skill.

    "You''re teammates with Lyrian, right?"

    It was abrupt, but Alten didn''t hesitate when he answered.

    "Yes..."

    With this, Kang said his final words to Alten.

    "Then that''s all I needed to know. To answer your question... that kid is strong."

    He said, turning his gaze back to Ked, who was currently looking like a rabid animal. His body shook uncontrobly, and his eyes became more and more bloodshot as seconds passed by.

    ''He''s referring to Lyrian... I guess, it''s true that the weak follow the strong. In fact, everyone follows the strong. I wonder why.''

    Alten pondered in his mind, as Kang didn''t waste any more time and dashed forward, thrusting his rod forward into Ked''s stomach. Ked sidestepped with peculiar ease, his gaze locked onto his opponent.

    With a quick step, he appeared to the side of Kang in an instant. Kang''s eyes widened as he gasped slightly. This was fast, too fast. It wasn''t even close to the level of opponent he had dealt with in the past.

    He noticed Ked there, but before his eyes could even turn to the side, a punch rocked his jaw, sending him flying; sliding to a stop a few seconds afterward.

    He was taken aback by this power, but he quickly got back up.

    ''My guard wasn''t even lowered... yet he was able to counter me so easily. These Deck group bastards... are no joke. All of them are monsters.''

    Kang shrugged off his hesitations and ran towards Ked, who also dashed towards him, his hands danging backward like they were limp. His limbs were scrawny, but were lean and had a tone of muscrity to them.

    At this speed, however, they looked like sticks wobbling in the wind. The two opponents met with each other, as they bothunched direct strikes at each other.

    Kang pushed his rod forward, while Kedward threw out a punch.

    ''What the hell is he thinking!? Attacking my rod with nothing more than just a punch? He may be stronger than me, but brute strength won''t defeat this weapon.''

    Kang thought to himself in bewilderment, feeling as though he was fighting a wild animal, as Ked''s hand mmed into the butt of the rod. Instantly, his elbow dislocated as it flung backward, causing his shoulder toe out of its socket as well.

    A loud crunch could be heard as Kang''s rod continued. All of the bones in Ked''s fist were instantly obliterated. A smirk appeared on Kang''s face, as he mmed his rod into Ked''s chest, pushing him back slightly.

    ''He''s a fool! I can win!''

    Ked paused, raising his mangled hand and looking at it like some sort of clueless beast. Without a second thought, he moved his joints in a certain way to lodge all of his bones and tendons back in ce. It was gruesome and disgusting to watch, sounding grotesque.

    In the end, he cracked his knuckles, miraculously molding all of his broken bones back into ce. The sight freaked Alten out and threw off Kang''s pride and newfound confidence.

    Ked lunged forward with a punch, as Kang followed up by unleashing a barrage of rod strikes--all of which were easily evaded by Ked. They were aimed at his torso, but Ked moved in an unpredictable way, dislodging, and reloading his ribcage, allowing him to dodge the iing attacks.

    Kang began to grow frustrated. The thought of defeating the crazy boy in front of him seemed fraught.

    Ked dashed away on his back foot, before propelling himself forward once again and attacking Kang, who tried to defend the fury of quick punches that were hurled towards him.

    As a few began tond here and there, he was beginning to lose his ground and get pushed back. He was struggling, but he wasn''t going to give up yet.

    ''Damn it... If hends a serious punch, I''m done for. How do I defeat such an opponent!? If I attack him with the rod, he dodges, and even if Ind a strike, he somehowes out unscathed. He''s faster than me... stronger, and more skilled. He is better than me in all aspects!''

    The prospect of winning began to seem impossible. Kang got punched in the face while trying to defend the seemingly infinite number of blows, a spurt of blood gushing out of his bruised nose that was crushed slightly.

    A solid punchnded on his chest, then his ribcage, and then his shoulder, each of which were left with dark bruises. The more he fought, the weaker and slower he became.

    Alten looked on with concern shadowed over his face. Right now, he couldn''t do anything to help Kang in this situation.

    "Oi... what''s happening?"

    Rn suddenly got up, his voice quiet and raspy as he pushed himself to sit up.

    "Rn! You''re awake."

    Alten quickly rushed over to him.

    "Are you alright? You used too much mana."

    Rn ignored the question, asking once more, "What''s happening...?"

    Alten paused for a split second before answering.

    "It''splicated. But, let''s just say a former... ally, is currently trying to help us. He''s fighting Kedward, but he''s losing. Badly."

    Hearing these words, Rn grabbed onto Alten''s shoulder and tried to push himself up.

    "Wh--What are you doing? You are still in a critical state! You shouldn''t be moving your body too much."

    Alten eximed, only for Rn to ignore him once again and get up onto his feet, leaning on Alten''s shoulder. He lifted the cube in his hand, finally looking at Alten as he said.

    "I don''t have any mana left... but you do."

    ***

    As soon as Linc fell to his knees and surrendered, looking away with his eyes squeezed together, and his hands blocking his face, Leon sheathed his de and dropped right in front of him.

    After a few seconds, Linc lowered his hands and opened his eyes, facing the looming figure above him, who stared at him with a look of disappointment and disdain. Leon''s eyes showed a fierce expression.

    ''He... he sheathed his de! He actually forgave me!''

    Linc rejoiced inwardly. In a battle, one stopping the de, and one sheathing the de were twopletely different aspects of a duel. Stopping a de''s attack was to say that the wielder of that de was giving the opponent a chance. Hearing him out, per se.

    However, sheathing a de meant that the wielder had forgiven his opponent. Leon knew about thismon rule in swordsmanship... however, he also knew something that Linc didn''t know.

    That something was that Leon needed to sheath his de to talk...

    ''Naive... he must be a naive boy. A straight forward warrior with virtue. Yes... ahaha!! I''ve hit the jackpot!''

    Linc stood up, filled with confidence. However, he purposely lowered his gaze, acting more scared than he with, especially now with his newfound charisma.

    "I''m sorry... I was just following orders, you know. Look, I''m very happy that you decided to have some merc--"

    Linc was suddenly cut off.

    "Pathetic..."

    Leon said, a look of disgust in his ring eyes, as Linc suddenly looked at him with confusion.

    ''Why... all of a sudden.''

    He thought to himself, getting nervous.

    "And here I thought there was something to consider."

    ''What is he talking about..."

    "But no, it was nothing but a plea. How dare you dere yourself a fighter, one who cannot even lose justly. But... to be honest, even if you had reasoning, I would have eliminated you anyway."

    ''Huh?''

    Linc was shocked at the words he was suddenly hearing, not being able to process them so quickly. He tried to back up but was stopped by the pir behind him.

    "Woah woah! Wait!"

    He yelled as Leon gripped the hilt of his de.

    "I...I--"

    "You what?"

    "I beg you!"

    Linc suddenly dropped to Leon''s feet.

    "Please! This exam means everything to me! You aren''t even a very high-status noble, just like me! I''m sure you can understa--"

    "I''m not a noble at all. Don''t taint me with those words."

    And with this, Linc finally ceased talking altogether, as both of them paused for a momentary silence.

    ''I did everything... I even pleaded to him on his feet. But... I got it wrong. I didn''t know he wasn''t a noble. It won''t work now... he won''t forgive me. If that''s the case, then... I''ll--''

    Linc stopped his train of thought as he grabbed a few needles from his hair and abruptly rose up, aiming directly for Leon''s neck. Before he could reach it, however, bright white eyes stared down at him, as he suddenly felt a painful stinging sensation run across his neck.

    Leon''s sword nearly sliced his head off but he was eliminated just beforehand.

 Chapter 170 Risk Of A Coward

    ?

    Spade looked into Lyrian''s fierce eyes as his chest heaved in and out. He was clearly exhausted and wasn''t able to move either, with Lyrian''s de right on his neck.

    At that moment, the two felt disconnected from everything else that was going on.

    ''He will be a good pawn in taking down Yang... but he''s also a big limiter. I have no doubt that if I let him stay in the exam, he will stab me in the back eventually.''

    Lyrian spent half a second considering what to do. His enemy, now seeming like nothing more than measly prey, was helpless before him, so he was confident in waiting a little bit. This, however, instantly changed.

    Spade suddenly took in a deep breath, allowing Lyrian''s de to slightly cut a thinyer of his neck, as he pushed the breath out. Now, he was no longer panting or even seemed to be exhausted.

    "Good. Your skill was fun to see... but... not yet. I don''t think they would be happy if I eliminated you right now."

    The boy spoke as if he had the upper hand, confidently gazing into Lyrian''s eyes, which grew confused. Before he could even reply, Spade quickly jumped backward, faster than Lyrian could move his de.

    It was so fast, in fact, that Lyrian could barely see him move. This shocked Lyrian slightly, as Spade hadn''t shown this level of speed throughout their entire fight.

    Spade sheathed his sword.

    "The ck Sheep lives!"

    His voice resounded through the air. He paused, expecting to hear many affirmations to his order... however, only one "Yes!" came from a distance.

    Squinting his eyes slightly in confusion, he looked back at where Syanr and Silvus were previously fighting. Currently, Silvus was gone from the scene. Looking around, Spade saw him already reconnected with his group.

    ''He eliminated Syanr that quickly? But... what about Linc?''

    He looked around the tower top, squinting his eyes even further. He saw Leon dashing somewhere in the distance, and at that moment, broke out into augh.

    "So only Kedward survived huh... ha! Ah... how silly."

    He sighed, putting his hands on his hip. Lyrian took a step forward, simultaneously checking his mana.

    It was about 1/4th of its normal amount right now. He stopped moving and gritted his teeth.

    ''I''ll need that much at the very least...''

    He thought to himself as he sheathed his sword.

    "Whatever. I''ll deal with youter."

    He said, sheathing his sword as he jumped high into the air. He quickly scanned the entire tower top with his widened field of vision and noticed Alten and Rn.

    He also saw their situation, along with one other factor that made him fall back down and walk the other way without any worry. Instead, he decided that while the fights between the kids and the Magma Dwellers were still going on, he would try and save up as much mana as possible.

    Sitting under the peach, he crossed his legs and undertook the lotus position, before beginning to use Gale.

    ***

    Alten looked into Rn''s drowsy eyes, which were barely open.

    "Yo--You want me to use this? That''s... insane! How can I? I''ve never done it before, and what if it doesn''t work?"

    Alten began to exim, doubt shadowing his mind. Rn paused for a short moment.

    "We have both gone through our fair share of bullies, but in this exam, I''ve learned about that area of life a lot more... trust me, Alten. You want to do this. What will happen if it doesn''t work? What? What''s the worst that could happen."

    Alten also paused, looking down at the cube. He was clearly concerned, biting his lip.

    "But... Im not certai--"

    He was abruptly cut off.

    "So what!? You don''t always have to be certain to do something... if you don''t take any risks in life, you''re a goddamn coward."

    These sudden words struck a cord in Alten. Hearing the word "coward" sent shivers down his spine, as it was the opposite of what he wanted to be in life. Hell, he had been running away from such a definition ever since he was born, or at least it felt like that to him.

    He gritted his teeth, looking at Kang and Kedward who were still going at it. By now, Kang was beaten to a pulp. His eyebrows were swollen, his face blue and bloody, and his expression indescribable.

    Kedward on the other hand was smiling, feeling the thrill of destroying someone physically.

    "Your right... I don''t want to be a fucking coward!"

    He grabbed the cube from Rn''s hand.

    "Haha! That''s the spirit!"

    Rn eximed in excitement, as he suddenly fell on his rear.

    "I can''t stand up... I''ll watch from down here."

    Alten pressed the button on the cube, as a giant ster materialized in his hand. It almost dropped it, but quickly recovered, aiming it at Kedward with exact precision.

    He wasn''t a rookie when it came to aiming, but of course, a gun wasn''t something he ever used before. The bow was usually his strong point.

    Without a second thought, he poured his mana into the ster, having aimed perfectly at his target. With a serious face, he nearly pulled the trigger, when the ster suddenly began shaking uncontrobly.

    His aim was ruined, and his concentration was slightly broken.

    "Don''t worry... just aim and shoot. It doesn''t recognize your mana, but it will still work."

    With this confirmation from Rn, Alten zoned into the target once again. It was shaky, but nheless, aiming wasn''t a problem for him. It moved right, left, up and down. He instantly memorized this pattern, as he shot right when the point of the gunnded on Kedward.

    Arge ball of light quickly darted out of the ster and traveled at extreme speeds. It hit Ked in the chest where his heart was exactly located, sending him flying into the air with a small explosion.

    Hended on his feet a few meters away, sliding as he came to a stop. His chest was heavily indented and grazed by the beam of light... but there was no broken skin.

    A rib had split into two, but Ked quickly reformed it using his peculiar technique from before, staring at Alten with a new rage.

    Out of nowhere, Alten''s serious expression turned to one of hopelessness.

    "Shit... I just made him more angry..."

 Chapter 171 Intriguing Figure

    <h4>Chapter 171 Intriguing Figure</h4>

    Like a rabid dog, Kedward got on all fours and began leaping towards Alten at full speed. He moved extremely past, brushing past Kang as he swiped at him as though he was a weed.

    Kang threw up a spurt of blood as his eyes rolled back into his head, thrown into the ground by the incredibly powerful attack. Compared to the others, it was a serious one.

    Ked appeared 10 feet from Alten in seconds, each one of his leaps covered over 10 feet ofnd alone. As he traveled in mid-air, nearing Alten, Rn couldn''t help but close his eyes in fear.

    Alten on the other hand stared at the boying at him, frozen in fear. It wasn''t like he could have moved fast enough if he wasn''t frozen either. This seemed to be it. He had gone through countless experiences where he was near failing and was saved by his team, but none of them were nearby right now.

    Who knew if they were dealing with their own fights, or what. Time seemed to slow down as Kedward neared mere feet from Alten, his hand already hurled towards Alten''s neck.

    "I''m screwed..."

    At that precise moment, a rapid series of approaching footsteps sounded out of nowhere. Before either Kedward or Alten could move their retinas fast enough, a white blur appeared in their vision.

    In Alten''s point of view, the white blur traveled through Kedward''s body at near teleport speeds.

    "Iron Blitz."

    Leon said, sheathing his sword.

    Instead of the boy''s fist, Kedward''s decapitated head knocked Alten''s forehead and then fell to the floor.

    Just then, he was eliminated from the exam. This was a first for Alten. He had never seen a head actually be decapitated before being eliminated, but more so than that, he felt as though a mountain of stress had been lifted off of his chest, as his knees grew limp and copsed.

    Leon also fell to one of his knees, making himself stay up with his sword as he panted slightly.

    "That was my full speed... You were only two inches away from being eliminated, you idiot."

    The aftermath of the intense encounter left the battlefield shrouded in a tense silence. Alten, still reeling from the shock of his near-death experience, remained on the ground, his chest heaving as he gasped for air. The realization of how close he hade to defeat, even death, hung heavily over him.

    Alten''s trembling hand reached up to his forehead, where the impact of Kedward''s severed head had left a dull ache. He closed his eyes, trying to process the whirlwind of emotions coursing through him��fear, relief, and a lingering sense of disbelief.

    Leon, still catching his breath, extended a hand towards Alten.

    "You alright?"

    Alten took the offered hand and allowed Leon to help him to his feet. His legs felt shaky, and his gaze remained fixed on the spot where Kedward''s heady. It was a chilling reminder of how swiftly circumstances could change on the battlefield.

    "I... I didn''t even see youing,"

    Alten admitted, his voice shaky.

    Leon''s expression softened as he patted Alten on the shoulder. "That''s the thing about battle. You always have to be ready for the unexpected."

    The weight of Leon''s words settled over Alten, reminding him of the importance of vignce and quick thinking.

    With a deep breath, Alten turned back to Rn, seeing Leon ncing over at him.

    "He will be alright. He just used too much mana."

    In response, Rn gave a thumbs up along with a cheeky smile. As the three began to calm down a little, they suddenly heard rustling behind them.

    Kang slowly got up to his feet. He didn''t even look human anymore, more like a thumb that was painted all different colors. Seeing him, Leon sort of understood the situation.

    "That''s odd..."

    He said as Kang walked towards them.

    "He tried to protect you... huh."

    Alten looked at Leon.

    "Yea. He took quite the beating."

    Kang arrived a few feet away from Leon. Leon became intrigued by the prospect of Kang''s actions. He couldn''t help but be curious about the reason behind him.

    "Why did you do that. Save Alten and Rn, that is."

    He shouted from afar.

    "Strong!"

    Kang shouted back, continuing.

    "Lyrian is strong! I wanted to... Well, I don''t really know. But, what I do know, is that I don''t want to make enemies of the strong."

    Listening to Kang''s halting words, Leon found himself nodding in understanding. The mention of Lyrian''s strength resonated with him. He had witnessed Lyrian''s skill firsthand, and there was an unspoken recognition of the potential thaty within the boy.

    "Strength, huh?" Leon muttered to himself, his gaze shifting from Kang to the ongoing battles around them.

    Leon''s thoughts began to churn as he considered Kang''s perspective. The battlefield was a ce of chaos, and allegiances could shift in an instant.

    "I suppose we''re all here for our own reasons," Leon mused, his gaze distant as he thought about the individuals they had encountered, each with their own strengths and motivations.

    The group fell into a contemtive silence, the sounds of battle serving as a constant backdrop to their thoughts. The alliances they had formed, the challenges they had ovee, and the lessons they had learned were all part of arger tapestry that was being woven in the midst of chaos.

    "Alright... enough boring talk. Can someone give me some mana potions or something!?"

    Rn suddenly broke the silence. Neither Leon nor Alten had a response. Simply nodding, as no such potions were in their possession.

    "Here!"

    Kang shouted, tossing a bottle toward Rn.

    "Actually... take these as well."

    Kang suddenly threw multiple bottles of mana toward the group. Over 6 in total, which Alten made sure to catch.

    "What? Why are you giving us all of these so suddenly?"

    Alten asked, confused.

    "Internal bleeding. I''m going to be eliminated shortly."

    As soon as he said this, another short moment of silence sounded itself... before suddenly, an excited voice came out of nowhere.

    "Hey! I''m going to need those!"

    An eager Lyrian suddenly said, his eyes glowing over the mana elixirs in Alten''s hands.

 Chapter 172 Temporary Alliance; The Battle Begins

    <h4>Chapter 172 Temporary Alliance; The Battle Begins</h4>

    "Speak of the devil..."

    Rn barely managed to say, his eyes wanting to close.

    Without hesitation, Lyrian snatched the mana elixirs from Alten''s hand, a grin on his face. He looked at the elixirs as if they were golden beetles, "Perfect..."

    He looked over to Rn, tossing him two out of the bunch, before chugging down the rest. The mana elixirs were bright blue and almost even shiny. They didn''t taste like anything, but their effects were instant.

    The moment the elixir traveled down Lyrian''s throat and into his belly, it quickly traveled through his meridians, empowering his body, and also pouring into his core.

    It wasn''t an incredible amount of mana, as they were only weak elixirs, but for now, it was better than nothing, especially since Lyrian wanted as much mana as possible for Yang.

    "Did you defeat Spade?"

    Leon randomly asked as Lyrian swiped the leftover elixir off his lip.

    "Kind of... but not really. He was hiding his true power. At this current state, I would probably have to go all out to beat him, and even then I''m curious whether I could."

    Lyrian''s tone sounded serious as he spoke. Leon was silent on hearing this.

    ''I was thinking I would fight him if Lyrian hadn''t finished him off... but it''s probably best to leave that to him.'' Leon paused, looking at Lyrian, ''If he can barely beat him at full power, I doubt I would be able to. I don''t know how... but Lyrian''s gotten so much stronger in the span of these 30 days. His cultivation may have gone up from absorbing the golden liquid of the Earth Guardian, but more than that, his demeanor, ability, and battle presence have all evolved to far greater levels. Standing next to him, even when simply talking about battle, feels like I''m standing next to a seasoned soldier.''

    "Hey... let''s not waste any more time. Who knows how long it will be until this exam ends. If we don''t make it back to the center by midnight, we will automatically fail."

    Leon shouted out as he began walking towards the mango, where Yang was perched atop.

    ''It''s like he''s a newborn... learning extremely quickly and effortlessly. What kind of life did he lead to have such an ability...''

    The more he thought about him, the more Leon became intrigued.

    Rn found that he could at least walk after a couple of mana potions. He got up, catching the gun cube tossed to him by Alten, as the four all began walking toward therge mango.

    At that moment, the final Magma Dweller was in by Glis, who had already returned to her team. Lyrian scanned the tower top, noticing barely any figures left...

    There was him and the other three next to him. Following them was Spade, the only one left of his crew. Next was Jackson, and one more of the White Knights. After that was Silvus'' group, with himself, Glis, and Cedric left over.

    That was it...

    Out of everyone that Lyrian had encountered during the entire exam, these were the only ones who had a chance of passing? It seemed insane.

    He then remembered that there still were kids back at the center domes who refused to leave for the golden-tiered core, liking their safety in passing. Still, all in all, Lyrian imagined that not even 30 kids would pass the exam in total.

    It was insane to fathom that since the exam started off with over 800. As he looked at Silvus'' group discussing something, he caught Cedric ncing over at him for a split second, before suddenly lowering his gaze, seemingly filled with shame?

    Was it a shame? Guilt? Sorrow? It was odd. Lyrian couldn''t tell, but it confused him slightly, enough to make him raise an eyebrow.

    ''Now that I think about it... he was making that same expression back then after I got Yin''s core.''

    Lyrian thought to himself, the two pieces of information not making much sense in his mind. Not wanting to dwindle on confusing stuff any longer, he shrugged this off and refocused his mind on Yang.

    It hadn''t finished eating it, in fact, it wasn''t even close. However, Lyrian and the others weren''t simply going to wait for it to enjoy its meal either.

    "We will all try to betray each other soon!"

    Lyrian suddenly yelled out, as the leftover examinees turned their attention towards him. Even Yang lifted its head up from the mango for a split second, noticing the loud human.

    "However! Working together to beat this beast, for now, is the best, and only option we have!"

    As he said this, the remaining kids began to make their way over to where he was. Before long, they all faced Yang with determined expressions on their faces.

    "Yes... We must work together for now."

    Silvus said calmly, stepping up ahead of Lyrian before continuing with his cool demeanor.

    "Glis, I want you to--"

    But then, that coolness ended quickly as he was abruptly interrupted.

    "Humph! Don''t order me around! I''m only on your team because it''s better for me than being alone. You aren''t my leader, you are just a pawn!"

    Glis activated her ice skates, her hands chilled with ayer of ice/

    Silvus clenched his jaw, clearly pissed off.

    ''Stupid bitch...''

    He thought to himself, trying to keep his calm demeanor.

    "Cedric!"

    He yelled, getting a haste response.

    "Y-Yes! Prince..."

    Cedric replied as Lyrian raised another eyebrow due to the boy, looking back at him in confusion.

    ''Huh? Is that Cedric or Cirdec!? Why does he sound like that? The Cedric I know would never be so cowardly and take this type of ordering tone, not even from Silvus himself.''

    He thought to himself, bewildered, as he saw a nervous-looking red-haired kid who waited for Silvus to speak.

    "Gah... nothing. Just don''t get eliminated before... You know what, never mind!"

    Silvus suddenly got frustrated.

    "Let''s just kill this thing!"

    He shouted, taking out his wand. Glis quickly skated forward, jumping into the air as sheunched herself at the mango.

    "Take this! Ice Stampede!"

    Glis'' body flipped in the air several times, as her ice-coated leg finally descended onto the unassuming bird. The attack was fierce and quick, nearlynding just before Yang abruptly rose and pped its wings, sending a powerful gust of wind that propelled Glis backward.

    *KAAW*

    It screeched, lunging into the air before soaring high up into the sky in mere seconds.

    "What the!? Is it trying to escape!?"

    Jackson''s teammate, one of the other White Knights, eximed in surprise as he saw the bird begin to blind into the bright sky above them. For a worrying moment, there was a moment of silence, where the bright bird turned into nothing but a spec of light.

    But then... that spec of light suddenly began to expand at extreme speeds, and it remained a body of light, not feathers.

    "It''s nose-diving towards the ground at full speed! It wants to destroy the tower top!"

    Alten yelled, noticing the body of lighting down.

    Everyone quickly dashed to the pirs once again, holding onto them as tightly as possible. They had dealt with powerful forces before in the blizzard storm, so at the very least, they knew that the pirs were there to help him.

    As if it was a meteor, the bird crashed into the tower top with incredible force.

    The impact was cataclysmic. The tower shuddered under the tremendous force as the bird of light collided with the pinnacle of the tower... before breaking through the thick surface of ck stone and flying further inside of the tower.

    The collision sent shockwaves rippling outward, the ground itself shaking beneath the examinees'' feet. Dust and debris were kicked up into the air, obscuring their vision and adding to the chaos that had be a constant presence on the battlefield.

    The pirs, designed to withstand such powerful forces, groaned and creaked as they absorbed the impact. The examinees clung to them with white-knuckled grips, their muscles straining against the sheer force that threatened to tear them away. The wind howled, and the very air seemed to vibrate with the intensity of the collision.

    Slowly, as the dust began to settle, they caught glimpses of the aftermath. The tower top had suffered significant damage from the impact, and its structure was visiblypromised. The ground around it was cracked and churned, a testament to the sheer magnitude of the crash.

    "Is everyone alright?" Alten called out, his voice carrying a note of concern as he surveyed the scene.

    One by one, those on his team confirmed their safety. They had faced countless challenges since the start of the exam, and this encounter was no different.

    Glis, her eyes narrowed, scanned therge hole left by Yang in the middle of the floor. The bird of light had disappeared into the aftermath of its own collision, leaving a sense of uncertainty in its wake.

    Suddenly, it emerged from within the tower, like a bolt of lightning, hovering over the tower top as it ruthlessly cast a bright effulgence.

    In that very instant, Silvus lunged ahead, his wand tracing an arc through the air. "Wind Spikes!" he cried out, evoking several pointed wind stakes that materialized around the bird, subsequently hurtling toward it.

    The barbed projectiles sped swiftly, yet not quite swiftly enough. Yang soared upwards and executed a graceful mid-air backflip, deftly evading the assault. The wind-borne spikes converged mid-flight, colliding with each other and vanishing into nothingness.

    Using a sizeable chunk of ck stone debris as a tform, Silvus leaped onto it. This makeshift tform began ascending toward the airborne bird. Around 15 meters away from the bird, Silvus'' expression remained untensed as Yang''s beak opened wide.

    A colossal orb of luminous energy materialized within its gaping maw, propelling forth abruptly in Silvus''s direction.

    "Wind Ricochet!"

    His voice rang out, apanied by a swift flourish of his wand. A circr shield of wind manifested before him, intercepting the mana-charged sphere''s trajectory. The collision generated a spectacr burst of energy that sent the orb careening skyward once more.

 Chapter 173 Infernal Tornado

    ?

    *Seew*

    In one swift motion, the bright sphere of light formed from Yang bolted into the sky and disappeared with a twink, as though it was a shooting star.

    Seeing the two members of the Yaltan Wind''s attack was enough to get everyone else to also spring into action. This creature was powerful. Jackson and his teammate didn''t even expect it to be taken down, even if everyone used theirbined strengths.

    Still, the possibility that it could fall existed. So, they lunged forward with a formted n.

    "Remember! We still have to be there to support Lyrian''s group, so don''t get eliminated! If anything goes south, just y it safe and retreat."

    Jackson shouted to his teammate, and he was met with a nod in response. His fellow White Knight members didn''t exactly know why Jackson wanted to support Lyrian''s group so much, but since he was the lesser teammate in terms of power, he still listened to and followed his orders.

    As everyone took the middle stage once again, Jackson and his teammate dashed forward, jumping up into the air.

    "They are the best in terms of teamwork. The White Knights, that is."

    Rn began to speak, still tired, but better off than how he was moments ago. The others changed their attention to him, even Spade and other examinees who weren''t a part of his inner circle listened in.

    "From the four main factions, the White Knights weren''t really known for their individual prowess. That''s why I was shocked to see Nelmis'' insane disy of power when fighting Syanr and Linc... as I''m sure they were equally as surprised."

    Rn nced over at Spade for only a moment.

    "But yeah... these two attacking together isn''t just a stupid show. It''s an actual attack, a powerful one."

    He sounded serious.

    While in the air, the two boys grasped each other''s hands, before quickly beginning to sway their legs side to side. Before long, they were shooting up towards the bird whilst spinning.

    It was a peculiar, almostedic scene, but it was also impressive. The bnce and experience one would need to perfectly create a rhythm of movements in line with another person to result in what they were doing right now would easily take up to 10 years without special help.

    Considering they did have special help, however, it was still impressive. As they got 10 meters away from the bird, Jackson suddenly let go of his friend''s hand andunched him at the bird. His friend straightened his arms to his side, speeding forward like a bullet.

    On reaching a few feet away from the target, he kicked the air, allowing his body to begin turning like a fast-moving drill. Finally, he struck the bird with forceful velocity but was halted in his tracks immediately.

    The bird''s thick feathers stopped the impact and also absorbed half of the boy''s body inside. Jackson immediately felt a sense of danger as his eyes widened.

    "Bail! It''s too dangerous!"

    He yelled,nding back on the ground as he frantically dashed forward. The bird shook its body, making Jackson''s friend begin falling down to the ground, before pping its wings once again.

    This time, along with a powerful gust of wind came several slices of sharp, concentrated, and powerful light magic.

    Everyone dashed out of the way to avoid them, as they crashed into the pirs and sliced right through him, causing many to fall.

    The aftermath of the intense assault left the arena in a state of disarray. As the dust began to settle, Jackson''s determination burned brighter than ever. He watched his fallenrade, his heart pounding with a mix of worry and resolve.

    Ignoring his own exhaustion, Jackson sprinted towards his fallen friend, evading residual beams of light magic that sizzled across the ground. With haste and determination, he reached his fallenrade, checking for signs of life. Relief washed over him as he felt a faint pulse and saw the shallow rise and fall of his friend''s chest.

    "Don''t get eliminated. Breathe," Jackson whispered urgently, gently supporting his friend''s head as he looked around for cover. It was clear that staying out in the open would only invite further danger.

    Lyrian''s voice rang out, sharp and clear, cutting through the turmoil. "Don''t fight it alone any longer! I don''t want us to fall one by one like flies! The best way to defeat it is to work together!"

    He felt like he had said the same speech multiple times by now. It was odd, but then again, not many others went through the things he had during the exam multiple times over either.

    Lyrian looked forward at Yang, still floating menacingly in the air.

    "You stronger than the ck Kailion, but barely. On the other hand, I''ve crossed several leaps and bounds of power of ability since thest time I fought your other half. And I even have stronger disposable pieces. You will be easier."

    He said confidently, a small smirk on his face. Looking back, he saw that Spade was sitting down. Instead, he looked forward at Silvus, who was still floating in the air.

    The air-born adversary, having weathered their onught, let out a resonant cry that echoed through the tower. Its luminous form pulsed with renewed energy, wings beating with a rhythmic intensity.

    With a resolute nod, Alten pushed himself to stand up straight.

    "We''ve faced worse odds than this."

    He dered, taking out his bow

    "Let''s show this bird what we''re made of."

    Seeing Lyrian approach, Silvus floated forward, his wand held high. "You," He said, looking down at Lyrian, "I will use your power for now. We have no other choice but to team up."

    Lyrian nodded in agreement, channeling his mana as the air around him crackled with anticipation. The two examinees'' synergy was actually palpable as they unleashed an aura of slight elemental forces.

    Slivus exuded a flurry of wind and from Lyrian, a mix of all four major elements.

    "me!"

    Lyrian suddenly shouted, putting his hands together. A brilliant me exploded out of his palms, creating a giant ball of fire in the air.

    "Gale Tornado!"

    Silvus answered himself, casting a giant tornado that quickly engulfed the ball of fire, turning into a fiery inferno of forceful hell and destruction, which quickly traveled towards Yang.

    The bird of light met their assault head-on, its brilliance shing against the powerful magic. Light, Wind, and Fire intertwined, creating a dazzling disy that illuminated the tower top. The sh of powers sent shockwaves through the chamber, causing the very foundation to tremble.

    As the battle raged on, Jackson and his friend coordinated their movements once again. This time, their approach was more measured, and their actions aligned with strategic precision. As they closed in on the avian adversary, their maneuvers mirrored each other wlessly.

    With a synchronized effort, they unleashed theirbined strength. Jackson''s friendunched himself toward the bird once more, delivering a swift series of blows that tested the creature''s defenses. At the same time, Jackson moved with calcted swiftness, drawing upon his training to exploit openings in the bird''s guard.

    Their determination was unwavering, but their teamwork didn''t seem to pay off. While fighting off the giant fire tornado, it also reflected off Jackson''s teammate, sending him flying into therge vortex of embers.

    This time, the boy was eliminated in an instant, nearly burned to a crisp as soon as he entered the fiery spell.

    "No! Heo!"

    Jackson eximed, wanting to dive head first into the tornado of fire, but restraining himself. He tried to look around inside to see whether his friend was still there but quickly realized that nothing could survive inside such a ruthless spell.

    "We shouldn''t have gone in again... damn it!"

    His face was shadowed with a mix of both concern and sorrow. However, before he couldment and mourn any further, he stared at Lyrian.

    ''He really is my only hope now. If he doesn''t defeat this monster... I don''t know who will.''

    Silvus and Lyrian''sbined assault intensified. At this moment, Glis also dived into action.

    "Ice Spike-Wall!"

    She yelled, waving her wand in the air as he traveled behind the bird. Suddenly, several ice spikes, each increasing in size, protruded up from the ground at near-instant speeds. the tempestuous winds and crackling fire, partnered with the iing ice spikes, seemed to overwhelm the bird''s luminous barrier.

    The flyer, looking to be frustrated with its faltering in power, separated itself from the battlefield, flying up into the air once again as it dodged the ice spikes before releasing a powerful wing p. This unleashed an enormous wind, the strongest they had ever felt before.

    In an instant, the fire tornado was scattered into nothing but air.

    "Even if we have a chance to over power it with pure magic, it is too quick to actually be hit by our moves. Especially since it''s in the open air, where it can move freely."

    Lyrian said, looking back at Spade.

    "We will need to use melee attacks at full speed if we want to kill this damn bird!"

 Chapter 174 Orders

    ?

    As soon as he heard this, Spade stood up, unsheathing his de as he smirked.

    "Man... you really are an intriguing guy. I can''t tell whether you are too confident, just foolish, or something else. To think of giving me orders like they are nothing."

    He began walking forward.

    "I don''t know if I should feel offended or not."

    Lyrian gazed at him for a few seconds, knowing that Yang was still alive and well in the air. He didn''t want to waste time, quickly brushing the conversation away from Spade as he looked at Leon.

    "I couldn''t care less if you are offended or not. Even if you wanted to kill me, you would fail. And Leon, we will need your help as well."

    Lyrian turned to face Yang once again, as Leon nodded and stepped up, walking beside Spade as the two neared where Lyrian was. Spade had scoffed at Lyrian''s reply, but inwardly, he was slightly pissed off.

    ''Does he think the protection of the school will really save him from my status and power? Pfft... There''s no reason to think about that anyway. I won''t let him pass this exam.''

    Spade thought to himself as he arrived next to Lyrian.

    ''Now that I think about it, he did wipe out my entire squad. They weren''t special, but they were some pawns I had... they were valuable pawns. I have to kill him for doing that, at the very least. It seems he has no ns to kill me though, so this will be easy.''

    He looked up at the bird, ''First, the bird dies.''

    Silvus suddenly dove down from the sky on his floating rock.

    "Are you saying magic is useless in this situation? Don''t underestimate me, boy."

    He said as he came about 15 meters away from Lyrian.

    "Boy huh? I suppose that''s better than a peasant."

    Lyrian retorted, mocking Silvus.

    "Still, it''s not good enough. Silvus! Have any of your attacksnded?"

    Silvus paused, gritting his teeth in frustration.

    "Don''t pretend like your attacks have excelled mine!"

    A smirk appeared on Lyrian''s face.

    "They didn''t, but I''m not a magic specialist like you. I barely know any spells. I like fighting with the sword better right now..."

    Lyrian held his obsidian de to the horizon, tilting the sun''s bright rays into Silvus'' eyes.

    "Do what you want... just don''t interfere."

    Silvus said, floating back up. Without wasting any time, Lyrian gave orders.

    "Jackson, stay back. Spade, Leon, fast attacks, nonstop. Use your full strength. Don''t think about the battle afterward, you will be lucky if you even get there with this creature as your opponent."

    Before he could continue, Spade scoffed once again, in disbelief and finding humor in the situation.

    "Rn! Stay with Jackson. If he can, he will heal you. If not, there''s no point in risking being eliminated."

    Rn nodded, walking over to where Jackson was.

    "Alten!"

    Lyrian shouted, as Alten quickly replied with a "Yes!"

    "Use Rn''s cube to shoot at the bird if possible, but from afar. I know you like using the bow more, but right now, you are too weak to do any damage with it alone."

    Alten was a bit upset at the words of truth from Lyrian, disappointed slightly in his weakness, but focused on the main point, which was the order given to him.

    ''Pfft... look at this guy. Giving out orders like he''s some mafia boss. And all of them are listening as well. It''s almost like he has higher status than us nobles.''

    Spade couldn''t help but feel a bit of envy brewing within his mind. Still, he didn''t really care too much either. Silvus, on the other hand, was listening to Lyrian talk with open ears, although he pretended like he was ignoring him.

    ''They are all... listening?''

    "Cedric!"

    Lyrian suddenly said, surprising both the boy he called out, and Silvus.

    ''Even my group? He dares... wait, is he going to order Glis as well? Surely not, she would never follow his orders. Hell, she doesn''t even follow mine.''

    He imed in his mind, knowing for sure that such a thing wouldn''t happen. However, there was a slight fear in the back of his mind that itched at him.

    Cedric suddenly looked up at Lyrian, his face different from before. He seemed nervous to look at him.

    "Your sword, take it out and use it against the bird. You are weak, but while it''s distracted you might get in some hits."

    Cedric looked at Silvus before replying, nervous to follow any orders from anyone who wasn''t the prince.

    Silvus, his expression annoyed, simply looked away. Cedric didn''t know what to make of this, but he imagined that he was given permission to follow the orders. They didn''t sound too unreasonable to him either, and he also wasn''t outright denied.

    So, he nodded in response. As soon as this happened, Silvus'' eyes widened slightly in shock. Even though he hadn''t given the boy permission, his own teammate even followed Lyrian''s orders!?

    It was absurd! He was just about to say something when Lyrian abruptly spoke.

    "Glis!"

    Silvus didn''t think, looking away as he focused his ears on Lyrian''s words and Glis'' reaction.

    Glis matched Lyrian''s determined gaze with a willful gaze of her own.

    While looking at the bird, Silvus'' unseen reaction was absolutely bewildered.

    ''Nothing? I didn''t hear anything? No refute? No yelling back? Is she... going to listen!?''

    Silvus was feeling his ego tested, a mix of envy, frustration, and anger.

    ''Lyrian Theageld. He''s much stronger than Ist saw him. But I don''t take orders from anyone except for my family, let alone some stranger...''

    Glis thought as Lyrian spoke up.

    "The wings. Use as much mana as possible to try and freeze them. No flight means no speed."

    Glis was going to interrupt him, but Lyrian didn''t start off his sentence normally. Instead, he said "Wings," which was random, causing Glis to want to understand what he was saying before she cut him off.

    After he finished, she simply looked at the bird and said.

    "I was thinking of doing that anyway."

    Not wanting to admit defeat or directly take Lyrian''s orders. She also recognized the orders as the most logical option for her right now.

    "Whatever, it doesn''t matter to me."

    ''Good. At least she listened.''

    Lyrian thought to himself, while on the other hand, Silvus had be even further enraged, biting his lower up as he tried to control himself.

    ''That wretched bitch! How dare she not listen to my orders, but his instead!''

    He cursed in his mind.

 Chapter 175 Explosion Of Light

    ?

    "Lyrian!"

    Silvus blurted out, fueled with rage. To be honest, he didn''t even know what he wanted to say. He didn''t want to reveal his jealousy, as that would be a sign of weakness. From a young age, the idea of having the perfect image was engrained in his mind, being the royal prince and all.

    Before he could think of anything to say, however, Lyrian began to speak.

    "Oh, andstly, Silvus!"

    Spade was slightly taken aback by this. The boy even dared to order the prince around...

    "What?"

    Silvus said in confusion.

    "You want to give me orders as well? What are you? Our of your mind?"

    Silvus was bewildered by what he was hearing.

    "If you want to pass the exam, just shut up and listen."

    Silvus was speechless, he couldn''t find the words to describe what he was feeling right now, a mix of confusion, offense, and bewilderment.

    "If Glis manages to do her only job and freeze the wings of the bastard while we attack, you can use your strongest move on it. It will actually work since it won''t be able to move for a little while."

    Every word that Silvus heard went through one ear and flew out the other, not understood due to the filter of ego and arrogance.

    Silvus was infuriated with the peasants but wasn''t used to not being able to actually do much. Because he was in the exam, he had to focus on passing. No matter how much the boy below him infuriated him, he knew that the punishment he would face if he failed the exam would be several times worse.

    He had already caught a glimpse of what it would look like when he failed the preliminaries...

    ***

    In the medical room, where Silvus was treated for his injuries shortly after the match with Lyrian, Silvus sat on a bed while facing down, his expression shadowed.

    A domineering figure stood at the edge of the bed, tall, and exuding an aura of power, discipline, and overall fearsome strength. The figure crossed his hands and stared down at his little brother lying down on the bed.

    "Fail again, and you won''t see that light of day until you are 15 years old."

    Silvus'' older brother, Zysrial Yaltan, spoke sternly.

    Silvus couldn''t find the will to reply, staying silent as he faced the ground.

    "Reinhardt is like a bulwark, his decisions are immovable. He let this slide since he respects the royal family, but this is it. Not even we can change the results if you happen to fail again. If you fail, who will represent Yaltas in the future? Think hard, boy."

    Zysrial disappeared from the spot immediately after finishing his statement, leaving Silvus alone in the room...

    ***

    *KAAW*

    The bird had decided that it had enough of it''s foes wasting time. Instead, it was now going to finish off this fight once and for all. With its effulgence growing even more bright, the bird began to p its wings in a certain manner that allowed it to spin in ce in the air.

    Before long, it began spinning faster and faster, soon reaching blurred speeds, which made it look like a beyde of sorts.

    Lyrian suddenly leaped forward, as Spade and Leon followed him, their swords unseathed.

    "We have to attack now before it gets this attack off! It''s gonna be strong!"

    He shouted, feeling the reverberations of mana in the air as the natural mana in the atmosphere seemed to crackle and get agitated at the use of the spell.

    Alten aimed the gun towards the bird, ready to shoot. As this happened, Glis skated forward on the ice, readying to use her magic to freeze the bird.

    Lyrian and the other two quickly appeared before the bird, jumping up to it.

    In three swift motions, their des traveled hastily toward the spinning blur of light.

    As they reached 20 meters away, Glis shed her wand across the sky, as an enormous wall of ice flew towards the bird. At the same time, Alten pulled the trigger on the ster.

    All of the attacks and attackers approached the Pheon at the same time. However, their efforts were in vain... The bird suddenly exploded in a catastrophic st of light, sending a powerful light wave soaring through the sky.

    The ice and light bullets were cast away, and Lyrian, Spade, and Leon were thrown back down into the tower. The impact was serious for all three of them, as theynded forcefully on their backs.

    The most damage they took, however, was from the initial st of the explosion. Leon, feeling one of his ribs having clearly broken, got up to his feet before the other two.

    Right now, his sword was unsheathed, and his eyes still glowed a furious white light.

    Lyrian stood up afterward, coughing out some blood as he clutched his stomach.

    "Damn it... that was bad."

    Spade stood up next, only shortly after Lyrian. He spit out some blood mixed with saliva, and then cracked his neck left and right.

    "This birds dead."

    He angrily dered. Lyrian stared at his furious expression for a moment.

    ''Hmm... was this actually a good thing? If he uses his full strength now, that would be a benefit to me. I barely have any power left. After we defeat this thing, I don''t know if I would have the strength left to fight Spade.''

    He thought to himself.

    "Again!"

    He roared new orders. Those who were impacted by the explosion, which was everyone present, were slightly surprised to hear those words. At least most of them. However, they still firmly stood their ground.

    It wasn''t like the beast was going to do such a powerful attack again, and even if it did, they were going to get the upper hand this time!

    The three lunged forward once again in unison, their swords unsheathed.

    The bird screeched loudly into the air, having used a considerable amount of mana.

    "You''re dead this time!"

    Lyrian shouted, matching his stare with the bird''s.

 Chapter 176 Unleashed Onslaught

    ?

    Everyone regrouped themselves, getting into a good position where they knew they could carry out the orders given to them by Lyrian. The three main fighters at the front, Lyrian, Spade, and Leon, dashed closer to the bird which was floating in the air, 20 feet higher than it was before.

    "Don''t stop for even a second! Attack!"

    Lyrian shouted as the two followed his route. He jumped across pirs, eventually leaping from the top of them towards the bird. As he neared the Pheon, Lyrian gripped his de tightly and Enhanced his arms with mana. He gritted his teeth together so hard that mana began to spew from his lips.

    His eyes opened wide, fierce and determined, were locked onto their target. Even though he was ferociously involved, he forced his mind to still focus as much as possible on remaining calm until the veryst moment.

    He didn''t want to tip the chaos limit over, since that would ruin his flow and let him mess up his attacks. Lyrian was slightly unbnced, a bit shaky, and most of all, still inexperienced.

    However, he knew this, and to counteract it, he found the art of smithing was extremely useful.

    Leon, one of his ribs broken and slightly sticking into his lungs from time to time, also firmed his grip. The light from his eyes gleamed brighter, like a well-fed me, as he traveled toward the Pheon like a streak of white lightning that painted across the sky.

    Spade was also serious. He now recognized the power of the creature more so than before. Since the thought of failing was more prevalent, he wasn''t going to let that realitye close as it did before.

    With intense eyes, he flew towards the beast whilst activating his power. Before, he had shown how he could harden his hand into a sharp spear-like state.

    Now, he did the same, except, he did it with the de. His already sharp de from before was now even sharper, and also a bit more rugged. On top of that, it was hardened to 10 times its original amount.

    Such a sharp and durable material was rarer than even tinum when it came to being able to find it in natural metals. He wasn''t ying around.

    *Bang*

    The three were 7 feet away from the bird when a dart of light suddenly began traveling toward it from behind them. Needless to say, it was faster than them and also caught them off guard.

    It sped right past them, before crashing into the Pheon, resulting in a small st.

    Alten had pulled the trigger too early. A few seconds prior, his hands were shaking from the intensity of the moment. He put his finger on the trigger, ordered to pull once the three had already attacked, but identally already shot.

    The Pheon was also readying itself for the onught of the three kids, but now that it was already attacked, it dodged up into the air, causing all three boys to miss and begin falling back down.

    Every single examinee was shocked when they saw his. The bird, having escaped, began forming a giant ball of light in its maw once again.

    "You fool! You ruined our chances of getting a hit off!"

    Silvus screamed from afar, turning his head towards Alten who was struck with despair, his expression frozen in horror.

    "We lost our only chance."

    Glis also said, slightly taken aback by the situation.

    Hearing all of this, Lyrian furrowed his eyebrows as he gripped his hilt once again. He had alreadye this far... There was no way his will would let him give up now. Even if he wanted to, he wouldn''t!

    "I said don''t stop! Go again!"

    Lyriannded on the pir tops once again before spinning on his heel and leaping into the sky towards the open maw of the beast once again.

    Spade and Leon had no other option to follow him in his split-second deicison, so they did the same. Spade immediately recognized what stupid decision he just made, since where he traveled was directly towards the giant light beam in the creature''s mouth.

    "Fuck!"

    He eximed, now having no choice but to continue with the attack.

    "Remember your orders!"

    Lyrian yelled for thest time, as Cedic and Glis were pulled out of their haze.

    As they neared 10 feet from the bird, it unleashed the giant sphere of light energy with a resounding boom. It hurled towards the ground at extremely quick speeds, seeming to get more and more bright as it traveled towards the three.

    Just before it sted them into ash, however, a giant wall of ice appeared before them, slowing its momentum down.

    *Crack*

    The ice almost instantly broke, but it was enough for Silvus to fly over from where he was just in time.

    "Wind Ricochet!"

    His voice sounded from afar, as he twirled his wand in the air.

    In an instant, a transparent barrier of wind appeared before them. The barrier was quickly torn through by the light sphere, but it was enough for its course of trajectory to be changed a little.

    This small adjustment allowed Lyrian and the other two to continue moving, as Cedric also leaped up from the top of the pirs towards the Pheon.

    With his hands still Enhanced, Lyrian''s de met with the Pheon as he moved with quick precision. Even though his body was still in the air, his de tore through the body of the giant bird, and he could feel tendons, bones, and meat slicing and tearing on the underside of the creature''s abdomen.

    "Iron Puncture!"

    Leon went for a slightly different approach, thrusting his sword forward at a single point with full force. With one fearsome scourge of his de, arge cavity was left in the Pheon''s left wing. The gaping hole was enough for him to fly right through.

    "Ice Wall!"

    Glis yelled for the final time, as her mana was nearly all used up by this point. Finally, another enormous wall of ice materialized in the sky, before snatching the other wing of the bird.

    With this, Spade neared the bird as well but traveled past it without budging his sword even once. He soared towards the ground along with the others, and also Cedric who didn''t get a chance to attack, with a nonchnt expression on his face, and Lyrian noticed him not attack.

    ''Damn, he fooled us. I used arge amount of mana on that attack as well...''

 Chapter 177 Race For The Light Core!

    ?

    "Spade... you bastard."

    Lyrian said, implying what everyone already knew. Spade didn''t attack, which was almost a betrayal to everyone there.

    Spade only smirked, quickly replying, "Focus on the battle in front of us."

    If he thought that the Pheon was going to live even after the onught, he wouldn''t have stayed back. Instead, Spade was fully prepared to use the extent of his strength to take it down, as the golden core was more important than anything.

    However, purposefully being thest one to attack, he took a moment to see the impact of the other examinees'' attacks. Seeing them do so much damage, Spade knew that there was no need for him to join in.

    Them lowering their own strength by using so much energy, and also nearly dying to the beast, was all nothing but a plus for him.

    Still, the job wasn''t finished just yet.

    Even though the bird was heavily injured, it was still alive. However, its mobility was close to none now. Without its wings, it crashed into the ground before letting out an ear-piercing screech again.

    Last time, when fighting the Kailon, this was the same situation that had taken ce. The foe was removed from its ability to fly, practically immobilizing it.

    However,st time, it was also pinned to the ground. This time, The Pheon was still able to move. With squawking some more, it got up onto its legs and began rampaging through the tower top, jumping towards the examinees.

    Lyrian was pissed off with Spade, but he knew he still needed to move on. As he ran towards the bird, he saw Silvus fly over him.

    "You can''t fly away so easily now!"

    He said, his expression ecstatic.

    Waving his wind frivolously in the air, he shouted, "Aeras Coffin!"

    ''The same move he used on me in the preliminaries? How wonder how strong it''s gotten, if at all.''

    At that moment, arge tornado began swirling around the bird, distracting it as it looked for an escape. before long, several darts of quick, condensed wind began shooting towards it.

    Since it was sorge, all of the wind dartsnded, scraping and scratching at its skin, and some even prated through, leaving decent gashes.

    By this point, it was already bloodied and severely injured. It was only a matter of time until it finally fell. With onerge stomp and a gathering of energy, the bird let out a freakish roar of light energy, bursting through the wind tornado with immense force.

    From what Lyrian could tell, the spell had gotten a good bit stronger, but it wasn''t considerable. From what he remembered, Silvus hadn''t gotten too much stronger, but rather, had learned to control his strength more.

    Knowing that the Pheon''s fate was already sealed, Lyrian imagined what he would do after its death. And after, of course, retrieving the core, which was the most important thing.

    He knew he had to fight Spade afterward, but how? He barely had any mana left and was weakened ever since the beginning of the entire fight, before he even reached floor 100.

    He pondered this for a moment but quickly immersed himself in the moment as he neared the weakened Pheon, struggling to stay alive. Right now, the main priority is still the golden-tiered core.

    He dashed towards it, ready to retrieve the core.

    "Woah woah! Already going for it huh? How about kill it first, no?"

    Spade joked, also beginning to run. He hadn''t expected Lyrian to try to kill the beast and steal the core at the same time.

    Cedric quickly followed behind Spade, as Leon sat down, sheathing his sword. His rib that was slightly stabbing into his lung was irritating him too much at this point, seemingly forcing him to stay out of battle.

    Alten too, exhausted and depressed, leaned back.

    Seeing Lyrian and Spade race toward the dying Pheon, they too, began making their way towards the beast. One in the air, and one on ice.

    Nearing a few from the bird, who now didn''t have a chance at dodging any attacks, he didn''t use any mana and shed through it, using only the sharp edge on his obsidian de made by Brokkr the cksmith.

    A wide and deep was left seeping into the bird''s chest, as it let out a painful cry.

    "Ice Skewer!"

    Glis yelled, pointing her wand at the bird as a giant, pointy spike pierced through the belly of the beast. In only a few seconds, it had endured enough damage to fall face-front.

    Spade came in at thest moment, slicing the skinny neck of the bird clean off, killing it instantly. Described as skinny, yet still quitergepared to the average beast.

    At that moment, time seemed to freeze for a few seconds as everyone exchanged nces at each other, and then lunged towards the body of the bird like it was some sort of prey, and they were predators that were starving.

    Glis and Silvus were the closest, with Silvus only being a few feet above the bird. He eagerly jumped down, only moments fromnding on top of the bird''s body, as Glis realized this and hurled a rod of ice towards him with her magic.

    The rod pushed into his chest, throwing him back a few feet from the Pheon''s dead body. He was enraged at this, looking back at Glis who flew and made her way towards the bird.

    "Bitch! Of course, it was you again!"

    He eximed,unching a gust of wind her way, which pushed her a bit farther back as well. Glis ''tsked'', irritated by the boy. To stop each other from retrieving the core, they got into a skirmish to the side of the Pheon''s body, unleashing an endless barrage of spells toward each other in hopes of stopping the other.

    While this happened, Lyrian swiftly ran up to the Pheon''s body.

    ''Just likest time, my opponents are being distracted with each other. This is perfect.''

    He thought to himself, as he suddenly felt a burst of malicious energy channeled toward him. Lyrian instinctly, ducked his head, avoiding a sweep of Spade''s sword, which could have easily eliminated him.

 Chapter 178 A Change Of Heart

    <h4>Chapter 178 A Change Of Heart</h4>

    Lyrian looked back past his shoulder to see Spade''s de avoid his neck by mere centimeters, with Spade right behind him. He was seconds away from turning around to face him when a sudden streak of familiar white light blitzed across the tower top and appeared between him and Spade.

    "Leon!"

    Lyrian said, excited to see him block Spade''s path as he turned back around.

    Leon had decided to use the rest of his strength to provide a helping hand to Lyrian. The pain he was feeling was temporary, it could be solved in the future. Right now, he had more important things to do.

    With no other distraction, Lyrian, let down his guard slightly by focusing purely on retrieving the golden-tiered core as fast as possible, as all other things narrowed out from his vision.

    As he neared 5 feet away from the body of the beast, Silvus noticed him, his anxiety going up by several folds. Suddenly, he was thrown to the ground. Since he wasn''t paying attention, Glis decided to not hold back and take full advantage.

    "Ice Skewer!"

    She yelled as a small spike of ice jabbed through Silvus'' palm and into the ground, forcing Silvus to let out an excruciating, pain-driven cry.

    ''He won''t be able to escape if I glue him to the ground. Now... for the core.''

    Glis thought to herself as she turned around. However, she was shocked to see Lyrian so close to the beast.

    Silvus was flustered. Not only was he going through immense pain, but also knew that Lyrian was mere feet from getting the golden-tiered core.

    "CEDRIC!"

    He suddenly screamed at the top of his lungs, not afraid of scratching his vocal cords.

    "Do what you came here for! Your only job!"

    Just as Lyiran reached the body of the Pheon, his de was suddenly knocked out of his hand. In that split second, he looked down to see Cedric below him, having knocked away his weapon with the touch of a sword.

    Cedric grabbed onto him, his sword ced onto Lyrian''s neck as he fell onto his back.

    Although Lyrian was in trouble, he couldn''t help but think, ''What he came here for?''

    Silvus'' words confused him since he had been wondering how Cedric got into the exam in the first ce ever since he saw him for the first time. However, this thought was the least of his worries, as Glis dashed across the field on her skates and used an ice-de to quickly slice through the body of the Pheon.

    She was desperately looking for her core, with no one else to stop her, but three things forced her to not be able to instantly retrieve it. Firstly, her sword was made of ice, dull. Secondly, the body of the Pheon was ginormous, so cutting through it took a while. Andstly, she had no clue where it was since many creatures had cores in different parts of their body.

    Lyrian, on the other hand, knew the answers to all of these problems. His de was sharp as could be, as he knew exactly where the core was, at least, he imagined so, since he had retrieved it from Yin, the ck Kailion. And as for size, it didn''t really matter, since he knew where it was anyway.

    However, the thing that stopped him right now was nothing other than Cedric, who hadtched onto his back. As soon as they fell to the ground, Lyrian grabbed onto Cedric''s sword, making it so Cedric couldn''t cut his neck.

    "You should have just eliminated me when my guard was low, you idiot. Why knock the sword away."

    Lyrian retorted, quickly pushing away his sword from the negatively leveraged position that he was in.

    "So you couldn''t cut the Pheon and find the core."

    Cedric quickly replied.

    "That''s not your job! You peasant! You were hired only to kill Theageld!"

    Silvus suddenly screamed, unable to filter his words due to his rage and immense pain.

    Alten was shocked to hear this, taken aback by those sudden words.

    "What? Hired?"

    Lyrian said, piecing together the puzzle. It all kind of made sense now. How Cedric, an extremely low-ss noble, barely even considered one, from a city in the outskirts, was able to enter such a prestigious exam.

    From the very start, Cedric had been trying to fight and kill Lyrian, so that fit in as well. Lastly, what also confused Lyrian was Cedric''s guilty looks. Lyrian remembered that Cedric began looking so guilty when he said he trusted Han, Hugo, and Cedric himself after defeating the ck Kailion.

    Lyrian imagined that Cedric looked guilty because he thought he didn''t deserve to be forgiven or trusted since he had been trying to fight Lyrian the entire exam. That was kind of obvious.

    However, it now made even more sense, since the true reason was because Cedric was hired to kill Lyrain, someone who trusted him even after everything he did.

    Now, hearing Silvussh out at him so angrily, Cedric couldn''t help but show his expression once again. The words that Lyrian said back in the tstone Mountains resounded in his mind like shbacks.

    They were impactful words that touched Cedric. At that moment, he realized how great of a person Lyrian truly was. After everything they had been through, to trust with a smile on his face... it was like something only an angel could do.

    However, Cedric also knew the other side of things. Back then, a short while after Lyrian defeated Silvus in the preliminaries, Cedric''s family was approached with an offer by imperial forces.

    Since Cedric was the person who knew Lyrian the most, they offered Cedric and his family a fortune, along with a higher status if Cedric was able to go in as a spy and eliminate Lyrian.

    Of course, Cedric epted, his eyes blinded by greed. But throughout his time in the exam after Lyrian''s powerful words at the tstone Mountains, Cedric was considering whether that decision was the right one to make.

    And now, at this very moment, he had finally decided...

    The boy''s grip on Lyrian''s neck suddenly loosened, as Lyrian looked back with a hint of respect in his eyes.

 Chapter 179 Retrieving The Core!

    <h4>Chapter 179 Retrieving The Core!</h4>

    Glis continued making her way through therge corpse of the Pheon, her goal; finding the golden core. With each sh she took of the gruesome corpse, blood sshed everywhere in the air, as bones, tendons, and flesh were cut to mush.

    Still, she continued forward with a determined gaze in her eyes. Getting the golden core was extremely important. It wasn''t just for the automatic pass of the exam, or even for the future prizes that she would get if she got it after the exam ended.

    No, it was for something even greater, something that everyone partaking in the exam, for the most part, already knew. Every single noble in the country, high and low status, and even some of them from distant kingdoms could be observing the retriever of the golden core.

    It wasn''t just some object, but something that represented the MVP of that year''s student ss. Because of this, and all the eyes on their backs, there was a load of heavy pressure ced upon everyone in the exam.

    This especially was the case for Silvus, who, as the imperial prince of the kingdom, was expected to bring home the MVP status with the golden core out of any other examinee.

    Right now, Silvus was bound by Glis'' ice rod which had impaled into his m, gluing it to the ground. Glis didn''t have nearly as much pressure, but it was still enough to dictate the path of her life going forward, and drastically at that.

    There were currently three things that shecked in trying to get this core, and those were firstly her ice sword, which was dull, and unable to get through the corpse so easily. Secondly, her not knowing the location of the core. And thirdly, just how big the corpse of the Pheon was, but this third point didn''t really matter, since she didn''t know where the core was anyway.

    Spade nced towards Sndra, before looking back at his opponent. He had begun to grow frustrated, shocked at the immense ability of Leon.

    ''He''s like a machine! No matter how much his bones shake, his muscles try to give out, or his mind wants him to quit, he simply doesn''t! What kind of environment raised such a monster!?''

    Spade thought to himself, unable to get through Leon''s defenses. He was able to quite easily parry, dodge, and block all of Leon''s attacks, yet, it was not enough to get through his barrier of seemingly unlimited attacks.

    Silvus'' focus was ced purely on Glis and Cedric/Lyrian. At that moment, Cedric began loosening his grip fully, as Lyrian let him do so.

    Silvus immediately noticed this, as a fury of rage suddenly swelled up within him.

    "Your family!"

    He suddenly screamed across the battlefield, causing Cedric''s entire body to freeze in ce. Noticing this, Lyrian immediately began to move forward.

    "You''re entire bloodline will be massacred if you fail to follow my orders! Who you do think you''re trying to betray here!?"

    Silvus yelled at the top of his lungs, scraping his vocal cords.

    Cedric, with his heightened leverage, immediately lunged forward and clutched onto Lyrian once again. He despised Silvus, and also his current decision, but he had no other choice.

    Any decision major decision he had ever made in his life was for his family, his parents. That wasn''t going to change now. Although Lyrian struggled, he couldn''t get out of Cedric''s hold.

    This wasn''t to say Lyrian, who was overworked and exhausted for many days, was weaker than Cedric. Still, he was far stronger. However, the positioning he was in forced him to be constrained.

    At that moment, Lyrian could see Leon''s de fly across the air, as Leon fell onto his knees from exhaustion. Spade quickly dashed forward, beginning to slice through the Pheon from the front, where Lyrian knew the core was close to.

    His de wasn''t made of ice, so Lyrian knew it would only be moments now before he could reach the core.

    Glis, to attempt to stop him, began making her way towards him, as Lyrian''s heart began to pound out of his chest. Cedric, who had let go of his sword, grabbed it once again and pulled it in with full force, aiming directly for Lyrian''s neck.

    As the de neared mere inches from slicing through his throat, Spade suddenly unleashed his final sh, revealing a bright golden orb that illuminated his face.

    At that moment, both he and Glis ignored all else, and lunged for the core in unison, their hands thrown outward. As soon as Lyrian saw this golden hue, a primal instinct of action kicked in within him.

    He threw his head back, crushing Cedric''s nose at once as his head whipped back and nearly cracked in half. He was unconscious now, but the de still continued nearing Lyrian''s neck.

    Glis and Spade''s hands were not even 10 inches away from the core now, and Cedric''s de even closer to Lyrian''s neck... it all seemed to be over.

    "Shadow Puppet!"

    Suddenly, a dark aura of energy exploded out of Lyrain''s chest, knocking Cedric''s sword out of the way as it used its momentum to propel itself forward, flying past both Spade and Glis as it reached the core first and grabbing onto it with its two small hands--throwing it into the air behind it!

    Glis and Spade gasped slightly at the same time, taken aback by the sudden being that had just taken the core.

    Lyrian deactivated the skill, regaining consciousness in his real body as he leaped up from Cedric''s grasp into the air and caught the basketball-sized core in mid-air, gripping it tightly.

    Arge grin of exhration and excitement stretched across his face as the entire world seemed to be illuminated by the object in his hands. He had finally done it! He had retrieved the core!

    But, it wasn''t over just yet. Lyrian dropped back down to the floor. He knew that right now, even fighting Spade, let alone Glis as well, would result in his loss, at least, most likely. He wasn''t going to take those chances. So, he continued his pre-thought-out n...

    Quickly running over to therge hole in the middle of the tower-top, left by the Pheon''s enormous Light Sphere attack from before.

    Without hesitation, both Glis and Spade followed him, jumping down as well.

 Chapter 180 Lyrian’s Escape Plan!

    <h4>Chapter 180 Lyrian''s Escape n!</h4>

    As the three entered the hole, the ice jabbing into Silvus'' hand had nearly all melted by now, having been in contact with his warm blood for quite a while.

    Suddenly, as his hand became more and more freed, a shback appeared in his mind. It was of the time when he lost to Lyrian in the preliminaries, and was met by his brother, Zysrial, in the medical room soon after.

    ***

    His brother stood before him, a domineering presence, with his hands crossed and his expression shadowed. Silvus couldn''t face his brother, simply looking down.

    Zysrial clenched his jaw.

    "Do not lose again, Yaltan. Reinhardt is nothing short of a bulwark, he doesn''t let things pass. This is your only excuse. If you happen to fail again in any part of this exam... You won''t see the light of day again until you reach 15."

    Zysrial spoke with a stern demeanor. Silvus'' eyes widened as he immediately realized what Zysrial was talking about.

    ***

    As soon as the ice melted enough, he shot up to his feet and yelled, "Dentro Wind!"

    A small log of wood suddenly appeared beneath his feet, as he clutched onto his left hand which had a gaping hole in it, and flew towards the crevice at full speed.

    The bleeding had subsided slightly since his nerves and skin were nearlypletely frozen by Glis'' ice magic, but it was still gushing out arge amount of blood nheless.

    Without any other option, he tore off a piece of his luxurious robe while riding, wrapping it around his palm.

    Lyrian began falling down severalyers of floors. The tower was tall, and from the looks of it, the Light Sphere of the Pheon had torn through dozens of levels with ease.

    In each life that he barely caught a glimpse of, Lyrian saw some that were full of Magma Dwellers in the stands and others that were empty, but this information was a plus to him in the end.

    ***

    Moments prior, before being grasped by Cedric, Lyrian thought about what he would do after retrieving the core. Fighting everyone, or even Spade alone, was an absolute no, since he was far too weakened right now.

    Then, he noticed therge hole in the middle of the ground. It sparked an idea in his mind; that was, of course, to jump down into it. However, this was undoubtedly not a full n, since he would eventually reach a dead end.

    That--was when he realized something...

    ***

    At that moment Lyiran suddenly saw the end of the Light Sphere''s impact closing in, so he abruptlytched onto one of the floors, rushing inside as he continued to run.

    The movement was so random that Glis and Spade couldn''t make the same moves on such quick notice, so they continued to fall.

    ***

    What Lyrian realized was the sheer amount of Magma Dwellers in each of the floors. It wasn''t just some small monster camp, but rather like the old bags said, an entire society. Seeing all of them in while falling through the floors was a testament to how true this statement was.

    Lyrian thought; that if they truly had an entire society, they wouldn''t just always live in a coliseum. No, they would have homes to live in. If they had homes to live then, then they would need supplies, elixirs, food, and whatever else.

    None of that mattered, except, of course, for elixirs! Lyrian didn''t know whether or not the Magma Dweller society held such items for sure, but guess what... he didn''t have any better option right but not to believe that they did!

    So, what would he do? Go looking across the floors for some sort of market? And then what? Begin searching for one that specifically sold elixirs? That may have worked in theory, but it was far too strenuous and difficult, and on top of that, even if he found a shop like that, who''s to say it would even be enough for him?

    So that was out of the window. Instead, he thought of the next ce where people stored elixirs, and not just mediocre ones, but valuable, high-tiered ones. They would store it where other valuables were, somewhere that one couldn''t easily get to... somewhere that each and every society had in their government.

    Somewhere like... a treasury!

    It was perfect! A ce that met all of Lyrian''s wants. Surely, a society would have a treasury. And now, the only thing left to do was the find the darn thing.

    ***

    "If it''s going to be anywhere, it going to be close to the king''s quarters."

    He said to himself, dashing up to the king''s seatbox, which existed on every single floor in the tower.

    The Magma Dwellers that noticed him had no clue what was going on. All they knew was that a giant ball of light had just gone through their tower and that a random boy leaped in before entering the king''s seat box.

    Inside of there, Lyrain went through the door that allowed the king to enter the seatbox in the first ce. As soon as he did, he was met with what looked to be abyrinth of wide ck stone hallways.

    They were well decorated with torches and carvings, with enough room to even have some pirs here and there, but they were almost endless, or at least seemed to be.

    By that point, both Glis and Spade had made their way back up to Lyrian''s current floor. They knew that the other ways led to the rooms of fighters, which they were quite familiar with, so the king''s seat box was the only logical path to head towards.

    As they entered it, the Magma Dwellers grew even more confused, their day seeming to get worse and worse...

    Lyrian stayed glued to the right side of the walls, dashing through quickly. Before long, thebyrinth turned a corner and opened up to arge room--inside of which was nothing but a circr tform with a teal-colored transparent key sitting in the middle of it.

    "A key! They are for moving up floors, no?"

    Lyrian lunged for the key, grabbing it as he quickly ced it inside of the lock that materialized as soon as he touched it.

    "The treasury... since the king only appeared on the 100th floor, I can only assume that he would stay there, and since it''s the hardest floor to get to, it would make sense that the treasury would be there of all ces."

    The teal light enveloped him from his feet, and he suddenly appeared inside of identical room with the key once again.

    "This must be the same room, but one floor up..."

    He thought to himself, as that''s how all the previous keys he used had worked.

    With a smirk on his face, Lyrian began opening up several new locks as he quickly traveled up the floors.

    "This would be 98...99, and finally," He put in the final key and twisted it for a satisfying click.

    "100..."

 Chapter 181 King’s Room

    <h4>Chapter 181 King''s Room</h4>

    Lyrian knew he didn''t have much more time left. Standing on the circr tform, another key materialized in front of him. For a second, he was tempted to grab it but quickly imagined that it would only lead to the tower top.

    "Spade and Glis are probably on their way. They are smart, they would figure out how to get near me somehow. I need to be fast."

    Lyrian said, dashing towards a certain hallway.

    "This is myst one, but it will have to do. I''m almost out of mana anyways..."

    Lyrian took out his final bottle of mana before spitting off the cork on top drinking the elixir and storing it right afterwards.

    He was indeed not far off with his guess, as Glis and Spade had both found the key room at the same time, even though they had gone two separate directions.

    They were in a speed race, to catch Lyrian. An intense one. As soon as the two of them reached the circr tform with the key, Glis summoned a root of ice that quickly extended toward Spade.

    He was running forward into it, so he couldn''t dodge it at its speed. Instead, he continued forward while slicing it up into several pieces. Spade, being that much quicker, grabbed the key first. He dodged several other spikes of ice hurtled at him by Glis, as he put the key inside of the lock. Once turning it, he looked at Glis before smirking, vanishing in a beam of teal light soon after.

    Glis furrowed her brows in anger, as another key suddenly materialized in front of her. She didn''t know if this was the correct path, but right now, she had no other choice but to follow Spade.

    She couldn''t risk having Spade catch a weakened Lyrian before she did, as that would mean the core being taken. So, she too put the key in the lock and vanished.

    After running around for a while, Lyrian suddenly saw two Magma Dwellers blocking arge entrance, armed guards with spears. The thing they blocked was a door, one made of metal that was over 15 feet in height.

    As soon as they saw Lyrian beaming toward them, they pointed their spears outwards, grunting angrily to ward off the intruder. The boy didn''t follow their rules. Seeing this, they stomped one foot forward, preparing to skewer him.

    ''I have to conserve the little mana I have left. After using Shadow Puppet, even Enhance takes away more mana than I want to use right now. I can probably only use it 3 more times...''

    He thought to himself, nearing the spear tips of the Magma Dwellers as he Enhanced his foot and dashed above them, kicking into the wall to the side as he made his way past.

    ''That''s one... this door, it was guarded, so it shouldn''t be locked!''

    He imagined.

    ''But... it will still take me too long to open. I''ll have to use Enhance again.''

    He Enhanced his hand before mming the heel of his palm into the door. If he had tried to push it normally, it would have creaked open, but using Enhance allowed the floor to fly open.

    Landing on the floor, Lyrian dashed inside. As he did, the door hit the wall before being forced to bounce back and m shut from the pressure of Lyrian''s attack.

    At that moment, Lyrian saw that the door indeed had a locking system, but not one that could be opened by a key. Instead, it could only be locked and unlocked from the inside, a wooden b locking system.

    Picking up a long, thin b of wood from the side of the door, he quickly put it on there. The guard tried to push their way through at that very moment, but their efforts were in vain, as the door was locked shut.

    Lyrian turned around and surveyed the room he was in. It was spacious, with arge bed opposite the door in the middle of the room, a few armor stands, weapon cases, and other trinkets and gadget-holding furniture.

    "This... is the king''s room."

    Lyrian thought, knowing he had failed to locate the treasury. He felt a bit devastated, knowing he had drank hisst mana elixir and only had one Enhance left.

    "No... wait. This is still a good thing. It means it''s close by, the treasury. And on top of that..."

    He jogged over to one of the drawers near the bed, rummaging through the giant structure as he quickly found arge ring with several foot-long keys hanging on it.

    His eyes lit up as he saw this, a smile appearing on his face.

    "The king''s room! Of course, it has keys!"

    "How high... Sndra will catch up soon. Just how high did that bastard go!?"

    Spade yelled, reaching the next floor as he scanned everywhere quickly, and then moved on once again. He arrived on the next floor and looked around, but nothing. Then the next, and then the next.

    Finally, he arrived at a floor where he saw something unfamiliar on the ground. He squinted his eyes, recognizing it near a hallway.

    "That''s... a cork?"

    He walked over to it and picked it up, inspecting it closer. There was a bit of blue liquid on it, which he licked. pping his tongue on the roof of his mouth a few times, he quickly realized what it was.

    "Mana elixir?"

    He dropped the cork, preparing to run into the hallway as footsteps quickly caught up behind him.

    "Sndra..."

    He rolled his eyes, sprinting into the hallway, as Glis followed him closely behind. She noticed the cork but didn''t pay much mind to it.

    The Magma Dwellers outside still relentlessly pushed the door, trying to get their way in. This was a disgrace, for a random human boy to outsmart them like this. They were special soldiers, one of the best in the king''s cavalry, and... to be taken out like this... It was an undoubtful stain on their reputation.

    As they continued to push, their final heave was actually sessful! But, it was way too easy of a push for them to have broken the wooden nk. No, instead, they lost their bnce and fell inside, as a boy jumped across the top of their backs and entered the hallway once again.

 Chapter 182 The Treasury

    <h4>Chapter 182 The Treasury</h4>

    Lyrian looked back at the Magma Dwellers as he chuckled slightly. His n had worked. Since they were pushing so hard, if they suddenly had no need to do so, their bnce would of course be broken.

    Looking forward again, his smile instantly dropped. Spade and Glis turned the corner, appearing right in front of him with determined gazes in their eyes.

    Without hesitation, Spade threw his sword at Lyrian with force. Glis enchanted her wand, throwing an ice spike his way. With the golden core already ced inside of his ring, Lyrian narrowly avoided both attacks and slipped past the two, jumping across the side walls.

    They began following him with haste as he ran, keys jingling in his hands.

    ''How do I find the treasury now!? I have these morons on my tail, and thisbyrinth is huge! I will definitely run out of stamina before those two...''

    As he thought this to himself, he nced at the keys, causing his eyes to widen slightly.

    ''They... they''re numbered!''

    He yelled inwardly in excitement, seeing various numbers on the hilt of the keys.

    ''Of course, they are! One wouldn''t be able to get anything in here otherwise...''

    There was a slight dilemma though. The numbers wereplete chicken scratch. He couldn''t understand them. Still, he imagined that as long as he could link each key to a room, he would have a basic understanding as to where the treasury would be.

    He picked out the biggest key from the bunch.

    ''This one...''

    Then, he looked past his shoulders to see both Spade and Glis quickly gaining on him. Especially Glis, who skated past Spade and was mere feet away from Lyrian.

    On top of that, he also noticed the Magma Dweller guards, also running after him behind the other two. As he saw this, a n came into mind.

    While running, he began to pick up the torches on the wall as he went, gathering them all in his hand. He dashed from wall to wall, which allowed his momentum to be a little more speedy as well.

    The two chasing him had no clue what he was doing but didn''t pay too much value to it. Their attention was focused solely on him and the golden core, so whatever he did with some measly torches, they couldn''t care less about it.

    Lyrian suddenly jumped up, mming the torches onto the ground beneath him. With the oil from all of the torches colliding and sttering into the air at once, this resulted in a seismic explosion that blocked the path for at least a second, causing Glis and Spade to halt in their tracks.

    "That was his n? To slow me for a mere second?"

    Spade scoffed, as he suddenly heard rapid, loud thuds approach him in quick session. Turning around, he barely blocked a spear that was quickly thrust at him by a Magma Dweller.

    While stopping for that second, the other guard also attacked Glis.

    "Oh! I didn''t even notice these brutes! I was too focused on Theageld! How smart!"

    Spade yelled, his eyes widened and a smile residing on his face as he exchanged blows with the guard with his sharpened hands.

    Glis summoned small spikes, throwing them at the one she fought.

    "But what''s your n? ck Sheep!"

    Spade yelled loudly, his voice echoing throughout the halls. His eyes widened even more as if he had gone insane.

    "You can''t run forever! I will catch you eventually, coward!"

    He let out a maniacalugh, dismembering the Magma Dweller as he continued forward. Glis finished her off too, lodging several spikes of ice into it before skating ahead.

    Hearing Spade''s loud voice, Lyrian tsked.

    "He thinks I''m running from him... he thinks I''m a coward. He''s got another thinging."

    He suddenly arrived at the end of the hallway. There were many other passageways to the left and the right, and also doors to head into, but Lyrian followed the pattern on the doors which led him to the final one, the one that matched the pattern of thergest key he had.

    "You''re the only option I got."

    He said, jamming his hey into therge, unguarded door and twisting it, his anticipation rising to the top of his body.

    ...

    Nothing happened, the door didn''t open. The key didn''t work. Lyrian looked up at the door in frustration, then looked back at the hallway.

    "They will be here any second. Damn it!"

    He said, Enhancing his hand as he cocked it back as a thick green aura enveloped it.

    With unbridled determination coursing through his veins, he roared, "I''m giving it everything I''ve got... SHOCK FIST!"

    His voice echoed through the chamber as he pushed his very essence to the brink, summoning an electrifying surge of power. With a resounding crack that shattered the stillness of the moment, his fist connected with therge key. In an explosive disy of sheer force, the lock broke open and the formidable door flew back.

    What met Lyrian''s weary eyes next was a substantial pile of shiny loot. Gold coins, other riches, precious metals, jewels, valuable ornaments, and... elixirs. A ton of them!

    It was like opening a door to heaven. As he stepped forward, his legs tried to give up, his manapletely depleted, but he gritted his teeth and continued forward, surges of pain searing down his body. With his core brunt out, it felt like he could pass out any second, but his willpower power to too strong to let him do so.

    His vision was slightly blurry, but he clearly saw a golden star at the top of the golden pile, arge bottle of blue elixir in a luxurious bottle. On his hands and knees, he climbed the 10-foot summit of gold to the top, before lying t on his back, the bottle of elixir in his hands.

    With a smile on his face, he seemed to pass out.

    ***

    Secondster, Spade and Glis arrived at the unhinged door in unison. It was barely hanging onto its axis and blocked what was inside. Quickly pushing it open, all they saw was Lyrian lying t in the middle of a giant, empty room.

    His stomach was erged and protruding, and a delightful smile stretched across his face as his eyes were closed. It was almost as if he was in the greatest slumber of his life.

 Chapter 183 Lyrian Versus Spade

    <h4>Chapter 183 Lyrian Versus Spade</h4>

    The two chasers stopped, both of them panting slightly. Spade scanned the room, searching for any exits.

    ''He can''t leave...''

    He assured, allowing himself to calm down as he took in a deep breath.

    ''But why. Why is he sleeping? Why is he smiling? It all makes no sense. He was running, afraid of failing this exam, just like a coward--only moments ago. Now, he looks like he''s having the time of his life...''

    Spade couldn''t grasp his mind around this randomness.

    ''What a fucking odd human being. He seems stupid, but he''s either a genius, or the luckiest fool I have ever seen... maybe he''s sleeping because he epted his fate. This room is a dead end after all. Yes, that makes sense. Kind of... well it''s the only thing that makes even a little bit of sense here, so I will go with that. If that''s the case, then good.''

    A grin appeared on his face. Glis stared at Lyrian as soon as he entered the room, also checking on Spade here and there.

    ''Wow... what a boy. I''ve never even heard of him, but he stole the core so easily. He must have nned it from the start, with that odd ability of his. I imagined him to be a cocky fool, but he seems to have a foundation of intelligence and power behind that wall of arrogance.''

    She began walking towards him, as Spade grabbed her hand. Feeling a hint of threatening energy, she dashed back, furrowing her brows at Spade. He looked back at her with a cheeky smile.

    "Glis..."

    He said, closing the door behind them.

    "It''s just us three in here. Even if you get the core before me, you will have to fight me or Theageld to escape. Not just fight, but defeat."

    Glis heard these retorts and firmed her ground. Ever since young, she believed in equal strength of both men and women. She wasn''t going to back down so easily.

    "Humph."

    She raised her head in confidence.

    "Be quiet, Agustus. Do you think those measly remarks are enough to scare me? I will defeat you if need be. You aren''t a threat to me."

    She stared directly into his eyes as she spoke. Spade paused for a moment after hearing these words. He couldn''t help but let out a giggle, putting his palm in front of his face.

    "I know when you''re bluffing. Listen up. Right now, Theageld''s sleeping because he knows it''s all over for him. Even if he had the strength to continue, his ns would be to escape, rather than fight. I know the type of person he is, the type of people who run instead of fighting."

    Glis heard his words, not impressed, nor convinced. However, he did make a little bit of sense. Although Lyrian was courageous at times, he seemed timid now that he had run away from them like a scared cat.

    "Let me have a crack at him first. In the end, all that will happen is one of us get weaker from fighting. Either him or me. Then, you get to fight that weaker version. Of course, the winner is going to be me, since this wuss has already given up... but you get the idea."

    He proposed with the cheeky smile on his face persisting. Glis analyzed the room, also realizing that apart from the semi-broken entrance, there was no escape.

    ''A weakened version of him? That would be better than nothing... Spade... always beat me in sparring. He knew that I was bluffing and that he would beat me in a fight. But why is he giving me this option? What is he plotting? He knows that there are no escapes but this one...''

    Glis squinted her eyes, trying to discern his reasoning.

    "Fine."

    She took a step back, crossing her arms.

    "Thank you! I owe you one."

    Spade smiled through his teeth, his grin widening as he slowly began walking towards the sleeping Lyrian.

    "Hahaha, it''s over for you now, Theageld! Where are you gonna run off to? I suggest you better wake up!"

    He yelled, loud enough for his voice to ricochet around the stone rooms. Lyrian, who appeared to be sleeping, suddenly began to talk as he continued smiling.

    "Oh, I''m not asleep man... I''m just enjoying this warm feeling. Those were some hefty elixirs. I have to let them marinate in my core, you know?"

    He patted his belly, as it seemed to shrink down to normal size. His core absorbed fully absorbed what was left of the mana elixir he drank, rejuvenating his body even more.

    [MP 130/200 (+50)]

    His mana became fully regenerated to its maximum capacity, which he had set from cultivating.

    "Oh? You were awake? Too afraid to speak up huh? Well... not that it matters anyway."

    Spade continued walking as Lyrian sprung up to his feet--his eyes still closed--cracking his knuckles, and then his neck.

    "I know you didn''t want to fight, but even when a mere cat is cornered, it has to fight back."

    Spade remarked, as Lyrian finally opened his eyes. Spade was met with a bright smile, along with a pair of brilliant azure eyes that brimmed with energy. Lyrian was... exhrated. He was in an elevated mood, feeling like he was going to break out into a peal ofughter at any second.

    "Didn''t want to fight? Haha... it looks like you got something wrong about this situation here, Spade."

    "Oh? Is that so?"

    "I see... I must have given the impression that I was going to try and pass this exam without many fights, huh? Without fighting you?"

    Spade didn''t reply, his answer was obvious.

    "That''s where you''re wrong. I want to fight--no, in fact, I''m going to eliminate you right here and now. That''s what I''ve wanted from the start."

    His eyes widened, as Spade scoffed.

    "You really don''t know the difference between you and me, do you? I''ve already assessed your maximum skill, boy. When we had our little duel. At best, you would win 1 out of 20 matches with me."

 Chapter 184 The Victor

    ?

    "K--"

    ...

    "Ka--haha!"

    Lyrian broke out into augh.

    "Ugh... your smile is getting annoying now. What''s the point inughing when you know you are faced with someone you cannot beat? It''s saddening, honestly. Have you gone mad or something?"

    Spade spoke with Disdain, slightly annoyed at this point.

    "I''ll show you why you shouldn''t beughing right now."

    Spade brandished his long, silver de. He hovered it in the air, pointing it at Lyrian.

    "Finally... it''s time to fight."

    Lyrian didn''t care to exin anything to Spade. He didn''t even walk to talk. All he wanted to do was test out his new powerfully, and that included his experience after going through 100+ battles in the tower.

    Without warning, he spread his hands out to the side like a bird freeing its wings.

    "Don''t be foolish."

    Spade''s gaze suddenly became sharp as he stared at Lyrian with viper-like eyes.

    "Unsheath your de."

    To this, Lyrian simply smiled before bringing his hands together and pping loudly. His palms were Enhanced, so the sound of the p quickly boomed throughout the room. The force of it shot directly towards Spade, and as soon as the gust of air from the p pushed his hair slightly, Lyrian appeared in front of him.

    Spade''s eyes widened in shock, as he swung his de up from fighting instinct alone. Lyrian sidestepped the sweep, swiftly kicking his opponent''s right leg as Spade nearly lost bnce.

    Holding himself up with his sword before falling onto his face, Spade quickly dashed forward before turning around, having created some space between him and Lyrian. Or at least, that''s what he thought.

    Lyrian had traveled along with him and was behind him. He only realized this when he felt a sudden thud thrust into his back out of nowhere, pushing some air out of his lungs as he gasped and stepped forward.

    Gritting his teeth, Spade flicked his wrist, as his de was abruptly enveloped in a purple coat of poison.

    "You were hiding your strength? Then I won''t go easy on you either."

    He said, looking around as Lyrian had already disappeared from his sight.

    Suddenly, Lyrian appeared in front of him once again, an excited smile on his face, as he abruptly shed at Spade with his obsidian de.

    Spade moved his sword up, blocking the attack as he stepped to the side and threw his own precise attack towards Lyrian. His speed was much faster than before, forcing Lyrian to actually block.

    "Good!"

    Lyrian remarked as the two exchanged several blows. Their swords twanged in the air as Lyrian began driving Spade back. But to disrupt his opponent''s momentum, Spade executed a series of calcted sidesteps whileunching his own relentless attacks. Lyrian found himself struggling to keep up,cking the sword skills to easily counter Spade''s learned techniques.

    Despite this, however, Lyrian''s sheer power and speed, which were higher than Spade''s allowed him to propel himself further in the fight. Enhancing his limbs at the correct moments, Lyrian began unleashing his own barrage of attacks.

    Enhancing his legs, he swiftly evaded all of Spade''s attacks. The poison from his de splurted in the air from time to time, but even that was avoided. Lyrian darted around Spade, poking and prodding with his sword, throwing a multitude of different sword attacks.

    He thursted to the right, then shed to the left, all before striking forward in the middle. The moves were relentless, causing Spade to get pushed back more and more, and continuously faster at that.

    In the middle of all of this, Lyrian was just having fun. Finally, he suddenly stopped. Allowing Spade to leap backward a bit. He was panting, speechless. He looked at Glis, but couldn''t help but keep his gaze for long.

    Spade felt something that he hadn''t felt for years... embarrassment? Humiliation? He didn''t even know at this point. All he knew was that the smiling devil in front of him was monstrous. Fighting him was like fighting some sort of damn wolf pretending to be a sheep.

    "Arrgh! How am I losing to you!?"

    Spade eximed in frustration.

    "The question you should be asking right now is," Lyrian put on a mocking expression and voice, "Why did he stop attacking all of a sudden?"

    Spade didn''t speak, simply thinking of what to do next.

    ''Damn it... damn! The bastard really did hide his strength. No... or maybe it was that he gained strength suddenly? I wasn''t paying attention, but he was saying something about an elixir when I entered the room. Did he cheat? Drink a powerful growth elixir before the fight? Yes... that must have been it. There''s no other exnation for this.''

    "The answer is... because I''m bored. You were weaker than I thought."

    Lyrian said, sheathing his sword.

    "What? Are you not going to eliminate me?"

    Spade blurted out, not even conscious of what he was saying, but just genuinely curious.

    "Huh? Haha! So you do know that It''s impossible to beat me at your current state, huh? Pfft! I didn''t actually think you''d admit it. But, for your information, no. I am going to eliminate you, but even faster than with a sword."

    Hearing this, Spade positioned his de in front of him as he covered a defensive stance. Lyrian cocked his hand back, as a mini vortex of green mana began swirling around his fist.

    He also Enhanced his legs, preparing tounch off. Spade gritted his teeth and gripped the hilt of his de with both hands.

    "Something big...e on then, bastard! You can''t defeat me!"

    He yelled, as Lyrian suddenly boosted forward, propelled by his legs. He hastily appeared in front of Spade before the boy could even react and unleashed his fist straight into his gut, wrenching it from the outside.

    Spade was lifted up into the air as green mana electrified Lyrian''s eyes and mouth, his roar resounding through the cave. A splurt of blood dashed out of his opponent''s mouth. Spade''s eyes had rolled back into his head, and with a final push, his body flew up and crashed into the ceiling of the room, before thudding down into the ground.

    At that precise moment, he disappeared from his spot.

    ''Eliminated.''

 Chapter 185 Against The Prince

    ?

    With Spade eliminated, Lyrian took in a fresh breath. He waved his right hand in the air, the one that blew Spade into the wall.

    "Wow... you are even stronger than I imagined."

    Glis took a few steps forward as she spoke. Lyrian turned around to face her.

    ''Sndra, huh? I don''t have any specific opinions on her. If she tries to fight me... then I''ll just eliminate her as well.''

    Lyrian thought to himself, observing the girl walk for a short bit, before stopping. She paused, staring at Lyrian for a split second.

    "I see... if I tried to fight you right now, it wouldn''t end well for me. It''s unfortunate, but I don''t care about the core as much as passing this exam. So, can I leave?"

    She said, her expression seeming nonchnt, but her words clearly the opposite of that. She was worried inwardly. She didn''t know what kind of person Lyrian really was, and if he was like some other guys that she knew, her escape would be impossible from this current situation.

    Lyrian was a bit taken aback by Glis''s words. From what he saw of her in public, he expected an arrogant humph and her saying something along the lines of, "I don''t want to fight you, bye!", or something.

    "Huh... smart decision. If you don''t want to fight, then leave. I don''t see any point in fighting you if you have no desire to do so."

    Lyrian nkly stated, as immediately turned around. Enforcing her feet in skates made of ice, she quickly made her way out of the room. As soon as she left, she heaved a heavy sigh of exasperation.

    "Freak... he will be dangerous."

    Lyrian on the other hand still had some more things to do, but first, he walked to the corner of the room where he had stored something precious to him. It wasn''t any of the treasure or anything, but rather, some pieces of dried meat jerky.

    He put his hands on his hip as he stared at the meat, his face challenged with a dilemma.

    "The storage ring was able to store all of the treasure... but I had to take out this stuff..."

    He contemted for a moment, whether to trade some gold for the meat or not.

    "Let''s not be too greedy. I have enough gold tost me a lifetime anyway."

    He said, taking out a small pile of treasure as he stored the pile of meat jerky in his storage ring instead. With this, he left the room, returning to the first room where the circr tform was located.

    As soon as he entered, an unexpected sight shocked him. He saw Glis on the floor, a bit of blood dripping from her mouth, and a boy floating in the air on top of a wooden log.

    Seeing Lyrian enter the room, Silvus turned his head toward him like a robot. His expression was savage, like a beast. It held a mixture of anger, frustration, fear, and almost any other negative emotion.

    "The core! Hand it over before you die, sheep!"

    Silvus didn''t wait for Lyrian to respond, swerving over to him at elerating speeds. As he neared, Lyrian noticed a few new tears in his clothes, and some scratches on his skin through those holes in his robe. The gashes looked to be frozen over.

    ''He had a full-fledged fight with Sndra before I entered it seems.''

    Lyrian thought to himself, as the enraged Silvus quickly closed the distance between them. Seeing the prince''s flustered and impatient expression, Lyrian actually felt a sense of disappointment.

    "When will you learn that letting your emotions control you will never benefit you."

    He said to the boy. Silvus ignored the remark and summoned a giant spiraling ball of wind in front of him.

    "Aeras Bomb!"

    He yelled, striking his wand forward as the wind sphere flew ahead, cutting through the air.

    Lyrian put his hand on the hilt of his sword.

    "Boring..."

    He said, looking at the iing ball of wind with an unimpressed expression. It sped at him, nearly making contact before being sliced in half by his de.

    The two half-circles of wind collided against the walls, causing some debris to fall from the ceiling.

    "I already know your fighting style, so I won''t waste time with you."

    Lyrian dashed forward with his de unsheathed.

    "Argh! Shut the hell up!"

    Silvus suddenly eximed.

    "I need that core... I need it!"

    He waved his wand in the air.

    "Take this! Aeras Coffin!"

    Lyrian was forced to make a sudden stop, as a wild tornado formed around him. It was the same situation he faced in the preliminaries. This time, however, he wasn''t the same fighter.

    Last time, Lyrian had used Shock Fist to escape. He had heavily Enhanced his hand, making a powerful weapon. This time, he already had a weapon in hand. Enhancing his hand once again, he shed his sword upward, slicing straight through the tornado.

    Its momentum was instantly cancelled, as it too dispersed into thin air. As Lyrian continued forward, Silvus shakily gasped in the air, bing more upset.

    "Wind sh! Aeras st! Aeras Coffin!"

    He screamed, frivolously waving his wand in the air as several powerful magic spells attacked Lyrian. However, with swift ease, he dodged all of them, reaching Silvus in mere seconds.

    Finally, he Enhanced his quads before jumping up into the air, right in front of Silvus, who slightly shrieked and tilted his head back.

    Lyrian aimed for Silvus'' throat and struck with his sword. The prince couldn''t react fast enough, closing his eyes as he prepared to be eliminated.

    At that moment, his heart pumped out of his chest as a sh of thoughts went through his head. He was horrified at the consequences of failing the exam. Things that he knew no one else in the world but him had to face.

    Losing concentration, his log suddenly disappeared beneath his feet. He fell down to the ground andnded on his buttocks, saving him from elimination.

 Chapter 186 Ding* [Main Goal Has Been Founded]

    <h4>Chapter 186 Ding* [Main Goal Has Been Founded]</h4>

    Lyrian dropped down in front of Silvus. He walked forward, nearing the boy whose legs had already given out. Right now, even if Silvus wanted to, he wouldn''t be able to get up.

    A flurry of emotions swelled up within him. He felt like crying, his entire world crumbling before him as he stared at the damned monster in front of him.

    Throughout his entire life, he had nevere so close to wanting to end it all. He had pondered from birth, and even he knew this, but to have a random kid, a peasant at that whom he had never even seen-e in and destroy everything that he had worked for--it was horrifying and devastating.

    Not only what he had worked for, but his life. Right now, Silvus felt as though his life was over. And when questioning how, or why, the answer always led back to Lyrian.

    "Damn it! Why did you have to show up!? You''ve ruined everything!"

    Silvus suddenly broke out into tears. He mmed his fist into the ground.

    "My life is ruined! It''s over because of you! You don''t know what I have to go through, the standards my life is held upon! You are a peasant, one who gets to live freely because you have no shackles or restrictions in life! You have no expectations, nothing to meet nor to do!"

    Lyrian stopped, furrowing his brows as the words that Silvus spoke aroused interested thoughts within him.

    ''He thinks... that we have no shackles because we have no restrictions?''

    The thought intrigued him since his entire goal from the start was to be free from such restrictions.

    "Each second of my life is not only judged but also evaluated. Anything I do that is below the best deserves the worst of punishments, and now, you have made me perform the worst! I, the prince of Yaltas, was eliminated in the entrance exams!? Gah! Damn it all!"

    His screaming cries echoed through the room.

    ''To think... our life experiences are so different, that he thinks he is the one that is shackled. Perhaps... he is. Yes... he is. Of course, he is. His words make total sense, of course, except for the fact he thinks that peasants are not also shackled. That talk is simply from ignorance. But the rest... the rest of what he says is true.''

    Lyrian pondered to himself.

    "Why!? Why do you have to have to core?! You have no real reason for it! If you lose the core, you still pass, and the only punishment you bear is losing some extra prizes! But even if I pass without the core, I will be punished to hell! It is not passing without the biggest prize, but rather, shaming my entire country, and my family. The other kingdoms will look down on ours, and all the me will be put solely on me!"

    Silvus fell back onto his back, lying there as he continued to cry silently. Lyrian simply stared at him for a moment. Although it was for odd reasons, Silvus'' words had struck a cord within him.

    It wasn''t like Lyrian was hearing him out, but rather, he felt as though he hade to have an epiphany.

    ''The shackles and restrictions of life... are they not surpassed and destroyed by fame, wealth, and glory? That is the case with Silvus, the prince of this kingdom.''

    Lyrian pondered this thought for a while longer. It felt as though he was at the tipping point of something big.

    ''No... that can''t be it. Why have I won, and why has he lost, despite his fame, wealth, and glory. It''s obvious... power. Although he has those three things, all of them put together did not surpass my power. He wasn''t powerful enough.''

    Lyrian began making sense of his thoughts.

    ''To be free, one must be the most powerful.''

    He already knew this before having his moment of realization. However, what he now knew was something that he hadn''t fully considered yet.

    ''To be free, I must have not fame, nor wealth, nor glory... but the greatest fame, the greatest wealth, and the greatest glory, along with the greatest power. That alone will free me from restrictions.''

    Finally, he pieced his thoughts together to form one resolution.

    ''Before, I wanted to achieve freedom, but I didn''t know how to go about it, or what exactly it took. But now, I think I understand. Fitting the description of the most famous across the globe, the most wealthy amongst the empires, the most glorious under the sun, and the most powerful standing above all... To be free, I must be the ruler of the world.''

    *Ding* [Main goal has been founded]

    [Main goal (Dream): Ruler Of The World]

    [Sub goal: Bing Stronger]

    Out of nowhere, a slow grin creeped onto Lyrian''s face.

    "That was insightful..."

    Lyrian spoke, as Silvus stopped crying and looked up at him. Silvus was slightly confused.

    "Insightful? All of what I said to you was... insightful?"

    He said, at a loss for words.

    At that moment, Lyrian gripped the hilt of his sword.

    "I''m sure no matter what, they won''t kill you off. You probably will grow stronger due to their punishments, actually. Come get revenge when you do."

    And with that, Lyrian sliced his head off--almost, that is, as he was eliminated just beforehand. Lyrian looked over to Glis, only to see that she had already left.

    He was now left in a wide room with the silence of his thoughts. The feeling inside of him was triumphant, one that was determined and willed. All of his mind, soul, and body, were now aligned to his one and only main goal. His dream... To be the king of the world.

    ***

    Lyrian soon arrived back at the top of the tower, where only hisrades were left. He smiled as he saw them, his mood heightened by his refreshed body and mind.

    Seeing Leon in his injured state, Lyrian tossed over a good healing potion, which Leon drank while being supported by Alten to stand up. In mere moments, his broken rib fixed itself.

    Lyrain also gave mana and regeneration elixirs to both Alten and Rn, before looking up at the waning sun in the sky.

    "Let''s get back before nightfall."

    As the other prepared to leave, Lyrian walked over to the Pheons corpse. He looked at the body, taking in a deep breath. All that he had worked for... was now right in front of him.

    He slowly raised his hand over its body, before saying in his head ''Reap.''

 Chapter 187 Final Words; The Entrance Exam’s Wane

    <h4>Chapter 187 Final Words; The Entrance Exam''s Wane</h4>

    As the sun began to drift below the horizon, Lyrian, Leon, Alten, and Rn made it back to the transparent blue dome--the epicenter of the Tasnan Wildends--in one piece.

    They all cracked jokes andughed while returning, enjoying what they knew would be theirst moments in the exam. They all looked normal, except, Lyrian had a ck headband on. They stepped inside, feeling the vibe of the quiet center. Many kids still lurked around.

    Some were full of anxiety, too scared to go after the Golden Tiered Monster. Others confident instead, finding safety in their number of cores and knowing that they will pass the exam indefinitely.

    Nheless, many examinees had been knocked out. In total, 20 of them were left in the center...

    "Guys..."

    Lyrian stopped as they arrived at the main hub of the center, where the smell of food lingered in the air. Suddenly, the sound of a stomach rumbling could be heard, as the other three looked at Lyrian with smirks on their faces.

    "Damn it... I''m hungry! Let''s eat!"

    Although he loved meat jerky and meat in general, sometimes, nothing could beat a fresh hot meal. The four got their food, before sitting down at one of the tables nearby and feasting away as they conversed.

    ***

    Back in Anaviotis, the examiner''s room, silence filled the air. It had been this way for multiple hours by now, ever since the events at the ck stone tower.

    *Tap tap tap*

    Yesan''s nail uncontrobly tapped on the tabletop. His other hand held the feather that covered his irritated expression. He was a bit flustered, but on top of that, surprised.

    ''Theageld... Theageld? Hmm... why is he here? A bird that snuck into an eagle''s nest... and dered himself a Pheonix.''

    His eyes darted across the room beforending on Julius, who had a bright smile on his face as he stared at the mana orb. Yesan looked down to see what he was chuckling at so joyfully, only to see a vision of Lyrian and his friendsughing with each other.

    This annoyed him even further. He abruptly pushed his seat back and stood up, looking around for a second while clenching his teeth before beginning to walk towards the exit.

    "Hey... aren''t you going to stay to see the finaly of the exam?"

    Julius called him out, as the others quickly changed attention to Yesan and him.

    Yesan put on a fake polite smile behind the feather, squinting his eyes.

    "My... what is there left to see? All there is left to do now, is to wonder. To calcte, and to react."

    Yesan dropped his fake smile as he turned and left the room, leaving the door swinging open. His footsteps turned into heavy stops as they could be heard echoing through the halls as he got further and further away.

    After a short pause, Julius spoke to the entire table of examiners.

    "The boy is a wildcard. We all know who I am speaking about. However... there are many others out there with simr, less, or even greater levels of potential. How did the kids in the Veridrake region do?"

    He said, calling out to another examiner. The one in charge of the Veridrake began to speak.

    "Yes, we have a good number of potential prodigies here."

    Another examinee, one in charge of the Yuun region, also replied.

    "The same here. This year is looking fruitful."

    Julius sat back in his seat, taking in a deep breath of fresh air as he eximed in genuine excitement.

    "From all three kingdoms nearby, we have new talents! This academic year seems like it''s going to be fun."

    ***

    "Haha! Yep! I used so much mana I freaking passed out! If it wasn''t for that Kang guy, both Alten and I would have been toast."

    Rn eximed as the groupughed.

    "Hey, I saved both of you too."

    Leon said, as Alten swiftly replied.

    "All hail you!"

    He bowed his head and submitted his armsedically.

    "No, actually, all hail all three of you! You guys have not just been great friends, but have saved me countless times. I wouldn''t know how I could ever repay you all."

    Everyoneughed again, as Lyrian replied after taking a chunky bite out of a piece of meat.

    "Hey! After we all enter the academy, just treat us to some dinner. Food always gets the job done."

    As they continued tough, Rn stopped. He disengaged himself from the conversation to think for a moment.

    ''Enter the academy huh...''

    Suddenly, he interjected with a more serious, somber tone than the jolly one that was currently in stock.

    "Guys... you know, about that."

    He looked down nervously, as the other''s slowed theirughter and quieted down for him.

    "I don''t think... I''ll be joining Anaviotis."

    Alten immediately stopped smiling. Leon and Lyrian were slightly confused, forcing themselves to be a little more serious and listen to Rn. Lyrain still quietly ate his food though.

    "What!? Why not? What about your family!? Your parents are ill, you have to take care of them! No one else can do it but you."

    Alten suddenly retorted. He continued, his tone growing even more somber.

    "Last time I visited them, they were... more ill than I remembered. You have to be there for them. You have to make their life worth living. Without the academy, you can''t do that."

    Lyrian and Leon looked at each other. They didn''t a say word, and looked back at Rn, who paused for a moment.

    "You are right, Alten. My parents... they don''t have much longer to live."

    Saying these words was enough to make his stomach feel like it twisted and turned, but he knew that this was the only option for him moving forward.

    "And that is precisely why I am not going to the academy. If I go there, I won''t be able to return for a long time. And I know that I will be okay without seeing my parents, but I don''t know if they will be."

    Alten began to understand Rn''s point of view.

    "I came this far thanks to you guys, but I know I won''tst long in the academy with what skills I''ve got. I can''t rely on luck forever..."

    He paused as tears jerked toe out of his eyes, and his breath became shaky. He gripped his pants, as a few droplets trickled down his face.

    "I...I don''t want my parents to die alone... without me in their presence."

 Chapter 188 The End Of The Entrance Exams!

    <h4>Chapter 188 The End Of The Entrance Exams!</h4>

    "I understand."

    Alten said, putting his hand on Rn''s shoulder. Rn raised his head, looking at Alten with teary eyes. Clearly, this was a devastating and ruthless decision to make. However, it was the right one in the end.

    "Go to your parents, Rn. No matter what, I won''t let your life go to waste. I promise that to you, as your friend."

    Alten said, his brave words carrying a sense of love and genuine empathy.? Lyrian looked at Alten and saw a kind person. This was enough to make him smile.

    "You know, I shouldn''t have made it this far either. I''m a weakling, a failure probably even worse than you. I only made it here thanks to these two."

    He looked over to Lyrian and Alten with a smile on his face. They smiled back.

    "If I was in a simr situation to yours, I would do the same. But since I''m not, I''ll continue to test my luck and see how far it takes me. Not only for me but for you."

    Rn, still teary-eyed, clenched his fists as if trying to hold onto the moment. He knew that whatevery ahead, he had friends who believed in him, and that gave him the strength to face his challenges.

    "No. Even better, Alten. You are going to get stronger, more courageous, and since you are who you are, even more kind than you already are. I can''t have someone striving for any less on my team ofpanions."

    These words uplifted Alten as well, who, throughout the entire exam, was feeling down due to his inability. But now, he had something to work towards, something that would make his problems go away, and something for his friend. It was a damn good feeling.

    Standing, Lyrian got up onto the desk, still holding a stick of meat.

    "Leon, Alten, and maybe in the future, or whenever you want, Rn. I want you all to join me in my quest..."

    He paused to everyone''s slight confusion before throwing his meat-holding hand up in the air.

    "Of conquering the world!"

    He proimed, expecting apuse and maybe even some cheers. Instead, he was met with an awkward silence.

    "I think the meat''s got him drunk or something... hahaha!"

    Rn joked, beginning tough, as Alten joined in. Leon looked at Lyrian for a few seconds longer. He realized a hint of truth in Lyrian''s words, and couldn''t help but admire him.

    For Leon, there were two types of boasters in this world. The first one is a fool. A clueless idiot with no background, ambition, will, or determination. The second one, however, boasted in the exact same way. Except, his speech, instead of sounding like a drunk fool''s speech, sounded like a king''s. This type of boaster was someone... who truly believed in what he said.

    "Tsk... whatever. You idiot''s just ruin the fun."

    Lyrian said, slightly upset at the reaction he received, as he sat back down and began chowing down on the meat. Leon chuckled slightly, impressed and even more bewildered by Lyrian.

    While Rnughed, Alten paused for a moment.

    ''Conquer the world huh... if anyone''s going to do such a crazy task, it might as well be this crazy guy.''

    "Hey anyway, care to tell us how you got that ck bandana?"

    Alten said, curious about the thing that randomly appeared on Lyrian''s head just recently.

    "Oh, this? Yeah... it was pretty funny, actually. Since I jumped down from the tower before you guys and had the piles of snow block my fall, I got out and noticed a random guy dressed in all ck looking like he was waiting for someone or something at the bottom of the tower. When he saw me, he instantly attacked me, and that''s when I eliminated him in one hit and took his ski mask. It was a pretty funny encounter, but I didn''t feel the need to mention it or anything."

    Alten looked at him and raised an eyebrow, amused.

    "And the headband?"

    "Ah yes... I thought the ski mask would help protect my face from the freezing tundra, but it was all the same in the end."

    And just like that, the night continued, as the sun finally fully set below the horizon. The transparent blue dome gleamed with a vibrating light as darkness took over the night sky, illuminating the inside of the dome as if it were daytime.

    The examinees left their tents and gathered at the inner, yellow circle, their faces marked by a mix of exhaustion and anticipation. Some left their tents hastily, still rubbing the sleep from their eyes. Others had been awake for hours, their nerves getting the best of them. None of that mattered now. They all knew that the time hade and that the exam was drawing to an end.

    The vibrations began to grow in size and force, causing a collective gasp among the examinees as they felt the wind whip through their hair. The examinees'' heartbeats seemed to echo in their ears. Each thud was a reminder of the magnitude of this moment, the culmination of their efforts and determination. A few exchanged nervous nces, silently questioning whether they were truly prepared for what awaited them.

    Finally, a voice rang out from above, its authoritative tone cutting through the tension like a knife.

    "Congrattions, examinees! Take immense pride in yourselves, as you have done what is recognized as near impossible amongst all others your age and above. You have triumphed over the entrance exams of Anaviotis!"

    Julius''s voice, ringing out from above, resonated like thunder, its powermanding their attention and respect. It was a voice that left no room for doubt.

    Lyrian clearly recognized the voice as the dome around them soon gleamed bright enough to be a vortex of space and time in itself. It became just as bright as the Pheon''s effulgence. And finally, before any of them even knew it, they all were traveling through a white vacuum at extreme speeds!

 Chapter 189 Returning To The Real World

    <h4>Chapter 189 Returning To The Real World</h4>

    Wolves howled in the distance, facing the dominant moon in the middle of the night sky that gave way to light. Small andrge freckles of stars shimmered, and a cooling, yet dangerous feeling enveloped the atmosphere.

    Through a small opened window, from which this dangerous feeling leaked, could be seen a young boy sleeping on his small yet well-crafted bed. Lyrian was smiling in his sleep. He couldn''t help it, he was proud.

    Loud winds howled outside, able to be heard even from the inside, but Lyrian was too deep in his sleep to hear them. Suddenly, a white owlnded on the sill of his window, before looking down at him and erratically shifting his head.

    Although its head moved wildly, the rest of its body gave a sense of calm and confident energy. After a moment of pause, it flew inside,nding on top of his chest.

    It abruptly let out a loud hoot, causing Lyrian to begin slowly opening his eyes. The blurriness of his vision soon began to go away, as he looked up at what was in front of him.

    A curious set of bird eyes met his gaze. A confused expression came, and then he looked down, left, then up, all in deep thought.

    ''An owl... I''ve never seen an owl before in the entrance exams...''

    He pushed himself up to a seated position. The owl jumped down to his legs, as Lyrian scanned where he was.

    ''This... isn''t my tent.''

    At that moment, he realized where he was. Then, a smile came onto his face again.

    "I passed. This is the camp!"

    He threw his bed covers of himself as he quickly got up onto his feet. The owl flew back to the sill of the open window, continuing to look curiously at the boy.

    Lyrian simply stood in the middle of the room, with only his underwear on, and a smile on his face. He tightened his palms into fists. Although he didn''t know what to do, he did know that he was freaking excited!

    A flurry of exhration, pride, and excitement overtook his body in this surreal moment, as he closed his eyes, faced the sky, threw his hands up, and yelled at the top of his lungs!

    "I PASSED!! HAHA!"

    His hands came back down.

    ''What do I do? Am I supposed to be here right now?''

    He thought to himself, slightly confused. Opening the door, he stepped outside, but not without turning around and looking at the owl, which was still standing at his window sill.

    After stepping into the living room, where the firece still crackled, and where the candles lit up several parts of the room, he made his way towards the exit.

    "Oi! I''m trying to sleep here. Stop yelling like some crazed idiot!"

    Leon suddenly shouted from his room.

    Lyrian turned around, surprised to hear his voice for some reason.

    "Leon! You''re here too!"

    "Of course, I''m here... did you think I failed or something?"

    Lyrian opened the door to his room before going inside. Leon looked him up and down before putting his covers over his head.

    "Dude... get out."

    Lyrian looked down before suddenly blocking his private parts.

    "Why are you sleeping at a time like this!? Shouldn''t we be... like... doing something?"

    He said as Leon replied under his bedcovers.

    "Didn''t the owl tell you?"

    Lyrian put on a confused expression, raising an eyebrow.

    "The owl? It just hooted in my ear and woke me up."

    Leon uncovered his face for a bit, looking only up at the ceiling, as a slightly confused expression dawned on his face as well.

    "Hmm... that''s odd. An owl that doesn''t talk?"

    Lyrian was even more confused.

    "What kind of owl talks anyway? How is that the odd part? I''d say an owl talking is weird."

    Leon paused, before putting his head under the covers once again.

    "Get out and go sleep. We are meant to go back to the middle of the dome at dawn, where our other meetings with Julius happened..."

    After entering back into his room, Lyrian sat down on his bed. He looked over at the owl, which was still there, just staring at him. Lyrian stared back.

    "What do you want, owl that doesn''t talk."

    The owl paused for a second, before breaking out into a chirpish littleugh that was squeaky. It then flew away, leaving a trail of vibrant blue and green colors in the air.

    Lyrian was confused, but he didn''t pay much mind to it. Left alone in the silence of the loud wind, and only himself, Lyrian pondered about what happened thest day.

    He founded his dream, the thing he wanted to do most in life. Laying down with his hands behind his head and one knee ced atop the other, he thought to himself.

    ''King of the world, one who has most power... now that I think about it, the most wealthy, and the most glorious, and the most famous... all of that is nothing but power at the end of the day. Maybe they can be substituted for each other? Well, that doesn''t matter anyway. I''m sure when I''m king of the world, all of those aspects will be met by then.''

    He then opened up his status. It hadn''t changed much fromst time, as he barely had any time to use Gale, and the more he cultivated, the slower the progress got.

    It was slightly annoying, but it was part of the reason Lyrian decided to try and join the academy anyway. To get a better cultivation technique and boost his growth by leaps and bounds.

    He then checked the stats of Zuuc. Garmr''s stats wouldn''t have changed much, but Lyrian had yet to see the stats of his newest creation.

    ��������Status��������

    Name: Zuuc

    Species: Generational Hobgoblin

    Age: ~1

    Overall Power (OP): 9

    Health: 94/94

    Stamina: 90/90

    Strength: 99

    Agility: 101

    Defense: 88

    Rank: Normal

    ����������������������

    ''What the... It''s already so strong. Did it grow up stupidly quick, or is it just a monster!?''

 Chapter 190 Anticlimactic Celebration...

    <h4>Chapter 190 Anticlimactic Celebration...</h4>

    [Due to its unique ability that allows it to change in age, the Generational Hobgoblin will limate to the stats of his elder stage much quicker than other creatures]

    ''Ah... I see. But is the elder still not a child, despite itsrge size? Since everything I create starts off as a baby that grows up?''

    [In terms of the mind, yes, any creation of yours will be born as a child. The elder stage of Zuuc will continue to grow in both age and strength ording to your stats]

    [However, all creations made from the Creation System exist differently from the creatures of the material world]

    ''How so?''

    [Beings created by Creature-link can, for the most part, never die. They are boosted in all stats. Along with growing up 20x faster than normal creatures, they also never grow past their prime age]

    ''What!? So you''re telling me that Garmr is in his prime right now? He has lived for over a year, so that''s 365 days. Times that by 20... that''s thousands of days.''

    [Age-wise, Garmr has reached his current peak''

    ''Hmm...''

    [However... two factors will continue to elicit Garmr''s growth. One of the factors is you. As you grow stronger, your soul-bonded partner will as well.]

    ''Yea... I already know that part. What''s the second? I didn''t know there was one.''

    [The second factor is... cultivation. As you have seen in the exam, beasts can also naturally cultivate. All beings alive can, as it is simply manipting the lifeforce of the universe to their will]

    [As of now, I do not know how a beast cultivates in this world]

    [Cultivation allows one to live for longer, but not just that. It also makes one grow stronger with age. This means that if Garmr''s cultivation is increased, his prime age will also increase, allowing him to be increasingly stronger the more his cultivation increases]

    Lyrian took in a deep breath.

    ''That''s amazing! But, how do you not know how a beast cultivates, Gear?''

    [I do not even know what a beast''s cultivation stages are]

    ''Huh!? Then what about the cultivation you showed me when I Scanned different beasts?''

    Lyrian was baffled at what he was hearing.

    [Those are estimations. Observing the beast''s power level, and using the human cultivation stages to give you a correct level of power. However, it could also be the case that beasts follow the same cultivation stages as humans. The answer to that, I do not know]

    ''Weird. It''s a weird power I have. I wish you could tell me your origin, but you still won''t allow it, right?''

    [Indeed]

    ''Tsk... whatever. I''ll figure it out soon, or at least, someday in the future. For now, I''m going to sleep.''

    Lyrian said to Gear, who didn''t reply back. Lyrian, no matter what situation he was in, could find sleep quite easily. This trait of his continued manifesting itself in this case as well, as he fell into a deep slumber within minutes.

    ***

    The next morning arose, and as magic horns seemingly sounded from the heavens, Lyrian was suddenly jerked awake. He got up from his bed, before quickly putting on some clothes he found in the closet.

    He wasn''t big on fashion, but at the very least, he wanted to wear somethingfortable.

    He put on a dark green tunic that went down to just above his knees, with brown trousers underneath. A leather belt went around his waist, along with another belt for holding his sheathed sword and a pouch for some essentials, such as elixirs, gold, etc.

    On his feet, he wore a pair of boots that came up to the top of his calves. They were made from a soft microfiber, had a rubber sole, and also had warp around frontces on the side of the boot for closure.

    After stepping outside, Lyrian saw that Leon was casually sitting down in the living room, carving a piece of wood with his sword. He looked up at Lyrian and stood up.

    "Beauty queen... how long do you take to put on your clothes."

    Leon joked, putting his sword back into his sheath. Lyrian chuckled slightly, before suddenly raising an eyebrow.

    "Wait a second... how did you talk while your sword was unsheathed? Your eyes should have been glowing, no?"

    He said, confused. Lyrian hadn''t ever seen this before.

    "There''s a difference between unsheathing your sword and taking it out of your sheath. Unsheathing your sword is directly pulling it out, ready to take a life or draw blood."

    Leon continued, as Lyrian listened without interrupting.

    "The only other way I can put my sword inside and out of my sheath is by unbuttoning and buttoning it. Otherwise... I am forced to lose control of my body... for the most part that is."

    Lyrian smirked, amused by what Leon said.

    "Wow... I''ve never heard of a sheath-like that before. I guess you had it specially made for your circumstance. What''s with that power anyway..."

    Leon looked at him for a second, pausing, as another round of horns sted in both of their ears.

    "We better get going."

    Leon said, turning around and opening the door of the camp. Lyrian shrugged off the question, thinking to himself, ''I can just find outter...'', as he followed Leon out into the street.

    Soon, they arrived at the center of therge dome. It was far different fromst time. One thing was the same, no people were sitting in the side seats. However, apart from that, the small number of examinees pouring into the seats was odd to see.

    It felt like the entire area had been deserted. Finally, the curtains opened up as everyone got settled into their seats. Instead of Julius, it was another face that showed itself on the other side of those velvet curtains. An older, more grouchy-looking one.

    "Congrattions, you have passed."

    The old man who wore a purple robe said with little enthusiasm, fixing his sses.

    "I know you were expecting a grand ceremony, but you will have to wait until you are transported to the academy for that."

    As he said this, a few eager gasps and other excited sounds made their way through the small group of kids.

    "That''s the ship right there. Goodbye."

    The old man pointed to the only wooden ship still present in the area, as the curtains began to close.

 Chapter 191 Anaviotis Academy

    <h4>Chapter 191 Anaviotis Academy</h4>

    "Also... my name is Grendel. I am a professor of Dark Magic in the academy. If you are in my sses, I will see you soon. If not, I wish to never see any of your faces"

    He stared forward with half-closed, uninterested eyes, as the the two curtains met in the middle. On the other side, Grendel disappeared into a dark dust, soon vanishing from the area.

    The examinees were left a bit confused. Lyrian expected people to begin whispering their worries to each other, as per usual of groups. He stood up and began walking over to the ship without hesitation. Alten, Leon, and Rn followed him over to it.

    Before long, the other examinees did the same, to Lyrian''s surprise. He then realized that the group he was with wasn''t just some random individuals. They had passed the entrance exams just like him, and this fact stood out even if they took the easiest or hardest path.

    They were better than the average crowd. More determined, confident, and able. Everyone boarded the ship by pulling themselves onto it via rope. Lyrian noticed a fewy down, their heads against the walls of the ship, as they took a nap.

    Others stood around, performing their own personal activities, such as taking care of their weapons and so forth. Most began making conversation with each other, and Lyrian was a part of this group.

    Rn was the first to talk within his group.

    "I guess this is it guys, thest time we see each other. After we reach the academy, I will book a ride straight home. That is, after getting my certification of passing. I''m sure that willnd me some sort of good job near my parent''s home."

    He said while scratching the back of his head. Still, the team could sense a hint of sorrow behind his awkward smile.

    "Hey... lighten up. You''ve already made the decision, don''t worry about it."

    Alten said, patting Rn on the back.

    "Let''s not feel tension about anything, not until we actually get those certifications."

    Alten followed up. With this, Rn took in a deep breath before speaking.

    "Yeah... I''ll be alright. Man... I''ve got a shit habit of bitching about stuff huh?"

    He said in aedic tone.

    "Ah well, whatever. I''m not waiting long for the entrance ceremony by the way. You guys will get your certification of passing there, but I''ll get mine from a counselor and be on my way back home in no time."

    With this, Alten and Rn began to continue conversing, while Leon and Lyrian did their own things. Leon began sleeping, his hand on the hilt of his de, as Lyrian explored the ship.

    The first time he entered a ship, back when he wasing to the dome, there were so many people that he felt a bit of tension to freely explore. Now, he was far less anxious to do so, mostly because his confidence had grown from back then, and also because there barely was anyone on board.

    After a few seconds, the ship began to float in the air. Before long, it was already moving. Lyrian observed the magical ship. He couldn''t help but feel slightly taken aback in awe. The technology of the ship intrigued him.

    ''Is there even a driver for this?''

    He thought to himself, entering the wheelhouse below the front deck of the boat. Inside, he was slightly surprised to see a man with his hands on the wheel.

    "So a person is driving it."

    He said as the man behind the wheel turned to look over his shoulder at the boy who had just entered his room. The man was somewhere in his mid-60s, with a short gray stubble and a slightly chubby build.

    "Huh? Of course, there is. You think we got auto-driving technology or something?"

    The old man said in a coarse voice.

    "Actually, yeah. I would expect that for an academy like Anaviotis."

    Lyrain replied as the man paused for a moment.

    "Listen... you would need some sort of great wizard, or a bunch of strong mages, to be able tomand a transportation vehicle like this for so many miles. You fool, do you think the professors of Anaviotis are readily avable to perform such activities!?"

    The old man got slightly defensive, his tone rising towards the end.

    "Ah... I see. I didn''t know it would require that much magic. But, miles you said? How far is Anaviotis anyway?"

    The captain looked forward as he heard this. At that moment, the ship left the transparent blue dome and entered into the orangeish-blue sky.

    "It will take this ship around an entire day, flying nonstop. We are going around 100 miles per hour, so do the math. Now get out of here, brat."

    Lyrian was shocked by this. That was 2400 miles of travel! From What he remembered, that was nearly the width of the US, and all to reach an academy that was sitting in the middle of three separate kingdoms.

    He imagined how big these kingdoms would have to be, just for this to be possible. After leaving the wheelhouse, Lyrian returned to where Leon was and sat down, beginning to use Gale.

    ''This''ll be a long trip. I have nothing else to do but this... maybe I''ll get some more mana up here in the sky.''

    [Gaining 0.000013 mana per second]

    ''Huh... not by much.''

    He was disappointed.

    The ship captain thought of the peculiar boy for a moment after he left.

    "What an odd kid. His bright blue eyes remind me of that Helnish brat."

    ***

    <24 Hours Later...>

    The sky looked simr to what it had looked like when Lyrian and the others first entered the ship. An orange horizon, along with a bright azure sky. Now, however, the ship began to descend.

    Examinees threw themselves towards the edge of the ship, looking below with eager expressions and excitement flowing through their blood as the ship tore through the clouds.

    Atst, the clouds parted, revealing a breathtaking sight: an immense academy, or rather, it resembled a miniature kingdom, nestled in a remote, secluded location.

    Thousands of miles of endless green forestry surrounded an immense seethrough dome, inside of which was the city-like academy. The only way Lyrian realized that the sphere around the academy was actually there, was becauserge yellow runes traveled across it, making one able to see the immense magic that pulsed within.

    Along with that, a tall wall epassed the entire area, made of pirs of white marble. As they neared the sphere, Lyrian noticed two other ships next to his. They looked nearly the same, but he couldn''t tell how many people were on the other boats.

    He didn''t pay any mind to that, however, as the sight in front of him stole all of his intrigue and focus. Upon passing through the dome''s barrier, a surge of fresh air enveloped them, and Lyrian could sense an intensified presence of magic in the atmosphere, as though he had stepped into a Mana Alcove.

    Beneath them sprawled a plethora of structures, towers, shops, markets, intertwining paths, diverse creatures, an energetic flow of people, and countless other wonders. At the epicenter of this bustling environment stood a colossal institution. As their ships descended, Lyrian could distinguish two distinct segments of the school.

    The first structurey outside an outer ring, encircling the inner one. Although not physically connected to the inner ring, it exuded grandeur and magnificence, showcasing exemry architectural finesse. The inner structure, even more awe-inspiring, took the form of a massive pce, constructed from stone and marble.

    Their ships soared over another, shorter wall before finally touching down in the massive courtyard that greeted them outside of the the outer academy.

    "Now that I think about it..."

    Lyrian looked over at the other two ships. He was certain that even in the dome in the exam, there weren''t any more than 20 passing examinees.

    "Those ships... are they examinees as well? Possibly from separate exams?"

    With haste, the examinees from all three ships jumped off and began walking forward. 100 feet in front of them was a brief flight of stairs that led to the primary entrance of the academy.

    Just beyond the stairway was an expansive doorway that was opened up, resembling the entrance to a majestic royal cathedral of sorts. The stairway initially led to a small tform encircling the school. Atop this tform, numerous pirs supported an elegant marble canopy.

    As they took a few steps forward, a warm smile greeted them��a young man in his mid-twenties, dressed in a formal uniform consisting of blue pants and a blue and white vest. He had short brown hair and a pair of sses on his nose, appearing innocent and simple.

    "Hello, everyone! Wee, I hope you all had a good trip here. My name is Jalls Sndra, the professor of Transportation Magic here at the academy."

    He eximed with enthusiasm.

    "This may sound abrupt, but the entrance ceremony has already been prepared. To be honest, the entire school is waiting for you all! Let us not make them bored."

    He raised his hand and snapped his fingers, as an odd feeling enveloped the examinees. It felt as though their bodies had lost gravity for only a split second before they suddenly appeared in an entirely different setting.

    One second ago, they were standing outside of the academy, and in the next, they were seated, looking up to arge stage, on top of which were teachers, school councils, and even students.

    To the sides of the massive assembly they had just been transported to were rows of seats all around, craving deep into the walls, and full of hundreds of students.

    Where they were, however, was at the bottom of it all. About 50 kids in total, the passing bunch of this year''s entrance exam.

 Chapter 192 Entrance Ceremony

    <h4>Chapter 192 Entrance Ceremony</h4>

    Loud drums, horns, trumpets, and other instruments were yed at their arrival. An orchestra of music that made their entrance sound grand, before calming down. These musicians, who were students, sat at the side of the massive stadium in front of the passing students.

    They yed their instruments with magic. They weren''t touching them with their hands.

    Lyrian looked around and took it all in for a moment. Therge assembly they were in was lit up with chandeliers and stage lights. Kids cheered from the seats higher up in the walls.

    Looking beside him, he saw the 50 students who had passed along with them. He was sat next to Alten and Leon, but Rn seemed to be missing somehow. There were many rows of seats behind them which were unfilled. They looked to be ced only in the front few rows.

    His attention then spanned over to the actual stage. A line of different people stood at the back with delighted smiles on their faces. Some looked younger, like students, and others seemed to be teachers.

    There was a single microphone stand behind a pedestal in the middle.

    After the apuse calmed itself, the ensemble of music began getting louder once again as a thunderous bolt of lightning suddenly descended from out of nowhere, striking the stage right behind the podium with immense power.

    The music ended abruptly with a powerful finesse. As the smoke cleared, A dominant figure slowly collected out of thin air, looking over the kids.

    "Greetings, victors! I hereby wee you to the foreground of the Academy Of Magical Excellence, Anaviotis!" Julius Reinhardt''s voice boomed with enthusiasm, capturing the attention of the eager crowd.

    Drenched in youthful vigor, Julius stood before the eager assembly, his vibrant blue eyes aze with excitement. His arms extended wide, embracing the palpable anticipation in the air, while a mischievous grin yed at the corners of his lips, revealing his inherently friendly nature. The charismatic aura he exuded drew the students toward him irresistibly.

    "As the Vice Principal of this esteemed institution," Julius addressed them, infusing his voice with a touch of formality, "I stand before you today with the highest honor. I''ve witnessed countless talents grace these hallowed halls, and I hold no doubt that among you lie the future leaders and magicians of our realm."

    The crowd burst into cheers and apuse, their enthusiasm stoked by Julius''s words. He paused briefly, allowing their excitement to settle before resuming.

    "Throughout history, Anaviotis has nurtured and guided innumerable gifted individuals, unlocking theirtent potential and molding them into extraordinary beings. Yet, my young friends, remember that it''s not just raw talent that sets one apart. It''s the unwavering dedication, the burning desire to grow, and themitment to honing your skills that will propel you towards greatness."

    Julius''s gaze traversed the audience, his eyes reflecting genuine admiration for the students gathered before him. He understood the weight of their dreams and the trials they would inevitably face.

    "You no longer require an introduction to this academy from me. Not only do you know why you came here, but you''ve also fought for it, sacrificed for it, and earned it!"

    A surge of determination surged through the students, their gazes unwavering, brimming with resolve. In response, the entire assembly of students erupted into thunderous apuse. Julius possessed a unique gift for eloquence, setting him apart from all others. His charisma, unwavering confidence, and genuine nature made him a master of conveying messages that resonated deeply.

    He waited patiently for the apuse to subside before continuing, "There''s no time to waste. You''ve all endured 30 grueling days of hardship, and what''s more, without even realizing it, two other groups of 800 examinees did the same! That''s right, within your group of 50 young individuals, there exist three Golden Tiered Cores!"

    A few gasps and sounds of astonishment rippled through the small crowd of examinees as they exchanged intrigued nces.

    "Anaviotis operates beyond the jurisdiction of any kingdom. It stands as a neutral ground between Yuun, Yaltas, and Veridrake, three of thergest kingdoms in the eastern region of the Mortal ins! The examinees from all three kingdoms took their entrance exams in three distinct locations: the Tasnan Wildends, the Sky Ruin Temples, and Antis, the legendary city of gold!"

    The gasps of awe now echoed even louder throughout the stadium, especially from the students seated higher up. The mention of these locations left an impression, as each one was a renownedndmark in the Mortal ins.

    One was a vast expanse of untamed wilderness, where diverse biomes stretched across endless miles, teeming with untamed and uninhibited life.

    Anotherprised a breathtaking ring of floating inds, adorned with the abandoned temples of long-forgotten gods, suspended amidst the open sky��a sight that stirred the imaginations of all who heard it.

    Lastly, the third location was a fabledndmass beneath the ocean''s depths, a ce steeped in mystery and home to some of the mightiest and most enigmatic creatures that roamed the seas. The mere thought of it sent shivers down the spines of those who contemted its secrets.

    "Before any other announcements or speeches, I would like us all to stand, with our hands ced on top of our hearts."

    All the students in the farther stands and rows of seats in the higher walls quickly stood up. They seemed to know this ritual already. Seeing everyone do so, the 50 in the front did the same, but with a bit of hesitation.

    "This, new friends, is our pledge to mana, and to the academy of Anaviotis. These things bind us all together."

    With this, a few gasps of realization and intrigue made their way through the crowd.

    "We, as a body of curiosity, interest, prestige, and power, are all beads thrung onto a single thread, a thread of magic. The origin, ending, and all of fate resides within the glory of mana, all of which we shall uphold."

    As Julius spoke the pledge, more and more kids joined in. Before long, every single kid recited exactly what they heard. After a short pause, Julius spoke once again.

    "Power!"

    He proimed into the crowd with an aura of excellence.

    "Power!"

    The crowd roared back, it''s tone mighty and prideful.

 Chapter 193 Three MVPs

    ?

    All of the students sat down in unison, and those at the bottom shortly followed them.

    "New students of Anaviotis, check your wrists!"

    He announced, as a silver bracelet suddenly appeared on Lyrian''s hand. The 50 looked down at their hands to also notice the object.

    "These are your school bracelets. They will inform you of your Credits and Credit history. Remember, this is the currency in the academy. It will also inform you of school news, your personal health, assignments, and other information."

    The students made quiet noises of astonishment as Julius continued.

    "Now, let us begin this entrance ceremony! Firstly, I would like to especially congratte those who retrieved the Golden Tiered Cores in their respective exams. The MVP''s of this new year."

    Julius paused, looking at three sets of eyes with a smirk on his face, before looking up into the crowd of students up above. They were eager to see the winners.

    "Students of Anaviotis! Remember these following faces, as they will be your biggest threats, biggestpetitions, and also, potentially, your greatestpanions going into the next school year. Treat them with the merit which they have earned."

    The eager students were even more pumped out now. Their curiosity had peaked. The biggest reason for this, was because they heard that one out of the three winners was an unexpected one.

    One out of the three... was one whose name wasn''t heard by anyone ever.

    "I wee to the stage, Godfrey Drake; prince of the Veridrake Kingdom. Linus Creyuun, Prince of the Yuun Kingdom. And finally,"

    Julius paused for a moment on purpose, darting his eyes through the crowd of anticipating students. The two kids who were called had already begun making their way onto the stage.

    They were expected winners. The two princes of each of the two kingdoms. The third winner, however, was also predicted to be the prince of the third kingdom... this one was worth wondering over, as it wasn''t the prince who won.

    Not only the current students of Anaviotis, but even the 50 exam passers looked to see who had retrieved the Golden Tiered Core in each group. Lyrian sat back in his chair with ease, knowing his name was going to be called next.

    "Lyrian Theageld! Grandson of The Rampager Of The East!"

    The crowd queued down as Lyrian walked up to the stage. He could feel everyone''s eyes on him, enough to make a normal person''s heart want to explode out of their chest. But for him, who had already gone through experiences much worse than this, it wasn''t anything to worry about.

    In fact, he was currently musing to himself.

    ''Ha... I guess they had to choose something to not make me seem like aplete nobody. Grandson of The Rampager Of The East, huh? Hell... even I didn''t know he had such a nickname.''

    Lyrian walked up the stairs to the stage and lined up next to the other two. He nced over at them, taking note of their appearances. The first, one, Godfrey of Veridrake, had a head of slightly long and curly bright green hair. His eyes were also green and looked like those of a serpent. One long ck slit went down his pupil.

    He didn''t wear the normal attire, such as a luxurious robe. Instead, he fitted a pair of baggy trousers, light green in color with some metal lining on some parts. On his long torso, which made him taller than most kids, was a simple vest on top of bare skin. It was made of metal and also a sturdy dark green fabric. The vest didn''t cover his hands, allowing his fairly developed muscles to be seen.

    He wore metal guards on his wrist, each with a round green crystal engraved into them. As he looked forward, a vigorous expression covered his face.

    Next, Lyrian shortly nced at Linus Creyuun. Prince of the Yuun Kingdom. He wore what Lyrian expected him to, a white robe with gold lining. It had golden patterns of moon crescents at the bottom of it. He had slicked-back silverish-yellow hair and aplexion that was a bit darker.

    His eyes were a vibrant yellow, and he stared forward with a calm yet confident expression on his face.

    Finally, Lyrian also faced the crowd. All of the eyes were still on him. A boy who looked like a mere peasantpared to them. He was wearing barely what a low-status peasant would wear.

    Before long, a few whispers began to murmur throughout the assembly. Kids spoke amongst themselves, while their eyes still faced Lyrian.

    "That''s him... he looks like an average kid."

    One said in the very back, confused.

    "It looks like they just picked up a random kid taking an adventure in the woods and ced him on the stage or something."

    Another retorted. As the noise grew, Julius stepped forward and closed his fist in the air, canceling all sound in an instant as everyone shut their mouths.

    He looked over at Lyrian.

    ''I feel like I''m getting deja vu. He was on stage at the Magic Potencial testing as well. What an interestingd.''

    And then faced the crowd.

    "These three have done something that most couldn''t, so do not underestimate any one of them. Each has obtained the Golden Tiered Core. For this aplishment, they were promised a grand prize. A High-Grade Spirit Pet."

    Julius turned to face the three.

    "Lyrian, Linus, Godfrey! Activate your bracelets! All it requires is to think about essing it!"

    The three followed his orders, as a small transparent panel materialed above the bracelet. It was thin and blue, floating in the air only a centimeter above the bracelet.

    On all of their bracelets were what looked like tickets of sorts. They read "HGSP"

    "This is your proof. You will show it to your Spirit Pet teacher and pick your pet there when everyone else does it."

    The three nodded.

    "Now, for the aplishments you all have achieved, and the work you have put in, give us a few words to introduce yourselves to the school! You are currently at the top of the food chain, as you know. What would you like to show to the school to represent yourselves?"

    A few intriguing sounds made their way through the crowd.

    ''A few words huh? Easy enough.''

    Lyrian thought to himself on hearing Julius'' words.

    *Ding*

    ''Oh no.''

    [New quest started!]

    [In front of this number of people, the future king of the world must leave a good impression]

    [Announce your dream to the academy!]

    ''Huh!?''

 Chapter 194 The Greatest Ambition

    ?

    A resounding gasp of emotion gradually spread through the crowd of students higher up in the room--seated in the upper rows. The teachers standing behind Julius and the three MVPs also smirked.

    Julius looked at them with a grin of his own. He hadn''t told anyone of this, to allow the MVPs to say a few words. It was created by him on the spot. Everyone was curious about what they would say. Anticipation rose as seconds passed by.

    ''Say my dream? Of ruling the world!? That''s... a horrible idea!''

    Lyrian frantically yelled at Gear in his head.

    [It is befitting of the future ruler]

    ''You! You don''t have a clue about what you''re saying!''

    [No, you don''t. Trust my words]

    It wasedic. Lyrian was actually having an argument with Gear. It wasn''t a random robot, after all. From what Lyrian had essed, which was from close to no information thanks to Gear not being willing to share, the system was at the very least a conscious being.

    ''It will sound foolish, but more than that, it will reveal my ns to my enemies!''

    [Trust the system. All want to capture the world anyway]

    ''Damn it... what shit of a predicament.''

    Lyrian said, preparing himself for what wasing.

    "I will go first."

    Linus of the Yuun Kingdom suddenly eximed to the crowd, silencing it at once as he puffed his chest out in confidence. cing one hand behind his back, he tilted his chin up.

    With all the eyes on him, he began to speak.

    "You have all heard my name! I am the heir to the most prosperous kingdom in the continent of the Mortal ins."

    With these few words, a wave of surprised gasps rippled through the crowd. To have to gall to say such a thing, knowing that Anaviotis was the middle ground between all three kingdoms... it was impressive for some and seemed cocky to others.

    "Forge my abundant name in your heads, as you will see me be the ruler of Yuun one day in the future!"

    As he finished his speech, everyone was slightly taken aback. After a short silence, a small apuse met the quietness of the room.

    "Bit of an arrogant bastard, no?"

    A kid in the top rows with red and ck hair said as he chuckled amongst his friends--his legs resting on top of a random kid''s back.

    "No, Israthel, I think he deserves to say at least that much. He is the damn prince after all."

    A chubby boy beside him followed up.

    Even the teachers grinned a little to each other in slight amusement. Some began to whisper amongst themselves.

    "A ballsy one."

    "Indeed..."

    Lyrian was closest to them and was the only one that heard them say this. He cringed inside, just thinking about what was going to happen in a few moments.

    Godfrey nced over to Lyrian, who seemed to be looking forward as if he was stunned in a haze. In reality, he was just thinking to himself in which manner he should speak.

    ''Poor guy. I don''t know how he got the Golden Tiered Core but...''

    Godfrey thought to himself as he looked Lyrian up and down.

    ''He doesn''t seem like he can handle the pressure. Then, I''ll go.''

    The boy stepped forward.

    "I hail from the strongest Kingdom in the south!"

    He nced at Linus for a split second as he abruptly proimed this into the crowd.

    Linus stared back with furrowed eyebrows. A simr reaction took ce in the crowd, with a ripple of astonished noises.

    The teachers from before who were whispering to each other broke out into a quietugh. They weren''t expecting such a rowdy bunch.

    "My name will be etched onto the walls of this academy before I leave it. You will all know me as the strongest to ever attend this school!"

    He finished, mming his right fist into his left palm. The noise from the sh was enough to make a sound that boomed through the assembly for a few seconds.

    This showed his determination, along with strength. It had more of a respectable impression than Linus'' speech from the looks of it. He got a bit of a louder apuse from the crowd.

    And finally, it was Lyrian''s turn. Drake stepped back, as Lyrian took in one deep breath.

    ''Hell. If I''m going to have to do this, I might as well go all in. Go big or go home, and I''m not going back to him. Not yet.''

    As the crowd quieted down, now waiting on the final boy, the wildcard of the group, to speak, Lyrian took a step forward, confidently unting his erected posture.

    Lyrian cleared his throat and gazed out at the expectant crowd of students. He had to make an impression, just like Linus and Godfrey had. With a confident smile, he began his speech:

    "You''ve heard Linus and Godfrey share their dreams and aspirations. Linus aspires to be the sovereign ruler of his kingdom, while Godfrey aims to im the title of the strongest individual in this academy."

    Lyrian paused, his words lingering in the air, creating a sense of anticipation that gripped the room.

    "But my ambition reaches beyond the confines of kingdoms and institutions. My dream isn''t limited to the boundaries drawn on maps or the walls of this academy. My dream is to transcend those boundaries and conquer every inch of this, to rule over it with power and glory."

    The room was rapt with attention, and the suspense that had built during Lyrian''s speech hung thick in the air. The silence that followed was palpable as if everyone was collectively holding their breath.

    The teachers who were whispering to each other just a moment ago now had their jaws on the floor. Both Godfrey and Linus looked at Lyrian with baffled expressions.

    Then, slowly, the first hesitant apuse broke through. It was a lone p, quickly followed by another, and then a scattered smattering of hands meeting in appreciation. The apuse grew, spreading like wildfire through the assembly until the entire room was alive with the sound of pping hands and approving cheers.

    Eyes shone with a mixture of astonishment, respect, and perhaps a touch of awe. The teachers exchanged impressed nces, and even Julius, standing at the back, wore a small but amused smile.

 Chapter 195 A Private Word

    <h4>Chapter 195 A Private Word</h4>

    Whispers buzzed through the crowd, filled with intrigue and wonder for the audacity and grandeur of Lyrian''s dream. There were also words of confusion and even some of hate.

    "What is he talking about?"

    One kid said amongst his group of friends, in disbelief.

    "Does he not know what the implications of that are? What''s he trying to do? Wage war on the world? Pfft!"

    A bit farther away, the boy with ck and red hair sat up from his rxed position.

    "Did he say... he wants to rule not only the kingdoms, or even the Mortal ins, but the entire world? How fucking stupid. Tell me what this clown did to get on stage..."

    One of the teachers on stage walked up to Julius, a serious expression dawning on his face.

    "Sir..."

    He said, gesturing toward a magic camera to the side of the stadium with his eyes.

    "He has just broadcasted that across the world. Across... even the Elven region."

    Julius stared at him for a moment, before brandishing a bright smile and throwing his hand over the teacher''s shoulder.

    "Ah~ c''mon Edward! Have some fun in life."

    He then neared the teacher''s ears before beginning to whisper.

    "If those long-eared idiots want to be offended at that, then they can for all I care. They still wouldn''t dare attack Anaviotis, and that''s all I care about."

    Julius then raised his head before staring at the camera with a wide smile on his face and a peace sign. He knew that elven representatives were staring at the broadcast at that very moment.

    Although there were many mixed impressions left on everyone, one thing was for certain, they all shared a hint of awe at Lyrian''s words. Even if they sounded foolish, the fact that he, one of the three MVPs, stood up and said such a thing...

    It ssified him into one of two sides of the coin. Either a new Pheonix rising from the rubble, or an absolute bufoon. Nheless, it was clear that he had made an indelible mark.

    [Congradtions! You havepleted the quest]

    [Quest reward: Conceal (Ability to temporarily hide your body and erase your aura to most beings)]

    [Conceal time limit: 10 seconds (can be increased through mastery]

    ''Oh? That''s useful! Hell, this was well worth it!''

    Lyrian grinned.

    ''Conceal... Thats perfect! I could use Skill Convergence to fuse that with the Shadow Puppet. A fast-moving Shadow Puppet that''s also invisible... that would be extremely powerful.''

    He thought to himself, as Godfrey looked at his amused expression with his confused one.

    ''I did not expect that. What... an interesting guy.''

    Linus on the other hand continued to stare forward, his expression elegant.

    ''Lyrian Theageld. Hmm...''

    A few momentster, when the crowd had fully quieted down, Julius took center stage once again. With their prizes pretty much received, or at least guaranteed, and their short words given, the three MVPs were allowed to return to their seats.

    After that, Julius spoke about academics, and the basic rules of the school, such as:

    "There shall be no harassment! No cheating! No stealing! And especially, no use of Demonic Magic! Any signs of such a thing will result in an immediate expulsion and a detailed search into your family history. If you care about them, don''t be stupid and attempt such things!"

    After he finished, several teachers lined up in the back and began making their speeches as well, one by one. They eached talked about their courses, and how one could join and excel in them. They also talked about why their courses were good to take in the first ce.

    The courses ranged from different magic types. Water, wind, fire, and earth magic, and then magic courses of higher pirs, such as toxin, healing, lightning, and more.

    Finally, a few students also spoke at the end. The student president was a? tall young man named Elston Hunane, from the Yuun Kingdom. He was slightlynky and wore sses, with a head full of short brown hair. He had a simple look to him, but also an intriguingly keen set of eyes.

    After another spiel of instructions, in which Lyrian nearly ceased to breathe due to boredom, it finally ended, and students were allowed to return to their allotted rooms.

    The teachers soon disappeared from the stage, and the kids in the top rows also left their rooms. The day was nearlying to an end at this point. They had spent the entire evening talking.

    The 50 kids in the bottom rows stood up and began heading out of the stadium. Some yawned as they did so.

    Lyrian also stood up from his seat, checking his bracelet to see where his room was. Just by thinking of it, aplex but readable map of the school appeared above the bracelet.

    "Our rooms are the same."

    Alten said, bringing his bracelet next to Leon''s.

    "Oh yeah, I guess your right."

    Leon said before looking over at Lyrian''s bracelet.

    "Where''s your room."

    Lyrian looked at their bracelets, and then at his. Their room number was 204, and his was 205.

    "It''s right next door. That''s convenient."

    He said as they began walking behind the leaving crowd of new students.

    "Lyrian, do you have a few minutes? I would like to have a word with you."

    Julius'' voice suddenly sounded from behind Lyrian''s back, as all three turned around to face the Vice Principal.

    "Oh... sure. What do you want to talk about?"

    Lyrian retorted nonchntly, as Alten quickly spoke.

    "Meet us in a bit when you get back to your room. We''ll leave you and Sir Julius alone for the time being"

    He said, as Leon nodded and they began to leave. Lyrian turned to face Julius, who always seemed to have at least a small smile on his face. The same was the case for this particr moment.

    "Let''s go to my office."

    ***

    While walking with Julius through the halls and having some small talk, Lyrian noticed the sheer grandeur of the building he was in. Everything was of top-notch quality, from the floor to the walls, to the ceiling, and even the decoration of the ce.

    The ce was spacious, with Lyrian able to often peek into giant ssrooms with college-room-like seating andrge, dome ceilings above.

    After a short while, Lyrian sat down on a chair opposite a table to Julius, who stared at him while ying with a pen in his hand. After a few seconds of messing with the pen, the Vice Principal faced the boy in front of him.

    "Lyrian... what made you want to join our academy?"

 Chapter 196 The Highest Achievable Goal

    <h4>Chapter 196 The Highest Achievable Goal</h4>

    Lyrian answered mostly honestly.

    "I joined this school for its resources. I can be stronger much faster this way," Lyrian said.

    Julius squinted his eyes slightly, intrigued by this answer. "I see... I won''t ask why you want to be strong. It''s to rule the world, as you said yourself. That''s a hefty dream, you know?"

    Lyrian slightly smirked. "I know. Otherwise, it wouldn''t be my dream."

    Julius matched his smile, pausing for a short second before asking another question. "So... why? Why be the king of the world? It interests me, what kind of person you are to have such a goal."

    Julius looked deep into Lyrian''s eyes as he spoke, still ying with the pen in his hand. No matter from what angle he looked at the odd boy''s eyes, all he could sense from him was genuine answers and a powerful gaze. The power that came from the boy''s stare wasn''t power in strength or magic, but rather, a power in will.

    Lyrian took a moment to think about his answer. When he did speak, he did so truthfully. "Why? Because it''s the highest goal there is to achieve. After achieving it... one must feel good, right? One must feel free from restrictions... problems. Why wouldn''t you want to aim for the highest goal?"

    Lyrian''s expression said that he fully believed what he was saying. He couldn''t think of a reason why one wouldn''t want to aim for such a goal.

    Julius was slightly taken aback by the answer. ''He doesn''t know why one wouldn''t aim to be king of the world? It''s simple...'' He thought to himself before beginning to speak. "Lyrian, the reason why many don''t aim for that goal is because of fear. Fear, and also a disinterest in the pain they would feel if they were to fail at their goal. That failure may result in prison, torture, and sometimes, even death. Especially for such a dream."

    Hearing this, Lyrian''s gaze didn''t waver whatsoever. He didn''t think twice before speaking. "I''ve already made up my mind when ites to this. I will give it my all, and if I die trying to be the king, then so be it. At least I tried. As for my death... at the least, it was for an honorable reason."

    Julius took in a deep breath and leaned back, as Lyrian continued. "But, failure is not an option. The fear thates from it does not apply to me, since I''m betting my entire life on winning. If I fail, I''ll have nothing to lose anyway. I have to win, or else my life''s meaningless."

    He said with resolve. ''If I fail... my life won''t be any better than what it was on Earth. I will be bound by restrictions. I won''t be free. I''d rather die than be forced to live a life like that.''

    He thought to himself with a firm stance on the matter. "Hm."

    Julius'' face slowly contorted, as his grin grew wider and wider. Suddenly, he broke out into a small chuckle. "Hahaha, what an amusing character. Ever since the beginning, you have piqued my interest."

    Julius began to think to himself. ''I will really have to keep an eye on him now. Who knows... interesting characters such as him are the ones to actually aplish their insane goals.''

    "Well, I won''t hold up any more of your time," Julius said, as Lyrian stood up from his seat and addressed him. "No problem. It was a good talk." He seemed to be in a hurry. "Before you go, I want to personally invite you to my event. It''s a banquet, for the new kids entering the academy. Of course, you are already invited, but it is simply a kind gesture I would like to propose to you."

    He smiled politely. "A banquet... I''ve never been to one of those. Sounds fun, I''ll be there." Lyrian moved his hand forward to shake Julius''. Julius paused on seeing this for a split second. It had been quite a while since anyone had attempted to shake his hand first... the only two times it had happened in the past decade was with the Principal of Anaviotis, and also the King of Yaltas.

    However, he happily shook the boy''s hand and sent him on his way. As soon the door to his office closed, Lyrian having left, a familiar face appeared in front of the door out of thin air. It was Jalls Sndra, teacher of transportation magic in the academy, and also Glis'' older brother. He walked up to Julius'' table with an entertained smirk on his face. "Hahaha! What a kid, huh!? I sure wish I was born in his era, to befriend him and see where that journey would take me... wouldn''t you? The age I was born in is the most boring one!"

    He said eagerly as he sat down. Julius wasn''t so impressed by him. "Jalls... I already told you not to spy on my personal meetings. It is rude to those who do not know they are being heard."

    He spoke with a hint of disappointment in his tone. "Oh, please... don''t pretend like you knew I wasn''t here the entire time. The day I get under your nose without being caught is the day the world gets turned upside down. If you wanted to... You totally could have stopped me in the middle of your meeting!"

    Jalls spoke in a humorous way, as Julius shook his head. "That would have ruined my trust with the boy. Why do you make my life moreplicated... maybe I shouldn''t have hired you after all."

    Julius palmed his face as he spoke. Jalls'' cheeky smile quickly turned into a concerned frown as he heard this. "Wait, no! Don''t even think about such things!"

    He frantically retorted. As the two continued their chat, Lyrian followed the map on his bracelet through the giant yet confusing halls of the academy and made it back to his room. As he stood behind the white door, beside it, it read: "205." "Here we go..." Opening the door, he stepped inside to have his face contorted with shock. His expression grew bewildered, but not in a good way.

 Chapter 197 Peculiar Roommate

    <h4>Chapter 197 Peculiar Roommate</h4>

    On opening the door, the first thing Lyrian saw was a fairly spacious room. It wasrge,rger than any other room he had ever seen. Although, for Anaviotis, it was oddly small. Nheless, that part was normal. The part that wasn''t, however, was the explosion dents all over the walls, a mix of small andrge and blue holes. Along with that, everything was thrown to the floor, as though a wild animal had ravaged through the room.

    "What the hell?" He said in confusion, slowly taking a step inside and closing the door behind him. He looked around, noticing more and more things out of ce.

    At that moment, a taller boy stepped out of one of the side doorways. He seemed to be naked under a luxurious bathrobe, and Lyrian also noticed that his slightly long brown hair was wet.

    The boy looked at him for a split second before heading over to his bed and sitting down on it. He then began fidgeting with his bracelet, seeming topletely ignore Lyrian, and also the situation of the room.

    Lyrian scoffed slightly as he witnessed this. "Are you going to exin this?" He said to his roommate. The boy turned around to face him for a short moment. He looked him up and down.

    "I don''t talk to peasants. Don''t try to make conversation with me."

    The boy turned back around, engaging himself in ying with the bracelet.

    "Another buffoon in my midst. How annoying," Lyrian stated with a slightly annoyed tone, slumping himself onto the bed. It had been a long day. At this point, he just wanted to sleep.

    The boy turned back around after a few seconds. "You are w--" He paused, looking at his roommate, who was nearly snoring and had his eyes closed.

    ''Don''t tell me, this fool fell asleep this quickly,'' he thought to himself as he stared at Lyrian for a few more seconds. Without getting a single reply, he realized that the boy had actually gone to sleep. This annoyed him for a split second, as he was the one who said not to make conversation with him, and now, he was being ignored.

    ''Che! Whatever! Why should I care about talking with that peasant anyway...''

    The next day, Lyrian woke up to the rming call that sounded from his bracelet. It jerked his eyes open, as he rubbed them while looking around the room.

    To his surprise, everything seemed to bepletely fixed from how it was the day before.

    "Huh? Anaviotis room service is amazing..." He said as he stood up.

    "I gotta get ready. I already overslept for my first day of ss... Did Leon and Alten not think of waking me up? Selfish bastards!"

    He quickly got into the bathroom, which was nearly as big as the bedroom, before taking a shower and brushing his teeth. Doing this took him a few minutes extra as he had to figure out how the magical contraptions worked.

    By raising his hand up and down in the shower, the water level rose and shrunk. By moving it from left to right, the temperature of the water heated and cooled. It was slightly confusing but also amusing at the same time.

    The toothbrush, on the other hand, was a bit simpler. He figured out that by inserting just a touch of his own mana inside of it, it began to spin and buzz, a perfect cleaner for his teeth.

    After this, he quickly rushed to his first ss. While walking there, he realized just how unprepared he was. He had never been to a school before in his life. He didn''t know what sses he had, and he didn''t even know anything about how schools worked.

    All he knew was that the bracelet was telling him to go to a certain room, so he went there...

    Finally, Lyrian made his way to his ssroom and walked inside. As soon as he did, he scanned theyout of it. It was huge, more spacious than almost any university ssroom. On stepping in, to his immediate right was arge wall full of incantations, magic circles, and a bunch of other writing.

    To his immediate left were the round rows of seats that all faced the front of the room where the board full of writing was. The seats were all already filled by this point. Lyrian also observed the giant dome ceiling above them, making the room seem even more spacious than it already was.

    As he was one of thest students to arrive, many eyes were ced on him. Near the back, he saw Leon, and also an empty seat next to him. He began walking there. Many eyes followed his every step.

    Out of the 40 or so students in the room, some started to whisper amongst themselves. "That''s one of the MVP''s right?" A girl quietly said to her friend. "Yeah... he looks pretty handsome... you know?" She blushed, as she and her friends broke out into a smallugh.

    As more murmurs began spreading around, Lyrian sat down next to Leon and leaned back in his chair. "Aren''t we supposed to be put into year 1 sses? I''m sure everyone here isn''t a new student."

    Lyrain asked Leon, who was casually waiting for him. Leon looked over to him. "Didn''t you pay attention to Sir Julius'' speech? It was stupidly long."

    Leon retorted. "It''s because this school works slightly differently. There aren''t many required courses. Instead, students take the courses they want to, and they can change them if they want throughout the year. This way, there are different year students in each ss."

    Lyrian heard this and nodded. The exnation made sense. Lyrian was a bit confused though. Even though he waste, the teacher still hadn''t shown up.

    Just as he was thinking about that, a few loud footsteps approached the entrance. Secondster, two kids stepped inside. One was short and slightly chubby, while the other one was much taller, and had ck and red hair on his head.

    As the two walked up the rows of seats, eyes darted

    away and looked towards the ground, instead of at him. Many lowered their gazes for some reason as the boy walked past them with his hands in his pockets, loudly chewing some gum.

    Finally, he arrived at Leon''s seat and stopped. Looking down at him while obnoxiously chewing his gum, the boy spoke. "Oi... get up. This is my seat, newbie."

 Chapter 198 The Newbie Hunter

    <h4>Chapter 198 The Newbie Hunter</h4>

    *Ring*

    Bells sounded throughout the school from their magic speaker system. This was the second bell of the day. The first bell meant that all students should be in the room, and this one meant that ss could now start. However, the teacher still wasn''t in the room yet. No one cared about this at the moment, though, as the attention in the room was highly concentrated in the very back of the ssroom.

    Many could feel tension rippling through the air, as Leon slowly looked up at the tall boy who stood over his desk with a devious smirk on his face. Lyrian also looked over at the boy with red and ck hair. He was curious where the situation would go. Some in the ssroom seemed to recognize Leon, as they began to whisper amongst themselves.

    "Isn''t that one of the more prominent examinees?" One of the girls said, slightly ncing over to him.

    "I think so... but that doesn''t matter anymore. Now that he''s in this school... he''s fresh meat on the chopping block. And his butcher is none other than the newbie hunter; Israthel Hyun." A boy whispered back, a concerned expression covering his face.

    "He''s being picked on already... how unfortunate." More began to murmur as the speakers in the room suddenly began to re.

    "Hello, students! Wee to your first day of Anaviotis learning! These are your morning announcements. First and foremost, try not to break any of the rules on the first day, or ever, really. New students! A message for all of you. Do NOT get into fights! I know your spirits may be high, and your nerves may get the hold of you, but know that in the exam, your physical strength and speed were doubled! Do not think you have the same abilities in real life! For everyone else, today is sunny out, with a hint of cool airing in at about--"

    The chirpy voice continued to speak, going on to talk about the weather, school events, and a bunch of other things that Lyrian had already zoned out. He was shocked. His eyes were wide open.

    ''What!? Our strengths were doubled in the exam? That exins why I have felt less strong as ofte.'' He thought about it for a moment but quickly shrugged it off. ''Well... there''s nothing I can do about it. As long as everyone else is weakened just the same, I am okay with it. This is my real strength anyway.''

    Lyrian gripped his fist. He waspletely ignoring the elephant in the room right now, which everyone else was still hanging on.

    "You not gonna get up? I said... this is my seat!" The red-ck-haired kid raised his tone, mming his palm onto Leon''s desk. The fat friend of the bully chuckled in the back, as a few kids in the front who had their posture slouched felt chills go up their backs.

    ''Oh my god... why isn''t heplying with Israthel''s demands... or even replying!? Does he want to be a ve for the rest of the school year!?'' The boy thought to himself in horror, having gone through the experience himself.

    Leon didn''t say a word, his expression shadowed as he looked down at the palm spread out across his desk.

    "I said move, damn it! Are you dea--" The boy addressed as Israthel was suddenly cut off, as a closed fist appeared in front of his face out of nowhere. It traveled so fast that he couldn''t dodge it. He instinctually gasped, preparing himself for the impact.

    At that moment, Leon''s fist came to an abrupt stop, arrested by the bully''s hand, while a gentle breeze brushed against Israthel''s face from the punch''s impact. The bully narrowed his eyes slightly, a sly grin creeping onto his face.

    The concerned onlooker from earlier was on the verge of losing hisposure, utterly stunned by the unfolding spectacle. The entire room shared his bewilderment, for they had never witnessed anything quite like this.

    ''Oh my goodness! Did he actually dare to--is he out of his mind? There must be something seriously wrong with him, or else only a fool would challenge Israthel like that!''

    Israthel slowly lowered Leon''s fist, his smile widening. "Well, well... quite the spirited one, aren''t you?" he began to say, but before he could finish, he was abruptly interrupted.

    A powerful punch mmed into Israthel''s jaw from the side, whipping his neck forcefully as his eyes nearly spun 180 degrees in their sockets.

    Israthel''s eyes widened in sheer disbelief as he staggered back, his hand still clutching his throbbing jaw. His devious grin vanished, reced by a look of shock that sent ripples of astonishment through the room.

    The collective gasp from the onlookers reached a breaking point as they watched in disbelief.

    The person who threw the punch was Lyrian, who had a serious expression on his face. His eyebrows furrowed as he stared at the bully with a tightened fist.

    Israthel lightly touched his lip--now bruised to a blue color--and saw a hint of blood on his finger. Seeing this, he was immediately engulfed in a seething rage.

    "You mother fucker... you''re gonna regret that."

    The bully spoke with a threatening, dangerous tone. The worried kid from before nearly fainted. He quickly turned around and began biting his nails.

    ''No... no no no this can''t be happening! Israthel just got hit by the newbie... he will terrorize everyone now! Everyone will have to face his wrath! Damn those idiots, why did they have to step up to him!?''

    He thought to himself, imagining the consequences that he would bear as a result of this.

    "Shut the fuck up," Lyrian replied, dashing forward before Israthel could notice as he mmed his fist into the bully''s stomach without warning. All the air in Israthel''s stomach was forcefully driven out, as he clutched his belly and fell to his knees. Even though he was panting heavily, he wasn''t going to let this go so easily. He looked up at Lyrian, only to be assaulted with a kick that hit him directly on the side of the face. He was thrown to the side, knocking down a few seats as he slid to a stop.

 Chapter 199 Zaryn Mythology

    <h4>Chapter 199 Zaryn Mythology</h4>

    Those near the knocked-down seats quickly got up and backed away. The nervous kid from before couldn''t believe his eyes. Without thinking, he spoke out loud.

    "Who is that guy... I thought he was just going to fight back, but he''s ruthless!"

    A kid next to himself replied, equally as shocked. As Lyrian slowly walked over to the bully who was frozen in disbelief and coughing, the kid spoke.

    "It looks like the Newbie Hunter''s daddy has arrived."

    A few kidsughed as he said this in a daze of astonishment. As Lyrian neared Israthel, he looked up and gritted his teeth in anger.

    He could hear the small giggles reverberating through the room, and also the eyes of pity and disdain looking down on him from everywhere. At that moment he wanted to get up and strangle Lyrian to death, but just before he could, a voice abruptly sounded from the front of the room.

    "Not listening to the announcements, are we? No fighting, brats. Get to your seats before I give you a detention."

    A middle-aged man with short blonde hair entered the ssroom, setting his books on his table as he spoke. He wore a simple robe, uniform as a teacher in Anaviotis, and had a fuzzy brown beard.

    Hearing this, Lyrian gave the bully a final nce of his furious expression, as he went back and sat down. Israthel let out a grunt of frustration, returning to his seat as well.

    As he sat down, his eyes couldn''t stop staring at Lyrian. He fidgeted in his seat, not being able to sit well from the irritation. It had been a long time since he was humiliated like this.

    After everyone got settled into their seats, the teacher walked up to the podium in the middle of the front of the room and looked up at all the students.

    "You may all call me Mr. Peseral. I am the teacher of what you would all likely consider to be the most boring, useless subject at this school. But hey, I majored in it, so it must mean something, right? I think so."

    He said with a chuckle, turning around as he began to write on therge whiteboard behind him. In big and bold letters, he spelled out: Ephrias Varant The Legendary.

    "Let''s kick it off big, shall we? I''m sure all of you, no matter where you originate from, have heard of this name."

    Peseral turned back around to face the students. They all nodded, an expression that they understood. All but Lyrian, who didn''t have a single clue what the professor was talking about.

    "Ephrias Varant The Legendary. He rightfully earned his name, unlike many heroes of this generation... the reason why he is deemed as Legendary is that he was the sole hope of the human race in the war against the elves several hundred years ago. Without him, we would all cease to exist!"

    ***

    About an hourter, the ss ended. Lyrian yawned, nearly falling asleep during the history lesson. In the end, he learned that Ephrias was a pretty respectable person. But... what surprised him was the thing that made him fall in the end.

    For now, he shrugged that thought off. The bell rang to go to the next ss, as students began to exit the room in a hurry. Israthel also left, teeming with anger.

    ''I can''t fuck him up now that the teacher is here... but when I get the chance... that little shit is dead!''

    He said as he stomped out of the room with his chubby friend, who was still shell-shocked.

    "You didn''t have toe to my rescue like I was some damsel in distress. I could have dealt with that situation on my own."

    Leon said to Lyrian as they also left the room. Lyrian smirked at this.

    "That would have probably been the right thing to do, to let you deal with it on your own. But I couldn''t control myself. The bastard pissed me off. I dislike it when someone attacks my friends for no reason."

    He said as the two parted ways. As Leon made his way to his next ss, he thought to himself.

    ''Friend huh... I mean, we have gone through the climaxes of life when ites to danger. We are friends.''

    ***

    Lyrian soon made it to his next ss. As he entered, the vibe of the ssroom waspletely different from the one before. In terms of size, it was easily more than 3 times as big. As soon as he stepped in, he was blown away by the greenery in the room.

    Theyout was different from the first room. The entrance led directly to the widely spaced seats in the wider rows. You could walk all the way down to the bottom of the ssroom, where the teacher stood, and could touch a giant tree that grew through the ss room.

    Apart from the small area where you entered the room, and where the seats were, the entire room was in a giant ss sphere that had hexagonal windows. You could see the vegetation outside, making it feel lively.

    Lyrian quickly found a seat near the back of the room and sat down. He sat there since it was closest to him, and also closest to the exit.

    ''Hopefully, another bufoon won''t interrupt me... well, actually, that would be some decent training.''

    He pondered to himself. Before long, he noticed that several eyes were staring right at him.

    ''I mean... I am one of the only 3 MVPs, but this is a little too much, no? I guess I''ll have to deal with this for the first few days before everyone forgets and doesn''t care about me anymore...''

    He thought to himself as the teacher got up from her desk near the side of the tree and walked to the front of the room. At that moment, the bell indicating that the ss should start rang through the halls.

    The teacher in the second ssroom was a modest and fairly young woman with an undeniable air of confidence. Her long, flowing brown hair cascaded down her shoulders, adding to her youthful and approachable appearance. She had a pleasant and weing demeanor that instantly put her students at ease.

    "Hello, ss."

    She began to introduce herself.

    Her beauty was undeniable, but it was her warm and engaging personality that truly drew people in. Her expressive eyes sparkled with intelligence and a genuine passion for teaching, making it clear that she was not just there to deliver a lesson but to inspire her students.

    She wore a simple robe, a standard uniform for educators at the academy, but she carried herself with grace and charisma.

    "You may call me Ms. Nria."

 Chapter 200 Spirit Pet Tiers

    <h4>Chapter 200 Spirit Pet Tiers</h4>

    Everyone quieted down as she began her lesson. They listened intently. Seeing someone with an actual passion for their job was enticing to most, even Lyrian.

    Lyrian paid attention not just because of that though, but also because he knew this was the Spirit Pet and Beast Taming ss. It had everything to do with beasts, so he was, of course, intrigued by it.

    He looked down at his bracelet and pulled up the ticket that he and the other two MVPs of the school had. They were for the High-Grade Spirit Pet that he was to receive.

    "I don''t do student introductions in my ss. Not many do, here at Anaviotis," she turned around, beginning to write on the small chalkboard stand that was on wheels behind her. "However, if you want to get to know each other, this would be the time to do so," she said, continuing to draw with the chalk on the smooth dark green board. For the next few seconds, the only sounds that were heard in the room were the sounds of her piece of chalk rubbing against the board.

    Lyrian was slightly taken aback by this. He expected the whole ss to abruptly explode into conversation, but that was not the case. Intrigued, he took a look at some faces nearby.

    A boy next to him bit his nails and stared at the board that Ms. Nria was writing on. He was clearly anxious for some reason. And then, he saw a few girls whose breaths were shaky, as though they couldn''t control themselves.

    A few people couldn''t stop shaking, and others looked to be pale, and almost blue from nervousness.

    ''Nervousness... that''s right. They are all nervous,'' Lyrian realized. ''Of course, they are. I wasn''t even thinking about that, since I was guaranteed a High-Grade pet, but everyone else... they probably have no clue what pet they are going to get.''

    Finally, Nria turned back around and faced the ss.

    "In this ss, we will be learning about creatures! They aren''t just beings that exist to cause us harm. They may be powerful, but that power can be used to our advantage as well. Specifically, this ss is not only about creatures but how humanity can use said creatures to their benefit; how you can use creatures for humanity''s benefit."

    Kids listened intently as she continued, knowing what was soon approaching.

    "Here is the basic list of Spirit Pet tiers, going from weakest to strongest," she pointed at the list on the chalkboard with her piece of chalk. "Spirit Pets are humanity''s greatest separate weapon. They are ourpanions, our saviors, and our pawns as well."

    The room''s atmosphere became a little more tense as she began to talk about the Spirit Pets.

    ''Pawns, huh...'' Lyrian thought to himself. For some reason, he didn''t like that wording. Garmr, and even Zuuc, didn''t seem like pawns to him. However, they didn''t seem like friends orpanions either. Instead, they felt like something else... they felt like his students or his children. He couldn''t exin that connection, but that''s what both of his creations felt like to him.

    The teacher turned, pointing to the board as she began to speak.

    "Remember this well, as you will all soon be getting your own Spirit Pets." She paused, letting that sink in. Even she knew how big of a deal this was. Spirit Pets were essential beings that every Magic Master had within his or her possession. All beings fortunate enough to join an academy would get their first spirit pet at the age of 10.

    "Your first Spirit Pets are arguably the most important ones. Since your body is not used to having Soul Bonds to other creatures, it will take you at the very least a year to be able to have another Spirit Pet bonded to you. Most of the time, it takes up and over a year, and sometimes, even 5 years before you can get another Spirit Pet."

    This gave Lyrian some rification, as he now understood just how important these things were. They weren''t just add-ons or specialties, but necessary and normal things for everyone. On top of that, not being able to change it for a year or even several years... he got why that would scare some.

    "Now, I will tell you the 6 tiers that represent a Spirit Pet''s potential. Low Tier, Medium Tier, Great Tier, High Tier, Legend Tier, and Supreme Tier. Out of these, the highest ones we can give out are the High Tier Spirit Pets. Unfortunately, the Legend Tier is extremely rare for us to see. To obtain one would be even more difficult."

    Her words left the ss with an eerie silence. As she looked through the group of nervous kids, a hand raised in the air. Noticing it, she quickly called it out.

    "A question?" she said as Lyrian replied.

    "What about the Supreme Tier? You didn''t tell us about that one."

    He asked, genuinely curious about its rarity.

    The entire ss looked back past their shoulder and toward him. They gave looks as to say "Are you serious?" or "You really don''t know that?"

    However, Lyrian waspletely serious. Nria chuckled slightly before answering his question.

    "In an academy such as Anaviotis, which was founded by our predecessors many years ago, we have information in our teaching curriculum that is quite outdated. Most tiers follow this rule. Tiers such as Supreme for Spirit Pets, Vermillion for Magic Potentials... these are mere legends."

    Hearing this reply, Lyrian sat back in his chair.

    "Hmm," he retorted, not seeing any reason to say more. He knew he could blurt out to the entire ss his Vermillion Magic Potential, but bragging so audaciously seemed like a cringe thing to do for him.

    However, this gave him a slight hope that he could actually get a Supreme Tier Spirit Pet since he already had a Vermillion Magic Potential.

    "Any more questions?" Nria''s eyes scanned the ss, as she finally announced.

    "Alright then, everyone make a line toe down here. It''s time to pick your Spirit Pets."

 Chapter 201 Ancient Bloodline

    ?

    Kids quickly got up and formed a line that split through the middle of the ssroom. Lyrian was near the back of the line, where he peeked and saw what the Spirit Pets looked like. It was a little out of his expectations. He didn''t know exactly what to expect, but it definitely wasn''t anything like what he saw. On a glossed oak table were ced several different colored eggs about the size of a baseball. Some eggs were white, with streaks of blue going across. Other eggs were gray like a stone, withva-like marks ripping through them. Other eggs were slightly brown and even had miniature nts growing on top of them. The varieties were impressive, to say the least.

    At the back of the table, there was one separated egg that gleamed and let out a slightly brighter, golden glow.

    "Before anyone else, I want Lyrian Theageld toe down and take his guaranteed High Tiered Spirit egg," Nria announced to the ss, as Lyrian made his way to the front of the line. Eyes tracked him as he walked. Some were envious, others angry, others happy for the MVP, and others who were too nervous to give a shit.

    "Choose your egg. You aren''t forced to take the High Tier one," Nria said, as Lyrian stood before the table and paused.

    "I wouldn''t take my chances with that," he said, grabbing the egg that gleamed a golden hue.

    "Smart choice," Nria smirked, as Lyrian began walking back to his seat. Halfway up the rows, he stopped and turned around.

    "I have a question," he said as Nria''s eyes perked up, gesturing for Lyrian to ask his question.

    "How does the rarity roll for the eggs go? Aren''t they supposed to be a random rarity? If that was the case, how would you know this one is High Tier?"

    Nria slightly chuckled again. "A boy of many questions are we?" She said, as a few kids smiled at her joke. Lyrian didn''t find it so funny.

    "... Yeah," he spoke, unimpressed.

    "The chance one could get a higher-tiered egg, rather than a lower-tiered one, is all up to the egg itself. We also don''t know where ites from, or what beast, that is, so the rarity isn''t known. Along with that, a creature could have a gically modified bloodline, which could make it stronger than its usual power, giving it a higher tier. As for your egg, we were able to specifically retrieve that one for you, so we know its tier."

    Satisfied with this answer, Lyrian continued back to his seat and sat down. The next several minutes of the ss were spent with the kids choosing their random eggs and slowly making it back to their seats as well.

    As time passed by, Lyrian inspected his egg. Firstly, he Scanned it. He expected to get an Item Scan, but instead, got a Beast Scan from Gear.

    ��������Scan��������

    Name: None

    Species: Pheon

    Age: ~

    Overall Power (OP): ~

    Health: 2/2

    Stamina: ~

    Strength: ~

    Agility: ~

    Defense: ~

    Rank: ~

    Special: Ancient Bloodline (This creature holds a unique bloodline, granting it the power of its ancient predecessors.)

    ����������������������

    ''Oh? The Pheon huh? It was strong during the exam. I bet I can make it even stronger. And... it''s also of an Ancient Bloodline. I wonder what the Ancient Bloodline of the Pheon is...''

    From this Scan, the glow that radiated from the egg made sense. Just thinking about how bright the exam Pheon''s effulgence nearly blinded Lyrian again.

    ''A bird is quite useful. Not only is it agile and a long-distance fighter, but it can also be used as a solid mount for far-distance travel.''

    After everyone got their Spirit Pets, Nria addressed the even more nervous crowd again.

    "For these eggs to hatch, you will need to wait at least a week. In that time, make sure they are kept in secure areas. For the best incubation, put the eggs in their natural environment. If your egg is of the Earth-type, then put it next to some trees, or nts. On top of the dirt, on the grass. If it''s of the Water-type, then bathe it in water and keep it there. You get the idea. Don''t be afraid to do this, either, as it will ensure the best results for you and also your Spirit Pets."

    And just like that, Lyrian''s second ss of the day ended. He put his egg inside of his storage ring before moving on to his next ss, which happened to be lunch.

    Soon, he arrived at the canteen, where several hundred kids were already present. It was two floors up, and the entire room was encased in windows that allowed you to look down at the floor far below.

    The design of the cafeteria was very modern and cool looking, with metal architecture. The vibe inside there was very bright and lively, with hundreds of kids getting their meals as they conversed with each other and ate together as well.

    "Yo, we meet again!" A familiar voice sounded behind Lyrian as a hand suddenly reached around his shoulder. Looking to the side, Lyrian saw that it was none other than Alten, who was smiling broadly.

    "Get off me, you bastard. I nearly knocked you out," Lyrian joked, as Alten quickly retreated and began to giggle.

    "Hahaha! What a great day it has been in this academy so far, don''t you think so?" Alten eagerly asked as the two made their way to the lunch line.

    "Kind of," Lyrian replied, countering Alten''s happiness.

    "Well, you and your determined mindset probably expected to be here, but I never, in my wildest dreams and imaginations, thought that I would actually be walking on these very floors. The floors walked on by countless legends..." Alten stopped, staring into the distance with a smile on his face. That''s when he got a karate chop to the back of his neck.

    "Keep moving you fool. I''m hungry," Lyrian said as he was behind Alten in the line. Surveying the canteen some more, he noticed a slightly familiar face which was staring right back at him. The face seemed to be seething with anger. The boy to whom this face belonged put his clenched fist on the table, gritting his teeth as he stared at Lyrian.

    ''What was his name again? Israthel?''

 Chapter 202 King Of Second Year

    ?

    ''I don''t mind fighting, but I don''t like getting disturbed when eating...'' He sighed inwardly, remembering his preference for uninterrupted meals. Lyrian''s stomach grumbled in anticipation as he moved forward in the line. He quickly grabbed a tray and surveyed the spread before him.

    The mashed potatoes stood out, their creamy mounds practically melting into the tray. Hedled a generous spoonful of thick gravy, the rich aroma wafting up to greet him.

    Beside it, golden-fried chicken glistened, promising a satisfying crunch. He couldn''t resist adding several pieces to his te, the skin crackling slightly as he picked it up.

    Fresh, vibrant greens greeted him at the sd bar. He assembled a colorful mixture, the crunch of lettuce and burst of cherry tomatoes promising a refreshing contrast.

    At the live cooking station, the sizzle of stir-fried noodles filled the air. He watched as the chef expertly tossed them with a medley of vegetables and savory sauces. The aroma of garlic and ginger teased his senses.

    The fragrant curries at the international station called out to him. He chose a steaming serving of chicken tikka mas, the creamy sauce clinging to tender chunks of meat.

    Desserts beckoned, but he showed some restraint. Unlike the other fresh food items, he knew that sugar was something that could mess up his bodily autonomy, especially as a young kid. He learned this from the several seemingly useless books he read in the library in Illstria. Now, that information served him. A slice of velvety chocte cake and a bowl of glistening fruit sd made it onto his tray.

    Bncing his stacked tray, Lyrian followed Alten to a quiet corner where another person was already sitting in one of the chairs of the hexagonal table. Upon closer inspection, Lyrian saw that it was Leon, who didn''t want to wait before enjoying his meal. Lyrian sat down and began to chow down, not thinking of savoring the vor, like the other two. He just scarfed down the food as fast as possible.

    Still, the taste of the food was enough to impress him a lot. In his entire life, he never had such delectable food. That was a given. As he took multiple delicious bites, the needless worries in his mind faded away, reced by the simple pleasure of savoring each mouthful. Right now, it felt like he was in heaven... food heaven. He hadn''t even noticed it, but his eyes were closed. When he opened them again, he saw bewildered expressions on his friends. They were frozen, looking at Lyrian as if he were some sort of silly beast. Alten broke out into a silly chuckle, and Leon shrugged it off and continued to eat.

    Taking a deep breath��a short break from the feasting��Lyrian looked around, and to his expectations, saw multiple eyes on him. Of course, most of those eyes darted away as he made contact with them. They were the eyes of curious students, but they were also nervous.

    "May Lord Gaia have mercy... I love food, but if I ate like that I would be obese!" Alten joked as he ate, but Lyrian took the statement seriously. "Wok! Yo'' gota'' puh'' in da'' wok!" (Work! You gotta put in the work!) He spoke as he ate, not willing to stop his meal for such a puny reason. "Don'' be obes'', no'' goo''" (Don''t be obese, no good.) He followed up, taking arge swig of his refreshing c. At that moment, he noticed that the eyes that were looking at him were no longer doing so. Instead, they all seemed to be pointed in a certain direction.

    They were all pointed behind Alten, where the food stations were. Curious, and while still eating, Lyrian stopped hunching over his food and raised his head to look behind Alten.

    Alten widened his eyes slightly. "What? Is there something on me?" He said, slightly confused.

    Just then, a murmur of quiet whispers began to spread through the nearby crowd, as the noise in the room went down. The canteen was very expansive, over 7500 sq feet in total. Still, most of the noise in the room went down.

    What Lyrian saw past Alten''s shoulder was a small group of taller kids. They all seemed to be upper-year students��7 in total. As they walked past the tables, theirbined presence was prideful and strong. The tables they walked by turned into turtle shellspletely quiet, with everyone caved in and motionless.

    The kid who walked in front of them all looked to be the one who stood out the most. His stance was simr to the others but slightly more exaggerated. His chin tilted slightly, higher. His chest stood out a bit more. And he was more carefree and confident than the others.

    Curious, Lyrian listened in to some of the tables nearby, which had, of course,pletely stopped eating. They seemed to not want to stand out.

    "That''s Draco''s group..." One of the kids whispered very quietly, almost under his breath.

    "He''s the current king of the second years, right?" A boy next to him replied, sounding both impressed and fearful at the same time.

    ''The king of the second years, huh? What the heck is that.'' Lyrian thought to himself.

    At that point, both Leon and Alten''s attention were also caught on the boy who was walking closer to their table.

    Lyrian continued to look at the boys. Everything seemed to be still except for them... until another boy suddenly appeared in the side of his vision.

    The boy was Israthel, who stomped over to him with a furious expression on his face, his gaze locked on to none other than Lyrian, the boy who humiliated him.

    However, what he didn''t notice was that Draco and his group were slowly making their way up

    the path that he was about to enter.

    Draco conversed with his boys as he walked, joking and having fun when suddenly, he bumped into a kid in front of him, who happened to walk into his way.

    The entire cafeteria let out a hushed gasp of astonishment as they witnessed this. Nothing in Draco''s tray spilled, as it was a slight push. He stopped walking and was no longerughing either, staring at the red and ck-haired boy with a nonchnt expression.

    Israthel also stopped,ing back to his senses as he slowly turned towards Draco with a horrified expression on his face.

    "D-Draco... p-please forgive me."

 Chapter 203 Draco

    <h4>Chapter 203 Draco</h4>

    Israthel gave a nervous apology with a shaky breath. The entire room dropped dead silent. One could hear a pin drop from each corner��well, each corner except one. The corner where Lyrian was still feasting away.

    Those in Draco''s group sized up the shaken Israthel as they looked at him with threatening gazes. Draco, a boy whose short blonde hair and vibrant red eyes marked his unique look, did the same��looking down at Israthel''s feet up to the top of his head.

    He then looked around at everyone who had stopped their duties to look at the situation around him right now.

    "No... you''re fine, bud. Just watch where you''re going next time," he said indifferently, lightly patting Israthel on the back. The pat seemed weak but was enough to cause the boy to lose his bnce and stumble out of the way.

    As Draco''s group moved forward, continuing to converse and joke around with each other, Israthel simply stared at the ground in disbelief while quietly walking back to his seat.

    First day of school... it was the first day of school, and he had not just been humiliated once, but now, twice. Nheless, he was still d that Draco left him off the hook so easily. While in the presence of Draco, the dangerous aura he felt wasn''t anything to scoff at.

    Soon, Draco''s group made it near Lyrian''s table. Everyone''s gaze, following Draco, now looked at the stupid glutton who was gorging food down his throat with concerned looks on their faces.

    "What is that idiot doing!? He must be a first year, but even first years get the message of the room!" a kid whispered to his friend on another side of the room.

    "Hey... isn''t that Lyrian Theageld, one of the MVPs of the first year?" a few other kids began to notice him.

    "Yea... that must be him." A few other kids joked about Lyrian after realizing who he was.

    "He said he was going to rule the world... no wonder he isn''t scared of Draco," one of this boy''s friends, however, didn''t think it was even worth joking over.

    "If I were him, I would be smart. Fear is sometimes the intellectual thing to feel. Get past the first year first before trying to rule the world... idiot..."

    As Draco walked past Lyrian''s table, he slightly nced at him. He seemed to also recognize who Lyrian was. For some reason, he abruptly stopped, causing students in the canteen to hold their breath.

    Alten wasn''t eating at the moment, shaking in his boots. Leon also wasn''t eating, but only because he had finished his meal.

    Draco looked over at Lyrian, who still didn''t stop crunching down on his fried chicken leg. Tables nearby were too afraid to say anything, but they didn''t need to, as Draco himself spoke.

    He stepped towards Lyrian, who was staring back at him while eating. Looking left and right, Draco then faced Lyrian with his hands on his hips.

    "Tsk tsk tsk... overconfident first years." He sighed, his expression and bodynguage almostical. All of his boys broke out intoughter as they saw this. Draco looked like an old principal scolding a child.

    Lyrian raised an eyebrow. Still, it wasn''t enough for him to stop eating.

    ''Can this fool just leave so I can eat. I don''t like being disturbed while eating...''

    "You should take notes from your peers. Look around, do you see anyone eating, or even making noise? It means they are doing it for a rational reason."

    No one in the cafe could counter what he was saying, and there wasn''t anyone who was going to speak up either, it seemed.

    With this remark, Lyrian finally put down his chicken drumstick, wiped his mouth, took a swig of his c to refresh his tongue, and then exhaled a deep sigh.

    "No, that''s not what it means." He said nonchntly.

    A few astonished gasps sounded in the crowd, as attention was drawn over to him even more.

    "Oh?" Draco said, slightly intrigued.

    "It just means they are pathetic cowards who don''t want their shit kicked out by you." Lyrian retorted as Draco broke out into a smallugh.

    "Ha... hahaha! God damn, you really are as brazen as they say. But... what are you implying? Just because these students don''t want their shit kicked out of them by me, doesn''t mean they are pathetic cowards, you know. I mean... are you saying that you want your shit kicked out by me?" He said as his group broke out into a peal ofughter. He too tried to control himself.

    "What? No, of course not. It''s different when ites to me because I know that if you were to fight me, the one who would get their shit kicked out of them would be you." Lyrian chuckled, as Draco''s sly demeanor suddenly turned into a frown. Many students in the crowd pped their faces with their palms in disappointment at Lyrian''s supposed stupidity.

    A ball of snot nearly flew out of Israthel''s nose as he heard what Lyrian said, his jaw instantly dropping to the floor.

    As silence spread through the canteen, Lyrian''s chuckle slowly began to expand into a louderugh. Before long, it turned into an outburst of hysterical cracking up.

    Seeing Lyrian, Leon couldn''t help but cackle up a little bit as well.

    Draco stopped leaning forward toward Lyrian''s table.

    "Ah... whatever. You are protected right now for a few weeks, so there''s nothing I can do to you anyway." Draco suddenly said in a disappointed tone as he turned around and began walking away from the table, leaving everyone shocked.

    "If you really think you can beat me in a fair fight, however--" Draco turned his head past his shoulder, giving Lyrian a piercing gaze.

    "Meet me in the Battle Forge after ss." He said,? a serious expression dawning on his face.

    Lyrian paused for a moment, as everyone''s eyes still lingered on him. First, he imed to rule the world, and now, he was iming to beat one of the strongest students in the entire academy. At least, in the second year. At the very least, the brat was interesting...

    ''Battle Forge? What the heck is that? Eh, whatever. At least I can eat now...''

    *Chomp*

 Chapter 204 Hunting Class

    ?

    After Draco and his group made it to their seats, the canteen quickly went back to its loud atmosphere. Everyone quickly forgot what happened but still had a deeper impression left on them from Lyrian.

    As Lyrian finished his food, Alten seemed to be thinking about something. Suddenly, he leaned forward and said, "I heard about Battle Forge in my Hunting ss... I''m pretty sure it''s something that you can duel other students in or something."

    He said, not fully sure if he was right or wrong. "I barely remembered what the brute said... he was a crazy teacher..."

    Alten joked but was also serious at the same time. Leon was slightly intrigued by what he heard. "Hm... that actually doesn''t sound too bad."

    Lyrian had the same reaction. "Yeah... that could be useful."

    He retorted, thinking about its possibility of being used for training. At that point, everyone was already done with their food. Lyrian was the only one who was finally finishing up.

    Before he could bring the tray back to the wash station, the bell for the next ss rang. After saying goodbye, Leon and Alten both went to their final sses of the day.

    That''s right, final sses. Right now, students only have four sses. This was because the four sses, including lunch, were the more important ones. Later, they would get to choose what other sses they wanted to take, and wouldn''t have to waste time with ones they didn''t even need.

    It was a smart and efficient way to allow students to grow in only useful aspects of life... or at least, that''s what Lyrian surmised from Julius'' speech the day before.

    Lyrian rushed his tray over to the wash station, causing the lunchdy behind the counter to chuckle, as he followed his bracelet map to his final ss.

    "Oh? It''s Hunting ss. Maybe I''ll learn some stuff about Battle Forge, as Alten did."

    He arrived at his ss shortly after, which was a ss dome building with a hard rubber floor. It was connected to the main building with a short tube. Lyrian sat down on the stalls that were present on the side of the room and waited for ss to start.

    The dome was mostly empty, but it was quite big. Compared to his other ss, the one before lunch, it was over 3 times the size of that one. What a coincidence. There were a few volleyballs to the side, some ser goals, and closets full of various sports equipment.

    Next to him on the metal stalls were a full group of other kids. Most of them actually seemed to be closer to his age. After waiting for a short while, the instructor soon came inside.

    His strut was loud but calm. He walked inside the dome door and made his way in front of the students before staring at them all with furrowed brows and a stern expression.

    Lyrian, and everyone else in the group of kids, were slightly taken aback on seeing the instructor''s face. Not because of the expression he was making, but because of the giant scar that went right through his face diagonally, as if it had been sliced in that way.

    Lyrian also noticed several scars on his rough, hairy arms, which were bulky in size. They had veins protruding out of them the size of big worms. In fact, Lyrian saw that under the teacher''s uniform was a very built body.

    The teacher lifted up a clipboard in his hand and suddenly began shouting. "Tell me if you are here or not! Remis Jalsen!"

    He said in a rough voice. "H-Here!" The slightly surprised boy replied. "Heigh Kall!" "Here sir!" "Lyrian Theageld!" "Here."

    On saying his name, the instructor gave Lyrian a slight nce, before continuing to call out names. After all of them were called out, he gazed at the students and said, "You will call me Sir Rerth, Mr. Rerth, instructor Rerth! Do any of you have questions about this ss, if not, we will begin drill testing immediately!"

    A wave of silence washed through the students as they all nced at each other to see if anyone had something to say. "Good! Now listen here, you small chums! If you want to be a Hunter, you have to be strong! That''s the main foundation of this ss! So, we will be testing it on the first day as such!"

    He said before beginning to make his way towards an exit from the dome into the outside. "Follow me!"

    Everyone stood outside the dome, wherey a giant exercise ground. Arge quarter-mile race track existed in the middle of this ground, inside of which were wooden dummies, and also duel arenas��small stone tforms which were elevated from the ground about 3 feet.

    To the sides were different stations of exercises, such as long jump, high jump, pull-up bars, and more. Everyone looked around, observing the several stations of the outdoors.

    Some even stretched, knowing that they were obviously going to have to exercise soon. "Listen up! The test drills for your strength will consist of three parts! These parts are based on what I think is most important for you in terms of your strength! Do not doubt them and whine like a little girl, just do ''em''!"

    He made his point clear, making sure no one could make a peep in reply. Some girls in the group didn''t like the remark that he made, but they couldn''t do anything about it either...

    "Firstly, the 20 of you will race! The winner nor loser doesn''t matter, as long as you run fourps around the track in four minutes, you will pass. If you fail, you get disqualified."

    He spoke in a serious and non-joking manner, making many tense up.

    "Also... I know I said the winner nor loser of the race matters, but try to win, even If it makes no difference to your grade. Don''t be pathetic."

 Chapter 205 Physical Test Drills

    <h4>Chapter 205 Physical Test Drills</h4>

    ''Huh... harsh guy. I can tell why Alten called him a brute,'' Lyrian thought to himself as he stretched. He chuckled softly. ''But... I like him. His words make sense to me, and a man should have a strong demeanor. What is the point of not striving to win?''

    Minutester, all 20 students were lined up on the track shoulder to shoulder. Rerth stood to the side, a metal stopwatch in his hand that had a holographic blue screen. Everyone looked at the track ahead of them as they prepared themselves to sprint. Lyrian took a deep breath. He had never tracked his speed before, but he wasn''t going to underestimate the qualifications of the exam. This was Anaviotis, after all. It wasn''t some low-grade school that had easy requirements to pass. The entrance exam alone already proved that to him.

    ''I''ll be happy if I can win,'' he said to himself, deciding to go for that as well.

    "Ready yourselves!" Rerth said, his finger on the button of the stopwatch. "Three! Two! One... Go!" He yelled, as everyone kicked themselves off the ground and propelled forward. Lyrian zoned out everyone else, driving strength into his legs as he rapidly jumped from one to the other. He ran so fast that his legs began to burn even before the ten-second mark, using the extent of his physical energy, but he wasn''t going to slow down just because of that.

    To the others, he looked like a speeding missile that sted forward and across the track in mere seconds. He sped ahead of all of them as if he was in a league of his own. Within a mere 11 seconds, the kids near the back of the group were shocked to see the crazy boy run past them. Before they knew it, he was halfway across the track again!

    With squinted eyes, Rerth tracked the boy, intrigued by what he was seeing. Looking at his stopwatch, he saw that only 17 seconds had passed by. He quickly nced back up. ''Brats already at the halfway mark...''

    Within another 17 seconds, Lyrian blitzed through the track two more times,pleting his fourps in just under 36 seconds. The speed of Lyrian stopping was enough to slightly blow on the nonexistent hairs on Rerth''s head. He was shocked and looked at Lyrian slowly with a bewildered expression on his face. ''What in the hell? Who is this boy?''

    He seemed to bepletely perplexed. At that moment, Lyrian began hopping on one foot as he hurriedly blew on the other one. "Ouch! Hot! Hot!" He said the rubber soles on his shoes had melted from the speed of his feet rubbing against the rubber track.

    "That''s... a new record." Rerth calmly spoke, still slightly unable to process it. Hearing this, Lyrian looked up at him with a smile on his face, slightly panting. "Best of this year''s sses so far huh?" He said, proud of his achievement.

    Rerth didn''t gaze at him, simply staring straight forward. "No... best in the entire history of Anaviotis." He said as another kid ran past the finish line at that exact moment. 1 minute and 10 seconds was his score. The boyy down on the ground, panting heavily.

    He looked at Lyrian and then dropped his head to the ground. "I wasn''t first!? Damn it! I was training for that!" Lyrian was shocked by what the teacher said. "Entire history of Anaviotis!?" He eximed in shock. His eyes darted from side to side, thinking of what to say. "That''s great!" He began to nod to himself. It was a decent aplishment in his books.

    With this, Rerth broke out into a heartyugh. "Hahaha! That''s great you say? What a reaction, it wasn''t what I was expecting." He continued tough, seeming to be in an increased mood. "My luck has gone up! Hahaha!" He proudly put his hands on his hips and stared into the sky with a profound look on his face. ''The man who trained the fastest student in all of Anaviotis... it''s a good title to add to the pile I think.'' He thought to himself.

    After the exhrating sprint, Rerth wasted no time in transitioning the ss to the next physical test: pull-ups. The students gathered around a set of sturdy bars mounted on metal poles, their leg muscles still tingling from the previous exertion.

    As Lyrian approached the pull-up bars, he couldn''t help but feel a sense of determination. He was happy with the sprint, but the testing wasn''t over. However, he was excited to see that pull-ups were the next drill, since he was an expert at them. In Illstria, he trained them for several years, and they were as easy as walking for him at this point.

    Rerth''s voice cut through the anticipation. "Alright, everyone, line up. It''s time for the pull-up test. Let''s see how many of you have the upper body strength."

    Lyrian joined the other students, his gaze fixed on the bar ahead. He maintained his focus on pushing himself to his limits once again.

    "Begin!" Rerthmanded, and the students leaped to action. Lyrian''s body tensed as he gripped the bar and ho

    isted himself upward. Suddenly, his body was lifted up and above the bar as far as his arms could go. ''What the-!? I used too much strength... I guess I''ve gotten a fair bit stronger since thest time I did pull-ups.'' He thought to himself,ing back down and pacing himself.

    The count began, and the students grunted and strained with each repetition. Looking to their sides, however, they saw a boy who had almost a demon-like expressionless face who flew up and down from the bar so fast that there was almost a blur following him. They could feel the wind caused by his reps, enough to raise some hairs on their arms.

    As the pull-up count continued, Lyrian''s determination shone through. His form remained impable, and he powered through the exercise with a relentless drive. It was clear to everyone that he wasn''t just a sprinting prodigy; he possessed a well-rounded athleticism that set him apart.

    On top of that, his continuous emotionless expression was scary to nce at.

    Rerth watched with a keen eye, impressed by Lyrian''s performance once again. The other students, some struggling to reach their targets, couldn''t help but admire the neer''s strength and tenacity.

    After what felt like an eternity of exertion, the test concluded. Lyrian, having performed an impressive number of pull-ups, lowered himself to the ground, his muscles quivering with exhaustion. He had once again pushed himself to his limits and left an indelible mark on his fellow students.

    Rerth approached him, wearing a proud smile. "Well done, boy," he said, pping a hand on his shoulder. "You''ve made your mark here today."

    Lyrian nodded, his chest heaving.

 Chapter 206 Bamboo Balance

    <h4>Chapter 206 Bamboo Bnce</h4>

    For the final drill, the students followed Rerth to one of the stone tforms. By now, they were all quite tired. To Rerth''s surprise, however, not a single kid had failed the exam. He had a good bunch this year.

    Seeing that they were next to the fighting arena, Lyrian got an idea of what thest drill of testing would be.

    ''Fighting... huh. I guess that makes sense to be a foundation of hunting. If it''s just that, then I don''t need to worry too much,'' he said, slightly relieved. ''But... what are those long sticks he''s holding?''

    Lyrian followed up those thoughts with a confused one. As he looked at Rerth, he saw him carrying arge pile of long bamboo shoots on his shoulders.

    "The first test was your speed! Speed is essential in hunting, I''m sure you all can understand why. The pull-ups might have been a bit more confusing, but they are also essential. You will need to be able to travel when hunting, not just to get to the ces to hunt, which are vast in terms of choices for a hunter, but also to move inside of the ce you hunt in. This includes dungeons, caves, ruins, temples, and much more. To traverse well, one needs to learn how to handle his own body weight, and pull-ups are a perfect indicator for that."

    The students nodded as Rerth continued his lesson. What he said made sense so far.

    "Now, the final test will be for your third and most important foundation of hunting!"

    He paused, allowing everyone to think about what it could be. Inwardly, Lyrian said, ''Fighting...''

    "Bnce!" Rerth suddenly eximed, throwing Lyrian off slightly. ''Bnce? I wasn''t expecting that.'' Others had simrly confused reactions. Rerth wasted no time and began to exin his thoughts.

    "That''s right! The most important one is bnce! You may be fast, and you may have leverage over your body, but those things don''te together in harmony nearly as well without having bnce over your core! This applies not only to hunting but also to fighting as well."

    Many let out sounds of realization as Rerth finished up his speech. Lyrian found it to be familiar to something he heard from Brokkr back in the t Stone Mountain caves.

    ''Brokkr spoke about Smithing in that way... a way to precisely and calmly calcte your next move to make the best choice and action possible. It is simr to bnce.''

    Rerth began throwing two long bamboo shoots at each of the students there.

    "Catch them quickly! Do not let these touch the floor!" He yelled as the students hurried to grab the shoots being thrown at them. They were light, as they were made only of bamboo. However, kids still struggled to follow Rerth''s directions.

    In mere seconds, over half of the kids'' bamboos had touched the floor. This was because even though the bamboo sticks were light, the kids rushed and grabbed onto their ends, and not the middle of the sticks. Due to this, their leverage was bad, causing one side of the 20-foot bamboo poles to touch the ground.

    The other half who made sure their bamboo didn''t touch the ground were patient and caught them in the middle. All, except Lyrian. He caught one in the middle, but the other at the very edge.

    This wasn''t because he was clumsy, at least, he didn''t think it was. When he caught it, the same way he caught his other one, he realized that it traveled stunningly faster.

    ''Maybe it was a small challenge,'' Lyrian thought to himself, looking at his teacher. Still, even though he caught it at the very end, Lyrian used his raw strength to keep it from touching the floor.

    Those who failed looked at Rerth with concerned expressions. "Don''t worry, that''s not the test, so none of you fail the exam from just that. It was only a heads-up for what''s toe, so be prepared!" He spoke loudly, as the kids breathed a sigh of relief.

    As they continued to bnce their shoots, Rerth reached into his pocket and took out a handful of small pebbles.

    "Do not drop these!" He yelled, tossing them into the air toward each of the students. "If you do, you will be eliminated!" He followed up, making many tense their bodies up in nervousness.

    One of the kids looked at the small pebble flying at him from the sky, the sun blinding him slightly.

    ''What the hell!? Both of my hands are busy holding the bamboo... how am I supposed to catch that thing!?'' He said as the pebble hit his face, flinging off to the ground. As this happened, he dropped the bamboo, knowing he had failed. Seething with anger, his entire body began to shake.

    "You!" Rerth called him out, gazing at the boy with furrowed eyebrows. "Are expelled from my ss." He said coldly, as the boy looked at him with a sorrowful expression, which soon contorted into an angry one. Without warning, he stormed out of the field and back inside.

    Two other kids were expelled as well, seeing no way to get the pebble with both hands tied up.

    "Damn it! What an unfair test!" One blurted out as he left. Others had found creative ways to catch the pebbles. Lyrian had used his mouth, allowing the pebble to fall inside.

    ''That was it? I passed? Then... what was the need to be near an arena?'' He thought to himself, slightly confused. At that moment, Rerth continued.

    "Those three fools failed to see what you guys saw. They saw an impossible task, but you guys saw a chance at innovation, and look, it worked. Catching the pebble isn''t the main test either, by the way. It was only a small test to see if you are all willing to learn and grow--if you were all willing to create new opportunities for yourselves, instead of just giving up."

    Rerth turned around. "Now, the real test will begin. Everyone!" He addressed the group. "Find a way to get up onto the bamboo shoots. Stand up on them with both legs, fully bnced!"

    ''What? Get onto the bamboo sticks on both legs!? Isn''t that a bit too much? By normal standards... that''s near impossible.'' Lyrian thought to himself on hearing Rerth''s words. Other kids also looked around, seemingly confused.

    "I know what you all are thinking... and your thoughts are correct. Doing it normally is far too difficult, even for students of Anaviotis, at least those at your level. Because of this, you are all granted permission to use magic for the first and only time in these drills. Still, I won''t give you a step-by-step guide to doing your task. Figure it out how you see fit."

    Lyrian was relieved to hear those words. Others still seemed a bit clueless, but he instantly came up with a n. Firstly, he Enhanced his legs. Next, he stuck the bamboo sticks in the ground and then jumped up exactly above them. It was a perfectnding. Both of his feet were ced right on the tops of the bamboo.

    On top of that, he noticed for the first time that there were a few holes on the end of the bamboo, and also a small thing of rope. He got the point of them and tied his feet to the top of the bamboo as soon as he got up there. It was hard to bnce himself while doing so, but he managed to stay up.

    Others used magic to propel themselves up, and others used different tactics. In the end, many found it quite easy to get onto the sticks, but staying there was the difficult part. Especially when tying their own feet to the sticks or when trying to move around. It was almost impossible without falling.

    After a few minutes of kids falling around, Rerth jumped up onto the tform and spoke up. "Here is your final drill for today!" He shouted as heads darted towards him.

    "Two of you, each called up randomly by me, will duel each other on the tform while bncing on the sticks. The winner is not decided by who defeats the other inbat, but by who gets the stone of the other fighter."

    This caused some concern within the students. The passing rate seemed to be only 50 percent, which was awful. They looked around at their potential opponents. Many looked at Lyrian with grim expressions. After what they saw of him today, they prayed not to receive him as an opponent.

    "But don''t fret about failing as much as you are! You will only fail if your stone touches the ground. This means that after the winner gets your stone, he can either choose to let you pass or eliminate you. If he chooses to eliminate you, you still have hope. The winner will need to throw your pebble to the ground. It will be your job to catch it, that is, if you want to pass."

    Being in Rerth''s ss turned out to be quite the emotional roller coaster for some. It felt like they were being anxious, and then relieved, every few seconds.

    ''So I have to walk in these?'' Lyrian questioned himself, taking a step forward. Suddenly, his foot became a little looser in the rope, causing him to slip slightly and lose his bnce. He almost began to fall but used what he knew of Smithing to bnce himself. ''This won''t be fun...'' He thought to himself, taking a deep breath.

 Chapter 207 Balance Duels

    <h4>Chapter 207 Bnce Duels</h4>

    "Bnce... I''m not great at it," Lyrian thought as he looked around at the many students who were trying to walk on the long bamboo poles. Many continued to fall down, but some looked to have mastered the art. This was a slight sting for Lyrian since it meant that a few had better chances at defeating him in the bnce duel.

    ''I never learned the foundations of fighting, so my body isn''t very bnced. Now that I think about it, I didn''t learn the foundations of cultivating either... I wonder if that''s a thing.'' He pondered this to himself for a short moment, before quickly brushing it off as he had important things to currently tend to. Right now, Smithing was like his one ''foundation.'' It helped him control his movements, but it still seemed to not be enough for full bnce. As Rerth began calling names to the tform, Lyrian tsked at the fact that he could only make a few movements before losing his bnce.

    For a moment, he stopped practicing and took a peek at the two students in the arena. Both of them looked a bit unsteady but barely managed to stay onto the sticks. Lyrian thought them to be slightly worse off than him, even though he wasn''t too good either.

    Anticipation increased as the two went into a stalemate, simply trying to not fall, let alone get a pebble or whatever! However, amid the wait, one of the kids got impatient.

    "I can''t ever fully bnce myself anyways. Might as well go for the win before I fall!" He eximed, pushing his bamboo sticks into the floor as he lunged forward. Unfortunately for him, he used too much force, causing the sticks to slip. He fell face-first onto the stone tform as his pebble slipped out from his hands and fell onto the floor. With that, he failed the drill.

    A crunch sounded from the impact. The kid wasn''t only knocked unconscious but also seemed to have broken his nose. The opponent rejoiced upon seeing this, but Rerth swiftly reminded him that it wasn''t over just yet.

    "Kid! You still haven''t passed!" He blurted, erasing the smirk from the kid''s face.

    "To pass, you need to get the opponent''s stone! My rules are absolute!" The kid paused, thinking to himself for a moment. Everyone waited for his next move. Finally, he suddenly leaned forward, allowing himself to begin falling down.

    Right before he touched the ground, however, he made sure to grab the stone, giving him an automatic pass.

    Seeing this, the students were quite impressed with his quick thinking, but Lyrian was a bit confused with the rules.

    "Rerth!" He shouted from the tops of his bamboo sticks. The teacher turned to face him, his hands crossed.

    "What are the exact rules of this duel?" Lyrian asked as Rerth tsked under his breath.

    ''Damn... there''s always one brat like this who ruins the surprise. Ah... well whatever. It''s not like I can lie to him.'' He thought to himself, slightly irritated.

    "The rules are simple. Bnce on the sticks with both legs is the first rule. The second rule is that you must retrieve the opponent''s stone to pass. And finally, the third rule is that if your stone touches the ground, you fail. Now, this third rule has a bit of an implication. It''s not only that you cannot let the stone physically touch the ground, but you also cannot let whatever is in direct contact with it touch the ground either. This means your body."

    After saying this, Rerth quickly moved on to the next pair of duelers. Lyrian, on the other hand, began to go deep in thought while also practicing his bnce. The more he tried, however, the more he seemed to get worse!

    ''He said his rules are absolute... and if those are the only rules...'' A smirk suddenly formed on Lyrian''s face as he said this in his head. Rerth noticed the smirk and formed an annoyed expression.

    ''Smart brat.'' He retorted in his brain. In the second match, Lyrian noticed one of the fighters. He was the guy who came second ce in the race; Lyrian remembered him by his green robe. His bnce was also one of the best in the entire group.

    He was going up against a kid who looked to struggle with his bnce. As the match started, the opponent of the green-robed kid tried to bnce himself, his body shaking. However, his opponent quickly walked over to him, pushing him down without touch as he snatched the pebble from his coat.

    The poorly bnced boy fell onto his back with a loud thud, as he looked up at the green-robed kid with concerned eyes. "Don--" He barely managed to say, as the green-robed kid let go of the stone. It bounced off the tform andnded on the ground, marking the failure of the poorly bnced kid.

    The green-robed kid''s stare remained icy cold throughout all of this. As the matches continued, Lyrian made sure to mark the stronger opponents.

    In the third match, a kid who Lyrian recognized from his dark brown eyes and long ck hair, who also had good bnce, dominated his opponent. The fourth match wasn''t noteworthy, but the fifth indeed was.

    Everyone looked on with keen eyes as a normal-looking kid entered the tform. What made him stand out, however, was how seamlessly he did it. He walked up there as if he was walking on bamboo sticks for his entire life.

    Looking around, Lyrian noticed that the two best bncers so far, the kid in the green robe and the kid with the long ck hair, both had their mouths agape in shock as they surveyed the average-looking kid.

    "He''s far better than even me at that..." The green-robed kid said. "He must have practiced it before... so this is quite unfair." The dark-brown-eyed kid whispered under his breath. Finally, Rerth announced the kid''s opponent.

    "Kalon''s opponent will be... Lyrian!"

 Chapter 208 Sometimes, Kicks Are Better Than Balance

    <h4>Chapter 208 Sometimes, Kicks Are Better Than Bnce</h4>

    Eyes of the students gathered in front of the arena suddenly all turned to look over their shoulders as Lyrian, who was currently sitting on the ground, got up to his feet.

    "Don''t worry... I wasn''t touching the floor," he said as he calmly walked over to the stage. As he did, several confused expressions followed each step. Confused expressions, perplexed expressions, and even some hysterical expressions.

    Rerth even let out a slight scoff in amusement as he saw what Lyrian was doing. Lyrian walked up to the stage with both feet bnced on the bamboo sticks... except, they were bnced on them horizontally, not vertically.

    He jumped onto the tform, taking up a good amount of space. His opponent, Kalon, didn''t seem to find it as funny as the teacher. He was infuriated.

    "What!? Surely this is against the rules!" He looked at Rerth, who had a smile on his face.

    "My rules are absolute. Although hees off as a smart ass because of this, Lyrian improvised, adapted, and overcame."

    Kalon wasn''t happy with this response and had more to say immediately.

    "But this has nothing to do with bnce anymore! I thought this drill was supposed to be about bnce!" He yelled in frustration. Rerth simply looked at him and shrugged his shoulders. He was about to speak when Lyrian suddenly interjected.

    "Sometimes, you need to bnce your body in fights, and also in many other parts of hunting," he said, as Kalon furrowed his eyebrows and gazed intensely at the kid below him.

    "But... other times, you can just kick the shit out of anything you hunt. It''s called improvising," Lyrian finished what he was saying, sending a chill of rage up Kalon''s spine.

    "The match has begun!" Rerth spoke at that moment, satisfied with that answer. Kalon wasted no time, lunging forward toward his opponent.

    "Even if you cheat, you won''t have the bnce to beat me!" He yelled as he neared Lyrian.

    "Like I said before," Lyrian stared directly at Kalon. "I don''t need bnce if I can just beat you with a kick!"

    He quickly swayed his feet to this side, as the bamboo attached to his leg drove into the vertical bamboo that Kalon was standing on. The two poles immediately slipped to the side, causing Kalon to drop down and hit the floor hard.

    He groaned in pain as Lyrian simply walked over to him and took his pebble.

    "You pass!" Rerth announced, as a smirk formed on Lyrian''s face.

    ''Perfect.''

    He jumped out of the ropes attached to the bamboo and made his way off the tform.

    "W-Wait! My pebble..." Kalon said, fighting through the pain. He still cared about not failing, even if he didn''t win the match.

    "Oh..." Lyrian said, not even bothering to turn around. "I don''t really care whether you fail or not. Catch it if you can."

    He nonchntly spoke, tossing it back behind him toward the boy. Kalon desperately caught it, as he stared at Lyrian who continued walking away.

    As if timed, the bells marking the end of the first school day also rang precisely then.

    "We will finish our duels tomorrow! Those not picked today have more time to prepare, so don''t screw up! However, know that you will be judged more heavily as a consequence!" Rerth continued to say a bunch of random crap with Lyrian and just ignored it. All he wanted to do right now was get to his room and... eat. His stomach was already beginning to grumble, and it had barely been a couple of hours after hisst meal at the canteen.

    "Oh yes! And I forgot to mention, the Battle Forge!"

    These words from Rerth suddenly cut through to Lyrian, as his interest was instantly piqued. He turned around, listening intently.

    "I will exin it simply! Battle Forge will be something used by all of you as a training mechanism. Well, I guess not all of you, since some may not choose to train. Nheless, for those of you that do, it is a good way to do so."

    Lyrian took a few steps closer. Food could wait, but this was important to learn right now. Other students also neared, wanting to hear about the training instrument.

    "Every two weeks, our school has a game called the Battle Forge Real (BFR) against another school. It is quite simple... a battle between powerful students from different grades across many schools, to see who is the strongest. The Battle Forge (BR) is the simtion of the real deal, it''s an online game. You can join it to practice for the BFR, but that doesn''t mean you actually have topete. Not many want to, and not many are strong enough to anyway. Anyway, the point is, that it''s a good training instrument. Use it! I''ll talk to you all more about it tomorrow. Right now, I have somewhere to be!"

    Rerth finished up. He readied himself in a running position, before suddenly jumping up into the air and disappearing from the sight of the students.

    ''What an odd school... but that BR sounds cool.''

    Lyrian thought to himself, turning around.

    He arrived at his dorm room shortly after. He was expecting a total mess, but thankfully, it was pretty clean. For some reason, his roommate seemed to be missing as well though.

    He had arrived at his room a bitte, so he expected most to have arrived at their rooms by now, including his roommate, but shrugged it off, thinking the kid was doing something else.

    After all, from what Lyrian remembered, his roommate didn''t look to be a first-year student, so there was probably stuff he needed to attend to.

    At that moment, the door to his room suddenly flew open.

    "Lyrian! Let''s go, no time to waste!"

    Alten barged inside and yelled, a bright smile on his face. Behind him was Leon, who stood outside.

    "What?"

    Lyrian said in confusion, as Alten suddenly wrapped his arm around him and pulled him outside.

    "It''s time to buy our own BR modules!"

 Chapter 209 Exploring The City

    <h4>Chapter 209 Exploring The City</h4>

    ?

    Minutester, Lyrian entered the almost futuristic streets of the Anaviotis campus city with Alten and Leon. From the otheryer of the school, all they had to do was make their way across therge opening up front and then get their way past the gates guarding the establishment.

    There were guards stationed there, people whom Lyrian noticed were real people, working real jobs... They made it to the city streets right outside of the walls, where the paths were smooth and made up of clean pavement.

    In the magical city,rge hovering boards made of metal zoomed through the sky, carrying loads of equipment and merchandise. The streets bustled with a vast crowd of people.

    Skyscrapers and other buildings, along with street shops and other markets, lined up along the side of the road, where people who Lyrian noticed weren''t just students but adults as well.

    Some may have been teachers, but others were cksmiths, garbage cleaners, maybe some were store owners, and so forth. Seeing them, along with the guards from before, Lyrian now realized why so many ces of residency were opened up on the campus of Anaviotis.

    This was what made it almost city-like since it literally had a functioning society within it, that needed to be there in order for the academy to flourish.

    Using his wrist bracelet, he followed the map which led to the nearest and only BF (Battle Forge) shop on the campus. While he did that, he also checked the amount of Riftstones that he had. Riftstones were the currency of the academy.

    The bracelet read that he had a total of 3,500 Riftstones. This came as a bit of a shock to Lyrian, who hadn''t memorized his amount of Riftstones in a while. He knew that he got 1000 from getting first ce in the Magic Affinity Potential test, but other than that, he assumed that the 2500 extra Riftstones were from other stuff that he aplished in the entrance exam.

    Passing with the Golden Tiered Core almost must have been a big reason for the extra Riftstones.

    ''Thinking of the core... I still have it in my storage ring. I wonder what I should do with it. Sell it? That might be a waste though...''

    Lyrian pondered in his head. Soon, they arrived at a four-way intersection in the street, where a fair-sized water fountain graced the middle. As they approached this fountain, they realized that a small circle of people was slowly forming around it.

    Lyrian looked at his bracelet, then back up at the now sizable crowd of people forming a blockade in front of them.

    "The Battle Forge shop is straight ahead."

    He said as Alten tsked in slight frustration.

    "What is all thismotion even about?"

    He questioned, as the three pushed their way into the growing circle of people and arrived at the inner edge of it. They stopped for a moment to observe what was going on near the fountain, where no one was near now.

    "Riftstones! Hand them over!"

    A young-looking boy dressed in a thin, orange robe barked out with an arrogant look on his face as he looked to be harassing a grown man. The man looked to be in his forties and had a grim expression as he was held by the cor over the edge of the water fountain.

    Small droplets of water sshed on him from time to time since he was held so close to the fountain.

    "A robbery? In in daylight?"

    Lyrian said, slightly bewildered by the situation. Leon seemed to have a bit more insight.

    "No... seems like it at first, but that kid in the orange robe is a student. He looks like a first-year, just like us. He even has a small group of orange-robed goons next to him... that probably means what I think it means."

    He seemed to be slightly annoyed as he said thatst sentence.

    Lyrian had no idea what he was talking about, but Alten understood quite quickly.

    "Yea... It''s unfortunate that there seem to be no rules against this."

    Alten sighed, looking over at the guards who stayed on the sidelines and watched as the middle-aged man got harassed.

    "What are you talking about? In fact... why aren''t the guards doing anything?"

    Lyrian said, even more confused now. Alten quickly replied this time.

    "You still don''t know? Those kids... are pretending to be Buddhist monks. They are asking for money."

    Lyrian said as Alten let out a slight chuckle.

    "Wow... to be honest, I didn''t know what I was expecting, since it is you, after all, Lyrian."

    He mused.

    "Buddhist monks are religious disciples. Sometimes they beg for money to stay satiated. Here, however, they are pretending to ''ask'' for money as ''monks'' in order to loot random civilians."

    Alten continued, speaking about the entire concept of Buddhism a bit more to Lyrian so he could understand.

    While he did this, the kid in the orange robe who was holding the man over the fountain neared the poor guy even closer, as he struggled to stay on his feet.

    "Come on! Aren''t you going to let us eat!? How could you be so disrespectful!?"

    The kid blurted, a sly smile on his face as his other two robed friends stood by. Whispers spread through the crowd, but no one could do anything at that moment.

    Lyrian heard Alten''s full exnation of Buddhism but still wasn''t satisfied with what was going on.

    "Even if they are pretending to be monks, it''s clear to see that they actually aren''t, so why aren''t the guards doing anything still?"

    He asked. Leon had an answer to this that Lyrian hadn''t really thought of.

    "Status, it seems. Everyone living here knows that they are far less in status than the students. The students of this academye from prosperous families, while they are just trying to make a living. Those idiots aren''t pretending to be Buddhist monks to actually convince others and get Riftstones, but as an excuse to use against any low-status guard or other person who dares try and step up to them."

 Chapter 210 Fake Monks

    <h4>Chapter 210 Fake Monks</h4>

    On hearing Leon''s exnation, Lyrian was still unsatisfied. He didn''t like the idea that a simple thing such as status could be used in such a way, where robbing people in broad daylight was epted. In fact, he saw it as a w with how Anaviotis ran things.

    "Hand over the damn Riftstones already!" the arrogant brat screamed, suddenly bing angry.

    "W-Wait!" the man said, his tone nervous. He knew that if he made a wrong move here and offended the young student of the academy in front of him, his family would face dire consequences.

    "Wait? For what? Are you going to make a starving monk wait just for your own selfish needs!?" the kid barked, smirking slightly as his two other friends quietly chuckled. Lyrian gazed closely at the middle-aged man and couldn''t help but feel bad. He reminded him of his own father.

    Just then, the man switched his gaze over to the side, looking at a lone girl in the crowd with teary red eyes, holding a torn-up teddy bear. She breathed shakily in fear as she watched what was happening.

    Lyrian saw the man looking at this girl and assumed some things, but these assumptions were quickly verified by the middle-aged man''s next words.

    "I have a family... I can''t give you my Riftstones..." the man said with a voice resembling that of a scared whisper, as his eyes also began to moisten. He was thinking about his daughter, who was witnessing this from the crowd.

    Lyrian felt a sort of forgotten feeling. It was a hint of rage, one that he felt when his mother was disrespected by Fanus at the library. He tightened his grip.

    "A civilian can''t fight back, since they have less status. But, I''m not a civilian." Lyrian began taking a step forward, as Leon suddenly blocked him with an arm cast out to the side.

    Lyrian looked at Leon, slightly confused, but still adamant. "Don''t try to stop me. I''ve already made up my mind. That fool is tasting the floor," he said, but Leon had a worthy response.

    "Trust me. You don''t want to fight him," he said as Lyrian raised an eyebrow. Seeing this, Leon quickly followed up. "I''m not saying you would lose to him in a fight, but there are two things you gotta consider here. Firstly, the brat''s probably been associated with some sort of religious group long before the academy. He might even already be a part of the Religious Sector within the school. If they are as corrupt as him, they won''t stop until you are expelled from the academy."

    Leon said, forcing Lyrian to think about his decision a little more. Alten added on to this. "In the Religious Sector of Anaviotis, there are many different separate institutions. Of course, based on the different religions. I don''t know if some are corrupt, but I do know that it is a powerful sector within the academy. The Religious Sector Leader is one of the heads of the school."

    Hearing this from Alten, Lyrian turned towards Leon and said, "What''s the second thing? You only told me the first one..."

    Leon didn''t waste any time answering. He flicked his chin up, gesturing for Lyrian to look forward. "The second thing is... there are already people doing your job for you," Leon smirked slightly, as Lyrian saw a group of three kids break through the circle of people and approach the robed kids.

    A few astonished gasps reverberated through the crowd as the three made their way toward the clowns. Out of the three, one stood out most. He was walking in front, a head full of semi-short, very light-blonde hair, and an angry expression on his face.

    "You fools again? How many times are you going to do this to civilians!? Don''t you understand that the people who you terrorize are the foundation of this entire academy!?" the kid yelled, a circle pendant dangling from his neck. The same pendant was also on his two friends.

    The arrogant ''monk'' saw the blonde-haired boy and quickly let the middle-aged man return to his daughter. They left immediately.

    "N-N-Nevin! I didn''t see you there!" the brat spoke with a nervous tone, which was a bit surprising.

    "To think you are even a part of the Religious Sector... it''s a disgrace," as the boy addressed Nevin, his two aplices quickly dashed forward and swiftly knocked out the two ''monks'' next to the main culprit.

    The brat looked to his sides, noticing his friends had been taken out in an instant. "I-Im sorry! This won''t happen again," he said, quickly disappearing into the ground.

    Nevin tsked, shaking his head as he looked at the ground. After a few seconds, he raised his gaze toward the crowd.

    "My deepest apologies. Please don''t forget that you are very important to us students, even though some idiots think otherwise. May the blessings of Lord Gaia be with you," he said, as the crowd quickly dispersed back to its usual flow state.

    Lyrian took a deep breath and then exhaled, allowing all the anger in his body to dissipate. The threat was now gone, so there wasn''t any reason to allow it to affect him anymore. Instead, he just shrugged it off.

    Suddenly, he saw the blonde-haired kid walking toward him. This confused him. Nevin neared 10 feet from Lyrian before beginning to speak.

    "I saw what you tried there. You are brave... Lyrian, right?" The boy put out a hand to shake.

    "I''m Nevin, a devout follower of Lord Gaia," the boy presented a bright smile. Lyrian stuck his hand out as well and shook it with Nevin''s.

    "Right now, I don''t follow any god. I barely know any of ''em. But, it''s nice to meet you," Lyrian said as a greeting gesture. Hearing this, Nevin didn''t hesitate to reply. Closing his eyes in a grin, he spoke.

    "If that is the case, then follow Lord Gaia, the creator

    of the heavens and earth," Nevin said before walking away. Lyrian didn''t really know what to think of him...

    "An odd guy," Alten spoke, tilting his head to the side to see Nevin erase into the crowd.

    "An odd guy indeed... anyways, where''s that Battle Forge shop?"

 Chapter 211 Cheapest BF Module

    <h4>Chapter 211 Cheapest BF Module</h4>

    The situation with the fake monks and Nevin was odd... but not odd enough to distract Lyrian and the other two from their goal of the day.

    Finally, they stood outside of the fair-sized Battle Forge shop. It had a modern design, sleek, and with white metal and slightly dark tinted windows.

    They stepped inside without hesitation and were met with a dazzling sight. Hundreds of BF modules were spread around the spacious room, all encased in disy ss. Each one of them had their very own unique designs.

    They were quite big, about 8 feet in height and 4 feet in width. Mostly, they were all made of different colored metal. Their design wasplex, yet understandable. As they walked around the checkered floor, a man dressed in a full ck suit acknowledged them.

    With a handkerchief on his wrist and a small mustache on his face, he presented himself with grace. Bowing slightly, he introduced himself.

    "Greetings, students. Would any BF modules be of interest?" He said, putting on a small and kind grin.

    "Why are all of these priced differently? Do they give you different advantages?" Lyrian suddenly blurted out, looking at the price tag sticker attached to the disy ss on one of the BF modules. ''500 Riftstones.'' The sticker read. The module next to that one had a price of 550, and the other was 450. The dressed man, who had the demeanor of a butler, kindly chuckled slightly.

    "You would have to ask the owner of this establishment for an answer to such a question. However, if it were my guess, I would say the unique designs of the modules inte their prices quite a bit." The man''s words made it seem like there was no other reason for the price difference.

    "So you''re saying that the game itself isn''t altered in any way, no matter the price?"

    "Yes, that is precisely so. All BF modules give fair gamey privileges to all, I can assure you that. However, the amount of intricacy in the design, precious jewels, and other such details may cause the pricing to sway. Many students of Anaviotis are royals and high-status nobles. They deem only the greatest of modules to be worthy." The man was as polite as could be.

    "If that''s the case..." Lyrian paused for a split second, looking around. "What''s your cheapest one?"

    The butler-like man was slightly taken aback by this. It even caused him to let out a slight chuckle of embarrassment.

    "Surely... a student such as yourself, one of the three Most Valuable Persons in the recent entrance exam, wouldn''t want a module so cheap..." He said, scratching the back of his head as he awkwardly grinned.

    "No, that''s exactly what I want." Lyrian said directly.

    Minutester, the four stood in front of a BF module near the back of the shop. It was in, made of pure white silver. There were no other designs, colors, or stones embedded into it.

    Lyrian stared at the price for a while longer. "400 huh. That''s the lowest you guys go?" He said figuratively, scratching his chin. The suited man stood to the side, gently rubbing his palms together as he waited patiently.

    "Are you sure you don''t have anything cheaper than this? Something that still works perfectly?"

    The man was surprised again to hear this. Even Alten and Leon were slightly taken aback.

    A few more minutes passed by as the man led them to the storage area of the establishment. It was a dark and dusty ce, with tons of merchandise covered in big old sheets of cloth.

    Walking to the back of even this dump, the suited man pulled a very old cloak off of a BF module that wasn''t even encased. Dust surrounded Lyrian and the other two for a moment, as Alten began coughing slightly.

    As the dust cleared, Lyrian walked up to the old module and nced at it. "How much?" He said, as the suited man, clearing dust from his face, swiftly replied.

    "300. Its current price is 300."

    Hearing this, a slight smirk formed on Lyrian''s face. To him, money was money. There was no point in wasting it for no reason. The man began giving a small exnation about the product.

    "To give you some insight, this is the only module here in the storage area that''s older than one year. It''s actually 10 years old. It failed to be sold that odd year, and ever since then has been unwanted and left in the dust. The technology should be the same, however, as all BF modules are updated unanimously."

    Lyrian didn''t mind this. The only negative about it was that it needed a thorough cleaning.

    "It''s perfect." He said as the suited man''s face lit up. Alten was still coughing at this moment.

    "Even though it''s this old... it''s 300!? God damn these things are expensive. I guess I have no other choice..." He said, slightly disappointed. He was still coughing. This was enough for Leon to crack up a bit.

    "So you will purchase it?" The man eagerly asked, but Lyrian quickly turned his smile off.

    "No. Not yet. I still need to test it."

    Lyrian said to the man, his gaze serious. For him, testing was the most important aspect ofing there that day. It would show him whether or not the module would be worth spending even one Riftstone on. If it was a bad training instrument, and only used for fun, then he wouldn''t purchase it. He needed to test it out before buying it.

    "T-Test it? Young Lord... we do not allow testing in our facility. A product must be bought before it can be used." Alten chuckled slightly as he heard this.

    "Young Lord huh? MVP treatment I guess..." He said as Lyrian replied to the man''s statement with furrowed eyebrows and an intense gaze.

    "The product is useless to me if I can''t test it." He stated outright, causing the man to adjust his cor slightly.

    "Well... It is a product not currently on disy... I suppose it wouldn''t hurt for you to try it out."

 Chapter 212 Battle Forge

    ?

    The suited man chuckled nervously as Lyrian grinned at him. "Perfect. So, how do I ess it?"

    After several seconds of exnation, Lyrian ended up inside the BF module tube. From his handprint, it had opened up from the bottom up, like a gaping maw. He stepped inside, where it was still very clean. Afterward, he was instructed to press his hand against the fingerprint detector inside the module. He did just that, and soon enough, the door began to close.

    The inside wasfortable. Dim lights made everything visible, but not too bright. It was quite spacious and well-ventted, so Lyrian could move around and breathe in peace. There were also white-leather cushions everywhere except for the door, which made it feel like somerge circr bed.

    As soon as the door to the module shut, Lyrian''s eyes also closed. He lost consciousness and control of his real body instantly. The next moment he opened his eyes, he was in apletely new environment.

    Everything around him was white, like an infinite void. He couldn''t tell if he was floating, upside down, or standing on the ground.

    Just then, a message popped up in front of him, but it wasn''t the usual one he would see from Gear. Inside of a gray box were two options. One was ''Create an ount,'' and the other was ''y as guest.'' Since he hadn''t tested it out yet, he decided to y as a guest to get a feel for things.

    As soon as he clicked that button, he was transported into a simr room, one that had no windows, doors, walls, or ceilings. All white. He looked around for a bit and then began using his skills inside of the domain. It had been a while since hest got the chance to really test them out nicely.

    He used Shock Fist, sending a powerful force toward a certain direction. It soon dissipated into nothing in the distance. He didn''t use nearly his full strength, since he wanted to conserve mana, but seeing the skill still made him a little excited.

    After this, he spent some time using Shadow Puppet and then used Enhance on his entire body to dash around quickly. He suddenly stopped to check his mana, before realizing that it hadn''t gone down... at all. He was slightly taken aback in shock but quickly realized that it wasn''t his real body using these skills, but a fake one in a virtual world. From what he understood, this meant that he could just spam countless skills without having to worry about losing his mana.

    A grin slowly formed on his face. In the next second, he Enhanced his body to the maximum and began sprinting through the white room. He was like a blur, flying through the room so fast that his own skin was pulled back from the pressure of the air. He couldn''t help butugh. He hadn''t felt this free in what felt like forever.

    While running, he charged his Shock Fist up as much as he could. Stopping abruptly, he unleashed it forth, causing a massive burst of powerful force to drive through the air.

    After that, he stopped to take a moment to breathe. Seeing the true extent of his power was... almost scary. If he could use such power in a real-life scenario... there would be a lot of destruction, at the very least.

    Suddenly, a random voice echoed throughout the room and in his head. It clearly wasn''t from Gear, since a tab didn''t pop up. "yer [King Draco] would like to join your room. ept/Decline."

    The voice said, leaving Lyrian with an option. "Someone wants to join the room? Huh... wait a second. I recognize that name." Lyrian thought about it to himself for a moment before it suddenly clicked.

    "Draco... the king of the second year. It must be him. But... how did he know it was me? My name is disyed as KA27838ABNSKJ..." Lyrian looked up at his random guest username that was above his head. "I won''t back down from a challenge..." He said, pressing ept.

    "Someone has joined your room. Solo sandbox mode has been deactivated. Mana will now be consumed. Do not fret, fighter, as mana regenerates quickly in Battle Forge!"

    The voice spoke again, as a figure materialized inside of the room about 20 meters away from Lyrian. He stared at the appearing figure, a furrow in his eyebrows. "Time to boost on some newbies..."

    A voice spoke from the figure, which had now fully materialized into a full-blown person. It was none other than Draco, dressed in an odd outfit. It looked to be a uniform for the game.

    As Draco faced Lyrian, he suddenly raised his eyebrows. "You? How the hell did you find me?" Draco said, confused, but also slightly amused.

    "I was going to ask the same thing of you." Lyrian retorted. Draco couldn''t help butugh. "Aha, I guess you just got unlucky. You probably bought your BF recently and wanted to try it out. Too bad, you shouldn''t have epted my request."

    "So you knew it was me then..." Lyrian replied, wary of the boy''s movements, as Draco slowly inched closer.

    "Nope. I was just seeing if any gullible prey were online, who I could use to up my score on here. Turns out... today is my lucky day." A sly grin stered his face as he continued walking closer.

    "You''re that confident that you''ll win?" Lyrian said, Enhancing his fist.

    "Kid... you might be cocky ''cause you''re an MVP, but don''t get it twisted. In these rooms, it''s only you and me, no one can watch what we do in here. That means, no one can help you, unlike the entrance exams."

    Draco released a hint of killing intent as he said this, his grin widening. "Bold of you to assume that a team was what made me the MVP."

    Lyrian also released his own spiritual energy, battling Draco''s. ''No one can see what happens in here he said? Then...''

    "Zuuc,e out."

 Chapter 213 Lyrian VS Draco

    ?

    Lyrian''s shadow suddenly expanded as a dark figure erupted from it. The mirage of ck quickly disappeared as a white hobgoblin the size of a 2-year-old appeared beside his summoner. It looked around curiously, as Draco suddenly stopped, surprised by what he saw. With an eyebrow raised, he questioned Lyrian''s ability.

    "You''re a summoner? Hmm... that''s a rare ss. Impressive. But, it looks like you can only summon weaklings," Draco smirked. "I was going to ask how long it wouldst, but it seems I don''t need to even care about that, since it''s puny," heughed.

    ''He thinks I''m a summoner... I guess that''s only natural since my ability isn''t normal.'' He looked over at Zuuc. "You''ve been alive for more than a week, show me what you got," he said with a smirk on his face, diffusing his Enhanced fist. Draco was even more confused by this but decided to stay back and watch. He was intrigued.

    Zuuc looked at Lyrian and then looked away as if to ignore him. "W-What!?" Lyrian was baffled. "If that''s the case... then at least show me your stronger forms. Adult, and elder."

    To this, Zuuc actually seemed to agree. In an instant, he turned into an 8-foot-tall Generational Hobgoblin with green skin and protruding muscles. Lyrian could clearly sense the increase in power.

    ''It looks like the adult form copies the real properties of the original creature. The adult version of the Generation Grizzly was brown, as a normal bear is supposed to be like, and the adult version of Zuuc is green, as a normal Hobgoblin is supposed to be like,'' Lyrian thought to himself.

    Draco''s mouth hung wide as he saw Zuuc change appearances. "What the fuck!? How in the--I''ve never seen such a strange ability before." The boy seemed perplexed.

    Finally, Zuuc transformed once again, turning into its elder form. Its skin turned ck, as its muscles morphed into more round and sturdy structures of power. Its veins bumped out of its skin, and its face became more vigorous and ferocious. A red circle appeared on both its stomach and its back. Zuuc''s arms were in front of it as if it were a wild beast ready to pounce. In this form, Zuuc was easily over 15 feet in height.

    "Powerful..." Draco was taken aback in awe. Lyrian smirked in return, Enhancing his fist. He was proud of Zuuc''s strength but realized that the little brat wasn''t going to fight for him. It was pretty ironic to think of Elder Zuuc as a little brat, but it seemed to fit at the same time.

    "Powerful... but you don''t even have control over your own summon," Draco said as he began to run towards Lyrian. Lyrian Enhanced his legs and ran forward as well, not willing to decline a challenge. Their fists shed in the middle with quick force, as Lyrian felt the pressure in his wrists.

    Draco''s power moved him back a little bit, but Lyrian continued to push forward, infusing even more mana into his fist. That''s when he looked up and realized that Draco had a bright smile on his face. "Enhance huh? It''s toomon of a spell to use on the likes of me..." he said, suddenly unleashing a far stronger force that propelled Lyrian back abruptly. He lost his bnce, forced to fall to the floor and slide to a stop.

    ''He overpowered me that easily?'' Lyrian thought to himself, quite shocked. He stood up, but only for Draco to appear before him before he could get to his feet. Without warning, the boy mmed his fist into Lyrian''s stomach, sending a powerful force through his body and out the other side. This drove all the air inside of Lyrian''s lungs out. Draco dashed backward as Lyrian fell to his knees.

    "Winner! yer [King Draco]" The voice of the room suddenly announced. "I''ll go easy on you since you are a first-year. But like I said in the canteen... don''t be cocky."

    Draco gazed down at Lyrian for a moment before disappearing into thin air. Lyrian was left in the silence of his own thoughts, and also in a state of pain. He froze for a few seconds, clutching his stomach, before suddenly mming his fist into the ground with all of his force.

    "Damn it!" He was angry at himself for losing so easily. After standing up, he immediately left the game. An amalgamation of disappointment, anger, and other negative emotions ate at his brain as he awoke in the module.

    ''Weak! Too weak! Next time... I won''t lose to him.'' Lyrian vowed to himself as he exited the module. He was met by an intrigued face. It was of the suited man waiting for him outside.

    Alten and Leon seemed to have left to get their own BF modules while they waited for Lyrian. "So, Young Lord, will you take it?" The man politely asked. Lyrian replied within a millisecond, not wasting a moment.

    "Yes." He said, lifting therge object onto his shoulder before beginning to walk away while clenching his jaw in frustration.

    The suited man was slightly confused by this reaction. ''What happened inside for him to switch his mood so drastically?'' He wondered. "Young Lord! Carrying it is not necessary! The BF module can turn into a portable size!" The suited man chased after Lyrian, who had already made his way into the main shop.

    "Young Lord!"

    Momentster, all three students stood in front of the store counter. Alten showed arge grin, Leon had a nonchnt expression, and Lyrian had a pair of furrowed eyebrows. He was ticked off. On the counter were three watermelon-sized metal objects that resembled BF modules, except they were, of course, much smaller. On the other side of the counter was the shop

    owner, an old man with arge belly and a small white beard. He was around 60 years of age and had a slightly darkerplexion.

    "You want this one, huh?" He picked up Lyrian''s old BF modules, inspecting it in the air as he chewed on a toothpick. "Well... You ran out of luck, bud. I ain''t gonna sell it."

 Chapter 214 The Man With The Same Dream

    ?

    Everyone else, apart from the shop owner, let out slightly astonished noises as they heard what he said. Lyrian was the most surprised and even a little offended. He was already in an irritated mood, and now he had to deal with this nonsense!?

    "What do you mean you aren''t going to sell it?" He mmed his fist onto the counter, leaning forward as he brazenly stared at the old man with furrowed eyebrows. The old man, in a nonchnt and unimpressed expression, looked down at Lyrian''s fist, and then back at him.

    Lyrian suddenly switched his gaze over to the suited man, who didn''t look well. Sweating profusely, he adjusted his cor some more to let himself breathe.

    "I--Listen! I didn''t know that item wasn''t for sale! I just thought it was--" The man was suddenly cut off by the shop owner.

    "That it was some old junk that was left in the dust because no one wanted to buy it right?" He said as the suited man gulped.

    "Well, you aren''t wrong, but you also missed an important part of the equation. This module is a relic of mine. An old friend of mine used it back in the day... I''m not gonna let some arrogant brat take it from me."

    Hearing this, Lyrian leaned back. Taking a deep breath, he readjusted his mood.

    "Okay... what will it take for you to sell it? Just tell me now." Lyrian calmly said, still staring at the old man.

    "I already told you... I''m not selling it." The owner challenged, angering the already pissed-off Lyrian who was trying to control his anger.

    ''He just won''t listen...''

    Lyrian allowed his anger to fester a bit too long...

    "What is the problem with selling it?"

    "I told you, it''s a relic. My friend used to use it."

    "Your friend? Fine, just introduce him to me. It will be a mutual friendship, and I''ll just borrow the thing for free instead." Lyrian boldly stated as the shop owner broke out into augh.

    "What? Pahahaha! What the hell did you say, brat? Introduce you to him?" The old man continued tough, cing his hand on top of his bouncing belly.

    "Hooo~ You are aedian, I''ll give you that. Tell me, what''s your name?" Lyrian wasn''t ying around, and he wasn''t going to y into the old man''s games either.

    "Look, you only have a few options here." He stated as the shop owner acted shocked.

    "Either you sell me the thing, or I stay here long enough that you will give it to me for free." The owner seemed to be even more amused by this.

    "So you''re the one giving demands now, huh? What an entertaining brat." He said, as Alten shook his head.

    ''What has he gotten us into...''

    He cried inwardly. Leon found the situation pretty entertaining though.

    "Sir... his name." The suited man quietly said as the shop owner turned his gaze towards him.

    "Oh? You know it?"

    "Why... yes, of course. Nearly every citizen should know of it. There aren''t many MVPs in the academy. Only three, in fact."

    The old man was slightly taken aback on hearing this.

    "Oh? This kid here is one of the MVPs?" He said, now intrigued.

    "Yes... you were probably far too busy to even realize, since you are the director of Wealth Affairs in Anaviotis, after all, but this boy is the MVP of the Yaltas region... His name is Lyrian Theageld."

    As soon as the suited man said this, Alten''s head darted toward the shop owner like a chicken.

    "Director of Wealth Affairs!?"

    He eximed, shocked at what he heard.

    "Oh ho..." Leon chuckled, impressed. The shop owner looked at Lyrian again, but his eyes stayed unchanging. There was no change in his impression of Lyrian at all.

    "Grandson of Brrs then, I presume. Hm... boy, what is your goal?" The old man suddenly asked, slightly squinting his eyes.

    "W-what? My goal?"

    Lyrian wasn''t expecting to be questioned about this, but since it happened, he wasn''t going to lie.

    "To conquer every part of the world."

    He directly stated with a nk gaze.

    For a second, there was an awkward silence that brewed in the room. Alten cried inside from this atmosphere. The suited man was taken aback by what he heard. And after that second ended, the shop owner couldn''t help but break out into a wailingugh.

    "Pah-hahaha!"

    He suddenly pealed, pping his knee as his face turned red. The old manughed his ass off.

    "That''s just what he would have said! Haha..."

    He said, calming himself down.

    "He?"

    Lyrian questioned, but his thoughts were interrupted as the old man suddenly tossed the minimized BF module at him.

    "What? You''re giving it to me?" Lyrian said, slightly surprised.

    "Not for free."

    The old man paused. Lyrian listened intently to what the fat geezer had to say.

    "It costs 1,000,000 Riftstones," Lyrian''s face suddenly became unamused.

    "But! There is one other payment that you can choose to do that doesn''t require you to pay me a single Riftstone. I want you to eventually meet that man. After that, the thing is actually yours. Until then, you don''t have to pay me anything. If you don''t meet him, though... I will find you, and I will get those 1,000,000 Riftstones..."

    Lyrian didn''t know whether to be happy, confused, or somewhere in between.

    "What man? Who are you talking about?"

    He said confusedly.

    "Well, if I told you, then it would ruin the journey, wouldn''t it?" The shop owner chuckled.

    "What?"

    Lyrian retorted, utterly at a loss for words.

    "But I will give you your one and only hint. He shares the same dream as you."

    At first, Lyrian wanted to say, ''Same dream as me? Are you talking about some bozo on the street?'' But then he looked at the BF module and realized that there actually must have been a person who had the same dream as him, and who also used that same module ten years ago.

    "Fine. I ept." Lyrian said.

    ''Screw that... I have more important things to do.''

    He inwardly thought, however.

 Chapter 215 Selective Classes

    <h4>Chapter 215 Selective sses</h4>

    ?

    Seeing Lyrian''s eyes go to the side in thought, the old shop owner already knew what he was thinking. ''Thoughts of dishonoring the agreement huh? Pesky brat.'' He joked to himself.

    "Now, give me your wrist," he said, pulling Lyrian''s hand closer out of nowhere. He touched Lyrian''s bracelet with a bracelet of his own.

    "What!? But I thought you said I didn''t have to pay if I went with the second option!" Lyrian eximed in confusion.

    "Boy, that 1,000,000 Riftstone payment will only be called off when you actually meet that man. How do I know you won''t just piss off after you leave this store and never try to meet him? I gotta have insurance," the old man said with a growing smirk on his face.

    "I just put a separate payment of 1,000,000 Riftstones already pending onto your ount. It won''t count towards your real amount of money yet, but it will whenever I want it to. If I see that by the end of your learning at this academy, you still haven''t met that man, then the 1,000,000 will be deducted from your ount."

    Lyrian''s eyes widened slightly in shock. ''What!? That''s insane! One million isn''t a small amount! Even after bing MVP of the entrance exams, I barely managed to get 3500. It wouldn''t be possible to get one million before the four years of this school end!''

    Seeing the shocked expression on the boy''s face, the shop owner couldn''t help butugh a little more. "Oh, and don''t forget. This deduction will carry over into the real world, and you will maintain this debt in actual currency until you pay it off! So don''t even think about betraying the contract!"

    A short pause ensued, and then Lyrian abruptly pulled back his wrist. "Fine! I''ll find that man and tell him how big of a belly you''ve umted all these years!" Lyrian said in anger as he began walking out of the store with his BF module. The old manughed it off.

    As Alten and Leon neared the counter, Alten having a nervous expression on his face, the old man began tough again. "Pah-haha! That brat doesn''t know that I''ve actually lost a few pounds since ten years ago..."

    Hearing this, Alten noticed the suited man fix his sses with a serious expression, seemingly trying to control himself as he clenched his jaw. He then looked back at theughing old man. ''Yea... there''s no way he''s lost weight.'' He thought to himself.

    "Sir Ploutus... here are our BF modules..." Alten quietly said in a timid tone as he ced the modules on the counter.

    "You know my name?" The old man addressed as Ploutus squinted one of his eyes and raised an eyebrow on the other as he questioned Alten.

    "Well, yes of course! ording to him, you are the Director of Wealth affairs in the academy! You are the head of the renowned Wealth Sector! One of the elders who sit at the meeting tabl--"

    Alten was suddenly cut off. "Alright, alright! I get it. You can stop, I don''t like beingplimented too much. It boosts my ego, which I am trying to keep small."

    Alten looked over to the suited man, who fixed his sses while maintaining a firm expression once again. He couldn''t help but muse slightly inside. ''It seems he does that every time the director lies...''

    Lyrian stood outside of the shop, waiting for his friends. He looked around at the frivolously flowing stream of people in the river called the street. ''Who is it? A man who went to this academy 10 years ago... must still be fairly young. In his twenties... And, on top of that, he also wants to rule the world. That would make him my enemy, right? He can''t just be some random guy, can he? Surely, the fat bastard wouldn''t cherish him so much if he was.''

    Lyrian continued thinking on this, as Leon and Alten suddenly stepped out of the shop. Alten quickly noticed Lyrian leaning on the wall beside the door.

    "Oh? Waiting for us huh? How sweet." He mocked in a funny tone as the three began walking. In moments, they fused into the seemingly ever-flowing crowd.

    "Shut up." Lyrian retorted, only for Alten tough. "Hahaha! I thought you were going to storm all the way back to the academy, seeing how mad you were. Anyways, I wonder who that man is... are you sure it isn''t him?"

    Alten said, looking over at a man who seemed to be homeless in one of the alleyways of the city. Lyrian nced over at him and furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

    "Homeless? In a city like this?" He clenched his jaw. So far, he wasn''t appreciating a lot of the things he was seeing.

    Soon they made their way into the academy again. Although the school day was over, students still roamed the halls and attended different sses. It was not only for afterschool clubs but also for the extra selected sses.

    This was something Lyrian had been thinking about for a while. "How do the selective sses work? Are you supposed to meet someone for them?"

    He said, peeking his head into one of the sses as they walked by.

    "I see first years in there too." He saw Jackson in the ss he peeked his head into, who nodded on seeing him. Lyrian nodded back as he continued to walk through the hall.

    "Nah, it''s all in your bracelet. From the first day, you can start selecting sses, and the selection period ends after the first ten days. I also find the ss system to be quite weird though. Like... why are we taught Zaryn mythology as one of the main god damn courses... and not the ss that we all came here for? Magia?"

    Alten replied.

    This was the whole reason Lyrian asked his original question in the first ce. ''Magic... or, Magia, which it is called moremonly amongst the noble-folk.''

    Lyrian thought to himself. "I don''t know why the main courses are made like that, but neither do I care. If I can select sses now, then I might as well."

    Lyrian said as he began scrolling through his bracelet. With some help from both Alten and Leon, he found the Magia ss and selected it.

 Chapter 216 Plan: Power

    <h4>Chapter 216 n: Power</h4>

    "Now that you''ve selected to attend Magia ss, you have to show up starting tomorrow, since they admit you immediately. Don''t forget that. Oh yeah... by the way, you have to attend a total of 6 sses during the year, so you have 2 more to choose. Make sure you choose wisely since that''s what you will be stuck with for the rest of the year," Alten made sure to say to Lyrian as they arrived at their rooms.

    "We were thinking of trying the BF modules in our room. Care to join us?" Alten asked, turning towards Lyrian.

    "Not right now. I might join you guys in your roomter. I have some things to do," Lyrian said, not trying to be mysterious, but stilling off as such.

    "Alright, mystery man...e when you''re done with your world-conquering activities..." Altenughed as he and Leon entered their rooms. Lyrian also smirked slightly at the joke. He entered his room and took off his shoes before sitting down on the table on his side of the ce.

    He looked to his roommate''s side before doing anything else. "Still not here huh..." He said. Shrugging that off, he put his hands on the wooden table in front of him before taking a deep breath. For the first time in a long while, he had the chance to breathe and think freely.

    "I''ve made it. I''m in the academy," he said, not to celebrate, but to ground himself. As he began to think, he admitted the amount of shit that had piled onto him. The guy he had to find, the selective sses, the banquet, and also other things that took some room in his mind.

    But other than that, he wanted toe out with some sort of n moving forward. Continuing without a n would only lead him to disarray and failure. "First things first... power." It was the initial thing that came to mind.

    "From my fight with Draco, I know I''m still weak. He knew my skill, Enhance. He probably didn''t know that I was Enhancing only my fist, but he knew of the skill. It''s amon one. Apart from learning new skills, which I can forge into better ones, I need to get a better way of cultivating than Gale. Gale isn''t okay, it''s bad, at least, from what I can tell. I need the best cultivation technique this school can offer me. I''m sure the Magic or Magia ss will help me with that."

    As he said this, heid most of the things that he had on the table. His sword, his empty pouch, his bracelet, his storage ring, Syan''s mana ring, the BF module, and also the Pheon Egg that he still had in one of his pockets.

    "Apart from these... the thing that will make me the strongest right now," Lyrian nced over at the door, which was locked by him. "Is Yin and Yang... I guess this is as good a time as any to fuse the souls. Currently, I have 3 slots for unfused souls, two of which are filled by Yin and Yang. If I fuse them, I will have all three left over."

    He closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath as he controlled his body and mind using the art of Smithing: The art of creation. After a few seconds, a fair-sized canvas appeared before him on top of the table. It looked the same as the one that he used to create Zuuc.

    Just as he began to think of the souls of Yin and Yang, footsteps could suddenly be heard nearby. Lyrian instantly lost focus, slightly startled by the quiet sounds, as the canvas in front of him erased.

    Turning around in his seat, he saw his roommate walk out of the bathroom. This was simr to when Lyrian first ''met'' him since he walked out of the bathroom after taking a shower on the first day as well. However, this time, the boy wasn''t at all wet. He was fully clothed, in fact. The tall boy stared at Lyrian for a bit, as Lyrian did the same. Silence ensued for a few seconds before Lyrian suddenly spoke out of confusion.

    "You--were you in there this entire time?" He asked, genuinely perplexed. His roommate probably didn''t want to talk to him, but it seemed like the situation was a bit too confusing to simply ignore, even for him.

    "Yes," he said, to which Lyrian quickly replied, "What were you doing in there for so long?"

    Hearing this question, the boy became slightly angry. "That is none of your business! Fool!"

    That was the extent of what the boy said to Lyrian. He nced over at what was on the table in front of Lyrian, before sitting down at his own table and opening up a few books.

    Lyrian resumed his attention to his table. ''Tsk.'' He thought to himself in disappointment as he stored everything he had. Some on his body, and some of course in his storage ring. ''I might as well join Leon and Alten now. I won''t be able to fuse anything with him here anyway.''

    Lyrian thought to himself about the pesky roommate as he walked over into the bathroom to take a piss before leaving. When he entered, his face was immediately covered in shock.

    There was a giant BF module inside of the shower, and the water was on! "What in the hell!?" Lyrian looked back toward his roommate. ''This is what he was doing!?'' He thought to himself.

    "Don''t touch my BF module." A voice came from the bedroom. Lyrian assumed his roommate must have heard his shout of shock. He wasn''t going to say anything, but since the bastard spoke first, he decided to contribute.

    "Why in the shower? Could you have not ced it in the room? And why did you leave it in there? This is also my room, you know." The tall kid paused for a moment before replying nonchntly, as he continued to read.

    "Because I like the ambiance of rain..." He looked to the side as if in thought as he said this. After a short pause, his expression became normal again. "And it''s more efficient to leave it in there."

 Chapter 217 Ranking System

    <h4>Chapter 217 Ranking System</h4>

    Lyrian exited the room without uttering another word to the peculiar individual. His growing frustration stemmed from his inability to fuse Yin and Yang within those confines, a task he had been eager to aplish promptly. With no progress possible, he resolved to move to the room next door.

    Upon stepping into Alten and Leon''s quarters, he quickly discerned the striking resemnce to his own. Alten and Leon sat perched on their respective beds, engrossed in conversation. As Lyrian entered, their attention was immediately drawn to him.

    "Oh? You''re back faster than we anticipated," Alten quipped.

    Lyrian responded with a smirk, "Were you expecting me?"

    To which Leon chimed in, "Not really, but we hadn''t started using the BF modules yet. Now that you''re here, we might as well begin."

    With this, the three of them ced their BF modules to the side of the room, all lined up next to each other. A fingerprint scanner on the side of the smaller modules allowed them to expand in size instantly. They all entered and decided to figure things out inside. The experience was simr for Lyrian, and before long, he found himself back inside the infinite white expanse.

    The same game options appeared in front of him, and instead of ''y as guest,'' this time, he selected ''Create an ount.'' As soon as he clicked it, an entire panel full of information and nk slots appeared in front of him. In the time it took to appear, all the information was filled out automatically somehow. Now, all he had to do was put his name at the bottom.

    "Hmm... what should I put for my name?" Lyrian pondered. He wasn''t sure whether to stay anonymous or not. Would it benefit him to hide his strongest powers, such as Garmr? He had already shown Zuuc to Draco but still hadn''t revealed any of his actual power.

    ''I... don''t want to be held back,'' he thought to himself. ''Right now, I want to go all out. And if I reveal my real self, I don''t know if I can do that. So, for now, I will stay anonymous.''

    With that decision, he joined the world as a character named ''Zero.'' Lyrian wasn''t that good ating up with names. As soon as he joined, he tested something he had been questioning for a bit. Sitting down, he tried to use Gale. However, he gained 0 mana after an entire minute of cultivation. He assumed you couldn''t cultivate in the BF module for that reason, but it was still worth a shot.

    "This thing is for training, right?" He said to himself, trying to think of a way to fight or duel other yers. That''s when he remembered the voice in the room.

    "Maybe it''s voice-activated... menu!" He said slightly louder into the room, and a gray screen suddenly appeared in front of him. He grinned slightly. The options on the menu were as follows:

    ��������Battle Forge Menu��������

    [Join random room]

    [Join specific room (enter room code here)]

    [Join ranked PVP]

    ����������������������������������

    "Ah... that''s convenient." Lyrian hovered his finger near the ranked option but stopped just before making contact with the screen.

    "Alten and Leon wanted to practice... but if they find this screen, I''m sure they will understand how PVP is the greatest way to practice anyway," he said as he made his choice. As soon as he clicked the option, the panel disappeared.

    "You have joined a new room. Waiting for the opponent to join. Estimated time is 20 seconds," the voice from the heavens spoke again. It sounded slightly female-like and wasn''t robotic like Gear. Lyrian looked around, but he didn''t notice that he had joined a new room since everything was just white after all.

    "Wait..." Lyrian suddenly realized something slightly horrific. "How am I going to be anonymous if I look the same as I do in real life!?" He hadn''t considered that whatsoever.

    At that exact moment, a figure began appearing on the other side of the room about 20 meters away from him.

    "Opponent found. Begin match," the voice said as the kid who joined the room looked around, then faced Lyrian.

    "What the?" he eximed, seeing his shirtless opponent''s head wrapped in his own shirt. Lyrian made sure to give himself enough vision to see. The kid who joined had a username above his head that read "DashGod," and just as his name suggested, he wasted no time and began to run toward Lyrian at a quick pace. He leaned his body forward to give himself more momentum as he ran.

    "Wait!" Lyrian suddenly shouted, prompting the boy to stop. However, DashGod didn''t seem to care as he continued running.

    "Che! I guess climbing the low ranks is really as easy as they say... how did I get ranked with such a wimp!" He smiled to himself. Suddenly, his body felt a powerful force of impending doom wash over him. He widened his eyes in that split second, identally taking in a deep breath in the form of a gasp. It was scary, that feeling of death on your doorstep, mere feet away. He immediately stopped and instead dashed backward a few feet.

    "What the heck..." He whispered to himself under his breath as he stared at the clothed, shirtless, weirdo. Lyrian had, of course, used his killing intent to stop the boy.

    "I told you to wait," Lyrian said, to which the boy quickly replied.

    "What do you want!?"

    Lyrian was relieved to hear this. "I want to know one thing before Imit to this game." Lyrian paused, allowing DashGod to take his words in. "How does the ranking system work? Exin it to me as simply as you can."

    On hearing this, DashGod raised an eyebrow. "Huh?" He seemed bewildered. "That''s why you wanted me to stop?"

    ''What an idiot... who is this guy!?'' he allowed himself to rx.

    "Simply as I can, huh? Fine. You fight people, and your Rank Points get increased when you win. 20, 50, 100, 250, 600, 1000; these are the different points at which you rank up. Every time you rank up, you fight people of a higher rank, so it''s harder. There are also win rates and stuff, but enough of that for now. You can learn about it in the menu, you fool."

    DashGod readied himself to run forward once again, this time more wary than before.

    "One more thing... does my score here affect me in the academy in any way?"

    Lyrian wanted to know this since it had to do with his decision to stay anonymous. He still wasn''t fully sure if he wanted to or not.

    "Yeah, it does," DashGod replied. For Lyrian, this wasn''t looking like good news.

    "If your rank is high enough, you get to join the BF team of your year. If it''s high, you get to join the official school team."

    This info was better than what Lyrian had anticipated.

    ''Ah... so as long as I don''t want to join that team, then my identity can stay anonymous with no problem.'' He thought to himself as DashGod suddenly began to run forward.

    "Thinking, huh? This isn''t a ce for that!" He said, seeming confident, but also slightly confused about that spiritual energy that he had felt earlier. Seeing that his opponent was now fullymitting, Lyrian decided that it was also time for him to fight.

    As the thought of training crossed his mind, he couldn''t help but feel a surge of excitement building within him. His eyes widened, and a mischievous grin slowly crept onto his face as he fixated his gaze on DashGod''s approaching figure. Swiftly, he honed his skills, channeling Enhancement first into his feet, and then into his right hand, propelling himself forward like a coiled spring suddenly released.

    In the blink of an eye, DashGod found himself suspended in mid-air, Lyrian''s grip like an unyielding vise around his neck. Desperation surged through DashGod as he wed, pulled, and thrashed his legs frantically, but it was futile against the relentless hold of Lyrian''s Enhanced hand.

    Then, as if a switch had been flipped, DashGod''s struggles ceased, his body going limp in unconsciousness. The announcement from the Battle Forge voice cut through the tension, dering Lyrian as the victor with a resounding "Winner! Zero!" Lyrian''s earlier grin transformed into a heartyugh, echoing through the training arena.

    "Hahaha!" he eximed, hisughter filled with exhration. "What an incredible way to train!"

    Lyrian had always been drawn to the thrill of training andbat. It wasn''t just about bing stronger; there was something inherently satisfying about it. The rush of adrenaline coursing through his veins left him feeling invigorated, and the prospect of facing more challenges from different opponents filled him with excitement.

    He relished the idea of repeating this experience over and over, honing his abilities and adapting to new tactics. The knowledge that he would be continually tested and pushed to his limits filled him with an insatiable eagerness for the battles yet toe.

 Chapter 218 Creature Cultivation Ranks & Threat Levels

    <h4>Chapter 218 Creature Cultivation Ranks & Threat Levels</h4>

    After winning his match, Lyrian was sent back to his solo sandbox room, which was like the game lobby. He could choose to start another match or do something else. His finger hovered over the rank button once again, but before he could click it, another message sounded from the BF voice.

    "yer [One Shot] would like to join your room. ept/Decline."

    And then another one right after.

    "yer [de] would like to join your room. ept/Decline."

    ''Huh? One Shot and de... those sound familiar,'' Lyrian slightly joked to himself. ''I guess those two aren''t trying to hide their identities.'' He smirked at his own joke as he epted both requests. Within seconds, the two materialized in his world. The yer with the username ''One Shot'' above his head was Alten, as his main weapon was the bow. And the yer whose name was ''de'' was obviously Leon.

    "de isn''t very clever," Lyrian said as Leon walked forward. Leon looked to the side.

    "Yeah... whatever," he replied, not concerned with a fancy name. Alten, on the other hand, was smiling.

    "What do you think of my name? It''s true, isn''t it?" He put on a cool voice as he continued. "One Shot... One Kill..."

    Lyrian cringed slightly at this. Alten quickly returned to his normal self and decided to ask a question about something he just noticed.

    "That''s odd... what does ''Zero'' supposed to imply? If it means that you are worthless, then that''s quite depressing," he joked. "Not very much like you, haha."

    Lyrian paused for a moment to think. ''I guess he''s not wrong. When I first got this name, it did mean that I was worthless... but now I can change the meaning...''

    "It means Zero losses." Alten didn''t think this meaning was too bad, as he nodded and curled his lip down, slightly impressed.

    "But... its main purpose is to keep myself anonymous. Since you guys have already seen it, I don''t want you to reveal my iden--"

    Lyrian wasn''t allowed to finish. The other two had already gotten the message.

    "Of course, I won''t reveal your identity. You have my word," Leon said, as Alten quickly followed up. "Yep, no problemo."

    Lyrian smiled, slightly relieved to hear this, although he knew it was most likely going to turn out like this anyway. He at least needed to tell Alten and Leon, since they were far too involved in his personal life to keep a lie like that with them.

    "But... what are you going to do when someone asks to 1v1 you? How are you going to keep yourself anonymous then?" Alten asked a question that Lyrian was still thinking about up until now.

    "I''ll have to figure it out, I guess."

    The three didn''t chat for much longer. With Lyrian''s room set as the lobby, they all began ranking up.

    Currently, Lyrian has 1 point. He was the Amateur Rank. To rank up into the Elite Rank, he needed a total of 20 points. The other two entered their rank matches, but Lyrian did so only after wrapping himself in a fully-fledged mummy suit made of his bed sheets. It was impractical, but he would have to get a suitter on...

    He entered his first match and immediately unleashed Garmr. The wolf tore through Lyrian''s opponent almost instantly, grabbing onto him and ferociously shaking him in the air.

    +1 Rank Point.

    The same was the case for the next match, and then the next after that. It was like trying to fight the boss creature of the Entrance Exams by yourself... impossible.

    +1 Rank Point.

    +1 Rank Point.

    The day seemed to soar by as a mysterious hidden figure rose in the ranks faster than many had done before. His sheathed face was etched into the minds of many, and his name didn''t fall below their recognition either.

    +1 Rank Point.

    +1 Rank Point.

    +1 Rank Point.

    +1 Rank Poi---

    At 10 PM, when Lyrian slumped onto the bed, feeling slightly tired after the day of nonstop demolition for 8 hours straight, his face bore a wide grin. "140 points. Not bad." He smirked, allowing himself to fall asleep in that spread-out position. Flying past Amateur and Elite, Lyrian was now at the Professional Rank.

    Although, for the most part, he only used Garmr when he wanted not to waste too much time on a stronger opponent, his ability to fight with Garmr had also increased by leaps and bounds...

    ***

    715 years ago. Midst of the great Human-Elven conflict, otherwise known as the treacherous war that sunk two continents in the depths of its horrifying despair; The Ear War.

    ...

    "ARRGHHH! KILL THEM ALL! ALL THOSE TRAITORS!" A valiant general roared as he rode atop his horse and stormed towards the opposing enemy army. His soldiers, thousands in numbers, followed behind him with a deafening roar of their own, which echoed through the earth.

    Spears rained down in the blood-orange sky, a horizon that blocked out the sun due to the blood that had spilled over on it. The war that had been going on for years wasn''t looking like it was going to stop anytime soon.

    On the other side were long-haired warriors with pale skin and tall stature, riding forward atoprge cockatrices the size of horses-travel birds. The river of ground formed between the two armies, which was quickly closing in on itself, stretched on for hundreds of miles!

    It had slopes and curves but spanned across the vast horizon, where the eye could not meet its end. Millions... no, hundreds of millions of army men, of the phnx

    , and of soldiers neared each other, the 135thrge sh of this war, and the one said to be the most devastating yet.

    *SHINNG* A shining star shot across the sky! No, it wasn''t a star, but a beam of light, a man who traveled fast! *BOOM* With an earth-shattering explosion, hended on the ground, and the impact of the blow dug a separation ofnd so big in length that it caused the two armies on either side to halt in its wake.

    Thatnd, which stretched for hundreds of miles, was torn into two.

    ***

    "And that... is all for today''s ss. We will continue learning about Ephrias Varant The Legendary tomorrow. Have a nice day." Mister Peseral said as the bell rang, prompting Lyrian to stand and move to his next ss.

    ***

    The next ss on Lyrian''s schedule was the Spirit Pet ss. Upon his arrival, Ms. Nria began the lesson by emphasizing the importance of proper egg care and how to handle these mysterious eggs to initiate the growth process.

    The day''s lesson unfolded rapidly, but it left an indelible mark on Lyrian, as it served as the foundational knowledge for all creatures in this mystical realm - the Creature Cultivation Stages.

    Lyrian''s prior knowledge of cultivation stages was limited to the Genesis Rank, but as Nria delved into monster cultivation, she exined that each rank roughly aligned with intelligent cultivation levels, such as those of humans, elves, dwarfs, and others.

    The equivalent creature cultivation rank to Genesis was the Pure Beast, epassing three distinct stages: Layers 1, 2, and 3. Lyrian surmised that Genesis followed a simr pattern.

    Beyond Pure Beast, there was the Growth Beast, also consisting of threeyers.

    Subsequently, the Evolution Beast, Rampage Beast, and the formidable Titan Beast followed suit. This revtion suggested that Lyrian had a total of five cultivation levels to aspire to.

    Nria briefly touched on creature threat levels, hinting that they would be explored more in-depth in the Hunting ss. Nevertheless, she briefly outlined them in ascending order of danger: HAVOC, GUARDIAN, DISASTER, CALAMITY, and the rarely-seen CATASTROPHE.

    Thest of these, as Nria emphasized, was so colossal and destructive that it could only be vanquished with the united force of an entire continent to minimize catastrophic casualties.

    Nria concluded the lesson by recounting the legend of the King Of All Monkeys, the Jian Monkey, a golden-furred primate whose roars could level cities and sneezes obliterate armies.

    As Lyrian absorbed the knowledge imparted in the Spirit Pet ss, he found himself immersed in a world of wonder and possibilities. Eachyer of the Creature Cultivation Stages held its unique challenges and rewards.

    The Pure Beast stages, for instance, focused on fundamental abilities, such as enhanced senses, agility, and basic elemental maniption.

    Growth Beast stages, on the other hand, delved into specialization. It was during this phase that a creature began to develop its unique traits and abilities, setting it apart from others of its kind.

    The Evolution Beast stages promised even greater power and mastery over the elements. It was said that creatures at this level could control natural forces with precision, from summoning storms to manipting terrain.

    Rampage Beast and Titan Beast stages represented the pinnacle of creature cultivation. These were the stages where legends were born, where creatures could reshapendscapes and challenge the gods themselves. Lyrian knew that reaching these heights would be a daunting task, but he weed the challenge with unwavering determination.

    Nria''s mention of creature threat levels added anotheryer ofplexity to Lyrian''s understanding of the world. HAVOC, the lowest level, was familiar to him. He had already encountered creatures of this threat level during his entrance exam, creatures that could cause chaos and destruction but were manageable with proper training.

    GUARDIAN, the next level up, intrigued Lyrian. He recalled the powerful creatures he had seen during the entrance exam, ones that had an otherworldly presence and strength. The idea that creatures with an OP (Overall Power) of 10 or more fell into this category made the most sense to him.

    DISASTER, CALAMITY, and CATASTROPHE were levels of increasing danger. These creatures were forces of nature in their own right, capable of unleashing devastation on a grand scale.

    Lyrian understood that his journey through the Creature Cultivation Stages would be marked by challenges and trials, but the prospect of facing creatures of such magnitude both thrilled and humbled him.

 Chapter 219 Magia Class

    Shortly after, the bell signaling the beginning of the next ss rang out, jolting Lyrian from his musings. With brisk determination, he made a beeline for the academy''s bustling canteen. Despite having nibbled on some meat jerky earlier that morning, his stomach growled in protest, demanding a more substantial meal to quell its persistent grumbling.

    Israthel, the rude ssmate who hadn''t given him much trouble during the first period, continued to maintain his distance. Nevertheless, his piercing gaze bore into Lyrian''s back as he walked away. Draco, on the other hand, couldn''t resist an opportunity to gloat, sending a sly smirk in Lyrian''s direction as he sauntered past. Lyrian averted his gaze, his thoughts swirling with irritation.

    I lost to him in a game... but it wouldn''t be that way in real life,'' he thought to himself, the promise of future victories fueling his resolve to excel in Battle Forge.

    Finally, the long-awaited Hunting ssmenced, and following Nria''s prediction, Rerth, the instructorunched into a lecture on creature threat levels. Lyrian anticipated some hands-on activities, as they had done in the previous Hunting ss. However, his expectations were rudely shattered when Rerth veered into the realm of gym ss-style study.

    Within the confines of the gym, the students delved deeper into the intricacies of creature threat levels and their significance. The most crucial piece of information they gleaned was why these levels were so crucial in the first ce.

    "These are threat scanners," Rerth dered, raising a small metal chip for all to see. The students gazed at it in awe, their curiosity piqued.

    "It''s also imnted into all of your bracelets and can be integrated into almost any magical device," Rerth continued. Lyrian examined the chip closely; it appeared to be nothing more than a t piece of metal etched with mysterious inscriptions. As if sensing Lyrian''s confusion, Rerth offered an exnation.

    "The inscriptions are knowledge talismans. In this case, they determine the threat level of a beast."

    The chip circted around the ss, each student examining it with intrigue. Rerth''s tone shifted slightly as he continued, adding a touch of humor to his lecture.

    "The reason we rely on this technology is simple: humans aren''t perfect weapons. We use these tools to make up for our shorings, and luckily, we''re smart enough to use them to our advantage."

    A few chuckles rippled through the ss, but Lyrian remained puzzled. He failed to grasp the humor in the teacher''s words.

    "Without knowing the threat level of the beast, we wouldn''t know if we were tackling demigods like Zeus or facing Gaia himself!"

    Laughter erupted once more, but Lyrian''s confusion deepened. He felt like an outsider in this world of inside jokes and iprehensible references.

    "In essence, it''s a lifesaver. Never be foolish enough to think you don''t need it while hunting. Trust me, you do. If you venture out without it, you''re no smarter than the dimmest of crooks," Rerth emphasized, locking eyes with each student, driving his point home.

    Lyrian couldn''t help but think otherwise since he had Gear after all. As the ss came to an end, he found himself transitioning to a new subject: Magia.

    As he walked towards the Magia ss, he pondered the peculiarity of it being an elective course. After all, the academy was founded on the principles of magic, or so he had believed. Magic seemed to be the very cornerstone of this world. Yet, he was aware that diverse professions existed apart from being a magician or adventurer. Craftsmen and artists pursued various vocations, offering alternative ways to navigate life in this enigmatic world.

    Lyrian settled into his seat in the Magia ssroom, the familiarity of the setting contrasting with the anticipation of a new subject. The room''s design closely mirrored his earlier ss, but it was grander in scale, with a broad, expansive t floor at the front of the rows of seats.

    As he adjusted to his surroundings, the teacher made his entrance. A young man with slicked-back ck hair and an imposing stature, he strolled in, addressing the ssroom with a hint of amusement.

    "It feels like every day we''re seeing new faces in this ss. But... it''s only been two days after all," he chuckled to himself while adjusting his brown robe and carrying a stack of books to his desk. His eyes scanned the room, and a yful squint apanied his next remark.

    "And a few who changed courses as well... Maybe they didn''t like me," he mused, erupting intoughter once more.

    With a grin, he addressed his eager students. "Alrighty, kids! Let''s get started, shall we? For those who are new, the name''s on the board!" He pointed with enthusiasm to the giant whiteboard wall behind him.

    Lyrian''s eyes flicked to the board''s bold ck letters, spelling out the name in question: ''Sir Granweid.''

    Sir Granweid, still wearing a yful grin, pped his hands together to capture the students'' attention. "Now that we''ve got our introductions out of the way, it''s time to dive into the fascinating world of Magia! But first, let''s start with a bit of fun to get those creative juices flowing."

    He reached beneath his desk and pulled out a colorful assortment of origami paper and a basket filled with various trinkets. "Today, we''ll be exploring the art of ''Magia Origami.'' We''re going to create magical creatures from these ordinary pieces of paper."

    The ss buzzed with excitement as students exchanged curious nces. Lyrian felt a slight hint of anticipation, intrigued by the prospect of breathing life into a piece of paper. Sir Granweid''s charismatic approach to teaching was infectious.

    "Choose your paper wisely, my young magicians," Sir Granweid advised, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "Each color has its unique properties. Red for fire, blue for water, green for earth, and so on."

    Students eagerly selected their paper, some going for vibrant red, others opting for calming blues, and a few adventurous souls reaching for the mysterious cks and purples.

    "Now, here''s the tricky part," Sir Granweid said, drawing everyone''s attention to a small pile of enchanted quills on his desk. "We''ll be infusing our creations with a bit of magic to give them life. Take one of these quills, and with utmost concentration, write down the name of the creature you want to bring to life."

    Lyrian chose a ck piece of paper, envisioning a sleek and shadowy creature. He carefully selected a quill and began writing ''Nightshade'' with a steady hand.

    Once the names were written, Sir Granweid instructed the students to fold their papers into intricate origami figures, guiding them through each step. As the ssroom filled with the rustling of paper and the asional gasp of excitement, Lyrian was amazed at how effortlessly the folds formed his envisioned creature.

    "Now, the final touch," Sir Granweid announced, holding up a crystal vial filled with shimmering liquid. "This is the magic elixir that will breathe life into your creations."

    One by one, students dipped their fingers into the elixir and lightly brushed it over their paper creations. As Lyrian''s fingers made contact with ''Nightshade,'' the paper figure seemed to pulse with energy, its edges shimmering with an otherworldly glow.

    Sir Granweid grinned, clearly enjoying the sense of wonder in the room.

    The room crackled with energy as the origami creatures began to stir, their eyes glowing with a soft, ethereal light. ''Nightshade'' unfurled its sleek form, and with graceful movements, it danced through the air. Unlike the other creatures, it even grew double in size for some reason, capturing the attention of those nearby.

    Laughter and cheers filled the ssroom as the students marveled at their newfound creations, each one unique and brimming with magical essence. Sir Granweid''s approach had turned an ordinary origami exercise into a captivating introduction to the wonders of Magia. As the ss concluded, Sir Granweid winked at Lyrian and the others. "Remember, young magicians, in the world of Magia, your imagination is your greatest source of power. Embrace it, and you''ll unlock limitless possibilities."

    Lyrian couldn''t help but muse as he gazed at ''Nightshade,'' a tangible reminder of the journey he was embarking upon in the world of magic. The creature''s movements were mesmerizing, and its presence seemed to fill the room with an aura of mystique.

    After the ss, as students filed out of the room, they couldn''t stop talking about the extraordinary experience they had just shared. The aura of excitement was palpable, and it seemed as though the entire school was buzzing with the newfound enthusiasm for Magia. Some were already making ambitious ns to create more magical origami creatures at home, eager to experiment with different colors and shapes. Others gathered in small groups, animatedly specting about the endless possibilities this mystical world could offer them.

    Sir Granweid''s unconventional teaching method had done more than introduce them to a magical art form; it had ignited a spark of curiosity and wonder in each of them. The students couldn''t wait to delve deeper into the enchanting world of Magia, uncover its secrets, and harness its powers.

    As Lyrian walked down the hallway with ''Nightshade'' perched on his shoulder, he couldn''t help but feel an odd sense of pride. His beast, the enigmatic ''Nightshade,'' was easily the strongest and most captivating creation in the ssroom. Its sleek form and ethereal movements had drawn the attention of both students and teachers alike.

    The hallway echoed with whispers of admiration as students passing by couldn''t help but gaze in awe at ''Nightshade.''

    It was clear that the world of Magia held limitless wonders.

 Chapter 220 Duskwing Pheon: Tao

    Lyrian swiftly returned to his room, where Nightshade quickly reverted into the paper it had been. It was an interesting creation experiment, made possible by the magic elixir provided by Granweid. While that wasn''t the main focus of his ss, Lyrian found it the most intriguing aspect.

    However, he regretted not obtaining a mana cultivation technique on the first day. He didn''t want to dy his growth any longer and realized he might need to take matters into his own hands soon.

    "Aside from that, it seems he isn''t here," Lyrian noted to himself as he surveyed the room, finding his roommate out of sight.

    "Huh," he said, making his way into the bathroom. He had no intention of getting jump-scared again. The BF module was still in the shower, but the water wasn''t turned on. Everything else appeared normal.

    "He probably wouldn''t be inside there, since he likes the ambiance of water or whatever," Lyrian mused, moving on. Walking back to his table, he ced the egg down first. Nria had mentioned it would take nearly a week to hatch, and the best option for now was to put it on the windowsill where the sunlight shone through.

    Forgetting about that for a moment, Lyrian sat down at the table with a grin on his face. He closed his eyes, using the art of Smithing to calm his breathing, making it more noticeable. He focused his mind and summoned a transparent blue canvas in front of him.

    Now, the canvas seemed evenrger than before and appeared more structurally sound. It was broader, had small design bumps on the side, and was more intricate.

    "Maybe my ability to focus and use my brain has increased. As long as my ability to use Smithing has improved, then it would be true," Lyrian thought, pleasantly surprised. Taking a deep breath, he summoned the ck Kailion to the stage, or the canvas. It was small, made of the same material as the canvas, yet hovered a few inches above it with its fearsome ps. It looked powerful. Lyrian was instantly reminded of the time when he had to face such a beast.

    "Our strength and speed were doubled; that must have been the case, since taking on this creature wouldn''t have been nearly as easy as it was," he contemted for a moment before summoning the Light Pheon. It too shared the same pixels as the canvas, but both the Pheon and the Kailion were far more detailed to Lyrian than he remembered the Generational Grizzly and Hobgoblin Shaman to be.

    Again, he assumed this was because his art of smithing had improved, allowing him to create even better beings.

    "Yin and Yang. Darkness and Light. The two don''t seem to mix well, but that isn''t necessarily true. If they didn''t mesh together, then one would take over the other, but that doesn''t happen. Instead, they mix to create a perfect bnce. They either cancel each other out or equalize perfectly. The two are the greatest duo, a perfect team," Lyrian said as he imagined how he could utilize the power of both beings to his advantage and create the most perfect being.

    Lyrian''s mind buzzed with creative possibilities as he contemted the fusion of his two summoned beings, the ck Kailion and the Light Pheon. He knew thatbining their powers could yield something truly extraordinary, a being that embodied the harmony of darkness and light.

    With focused intent, he willed the two pixted creatures to merge. It wasn''t a simple process; it required a delicate bnce of his magical energy and concentration. Slowly, the ck Kailion and Light Pheon began to intertwine and ovep on the transparent blue canvas. Their pixted forms shifted and blended, creating a mesmerizing dance of dark and light.

    As Lyrian watched, a new entity emerged, one that seemed to be both and neither at the same time. It was a creature of extraordinary beauty, with sleek obsidian-like feathers on one side and radiant, ethereal wings on the other. Its eyes shimmered with a captivating duality, embodying both the depth of darkness and the brilliance of light. This being exuded an aura of bnce and power that was palpable.

    Lyrian couldn''t help but marvel at his creation. It was a testament to his improved mastery of Smithing and his deep understanding of the intery between opposing forces.

    Satisfied, he activated the Creature-link skill.

    *Ding* [You have created a new creature: Duskwing Phoen]

    A mist of shadowy energy quickly formed into a small, majestic bird hybrid. It was a baby, which could barely fly, but its sheer aura was formidable nheless. As it calmly opened and closed its eyes, Lyrian could sense that the creature was on another levelpared to his previous creations.

    It wasn''t just a normal creature, but a king. The Pheon was even regarded as a god! Creatures born with power are not always arrogant or brave just because of their environment. Sometimes, they are prideful because they know of their innate ability of power from birth. This creature was no different.

    [Name your new creature]

    "Easy... the mix of Yin and Yang, Tao. Or in other words, bnce."

    With the Duskwing Pheon at hismand, Lyrian felt greater confidence.

    "Shadow."

    The creature was suddenly enveloped in his shadow, disappearing from the world. Lyrian wanted to y with it some more, but he also didn''t want to distract himself with it too much in this current environment.

    Instead, he was going to take a better look at it in Battle Forge. Within moments, he ced his mini BF module on the ground and entered it. As soon as he entered his solo sandbox mode, he summoned the Duskwing Pheon once again.

    Since creatures grew at 20x or so the speed, the bird already knew of its ability to fly. Without wasting time, it began to speed around the infinite white room. Lyrian smiled at this, eager that a beast with such monstrous potential was all his.

    The thoughts of how powerful it would be in the future made him chuckle slightly. At that moment, Lyrian also released Zuuc, and finally, even Garmr. Zuuc stood around randomly, not caring too much about what Lyrian had to say, while Garmr sat down in front of Lyrian immediately, pinning his head down in obedience.

    The beast was several timesrger than Lyrian, yet it waspletely loyal. There was no hint of anything but respect and loyalty in Garmr''s mind.

    "Garmr! Zuuc! Duel each other. An easy one, don''t hurt the other," Lyrian suddenly shouted, as both Garmr and Zuuc looked at each other. Zuuc then looked at Lyrian with a slightly confused look. Garmr, on the other hand, swiftly stood and faced the Generational Hobgoblin without much hesitation.

    "You may get stronger due to my progress, but you guys also have to learn to fight. Fighting weak students in BF won''t be good enough. At least, for now, that is. Later, the students will be far too strong for even you guys... probably. But those students are for me to fight," Lyrian grinned.

    "You two fought the low-strength students in the lesser ranks only so that I can get to the stronger ranks

    quicker. I can''t have you guys taking all the fighting experience... so for now, the best option is to have you guys fight each other."

    With this, Zuuc also faced Garmr. Suddenly, a smirk formed on his face, a sign of a friendly challenge. The Hobgoblin didn''t seem to mind fighting either.

    The battle between Garmr and Zuuc began with a burst of energy. Garmr and Zuuc circled each other, sizing up their opponents. Lyrian watched with keen interest, knowing that this duel would not only help his creatures grow but also strengthen their bond between them. Although, since they were bound to the same soul, their bond was already very high.

    Zuuc was the first to make a move. He lunged at Garmr with surprising speed and agility, his medium-sized form darting in and out as he tried tond quick strikes on the massive beast. Garmr, however, was not to be underestimated. With a swift motion of his paw, he deflected Zuuc''s attacks and countered with a powerful swipe of his own. Zuuc managed to dodge, narrowly avoiding a crushing blow. The battle raged on, each creature disying their unique strengths. Garmr''s sheer size and ferocity gave him a considerable advantage in terms of raw power, but Zuuc''s agility and cunning allowed him to avoid Garmr''s attacks and strike from unexpected angles. It was a true test of skill and strategy.

    Lyrian watched intently, offering asionalmands and guidance to his creatures. He could see them learning and adapting with each passing moment. Garmr began to anticipate Zuuc''s movements, while Zuuc refined his dodging techniques and aimed for vulnerable spots on Garmr''s body.

    As the duel continued, it became evident that both creatures were growing stronger and more skilled inbat. It hadn''t even been 10 minutes, yet their ability to learn and adapt was incredible and even shocking to Lyrian. They were pushing each other to their limits, one driven by the desire to please his master, and the other just to win the fight.

    After what felt like an intense battle, Garmr and Zuuc simultaneously backed away, panting and covered in scratches and bruises. Both creatures had fought valiantly, and there was a newfound respect between them.

 Chapter 221 Prosperity

    <h4>Chapter 221 Prosperity</h4>

    "Shadow," Lyrian whispered, his voice a mere breath amidst the cacophony of the battlefield. The two slightly injured beasts, Tao trailing close behind, were rapidly enveloped in the inky darkness that radiated from Lyrian. The battle that had just unfolded had left a profound impression on him. It wasn''t just intense; it was a visceral dance with danger itself. The sheer force behind the snapping ms as the creatures shed was enough to send shivers down the spine of any normal person.

    Standing there, in the midst of it all, Lyrian felt like he was on the edge of a precipice. It was akin to being in the presence of ruthless predators, creatures of remarkable precision and formidable ability. It was a primal battle, a raw disy of power that stirred something primal within him. The rush of adrenaline, the feeling of being on the edge of chaos, he cherished it all. As the battle concluded, he contemted entering ranked mode, eager for more challenges, when a notification on his bracelet interrupted his thoughts.

    "Academy Announcement (IMPORTANT)," the message blinked insistently.

    "Huh? What''s this?" Lyrian wondered, his curiosity piqued. He hesitated for only a moment, not wanting to waste any time, before opening the notification.

    "Good afternoon,ds andssies�C" The message began, and Lyrian immediately recognized the unique grammar style; it was none other than Julius.

    "On this beautiful day, I''d like to announce that the date of the Entrance Ceremony Banquet, hosted by yours truly, is tomorrow! Please be there, as I recognize each and every one of you and want you all to take part in this grand celebration!"

    "Tomorrow, huh? I suppose that''s fine," Lyrian mused to himself. He stared at the bracelet for a fleeting moment before lowering his wrist. "Alright... It''s time to rank up."

    Secondster, he found himself in his first match of the ranking mode. With a current score of around 140, the next rank required 250 points. Instead of relying on his creatures, Garmr and Zuuc, to quickly reach his goal, Lyrian chose to do it himself. There was something thrilling about facing an opponent alone, gaining more experience, and feeling the raw power of being superior.

    "+1 Rank Point."

    The battle was exhrating, but it was just the beginning.

    "+1 Rank Point."

    "+1 Rank Point."

    "+1 Rank Point."

    ***

    By the time Lyrian emerged from his module at 9:30 PM, it felt as if he had been locked in there for years. Without hesitation, he slumped onto his bed. His body hadn''t undergone any physical strain, but the mental exhaustion was undeniable. It hadn''t drained him, but the weight of the virtual battles he''d fought clung to his consciousness.

    If he could, he would have continued, craving more of the adrenaline-fueled virtualbat. However, he needed to ensure a good night''s sleep to wake up refreshed the next day. He despised mornings, so the easier it was, the better.

    He cast a nce over at his roommate, whoy on his own bed, engrossed in fiddling with his bracelet. "I didn''t even notice him," Lyrian thought to himself, tilting his head back and gazing up at the ceiling. "Hopefully, we get new cultivation techniques tomorrow. Gale hasn''t been of much usetely... it''s too weak."

    "10 hours inside Battle Forge, huh?" his roommate broke the silence with a nonchnt tone.

    Lyrian shifted his attention to his roommate, and their eyes met.

    "Why spend all that time in there... Do you want to be some sort of soldier? Pfft," the boy remarked, shifting his gaze to the opposite wall. "Soldiers are failures. Warlords are failures. Fighters... are failures. One should only strive to benefit from control; that''s the smart option. But hell, a peasant like you wouldn''t have any idea what im�C"

    The boy slowly turned back to Lyrian as he spoke, only to realize that his roommate had already fallen into a deep slumber.

    "Wha�C!? You! How dar�C! Argh!" he eximed, rolling over in his sheets to face away from Lyrian, squeezing his eyes shut. "Damn peasant! How dare he disrespect me like this..."

    ***

    In the heart of the colossal trench, a ce where the meeting of earth and sky seemed to wage an eternal battle, an enigmatic figure stood as an unwavering sentinel. His mere presencemanded the very elements, an ethereal force that bent reality to his will. He was an enigma, a solitary force capable of steering the course of the world''s most catastrophic conflict with a mere nce.

    On both sides of the trench, armies adorned with scars from countless battles bore witness to this awe-inspiring disy of power. Battle-hardened generals, their faces etched with the marks of innumerable campaigns, exchanged uneasy nces as they beheld the astonishing spectacle unfolding before them. The once fervent battle cries now faltered in the face of the enigmatic figure''s overwhelming presence.

    Amidst the chaos of war, the mysterious man remained resolute. His attire bore a tapestry of intricate runes, each symbol a glimmering emblem of ancient magic, each with its own tale of long-forgotten civilizations and arcane wisdom. His flowing silver hair, reminiscent of the radiant moon, cascaded like molten silver down his back. His sapphire-blue eyes held the weight of countless lifetimes, their gaze sweeping the battlefield with an intensity that seemed to pierce the very heart of the conflict.

    A suspended moment of eerie silence enveloped the surroundings. The rivers of blood, the sh of weapons, and the cries of the fallen all receded into the background. It was as if the world itself held its breath, anticipating the next words from the man.

    Then, with a voice like thunder, he spoke. "This war has endured for an eternity," his words resonated, carrying across the expansive battlefield. "Thends have bled, the innocent have suffered, and darkness has enshrouded the hearts of all who partake in this ceaseless strife. It ends here."

    Generals, torn between loyalty to their factions and the might of the enigmatic figure, exchanged uneasy nces. Soldiers, weary and scarred by endless conflict, looked to theirrades with uncertainty. The promise of an end to the bloodshed, a world free from ceaseless warfare, was a beacon of hope in their darkest hour.

    As the enigmatic figure extended his hand, a palpable shift coursed through existence itself. The earth responded to hismand, and the colossal trench began to mend. The scarrednd, once sundered by a gaping rift, gradually but decisively sealed itself. Armies, on the brink of mutual annihtion, watched in disbelief as the chasm closed, locking away the horrors of war.

    The Ear War, a generational conflict that had ravaged the world, was drawing to a close. It was an epochal moment, a pivotal juncture in history destined to be recounted for centuries.

    With the abyss sealed and armies no longer divided, the enigmatic figure turned away. His missionplete, his intervention a catalyst for change, the generals, soldiers, and the world itself were left to grapple with the implications.

    As the sun descended, casting its crimson glow

    upon the battlefield stained with the blood of countless battles, hope began to stir. It was a fragile me, flickering defiantly against the darkness that had gripped the world for far too long. The war had ended, and in its wake, it had ushered in a new chapter��a chapter where the scars of the past served as somber reminders of the cost of unending conflict, and the promise of a brighter tomorrow.

    Once more, the world held its breath, but this time it was not in anticipation of further chaos. Instead, it was in anticipation of the unknown future thaty ahead. The soldiers who had once fought with unwavering determination now found themselves disarmed and disoriented. Generals, who had led their forces into countless battles, were faced with a different kind of challenge: how to transition from war to peace.

    The enigmatic figure, his mission aplished, withdrew from the battlefield as quietly as he had arrived. He left behind a world forever changed, where the very course of history had been altered. The armies that had once shed in a ceaseless cycle of violence now began the arduous process of reconciliation.

    Leaders from both sides met on the newly mended trench, their faces still bearing the weight of years of conflict. The negotiations were arduous, filled with suspicion and doubt, but the memory of the enigmatic figure''s intervention hung heavy in the air. It was a reminder that the old ways of war had led to the brink of annihtion, and a new path had to be forged.

    Slowly but surely, agreements were reached. Borders were redrawn, reparations were promised, and initiatives for peace and cooperation were set into motion. The world had grown weary of war, and the sacrifices made had not been in vain.

    In the years that followed, the scars of the Ear War began to heal, both on thend and in the hearts of its people. Rebuilding efforts were substantial, and the once-divided nations foundmon ground in the pursuit of progress and prosperity. Trade flourished, alliances were forged, and the lessons of the past were not forgotten.

    Generations grew up without the constant specter of war hanging over them. The enigmatic figure who had brought about this change became a figure of legend, shrouded in mystery, and revered as a symbol of hope. His name echoed through the ages as a reminder that even in the darkest of times, a single act of courage could alter the course of history.

 Chapter 222 The Ancient Library Of Anaviotis

    <h4>Chapter 222 The Ancient Library Of Anaviotis</h4>

    ?

    "The Ear War, a war between both of the most powerful species in this continent we call the Mortal ins. Now... I know that we have started with the climax! However, now that all of your attention is garnered, you will begin learning about Ephrias Varant The Legendary from the very beginning." Mister Peresal finished up his Zaryn Mythology ss with those words, as several magic books floated onto the desks of every student present. Lyrian had close to no interest in Ephrias at first, but after hearing thisst bit of history, he couldn''t help but have a sense of admiration for him.

    To be so strong and have so much power and influence, to be able to stop a war between two empires brutally going at it against each other; it was immense to behold. Lyrian smiled just thinking about how that power would feel in his hands.

    As Mister Peresal walked back to his desk and sat down, he seemed to remember something. Tilting his head back up, he spoke to the ss.

    "Oh! And one more thing! Today is about when you guys should get ess to our fabled library. If you want to learn more about Ephrias, you can do so there. Apart from that, read this book about Zaryn Mythology from pages 242 to 256. That''s all!"

    He actually ended this time, as the bell to the next ss rang. Lyrian stood up alongside Leon as they both made their way out of the ss. Eyes followed the both of them as usual. By now, Lyrian realized that this wasn''t going to change for a while... probably.

    It wasn''t only because he was one of the three MVPs of the year, but also because he utterly humiliated Israthel on the first day; to which the boy was still mad. Yesterday, he hadn''t done anything, simply lurking in the background, still more angry than ever.

    This time, however, he approached the two as they entered the halls. Grabbing onto Lyrian''s shoulder, he squeezed tightly, making Lyrian quickly turn to look past his shoulder.

    Sensing the aggression from the bully, Lyrian gave him a serious re. "What do you want?" Lyrian said, not willing to y any games with the boy.

    "I..." Israthel paused, as a few kids nearby in the halls also noticed the confrontation between the two somewhat recognizable figures. "Want to give you a gift. Here, take this." He said, suddenly putting on what looked to be a genuine smile as he raised a canned drink in his hand.

    "Huh?" Lyrian raised an eyebrow. Leon and others nearby were more confused by the gesture. For him to be so jolly all of a sudden... it was odd. ''A fake smile... and then a drink?'' Lyrian mused, grabbing the can as Israthel continued to smile. Lyrian knew that the grin was fake. It was an ability of his that he only realized he had after entering Zaryn, but an ability learned on Earth.

    To spot fake smiles... he thought of every time Jen smiled at him. He knew that not a single one of those was real. Before he forced himself to repress those thoughts fully, her smile would sh across his mind.

    In anger, he scanned those images in his head with utmost precision. Every microfiber of movement that she made, every irk of the eyes, every quiver of the lip, and every re of the nostrils. From this alone, he obtained a pretty useful ability to tell not just whether one was putting on a fake smile, but also whether one was lying or not.

    Albeit, he wasn''t as good at telling whether one was lying or not. ''He must think I''m stupid.'' Lyrian said, handing the can back to the boy. "I''m alright." He turned around and began to walk away. A few astonished gasps came from the onlookers, but Israthel''s smile remained intact. Leon realized the pitiful attempt to poison Lyrian as well.

    But what Lyrian didn''t understand was why now, so randomly. ''Surely this wasn''t his plot for revenge. The guy had days to think of something...'' He would be pretty disappointed if he knew that a poisoned drink could be the greatest ploy to get his vengeance that the bully could think of.

    Lyrian''s other sses continued on normally, and boringly. As he arrived at his Magia ss, he became slightly confused as to what Mister Peresal was speaking about in the morning. ''He said that we would get ess to the library today... but I''m already at myst period and there hasn''t been a single word about it. Although I don''t know much in detail about this academy, I know that the Ancient Library of Anaviotis is one of its most prominent aspects. I want to gain ess to it as soon as possible.'' He eagerly thought to himself.

    After making himselffortable in his seat, Sir Granweid entered with a frivolous and joyful strut. "Everyone up! We shall waste no time!" He suddenly shouted with a smile on his face, Lyrian looked around to see everyone else also quite excited. ''This can only mean one thing... the library.'' A gentle smirk formed on his face, but he was upset that he had to stand upright as he was gettingfortable.

    "Our lesson will begin in the very halls that your predecessors walked through!" Granweid proimed as he made his way out the door, the students following suit. The empty halls rang with his face as he continued speaking.

    "You, kids, are special. Not anyone gets to simply stomp through these halls. That right only belongs to those who pass the dreaded Anaviotis Entrance exam. Have pride in yourselves!" The crowd of students behind him let out a slight cheer,ughing amongst themselves. Lyrian couldn''t care less about this achievement at this point.

    ''Thingse and go. I was happy about it at first, but I''m not going to celebrate it forever. It was a goal of mine, but now that I''ve aplished it, I can only go further on to bigger and better goals.'' He mused unimpressedly.

    "Due to your hard work, you can now take part in what is known as one of the greatest libraries in the Mortal ins itself! One that rivals even the Elven bookmanship. You see, we humans are superior to the elves in terms of knowledge and bookmaking. We store and culminate history and greater information better than any other intelligent species in the entire world. This is why we can always bounce back no matter how much trouble we are faced with." Gradweid continued to say.

    "It is the specialty of humans, a specialty that not many other species have..."

    Soon enough, they arrived at arge opening near the middle of the outer academy. There, they were met with a vast room,pletely circr in circumference, and lined with shelves upon shelves of books. Not only were the circr walls filled with 20-foot high shelves that were filled with books, but these walls also existed further into the room, multiplying as they supplied an amazing number of books.

    "Students! Wee to the firstyer of the Ancient Library; Hell!" Granweid shouted, hovering his hand freely out into the grand and spacious room that was the library. ''Hell?'' Lyrian questioned for a moment, slightly confused by its name. Apart from

    that, he surveyed therge room which had corridors going through and across the shelved walls. In the middle was arge red stone that had some sort of odd lettering written all over it.

    Scarcely littered around looked to be some other students, seemingly picking out books.

    "Now that you have all entered with permission, your bracelets have updated, and you will no longer be trespassed if you enter into here. Know that there are no guards here, yet this ancient library is guarded at all times by its own mystical powers, so don''t try to do anything you know is wrong." Granweid quipped, a humorous joke mixed into his exnation.

    "As some of you may have caught, I called this floor ''Hell'', and I didn''t misspeak. You see, there are nine levels of this library, each named after you guessed it... the nine abyss'' that exist. In the outer academy, only the first 5 levels are essible. The other four only exist within the inner academy."

    This prompted some sighs from the group. Granweidughed out loud as he heard this, however.

    "Ahaha! Ah yes, the sigh, as usual. Understand this, young magicians. Even I cannot enter the 6th level of this library." These random words confused the lot, including Lyrian.

    "That''s correct! You see, this Ancient Library is called ancient for a reason. At the birth of this academy, the founders used this Library as the origin, a ce where many magic spells are imbued. For the levels, the magic spells are based on the nine levels of the abyss. This means that each and every level of this library... holds the spiritual energy of 1 percent of the ce to which it is bound. The reason why you are all able to stand here right now is that Hell is the weakest abyss or underworld."

 Chapter 223 Levels Of The Ancient Library

    <h4>Chapter 223 Levels Of The Ancient Library</h4>

    Lyrian made sense of what Granweid, his teacher, was talking about. ''Nine levels of the library, and nine levels of the abyss which the library levels are based on? I guess that makes sense.'' He mused, looking around as he tried to feel the pressure on him from ''Hell'', the first abyss.

    Lo and behold, upon thinking about it, he did feel a slightly odd feeling deep within his stomach that gave him slight unease.

    ''This must be it... the spiritual pressure that''s 1 percent of Hell.'' He thought to himself. This gave him a pretty straightforward idea of how the library worked now, but there was one question that he wanted a confirmation of.

    "Since the levels of the Ancient Library make it harder to enter, I assume that there are greater books as one goes farther, right?" He inquired to the teacher with a curious tone, as others turned to face him as he spoke.

    Granweid quickly replied to the students'' questions, happy to answer. "Indeed, young man," he smiled, "Each level allows you to take a look at more profound and powerful books valued far more than those of the lower levels. Know, however, that even books in the first level are of great value."

    He walked over to one of the shelves made of dark stone nearby, taking out a thick book before turning around and presenting it to the ss. "Here is a book written by none other than Ephiras Varant himself," Granweid began to speak, as Lyrian noticed the name. ''Oh? Varant huh?'' His curiosity about the man had been slightly piqued in the first period. ''Maybe I''ll get it...'' He pondered.

    "This man held great knowledge, and he''s highly revered by many. His words alone changed the course of the history of this continent, and this book represents his entire being. His way of life, his path to greatness. I myself am quite a fan of him and his ideals... although, they may seem quite harsh and even sometimes impossible to reach..." Granweid continued, as Lyrian''s interest in the book grew. ''He wrote it himself? A book by the most powerful man of the Mortal ins continent... I wonder what types of information he has to offer.'' He began to imagine the nearly impossible standards that Granweid was talking about.

    To him, it wasn''t just a dreadful task, as Granweid was implying, but more of a challenge. One that made him slightly eager just to think about it. ''Such a book is in the first level...'' Lyrian thought to himself in slight astonishment. Others in the ss also let out sounds and quiet gasps of amazement on hearing about Varant''s book.

    "I know what you all are thinking, and your thoughts are valid. Why is such a powerful book in the first, weakest level? Well, it is because of what I said before. Even the lowest levels have books of high value." As he paused, a few ahs and ohs reverberated through the crowd of students.

    "Of course, as the levels go up, so does the value of the books. You will find books of utmost value as you climb the library, but know that you will also face much stronger spiritual force, which may permanently damage your core constitution."

    Granweid''s expression and tone suddenly became more serious. "Please, do not make me repeat these words." He paused, allowing the stern atmosphere to settle in, "This library is not a joke, so do not take it as one. If you go too far and mess up your core constitution by going into a level you can''t handle, then your core will be destroyed. Your ability to cultivate and conjure mana will be killed. It starts from your meridians, and then your core, all will implode with far too much force. Do not strain yourselves."

    The students took in deep breaths, understanding the severity of Granweid''s umon tone. Clearly, even a jolly person such as him was serious, and they had better listen. Some, of course, weren''t paying attention. Others already knew what Granweid was talking about, so they didn''t care as much.

    "And finally, know that information books, such as this," Granweid put Ephiras'' book up in the air to show, "are on the lower floors. Books with cultivation, however, start from only the second floor and up. Remember, you don''t need to be the greatest. Even books from level four are enough for great nobles of this continent. For normal books, you may get any, but for cultivation techniques, you are only permitted to take one."

    He ended with a smile, as kids quickly started to spread around, searching for books as theymunicated among each other. Lyrian, however, first walked directly towards Varant''s book and picked it up before storing it in his storage ring.

    That''s also when he checked the space left in there and saw that he only had space for one more book since he had eaten the leftover meat jerky that he stored in ce of his treasure. ''I gotta find a ce to put this treasure. I can''t just keep it in there forever.'' He mused for a moment, walking over to therge red stone in the middle of the circr room. Below the stone on the floor wererge letters that read "Hell Stone."

    ''Granweid said that you don''t have to be the greatest? What kind of nonsense is that? I wouldn''t assume it to be things taught in such a grand school. He said he was a fan of Varant right? I''m sure such a man wouldn''t endorse one not to aim for the highest goal.'' He firmly stated in his mind as he attempted to read the inscriptions on the stone. ''I don''t understand a single word. It''s all gibberish.'' He said in his mind after only a few seconds.

    ''Scan.''

    ��������Item Scan��������

    Name: Hell Stone Description: A stone infused with the magia of Hell. Holds ancient inscriptions of powerful words. (Unrecognized by the system.)

    Special: #####--

    ��������������������������

    Lyrian''s eyes squinted slightly, a disappointed look on his face. ''Not very effective Scan... I need to up my proficiency in this skill.'' He thought to himself. At that moment, he heard his name from behind.

    "Lyrian... taking a look at the Hell Stone huh?" Granweid asked, walking closer.

 Chapter 224 Climbing Levels Of Abyss

    <h4>Chapter 224 Climbing Levels Of Abyss</h4>

    Lyrian turned to face the teacher. ''Oh? Maybe he can help me understand this.'' He thought to himself.

    "Yes, do you have any clue what it is?" He asked curiously.

    Granweid retorted with an urgent no. "Haha... I do not, unfortunately," he said with a slightly awkwardugh.

    ''Useless,'' Lyrian was unimpressed.

    "However..." Granweid walked closer with his hands wrapped behind his back, standing next to Lyrian and before the giant 20-foot object. "Some say that it is a cultivation technique. Or, at least, one part of the 9-part technique."

    Hearing this, Lyrian was taken aback. He was surprised and hadn''t expected to hear that of all things. After a short moment of confused silence, he retorted quickly, "Really? And what is the technique? Do you know anything about it? Is it powerful? History?" He inquired eagerly.

    "Unfortunately, I do not, young man. To be honest, it is a mystery. I have no clue whether it really is a cultivation technique or not."

    With this, Lyrian decided to give up on that for now. He looked around, searching for the ce to get to the next level. After a few seconds of surveying therge room, he found that there was no entrance leading to anywhere...

    He looked back up to Granweid. "The next level... how do I ess it?" He directly asked as Granweid turned to look at him with slight shock and amusement.

    Other students nearby also turned their heads, finding a way to listen to the situation.

    "The second level already, huh?" The teacher quipped with augh, "Sure... just ce your hand on the Hell Stone, that''s all it takes. Who am I to stop you? But... remember what I said. Always be careful, and do not push yourself."

    Lyrian nodded to Granweid''s words, cing his hand on the stone as a red ripple of energy suddenly spread across the stone with the touch of his palm.

    "Lyrian... I will track how you are doing through your bracelet." These were the final words of Granweid, as Lyrian suddenly found himself in another room altogether.

    He instantly felt his heart be heavier, as the atmosphere around him became thick in a dangerous, threatening aura. It was the spiritual energy of the second abyss.

    This time, the stone was a dark yet deep green. One that wasn''t beautiful as in nature but seemed dangerous and almost grotesque in color. Lyrian tried to take in a deep breath, but the atmosphere made it feel like his lungs couldn''t expand all the way.

    Looking at the ground beneath the stone, instead of "Hell Stone" in big bold letters, the words were "Naraka Stone".

    "Hoo~ Naraka huh? I guess that is the next strongest abyss. This is only level two, but I can already feel the impact," he said, turning around as he began venturing around the floor. He wasn''t going to stay for long, but he couldn''t wait to check out at least one cultivation technique.

    "He said they started to appear on this floor... right?" He said, arriving at a second set of scrolls andrge books. "This must be it," he said as he grabbed a scroll off the wall and unrolled it.

    "This floor holds the weakest cultivation techniques, including this one. Yet, I can still feel the sheer mana exuding from this scroll," he said, his excitement rising as he read the magic circle and inscriptions inside.

    His heart pumped in exhration as he held the technique. After all this time, he had finally found his first real cultivation technique. However, of course, this wasn''t nearly good enough.

    If he could only choose one, he wanted the best that he could get. "Time to go on to the next level. Spiritual aura is based on gics more than power. It has more to do with experience than it does with strength, as well, so even I should be able to enter the highest floor that I can, that is... if my gics are good enough."

    He said to himself as he stood in front of the deep green Naraka Stone. "My will is my spiritual energy. This will havee with me through a lifetime, so, therefore, it is mentally enforced into me. With it, I will get a cultivation technique from the fifth level of the library, and no less."

    He said with a determined tone and furrowed his brows before touching the green stone. Again, a ripple of energy flowed throughout the stone, as he was transported into the next level.

    As soon as he could tell he had changed settings, his eyes widened in shock from the immense force his body suddenly felt. In an instant, just like before, the spiritual aura in the room had gone up by multiple folds. Currently, even his bones felt like they were shaking within his skin.

    Just to stand up straight felt difficult... hell, even keeping his eyelids open was hard.

    The ginormous rectangr gem-like stone in the middle this time was bloodred at the bottom but became more orange in the middle before finally turning into a blindingly bright yellow at the top as if it was created in an ember.

    "Jigoku Stone."

    Lyrian said, looking at the name on the floor.

    "Next..."

    He immediately ced his hand on the stone once again. Before he knew it, he was on his knees in an entirely different room. His legs had crumbled under the sudden pressure.

    His entire body squirmed and shook slightly, as he pulled himself together and gritted his teeth, standing up. It was hard just to bnce on this level, as the strain he felt caused a searing headache to begin quickly forming in his head.

    Every strand of hair on his body fought to go downwards, giving him small pricks through every millimeter of his skin.

    "M... Stone." He managed to say before looking up at the deep, fiery blue stone in front of him. "This... is nothing. If the fourth level is this easy... the fifth level should be--a piece of cake."

    He mmed his hand against the stone, causing a powerful vibration to ripple through it.

 Chapter 225 Spiritual Will

    ?

    A small buzz went off on Granweid''s bracelet. It was an alert from the school system. He quickly looked down at it as a worried expression shadowed his face. His eyebrows furrowed, as a frown quickly covered his lips.

    "Lyrian... have you gone too far?" He worriedly spoke, quickly messing with his bracelet before arriving at a message system. Clicking on the voice-talk button, he began to speak into the bracelet.

    "Granweid in the Ancient Library, I repeat, Granweid in the Ancient Library."

    Only a second after he said this, a voice replied back to him.

    "Help Department. What''s wrong? Kid entered floor three and passed out again?" A voice nonchntly said through the bracelet.

    "No..." Granweid''s tone was mixed with haste in speech, "Floor four... and he''s still conscious. I don''t think he will stop."

    "What!?" The man on the other side of the bracelet call suddenly eximed in shock. "I''m sending someone there right away! Control the situation as much as you can!" He said, his voice filled with urgency and even a hint of anxiety.

    Granweid looked up, "How are you still conscious... Lyrian. What kind of student has entered this academy..."

    *BUZZ*

    Granweid''s bracelet alerted him again, as his eyes opened wide in shock, and his mouth gaped slightly. The entire library shook slightly as if an earthquake was about to take ce. All of the students realized this, slightly taken off guard.

    They all looked at each other with concerned faces as they scurried around, trying to get back to their teacher.

    The message on Granweid''s bracelet read: ''Lyrian Theageld has entered the fifth level of the Ancient Library. He is conscious.''

    ***

    "ARGH!"

    Lyrian''s body was forcefully thrown into the ground face first as he entered the fifth level. His tongue, which was out of his mouth, tasted his own blood, as it licked the small puddle of the red stuff on the ground which hade from his mouth.

    It felt like all the spiritual forces of the other levels hit him at once like a semi-truck ramming into him, an overwhelming sense of power. His chest barely expanded from his breaths. He could feel his heart in his neck, beating so loud that it almost sounded like a motorcycle engine in his head.

    Speaking of which, his head was in excruciating pain. At that moment, Lyrian''s vision began to blur, and then darken at the sides.

    ''Oh no... I''m... passing out!'' He suddenly realized as adrenaline coursed through his veins. Thoughts ran through his mind at a million miles per second as his eyes darted everywhere they could. He was thinking of what to do.

    If he passed out here from the pressure, it would all be over. Then, he felt an even scarier feeling. He felt his meridians begin to have a burning sensation as if they were being destroyed at that very moment.

    ''This... Granweid said that the destruction of the core constitution began with the meridians.'' He said to himself as he imagined the worst. As he was worrying about that, he realized his vision had nearlypletely darkened out.

    His expression was desperate, as his breaths went smaller and smaller. With the pressure forcing him to intake small breaths, little oxygen traveled to his brain, and this was the reason he was cking out.

    ''I won''t go out like this!'' He suddenly yelled in his mind, forming his lips into a circle as he sucked in deeply, his eyes widened as big as twos as he intensely inhaled.

    His lungs were forced to intake all of the air, and he used all of his strength to breathe in. At that moment, the darkness cleared up, since oxygen had once again returned to his head.

    Panting heavily, he thought of what to do next. ''I know I said strength doesn''t help so much more spiritual energy... but It will still help a little, and that''s a lot right now.'' He thought to himself as he Enhanced his entire body in a split second.

    Gritting his teeth hard enough to nearly crack them, he forced his body to move.

    "St--and."

    He said out loud, as he pushed his palm into the ground and lifted up his torso.

    "Stand."

    His gaze was intense and ferocious, as his body, which vibrantly gleaned green, shook violently whilst moving. He curled his foot forward and ced it down on the ground.

    "Stand."

    His skin felt as though it was ripped off of his body due to the pressure, yet he wouldn''t give out so easily. That weak body of his was not going to stop him aftering to this goddamn far. He finally put his second leg underneath him.

    With one final push, he would rise to his feet... "STAND!!" He roared, using all the strength in his mind body, and soul to rise up. The force was so great that he nearly lost bnce and fell backward, but in the end, he found his footing and stood tall in the room.

    With his entire being crumbling under the pressure, he felt his core begin to burn now, the same sensation as the meridians. Still, he entrusted them to take just a bit more suffering.

    ''P-Pur--Purgatory Stone.'' He managed to say in his head. The giant stone was a brilliant yet disgusting purple, which shined so bright that the entire room was engulfed in its majestic glow.

    ***

    Multiple loud steps could be heard rushing through the hallways, as Granweid turned and saw a couple men dressed in white robes enter the library room.

    "He''s on the fifth floor!" Granweid spoke hurriedly, as the two stern-looking men swiftly nodded before cing their hands on the Hell Stone and disappearing.

    Kids whispered amongst themselves, conspiring as to what was going on. The basic facts seemed simple. Lyrian, one of the three MVPs of the year, had entered the fabled 5th floor...

    ***

    Lyrian made his way through the halls of the shelves, as the pain in his body became exponentially worse. Each breath felt like a million needles stabbing his lungs. Each step felt like he cracked the bones in his legs thousands of times over.

    But... he wasn''t going to stop. Such a thought was evenughable to him. In fact, it didn''t even cross his mind... not even for half a second.

    Arriving at the cultivation technique section, he looked up at the shelf for a quick nce, before grabbing the scroll of his choice.

    It was the most grand scroll, ced amongst the others, yet guarded by stone. It was the greatest there, he could tell simply from the mana that it exuded.

 Chapter 226 Entering Purgatory

    ?

    As soon as he grabbed the scroll, Lyrian allowed his eyelids to m shut. He had only been forcing them to stay open under immense pressure in order to find the right cultivation technique. There was no longer any reason for them to stay open.

    Without hesitation, he ced the scroll inside his storage ring. With his goalpleted, Lyrian''s resolve waned and began to diminish. Just as he was about to ck out, he saw two figures dressed in white robes appear in front of the bright purple Purgatory Stone. Them quickly rushing towards him was thest thing he saw before fully losing consciousness.

    ***

    Lyrian realized he was conscious once again. He couldn''t tell how much time had passed, but he knew that his eyes were closed. Surprisingly, he felt almost no pressure on his body.

    ''I must be outside of the Ancient Library,'' he thought to himself and then remembered that he seeded in retrieving the best cultivation technique that he could. He didn''t even take a look at what it was. He didn''t care if it matched with him or anything else.

    All he wanted was the best of the best. This was enough to make him eager to test it out. At the moment when this thought of his ended, a loud explosion suddenly sounded out of nowhere.

    The explosion was so loud that it nearly ruptured Lyrian''s eardrums and shook his entire body. Along with this, at the exact start of the explosion sound, he felt a hot wave of air ssh against the side of his body. He felt it most in his cheek.

    His eyelids flew open in shock as soon as the sound went off, and what he saw made him gasp slightly in astonishment. His eyes opened wide and his brows furrowed, apletely bewildered expression on his face.

    His vision was slightly blurry, but what he saw around him was no more than hellfire and destruction. Instead of the normal view of the abyss, which was portrayed as a red dungeon, this ce waspletely purple.

    It looked exactly like the Purgatory Stone. Small volcanoes erupted, spewing magma as rivers of purpleva flowed through the ground. He looked up to seeva falling down from the purple, dark stone ceiling of the ce.

    Looking forward, he saw nothing but an endless expanse of this purple hell. It was atrocious to look at. It was horrifying, enough to even give Lyrian an overwhelming sense of doom.

    There was absolutely zero spiritual pressure ced on him, yet his body, which felt fully recovered, still gave into fear. His knees buckled and folded underneath him, causing him to fall t on his rear.

    "Wh--what is this ce?" He rhetorically asked himself. That was when he also noticed the invisible shield orb surrounding him on all sides. Inside the orb, the stone was only a dark gray, while just outside, the stone was a deep and rich purple.

    Lyrian assumed this barrier was what was keeping him from being burned to an incinerated crisp at that very moment. Although this might have been true, he was still utterly baffled at what was going on.

    ''This... must be Purgatory. The 5th level of abyss.'' He thought to himself, eventually beginning to calm down as he regained hisposure.

    Ever since the beginning, Lyrian had some sort of primal instinct that told him that he was being watched. It was an eerie feeling, but he knew it was there. He was sure of it.

    Although he was confused, he stood back up, firming his ground. Others would try to figure out how they got to such a scary ce and would want to find a way out, but Lyrian began to get some exciting thoughts instead.

    His brightened up slightly as he considered the possibilities. "All I know is that I''m here, a ce which most likely is Purgatory. I don''t think many get toe here... I don''t want to waste such an opportunity. Who in their lifetime gets to explore the abyss?"

    He asked, his eyes darted around as he thought of what to do. He wanted to explore this ce. Maybe he could find something to make him stronger, or maybe he could see something that held great value to him. He didn''t know exactly what would ur, but his curiosity got the best of him. He was still human, after all.

    "I can''t step out... I will be instantly eviscerated by that heat, I can tell just from standing here." He slowly circrly moved his head, "This barrier might be protecting me from most of the heat, and all of the spiritual pressure, but I can still feel some of the burning sensation on my arms and face."

    He put his head down, thinking of how to explore this area. Unlike others, he wanted to exploit his situation as much as possible. Just then, he noticed his shadow on the ground.

    "Hmm... shadow... perfect!" He eximed, a slight grin forming on his face. "Unlike my body... my shadow can feel no heat. Shadow,e out!"

    He said as a dark being jumped out of his chest, causing his limp and unconscious body to fall t on the floor.

    Wanting to be careful, Lyrian first only put one of his shadow hands outside of the barrier. He squinted his eyes, expecting an excruciating burn. But nothing happened. He felt no pain, in fact, he didn''t feel anything.

    His head rose, ''Oh, that''s right! If I have no pain receptors, how would I feel pain?'' He eagerly thought to himself as he quickly flew out of the barrier and began to journey forward��his shadow body swerving left and right as it swam through the air.

    Turning past rocks, volcanoes, and more, Lyrian''s shadow form continued at a fast pace. Suddenly, he came across an odd yet terrifying animal. It looked like a big beetle and walked on all four of its pointy legs. Its back was covered in long human-like hair, and its face was covered in eyeballs.

    The thing was putrid to gaze at, but still amazing to see.

 Chapter 227 Demons Of Purgatory

    ?

    The beetle, which was the size of arge basketball, slowly walked around, seemingly unaffected by the heat around it. Lyrian stopped to look at it for a few more seconds. Flying a few feet above it, Lyrian noticed that its several eyes began to follow him around in the air. It was creepy to behold.

    He couldn''t forget that his shadow form could still be seen. After noticing this, he quickly moved on.

    Nearing a corner of a giant wall-like structure of purple stone, Lyrian suddenly heard raspy and deepughtering from the other side of the edge. He stopped just as fast as the peals ofughter suddenly ended.

    "Haruuh?" This noise came from one of theughing voices. Lyrian could tell that it was a voice of confusion. As soon as this sounded, all the voices quieted down, as if to hear something.

    This was an instant indicator to Lyrian that he had been sensed by an intelligent species. Maybe a demon of sorts... He suddenly began hearing loud footprints, which became louder, making him hurry to think of a way to hide himself.

    He didn''t want his shadow to somehow be destroyed, forcing him to return all the way back to his body and start his journey all over again. After all, he had now traveled over 10 minutes away from his unconscious self.

    Looking around, he noticed that the wall next to him was also shadowed, so he pushed himself against it. To his surprise, his shadow figure blended into the shadow on the wall wlessly,pletely hiding himself.

    ''Wow... I didn''t know it could do that,'' he mused in surprise, ''What a useful skill.'' He happily thought, knowing that this skill was in the hands of none other than him. At least, to his knowledge.

    Just as he thought this, multiplerge figures suddenly made their way around the corner. They were undoubtedly demons, that was for sure. Each of them towered up to 20+ feet tall, but some were much shorter, and some were much taller.

    There was a blue-colored one that was around 30 feet tall. He was extremely skinny, so much so that his most defining feature was his ribcage which poked out of his skin. The demon had tworge horns on his head and held arge club in his hands.

    Lyrian noticed that they all shared this fact. Each one of them held clubs, all different in size. The second one out of the four was a 20-foot fat one that had a giant red belly. Its entire skin was a deep red, and one could tell how gluttonous it was from its protruding stomach.

    Its face was horrifying to gaze at, more so than the blue demons. It had saber-toothed tiger-like bottom teeth, and its horns were a dark ck color.

    Another one was very short, having a stature of 13 feet, which was smallpared to the others, and had a tint of gray as its skinplexion. And finally, thest one, a purple one, was a 25-foot behemoth with a bodybuilder-like physique.

    They all looked around cautiously as they took slow footsteps to not scare away the thing that they heard just moments ago. Each one of them sniffed frequently, trying to find that delicious scent of some sort of aura that they had never smelt before.

    Suddenly, the red demon looked at the wall behind it. As soon as it did, Lyrian felt threatened.

    ''Calm down... it''s not like he can actually kill me.'' He thought to himself, trying to ease his nerves.

    The demon peered at the shadow on the wall for a long time. He was sure he felt that aura once again from there. Slowly, he walked closer to it. Upon reaching a mere 5 feet from the stone, he ced his nose directly in front of Lyrian''s shadow form before taking in arge sniff.

    Lyrian felt himself being pulled from the stone but didn''t allow himself to be overpowered. With this, the demons gave up on their search. The fat one seemed to be enraged by this. He mmed his club on the ground in anger.

    Soon after, they all began walking away. Lyrian let out a mental sigh of relief. It felt as though he had been holding his breath for the past five minutes! He took a look around, seeing the endless Purgatory around him.

    ''I have traveled for a while, and these demons are the only very interesting things I''ve seen... I wonder where they are going.'' He thought to himself, traveling down the wall while still being blended into the shadow.

    As soon as he reached the floor, he quickly darted from one shadow to the other, following behind the demons as he stayed invisible to their eyes.

    They traveled for a while, and Lyrian couldn''t help but still notice that his feeling of being watched, which existed ever since entering this purple domain, still persisted.

    At random times he heard loud noises around him as he moved, which was from the moment he exited his protection barrier. He attributed these noises, which sounded like loud booms, or stomps, to the extremely loud noise of Purgatory, but now he was more suspicious.

    He noticed that he hadn''t heard those distinct noises when he hid from the demons. That was when he was fully stopped. He hadn''t heard it before exiting his barrier either.

    ''The thing watching me... maybe it''s following me.'' He suspected, looking around as he moved from shadow to shadow, still following behind the demons.

    A few minutester, the demons finally led Lyrian to a ce of entrance. It was a giant gateway, which was sealed by a burly door made of purple metal.

    As soon as the demons arrived about 100 meters away from the gate, they stopped, looking at each other with excited expressions on their faces. They exchanged nces at the gate, then back to themselves, then back to the gate again.

    ''Hmm.'' Lyrian questioned what this was that they were doing. Suddenly, they all lunged forward towards the gate, and at that exact moment, Lyrian heard that familiar noise once again.

    In a mere millisecond, a giant figure flew across his vision andnded in front of the great immense force before letting out a thunderous, soul-rattling roar that boomed through the entirety of Purgatory.

 Chapter 228 It Stole My Shadow!?

    ?

    Lyrian was taken aback in absolute awe and shock as he gazed at the fearsome beast in front of him. A foul beast, a vicious creature whose presence exuded a dangerous aura of annihtion.

    It had threerge heads on its thick neck, each of which was of a powerful dog or wolf that had razor-sharp teeth and drool simply showering out of it.

    It possessed an overwhelmingly colossal physique, a terrifying sight to behold. Its body, colossal in stature, dwarfed all of the demons in its vicinity, casting a looming and dread-inducing shadow.

    Its vein-filled, monstrous limbs were bulging with muscle, each cord and sinew rippling with raw, malevolent power. The sheer mass and maleficence of its form instilled an icy chill in the hearts of all who dared to gaze upon it, as though it were a nightmarish embodiment of primal terror and ferocity.

    Lyrian was in awe of the beast, and couldn''t help but think to himself, ''S-Scan...''

    [Error! The target''s power level is too high topletely Scan]

    [Increasing your mastery of the Scan skill will enable you to scan individuals with higher power levels]

    ''I see... then just show me what you can.''

    ��������Scan��������

    Name: Cerberus

    Species: Unidentifiable

    Age: Unidentifiable

    Overall Power (OP): Unidentifiable

    Health: Unidentifiable

    Stamina: Unidentifiable

    Strength: Unidentifiable

    Agility: Unidentifiable

    Defense: Unidentifiable

    Rank: Unidentifiable

    Special: Warden Of Purgatory

    ����������������������

    ''Cerberus... I''ve heard of this beast before.'' Lyrian thought to himself, still in a daze of astonishment. At that moment, the demons also halted, their grins from before having disappeared in an instant.

    Cerberus dashed forward, grabbing the short demon in its mouth as it shook its heads violently. The demon was torn to shreds, as guts, blood, bones, and every other thing you could imagine flew out from the demon. In the end, it was left as a pile of meat and bones.

    The other demons tried to flee, but their attempts were of no use. Cerberus quickly lunged towards each of them, tearing them to shreds in mere seconds. As it licked the blood around all three of its mouths with its three teeth, Lyrian noticed that this creature was the one following him all along.

    The sound of the movement that made it jump in front of the gate was the exact same as the one Lyrian had been hearing throughout his entire journey. Now, he couldn''t help but wonder why in the hell the beast was following him... literally!

    He thought he was safe to think for a moment, but the beast turned his head and gazed at him out of nowhere, throwing him off.

    ''But... it blended in. Surely... it can''t see me.'' He thought to himself hesitantly, making direct eye contact with the beast.

    ''If he couldn''t see me though... how did he follow me all this way?'' As soon as Lyrian thought this, the beast leaped forward. It traveled so quickly that Lyrian didn''t have any time to react.

    Next thing he knew, Lyrian was back in his own body. He quickly looked around, feeling his heart pumping fast. After noticing that he was back to where he was in the barrier, he breathed a deep sigh of relief.

    Just when he thought it was all over, however, Lyrian found himself thinking about what happened to him before he was caught by the Cerberus and suddenly saw vivid shes of Purgatory in his mind.

    He shook his head, clearing his mind of those thoughts. As soon as he did, the shes stopped appearing. ''What in th--'' He paused his thoughts, thinking of his shadow once again.

    As soon as he began to think about that, shes of imagery popped up in his head again, almost as if they were real visions seen by him, except, he wasn''t seeing them. Right now, he was still in the barrier.

    He closed his eyes, fully focusing on his shadow. At that moment, his vision suddenly transferred back to the vision of his shadow, which seemed to still be out there.

    Currently, it was being carried in the mouth of Cerberus.

    ''What!? How is it still there, even though it''s disconnected from my consciousness?'' He thought to himself in utter shock. He was also confused about how the beast was carrying his shadow.

    ''It must be because it has power over souls, and a shadow is quite simr to one... that''s the best I can think of. Otherwise, my shadow shouldn''t be able to be carried.'' Lyrian thought to himself in distress.

    He opened his eyes, not thinking about his shadow for a moment as he stood up. He slowly looked down at the ground near his feet, where his shadow was supposed to be.

    A painful, shocked, and overall confused expression overcame his face...

    "Where the hell is my shadow!?" He eximed in bewilderment. "I can''t believe this... that damn beast actually stole it! It stole my shadow!"

    Closing his eyes, he thought about his shadow again. When he switched to the shadow''s vision this time, he wasn''t in the mouth of Cerberus anymore but was instead trapped inside of a giant cell, with purple-colored metal bars making it impossible for him to escape.

    ''I have the vision of my shadow... I should still be able to move.'' Lyrian thought to himself, attempting to go forward. However, his shadow figure did not budge an inch.

    Instead, his real-life body leaned forward a little. ''Damn it... I still only have control over my real body... what if I try to use the skill again?'' He asked before saying, "Shadow."

    ...

    Nothing happened.

    [Currently, the Shadow skill is unable to be used due to the absence of your shadow]

    "Yeah... that makes sense." He quietly muttered under his breath, slightly annoyed. Just then, his Shadow suddenly began to move in the cell. This was not his doing, so it surprised him when he first saw this.

    ''What? Is it moving without me? Does it have a conscience of its own?'' He asked rhetorically in confusion, not expecting to be answered.

    [Correct]

 Chapter 229 Fully Recovered

    <h4>Chapter 229 Fully Recovered</h4>

    Lyrian was taken aback by this sudden realization. "Are you saying all shadows have their own consciences or something?" He asked Gear.

    [No. However, yours does. This is due to the motives of The Creation System.]

    "Huh... I guess you did grant me this skill after all. If I were to ask you what those motives were, you wouldn''t tell me, would you?" Lyrian asked, already knowledgeable about the answer to his question.

    [Indeed, I would not.]

    "Tsk... as I thought."

    [My sole motive is to aid you in your ultimate goal. What I do in order to let you achieve that does not need to be disclosed.]

    Lyrian let out an exasperated sigh. "Well, whatever." As soon as he said this, Lyrian suddenly began to feel a bit woozy. He instantly recognized the feeling; it was the feeling of passing out.

    "This... again?" These were hisst words before he was knocked out cold. When he woke up, he was in the infirmary of the academy.

    It looked like any old medical center. Light-orange curtains surrounded him on all sides, and he wasid out on a stretcher.

    He tried to sit up, thinking his body had returned to normal, but suddenly felt much more sluggish than when he was in Purgatory. "Huh? What''s this?" He slowly pushed himself to a seated position.

    His body ached all over as if he had done a gruesome workout after a long while and woke up the next day feeling tired as all hell. Even tightening his fingers felt difficult to do.

    That''s when the frontal curtains suddenly slid open, and a young nurse stepped inside the square room. She held a clipboard in her hand, pressing it firmly against her chest as she spoke.

    "Lyrian... you''re awake! How are you feeling?" She said in a chirpy tone before quickly inquiring a question.

    "I feel fine," Lyrian replied, seeing no real problem with his current condition. He looked to the side, ''I''ll just chug a few health elixirs, and I should be good to go.'' He thought inwardly.

    "Are you sure?" The young nurse insisted, her expression quite concerned as she walked closer. "You were in a critical state for a moment. Due to the immense force of the 5th level of the Ancient Library, your meridians had been severely damaged, and your core was also getting fried."

    She spoke in a very worried tone as if talking about someone who had already died or something. This threw Lyrian off slightly.

    "Well... I''m fine now, right? What''s the big deal?" He said, not seeing a very big problem in the whole situation.

    "That''s the thing... we don''t know how you recovered so quickly." She turned the clipboard that she had in her hands around and presented it to Lyrian, "Take a look... most meridians in these conditions should never be able to heal, let alone fully recover as yours did."

    Lyrian''s eyes opened slightly wider in surprise as he nced at the image on the clipboard. It was a ck-and-white picture of what looked like lines traveling through one of his arms. They were cracked, as though a series of spider webs hadid on top of them. Along with that, they were shriveled up and looked to be in horrible condition.

    Lyrian quickly felt his arm, checking if it was still that bad. Apart from the little soreness he felt, there wasn''t anything to suggest that he had ever been in such a bad state.

    "What you did... it was very foolish. I understand that you crave power, but to risk your life for it is not the right thing to do." The nurse spoke in a tone of genuine concern for the boy. She seemed to get slightly emotional as she spoke.

    "Right..." Lyrian said, not wanting to say any more than just that.

    "You are free to go at any moment, Lyrian. Please, make sure I don''t see you again in here." The nurse said, sliding the curtains shut on Lyrian''s room as she left.

    ''Hmm... I wonder how I healed like that...'' He mused for a few seconds before getting up. As soon as he stood on his feet, he looked down and noticed that he still didn''t have a shadow.

    ''Damn... I guess it was real and not just a dream.'' He thought to himself, quickly poking his head out of the curtains and looking left and right to see if anyone was nearby.

    ''It will look really weird if I don''t have a shadow. I guess I have no choice but to do this...'' He said to himself, enhancing his feet slightly. This alone was enough to light up the floor around him, erasing all ces for his shadow to potentially exist.

    The light brightness distortion would still make a shadow in normal instances, and Lyrian knew this, but he hoped that this would be enough to pass as a good enough excuse so that he wasn''t suspected of being some sort of ghost...

    On any other day, he would not have cared so much about being spotted with having no shadow, as he could just stay in his room the entire time. But this day, he knew that he had to attend the Entrance Ceremony Banquet.

    Speaking of which, he had to get ready for it. He left the infirmary and followed the directions on his bracelet back to his room. As he walked through the halls with his colorful feet, he got a few odd nces, but he knew he had no choice but to deal with it for now.

    On reaching his room, Lyrian immediately took out a small health potion and drank it whole. In moments, his body felt a rejuvenated sensation offorting warmth spread all around. Before he knew it, he felt far better than before.

    His sore muscles had healed almost instantly, and all bones and tendons that were aching before felt no different than brand new. With this out of the way, he looked at the time on his bracelet.

    "It''s 1 PM... The banquet is in an hour, so I''d better get ready now. But then again..." He said, walking over to his table, he took out his cultivation technique scroll and ced it down on the tabletop.

    How could he resist... all of his hard work was for this one item.

 Chapter 230 Four Arch Daemon Cultivation Technique

    <h4>Chapter 230 Four Arch Daemon Cultivation Technique</h4>

    With excitement flowing from the bottom of his feet to the top of his head, and finally, to the tips of his fingers, he used those very fingers to slowly open up the tightly rolled-up scroll in front of him. He couldn''t help but form a small grin on his face. The scroll wasrge and purple in paper color. Its handles were made of deep purple gems that resembled the inner Purgatory Stone.

    Upon finally opening the scripture, he found a healthy block of writingid across it in dark ink. The writing was very small yet covered the entire scroll, apart from, of course, therge magic circle in the middle. It was more of a magic hexagon that lookedplex and had several formations within it.

    Lyrian''s excited face went from fully ecstatic to slightly upset, one of his eyes closing a little as his top lip quivered. "I would do anything for power... but this... this is unideal. I have to read and figure out all of this!?"

    He took in a deep breath andposed himself. As soon as he read the first word, however, Lyrian got a sudden thought. ''Wait... can''t I just do this? Gear, Scan this and tell me how to use it in cultivation!''

    ��������Item Scan��������

    Name: Four Arch Daemon Cultivation Technique

    Description: Ancient cultivation technique from the depths of the abyss. Use it to conquer vast amounts of mana. This cultivation technique is a trinity of unique attributes: Extremely difficult to obtain, extremely powerful, and extremely difficult to use and master.

    ����������������������������

    Along with this, knowledge of how to use it to cultivate quickly flowed into Lyrian''s mind as water flowed from a gentle stream into arge pond. "Extremely hard to cultivate..." He paused, "But extremely powerful." He grinned, as that''s what he liked to see.

    Getting ready for the banquet could wait for now, as he was eager to test out this new ability of his. Without hesitation, he sat down on the floor in a meditation lotus position, as he did while cultivating Gale. This time, however, he was cultivating Gale''s grandfather. He remembered the steps in his mind and carried them out with focus and intention.

    There wasn''t much distraction in his mind as he used the art of Smithing to help himself in concentration. He first concentrated on his whole being: his be, his eyes, his heart, and then his meridians. From there, he focused on his core, and finally, he enveloped his entire body within his thoughts.

    With the magic circle on the scroll firmly remembered in his mind, he focused intensely on it as he continued to imagine his entire body. Before long, he began to sense his body from a third-person perspective. Just like when using Gale, reality around him became pitch-ck, with only him being outlined in white lines.

    Soon enough, his body began to radiate a small hint of purplish haze. It was a fearsome aura, yet it remained calm. He continued, and after 10 minutes, the purple aura around him formed into a specific shape around his entire body. The shape was of numerous circles that met together, encircling his body as though they were his effulgence. This was the first demon: Belphegor. By now, Lyrian''s entire body was drenched in sweat. It felt as though he had been stuck in the desert for hours on end.

    An intense heat flowed through his entire body, and he felt as though he was under the ze of an erupting volcano. It would be enough for many to give up, but he wasn''t going to do so, not so easily.

    After shaping the formation of the first demon Belphegor, Lyrian was supposed to begin cultivating mana, but for some reason, none came to him. He didn''t even get as much mana as when using Gale... he got none instead! This was a demotivating sign, but he still continued for another twenty minutes of grueling pain in the scorching hot environment.

    In the end, his efforts bore no fruit. Frustrated, he opened his eyes as the sweat gathered on his eyelids flicked across the room. "What the hell was that about? I performed the formation of the first archdemon perfectly!" He eximed, irritated. He knew that it was stated as being extremely difficult, but seeing as he genuinely couldn''t figure out what he did wrong, it made him even more upset.

    "Well... whatever. I''ll have to figure it out after this banquet," he said, looking at his bracelet as he saw that he had a little less than half an hour left to get ready for it. With haste, he began looking through his closet for a set of formal attire. On the first day, he noticed that there was a plethora of different styles of clothing in his closet, which was a pleasant surprise.

    Before long, he found just what he was looking for. When he put it on, he was impressed to see that it fit him perfectly. "They must have nned for this..." He said as he looked at himself in the mirror.

    Adorned on his body was a clean ck suit with a ck shirt underneath. A few gold chains, attached to the suit, wrapped around its side. There was a small red bowtie on his chest, and his feet were just as stylish, having a pair of ck leather dress shoes on. Simr to the suit, they were all ck but had red shoces to match the red bowtie.

    At that moment, the door to his room suddenly opened. "Hey, are you ready yet? The banquet is about to start," Alten asked as he stepped inside, dressed in his own suit. It was simr to Lyrian''s, except the inner shirt was white, and his bowtie and shoces were blue. Along with that, the actual suit itself was navy blue.

    Alten looked at Lyrian and was slightly taken aback. "God dang, dude... good gics," he quipped, impressed at how dashing the young man in front of him looked. "I wish my parents were as dazzling... I would have looked much better otherwise!" Heined about his problem as the two made it outside. Beside the door waiting for them was Leon, who wore a slightly different attire. It was a hakama kimono that was blue on top and light gray on the bottom. Simr to Lyrian, he still had his sword sheathed to his waist.

 Chapter 231 Entrance Ceremony Banquet

    <h4>Chapter 231 Entrance Ceremony Banquet</h4>

    "Huh? Why the different look? I don''t think that was ced inside your closet, was it?" Lyrian inquired, noting the change in Leon''s attire.

    Leon pushed himself off the wall, a stern expression on his face. "It was. I specifically requested to wear this, instead of..." He scrutinized Lyrian from head to toe, his gaze lingering critically, "That."

    Lyrian couldn''t help but feel a slight offense at Leon''s tone, arching an eyebrow. "What''s with the sass?" he retorted.

    "This is the formal attire of my culture," Leon exined as the trio started walking through the halls toward the banquet venue, "That," he gestured toward Lyrian''s attire, "is the formal attire of the casual noble. I''m not going to associate myself with them in any way, if possible."

    Lyrian adopted a nonchnt tone, "I suppose that''s true... but I don''t see it as that big of a deal."

    Leon cast a sideways nce at Lyrian before resuming his forward gaze. "Yeah, well... it''s a long story for me. Just know that my family does not like nobles very much. I fall into that category as well. We despise them for what they did. I despise them... everyst one," he confessed, a hint of resentment creeping into his voice.

    Alten interjected, his voice hesitant with pauses, "Uh... you know... I''m slightly a noble as well. Although a failing one."

    Leon couldn''t resist a small, mocking smile as he nced at Alten. "You''re not a noble... you''re a fool," he quipped, earning a chuckle from Lyrian.

    After a short journey, the trio arrived at the main hall of the academy. The hall was expansive and opulent, even more so this afternoon as it was prepared for the uing banquet. The grand hall unfolded before them like a vision of opulence and grandeur.

    Its walls were a testament to the skilled craftsmanship of artisans, adorned with intricate decorations that narrated tales of the past. borate tapestries hung alongside shimmering gilded reliefs, and ornate murals painted scenes of enchantment and history, allbining to create a feast for the eyes.

    Small, spread in their setting, littered the length of the hall. Fine silverware sparkled under the soft illumination of crystal chandeliers that dangled overhead, casting a warm and inviting radiance over the entire expanse. Each ce setting was a work of art, meticulously arranged with delicate crystal goblets, polished tware, and pristine linens.

    The atmosphere was electric with anticipation, as students and faculty alike gathered in their most splendid attire. A sea of colors and styles merged and mingled, creating a vibrant tapestry of fashion that rivaled the hall''s own decorations. Laughter, chatter, and the clinking of sses filled the air, weaving a symphony of joy and excitement.

    The banquet''s culinary offerings were a true sensory delight. tters of delectable dishes, ranging from sulent meats to vibrant vegetables, were lovingly prepared, their enticing aromas wafting through the hall and enticing the senses. A cornucopia of vors awaited the guests, promising a culinary journey that would linger in their memories.

    In one corner of the hall, a live band yed soft, melodic tunes, the music lending an air of sophistication and celebration to the affair. The musicians'' harmonious notes blended with theughter and conversations, creating a captivating backdrop of sound.

    As Lyrian, Leon, and Alten made their entrance, they became part of this enchanting spectacle, enveloped in the vibrant tapestry of the banquet��a night filled with the promise of unexpected encounters, revtions, and the unspoken magic of mingling amid the grandeur and elegance of the gathering.

    The three quickly found an unattended round table and took their seats around it, looking around as they noticed familiar faces. In one corner of the room, Lyrian noticed Julius, who had a vibrant smile on his face as he talked to another teacher.

    He was adorned in a bright yellow suit, one that wasn''t too colorful to be overdramatic but just perfect enough to highlight his energetic personality. It was calm, yet entric, perfect for his look. Looking at the faces of the people, he noticed many ncing toward him.

    He expected this, but along with it, he also saw many simr gazes looking at two other ces in the hall, which were separated far across. Upon following the direction of said gazes, Lyrian noticed that they were on the two other MVPs in the room.

    ''I guess we really are the most valuable persons.'' Lyrian thought to himself as he noticed this. He was slightly taken aback as he saw the sheer number of pupils looking at all three kids.

    Lyrian took a look at both Godfrey Veridrake and Linus Yuun. Godfrey had a dark green suit on, and Linus, a golden attire instead. At their tables were other kids who seemed to be their friends.

    "Hey... mind if we sit at this table?" A somewhat familiar voice suddenly sounded behind Lyrian, who was currently gazing into the crowd. Alten and Leon turned to look at Jackson, whom they quickly recognized from the entrance exam.

    "Oh... sure! Go right ahead!" Alten said in a kind gesture. He wasn''t some stuck-up bigot who cared who sat with him. After all, he was probably the lowest-status person in the entire hall right now.

    "We?" Leon suddenly asked, only seeing Jackson at the moment. As he sat down, however, another familiar face showed itself. By this time, even Lyrian was looking over at who sat at their table.

    Of course, he didn''t mind either, but it would be a lie to say that he was slightly surprised when he saw Glis Sndra sit down parallel to him. "What? You too? That''s a surprise," he slightly chuckled to himself as he spoke.

    Glis suddenly blushed with anger and looked in another direction. "Humph! Be quiet, peasant! I am only sitting here because I have nowhere else to sit!" She said, seemingly irritated. "Really? I imagined you to be the popr girl... odd," Lyrian retorted.

    He could have sworn seeing her in school with a multitude of friends already built up. Glis didn''t answer Lyrian, acting like she was ignoring him. Just then, another voice sounded shortly after Lyrian spoke. "Lyrian Theageld... if I may, would you allow me and my friends to sit at this table?"

 Chapter 232 A Toast

    <h4>Chapter 232 A Toast</h4>

    On hearing this, everyone already at the table looked over at the sudden voice that had just asked to join in. Lyrian looked at a young man wearing a simple yet long robe.

    Upon first nce, Lyrian noted how luxurious it was. Although its design was sleek, it was clearly made of expensive material. There were also several gems embedded into its main edges, making it stand out from the others.

    The young man himself had a simple expression and a head full of long, straight white hair that flowed past his shoulders. He had both of his hands interlocked between his sleeves as he stood in front of Lyrian''s table, waiting for an answer to his request.

    Lyrian then moved his head to the side slightly to peer at who the white-haired boy''s so-called ''friends'' were. As he did, however, he couldn''t help but continue moving his head more and more to the side, as the line of kids behind the white-haired kid was longer than expected.

    In total, there were no fewer than 10 kids behind him. Lyrian then looked back at the first kid in the line who had spoken. The kid now had an awkward grin on his face, but it was still a polite expression.

    "Three," Lyrian nkly stated. The first boy rejoiced, a bright smile forming on his face as he quickly grabbed a seat. Two others also quickly followed his footsteps, sitting down at the final two empty seats at the table.

    In only mere seconds, Lyrian''s table was filled. The other two were boys who seemed to wear oddly simple clothing that matched perfectly with each other. Upon closer inspection, Lyrian noticed that they actually wore the exact same robe as the white-haired boy, except theirs had no gems to speak of.

    Lyrian watched as the other kids in line slowly dispersed, grim expressions on their faces.

    At this moment, Alten chuckled slightly to ease the awkward atmosphere that was currently brewing at the table. "Haha... so, a lot of friends you have, huh?" He said, scratching his head slightly as he broke the ice.

    The white-haired boy replied with haste, his speech very formal and bnced. "Why, not quite. I only called them my friends as a polite gesture. In truth, I know only the two sitting next to me. The others were most likely just kids wanting to befriend Lyrian." The boy nced at the MVP.

    Right now, Lyrian was looking out into the crowd, trying to find something interesting to see to soothe his boredom. Although this was true, the white-haired boy still couldn''t help but not keep his gaze on Lyrian for too long, and quickly lowered it.

    "Oh... my name is Geld, by the way. Geld Worth." He followed up.

    Alten seemed to recognize this name; his face suddenly lit up. "Geld Worth? Wait... aren''t you the young prodigy of the Fortune Sector!?"

    The boy who addressed himself as Geld grinned slightly as he heard this. "Why... you have heard of me? It is an honor."

    Alten quickly replied. "Heard of you? Of course, I have! In almost each of the sectors of the school, there are already the sector prodigies. You are just that, and of the Fortune Sector as well! I heard your family deals in many wealth affairs and runs arge merchantpany in Veridrake... is this true?" He inquired, curious to learn more about the boy.

    Lyrian looked at the banquet reservation, mostly toward the steaming hot food. ''Geld''s a money boy, huh...'' That was the only thing he paid attention to in Alten and Geld''s conversation.

    Just then, Lyrian saw something that caught his eye. Julius had finished his conversation with his colleague and began making his way towards the small stage that was at the back of the room.

    "Ahem! If I may, everyone!" He said in his trademark charismatic tone, instantly catching the attention of everyone present at the banquet. Everyone quickly paused their conversations and quieted down as their heads turned towards Julius.

    Julius, standing tall on the stage, began his address with a warm and weing smile that seemed to embrace every guest in the hall. His voice, steady and captivating, resonated through the room, drawing everyone''s focus to his words.

    "Ladies and gentlemen," he began, his words flowing effortlessly, "I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you for gracing us with your presence tonight at this banquet." As he spoke, Julius''s eyes scanned the room, making each guest feel individually acknowledged.

    He continued, "We gather not only to celebrate the joyous asion of your sessful entrance into our esteemed academy but also to foster the spirit of camaraderie and unity that will define your time here." The room seemed to hum with a shared sense of purpose.

    Julius turned to the students, a twinkle in his eye. "To the young and promising students who have passed our entrance exams, I offer my congrattions. You have embarked on a journey of knowledge and discovery, and we are thrilled to have you as part of our academy family."

    As he raised his ss, Julius invited everyone to join in a toast. "So, let us raise our sses high and toast to new beginnings,sting friendships, and the pursuit of knowledge! May your time at our academy be filled with growth, wisdom, and cherished memories."

    The room echoed with the clinking of sses and enthusiastic cheers as everyone joined in the toast, their spirits lifted by Julius''s words. Lyrian''s group also lifted their sses one by one, motivated by Alten who did so first.

    After him came Jackson, and then Glis. Soon after, Geld and his two aplices did so as well and then came Leon''s turn. After all of them raised their sses high in the air, they all looked toward Lyrian, who was currently drooling at the thought of food.

    Alten slightly pushed his shoulder into Lyrian''s, alerting him to look at what was currently going on. He was a bit hesitant at first since he didn''t know what the hell was going on, but he also decided to raise his ss.

    *Clink*

    All of their sses shared a collective touch in the middle.

 Chapter 233 Godfrey Drakes Powerful Dragon

    ?

    "Now that the formalities are out of the way, shall we get started with the events nned for today?" Julius inquired to the crowd, receiving a resounding cheer of epting noises.

    At this moment, Lyrian noticed that the food began to get loaded onto the trollies. Soon enough, the maids were pushing the trollies to the different tables.

    ''Finally!'' He rejoiced inwardly. He was already feeling a bit odd in his stomach, near where his core was. He imagined this to be because he had no food in a while.

    After the event in the Ancient Library and all that, Lyrian knew that his body had taken quite a toll. He wanted to get food as fast as possible but also wanted to wait till he could eat the delicious delicacies served at the banquet.

    Finally, his waiting had paid off. While he waited in anticipation for his food to eventuallye, Julius continued his speech.

    "Firstly, we will hold a show for everyone to see. One which involves the three Most Valuable Persons of this year''s entrance exams!"

    Another cheer erupted from the crowd as Julius said this. Lyrian wasn''t so amused by it though.

    "Huh?" He said, confused. "I want to eat first..." He spoke quietly.

    "This show will be one of magic, one in which each of the MVPs will have to try and impress the crowd as much as possible."

    On hearing Julius'' words, both Linus and Godfrey gave their full attention to Julius. Linus stared at him with a calm expression, as Godfrey crossed his arms and spread his legs while sitting, looking at Julius with a stoic expression, which wasmon for him.

    "But, don''t worry, MVPs. There is something in this for you as well. In the end, the one who impresses the crowd the most will get a hidden prize! After this small contest, we will continue to our final event of the day; an auction!"

    Lyrian''s thoughts were muffled by another cheer from the crowd. ''What a hassle... but the prize does sound quite enticing. And an auction, huh? That would be beneficial. Anyways...''

    Lyrian gazed at the trolley that was slowly nearing his table. His mouth started to salivate as it arrived next to him, wafting delicious aromas in the air.

    Finally, the maidid the food out on the table, as Lyrian put a napkin in his cor, grabbed a fork and knife, and licked his lips to begin eating.

    "Now, will the three MVPs please make their way to the stage!" Julius suddenly announced, just as Lyrian was about to take his first bite of the food.

    "Ahhh-- what?" Lyrian put his fork down. "I don''t want to rush..." He said. It was true... he liked to enjoy his meals. He was the first to stand up and make his way toward the stage.

    Seconds after, both Godfrey and Linus were quick to follow him. Lyrian had both hands in his pocket, walking with a carefree strut as he made his way to the stage. As all three neared the stage, a round of apuse reverberated through the hall.

    As they got onto the stage and lined up beside each other, the apuse stopped, and Julius turned around to face them.

    "The stage is yours..." He said before hopping off.

    Lyrian looked at the other two. ''They will probably want to goter to see theirpetition first. It would only be logical.'' He thought to himself.

    "I will begin!" Godfrey suddenly announced, stepping forward. Lyrian was slightly surprised to hear this.

    ''Oh? He''s confident.''

    At this moment, Lyrian scanned the room, looking at the several figures present. On one side of the room were important-looking people. They might have even been executives of sorts. On the other, Lyrian noticed a familiar, yet undesirable face.

    ''Israthel...'' He said inwardly, looking at the boy who had a bright smile on his face.

    ''He... probably thinks I didn''t notice the poison that was clearly on the outside of the fizzy drink. Cheh!'' Lyrian scoffed, returning Israthel''s grin with a cheeky smirk of his own.

    Suddenly, Israthel stopped smiling. He clenched his teeth as he stared furiously at Lyrian. ''Bastard... he doesn''t know what''sing to him.''

    On stepping forward, Godfrey raised one fist in the air. Before long, a ck scale quickly began to envelop his arm. In seconds, a wing grew out from the left side of his body, leaving everyone shocked.

    The wing was clearly of some sort of dragon or wyvern. It was asrge as Godfrey''s body. This alone brought a whisper of surprised gasps within the crowd. A body transformation of this scale was not easy toplete, especially not of a powerful creature such as a dragon.

    After this, Godfrey pulled his other hand out in front of him and conjured two different types of magic above his palm. The crowd watched in awe as the balls of earth and fire quickly revolved around each other in his palm.

    Finally, he infused his giant wing with the two elements, causing it to inherit streaks of greenery, and also zes of fire. The sight was magnificent to behold. To end his disy, Godfrey used his wing to create a powerful yet undisturbing gust of wind that met the presence of all those present.

    A delicate and colorful rain of fire and earth floated around in the air for a few moments before suddenly forming into a giant dragon which enveloped the room. It''s presence seemed to be real, and mesmerized the crowd for a moment before finally calming down into nothing. After a short pause, the entire crowd erupted in apuse.

    Godfrey stepped back, a light smirk on his face. He seemed to be proud of his showcase.

    "From a mastered dragon transformation, to the showcase of two entirely different element affinities, to finally, a representation of his skill in controlling both aspects of his show! A powerful disy indeed from the Prince Of Veridrake!" Julius announced, his voice filled with excitement.

    Lyrian''s table was also very impressed with the disy. Leon was taken aback by the pure control that Godfrey had over his powers.

    ''To control his elements to such a degree that it caused harm, even though it was spread throughout the entire room. He is definitely skilled...''

 Chapter 234 Linus Creyuuns Majestic Griffin

    ?

    With Godfrey''s performance out of the way, Linus looked over at Lyrian for a split second.

    "You can go first," Lyrian quickly spoke. He didn''t know whether Linus was going to speak, but he didn''t want to risk it. Although he cared more about eating food right now, Lyrian was still interested in the hidden prize. He wanted as big a shot as he could get in winning this little contest.

    Linus didn''t say anything, simply turning his gaze forward as he stepped up.

    As Linus moved to the center of the stage, a hush fell over the audience. He stood there for a moment, seemingly collecting his thoughts. Then, without any shy gestures or dramatic movements, Linus began to channel his magic.

    A soft, gentle light surrounded him, casting a warm glow that gradually intensified. It seemed as if he were creating a sphere of radiance, and the light continued to grow brighter until it was almost blinding.

    As the spectators shielded their eyes and watched in awe, the light began to take shape. It coalesced into intricate patterns, forming what appeared to be a breathtakingly beautiful celestial disy. Stars and constetions danced in the air around Linus, shimmering and twinkling as if they were real.

    The audience was entranced, their apuse turning into a collective gasp of wonder. It was a performance that transcended the mundane, leaving asting impression on everyone in the room.

    Linus concluded his disy by shaping the celestial lights into a stunning image of a soaring griffin, its wings outstretched in majestic flight. It was a symbol of rebirth and renewal, and it held a profound sense of beauty and grace.

    As the griffin slowly faded into the ambient light, the room erupted into thunderous apuse and cheers. Even Lyrian, who was eager to eat, couldn''t help but be impressed by Linus''s magical artistry.

    Julius stepped forward, his excitement palpable. "An exquisite disy of light magic! Linus has shown us a glimpse of the heavens themselves. A truly magnificent performance!"

    As the apuse continued, Linus stepped back, his expressionposed and calm. Lyrian looked over to Godfrey, who had an impressed look on his face.

    "Mmm-hahaha! I knew it! Young Lord Linus easily excels over the other two when ites to impressive talent."

    A voice burst out into augh from one side of the room. The person who talked was an old man, whose stature was tall for his age. He had a long beard, half of which was ck, and half of which was white. His long hair followed this same pattern; it was split across the middle.

    The table that the old, robed man sat at was near Linus''. This made Lyrian think that he was from the Yuun kingdom.

    ''Some sort of executive probably...'' Lyrian said to himself. He looked at the other old men at the table as well, some fat and short, others a normal size.

    Many heads turned to look at the old man as heughed. A short silence met the room for a few seconds as Julius took a few steps in the direction of the old man with a smile.

    "Oh? Making assumptions already are we? The confidence is high with the Yuun kingdom!" He said excitedly.

    The old man heard Julius'' words and couldn''t help butugh even more. "Well of course! Lord Linus'' disy was far superior to that of Young Master Godfrey. That, we all know!"

    His table erupted into augh as he said this. "Silvus of Yaltas..." The old man suddenly switched his tone to a more calm one. "He would have proposed a challenge. But... he isn''t here now."

    Julius didn''t waste any time in replying, "He is not, but the student who bested him is! We must not over or underestimate any contestant. Now, shall we continue?" Julius turned and nced at Lyrian, signaling for him to start.

    Seeing the back of Julius'' head suddenly face him, the old man lost his smile. Instead, a slightly spiteful look took over.

    As the show continued, he spoke to his table, "Does he really believe that boy will top our Young Lord after a performance like that?" He scoffed.

    ''That boy...'' The old man gazed at Lyrian. ''A peasant like him should not have the ability to stand beside a grand royal. It''s an insult to all three kingdoms.'' He muttered under his breath, his tone filled with disdain.

    As the crowd quieted down, Lyrian closed his eyes. As his head slowly spun around, he thought to himself, ''Hmm... impressive right?''

    The atmosphere in the room quickly became slightly awkward, as no one knew what to say in response to the quietness. They began to whisper to each other small guesses, doubts, and other minor interactions; all about Lyrian.

    "Do you think he''ll win?" Geld whispered to both Alten and Leon.

    The two looked at each other for not even a second before turning towards the boy, "Is that even a question?"

    Finally, Lyrian opened his eyes and stepped forward. As he did, both Godfrey and Linus stared at him intently.

    ''A mysterious kid. No one knows where he came from, and no one knows what he can do,'' Godfrey said in his mind with curiosity.

    Linus was also just as curious, ''Hmm... what is his elemental affinity?''

    This question was wondered by most in the room as well. Firstly, Lyrian raised his right hand in front of him, summoning a ze of fire that quickly began to spiral all around him in a DNA helix.

    Slightly impressed noises reverberated through the room. Linus imagined he got the answer to his question. ''Fire huh? It''s not a bad one...''

    Suddenly, his calm expression shifted to a more surprised one; his eyes widening as he witnessed a sphere of water also begin to swirl around Lyrian in the helix shape.

    Just as before, even more gasps resounded from the crowd. This time, the surprised noises were doubled from the first time Lyrian showed an element.

    "So he has two elemental affinities eh?" The old man at the table said, stroking his beard, "Not bad, but it isn''tparable to our Lo--" He was suddenly cut off.

    He furrowed his eyes and looked forward with a bewildered expression as the entire crowd gasped loudly in astonishment. Lyrian had summoned a third element around him!

    Earth.

    Seeing this reaction, Lyrian couldn''t help but smirk. ''That''s not all...''

 Chapter 235 Lyrian Theageld’s Brilliant Pheonix

    <h4>Chapter 235 Lyrian Theageld''s Brilliant Pheonix</h4>

    People in the crowd exchanged astonished nces, their eyes widening in disbelief. A kid possessing three elemental affinities was an exceptionally rare phenomenon, bordering on the miraculous. Even the other two MVPs, who had already demonstrated their remarkable talents, couldn''t match the sheer versatility of Lyrian''s abilities.

    Geld, the white-haired prodigy from the Fortune Sector, couldn''t contain his shock. His normallyposed demeanor crumbled, and he eximed, "What!? This can''t be! A Trifecta Magus. What an amazing ability!"

    Leon continued to wear his light smirk, a hint of pride dancing in his eyes. Alten, on the other hand, beamed with unrestrained delight, disying a grin that showed all of his teeth. He had been eagerly awaiting this moment.

    Amid the sea of astonished onlookers, Lyrian wasn''t finished yet. With a flourish, he unleashed his fourth and final main element��Wind. As the gusts of wind swirled around him, jaws dropped to the floor, and mouths hung agape in disbelief. Even Linus, who had been maintaining a facade ofposure, briefly let his surprise show before swiftly regaining hisposure.

    No matter how much Linus tried to conceal his astonishment, he couldn''t suppress the rapid beating of his heart. ''A��a Paragon?'' he stammered inwardly, his lip trembling ever so slightly.

    Godfrey, too, watched with raised eyebrows and his hands on his hips. He stared at Lyrian in front of him,pletely baffled by the unexpected turn of events. ''Well... there goes my chance at winning,'' he mused to himself with a wry smile. ''Whatever... I''m not one to seek the spotlight anyway. If I had to face these two in a fight, though, the oue would be vastly different.''

    Lyrian, meanwhile, was pleased with his performance thus far, but he knew he had one more ace up his sleeve. What he had showcased thus far was his innate talent��the magic element affinities that set him apart. While it might have been enough to secure victory, he wanted to leave no room for doubt.

    Observing how the other MVPs had summoned creatures using their magic, demonstrating their precise control over their respective elements, Lyrian was determined to do the same.

    Just as the crowd thought the spectacle was over, he prepared to unveil his next astonishing feat.

    Lyrian, standing amidst the swirling elements, extended his arms outward. His eyes, reflecting the helix of elements at hismand, sparkled with determination. As the anticipation in the room reached its peak, he spoke a single word, a whispered incantation carried away on the breeze.

    "Rise."

    With those simple yetmanding words, a radiant transformation unfolded before the stunned audience. In a burst of glorious luminescence, the air around Lyrian seemed to catch fire, and a resplendent creature emerged from the heart of the storming wind��a brilliant phoenix.

    This majestic creature rose tall, its plumage a mesmerizing fusion of fiery reds, zing oranges, and golden yellows. Its wings stretched wide, shimmering with iridescent feathers that appeared ame, yet left no trace of ash or burn. Each feather glowed with a radiant luminosity, casting a warm, ethereal glow that illuminated the entire banquet hall.

    The Phoenix''s eyes, orbs of molten amber, held a regal intelligence that seemed to peer into the souls of those who beheld it. A fiery crown of feathers adorned its head, and a long, elegant tail trailed behind it like a splendid banner of fire and rebirth.

    With a graceful and deliberate movement, the phoenix ascended, its wings beating powerfully yet effortlessly. It soared above the banquet guests, tracing intricate patterns in the air as if painting with mes. The very atmosphere seemed to respond to its presence, the room growing warmer and more vibrant.

    Gasps of awe and wonder echoed through the hall as the phoenix''s radiant beauty held everyone in thrall. It was a creature of pure elemental majesty, a living embodiment of both destruction and rebirth, an unmistakable symbol of Lyrian''s extraordinary abilities.

    Julius couldn''t help but be amazed at himself. At the end of this performance, Lyrian allowed the grand creature to disperse across the room, touching each and every mesmerized guest inside the hall with a light, warm sensation.

    As they felt this, which was the well-thought-out end of the performance, a hush fell over the crowd��before suddenly erupting into a boom of cheers and apuse.

    The white and ck-haired old man sat at his seat motionless, an unshakable and astonished expression on his face. Those at his table looked the same, and there was one more doubter that also had his face changed to what the old man''s looked like.

    It was none other than Israthel; the boy who thought he had poisoned Lyrian up until this point. ''No... this cannot be happening! I went through hell getting that magic-repressing oil! How can he not be affected by it!? Who is this kid!'' He screamed in his mind, frustration taking over.

    Lyrian finally stepped back, a grin stillsting on his face. He didn''t have control over the light element, as Linus did, yet his phoenix was still brilliant. Using the art of smithing, he concentrated on using the perfect bnce of elements to create such a magnificent sight with the elements at his disposal.

    In truth, even he was surprised by what manifested in the real world. ''I guess carefully creating all of those creatures was good practice for this...'' He thought to himself.

    "Phenomenal! Lyrian Theageld,dies and gentlemen!" Julius suddenly eximed into the crowd, starting another loud round of apuse. "A representation of his Paragon Magus status, followed by a carefully, yet masterfully crafted creature of all four elements. This was a spectacle to behold!"

    Julius paused, getting onto the stage. "To choose our winners... let''s make noise for whoever you thought did the best! Firstly, Godfrey Drake!" He shouted as cheers and apuse came from one side of the room.

    The noise wasn''t small by any means, but many refused to make noise.

    "Next, Linus Creyuun!"

    With this, a slightly louder cheer sounded. The old man near Linus'' table used all the strength in his vocal cords to scream loudly, pushing his fist up into the air. He was passionate, but more so than that, he didn''t want his young lord to lose to some peasant.

    "And finally... Lyrian Theagel--"

    Julius didn''t even get to finish his sentence, as the entire majority of the hall suddenly exploded in loud cheers and ps. It was clear who the winner was.

 Chapter 236 The Auction Begins

    <h4>Chapter 236 The Auction Begins</h4>

    "Woohoo! Let''s go, Lyrian!" Alten eximed from his seat. He was genuinely happy to see his friend excel.

    As the noise began to settle down, Julius took a deep breath to speak, "I think we have a clear winner here, folks! Lyrian, please step forward."

    Lyrian walked up and stood beside Julius at the front of the stage, as another small flutter of ps sounded. Amused faces were spread throughout the entire banquet, from the teachers to the students, to other figures.

    Lyrian noticed the faces of all of his teachers somewhere in the crowd. All of them stared at him with prideful grins on their faces, as if to say, "That''s right... that''s my student."

    Granweid, however, had his hands ced on his head. He was freaking out right now. "Oh my god! A Paragon Magus!" He almost felt like crying with joy as he spoke those words and rambled around aimlessly.

    It was clear that the boy had left a far greater impression on everyone now. His first words at the entrance exam ceremony were interesting to hear, but now, Lyrian Theageld had a foundation.

    He wasn''t just some mysterious kid who stumbled onto the stage along with the other two MVPs... he actually seemed to be quite the talent. A prodigy, even, as some may have thought after seeing him today.

    Julius turned to look at Lyrian, ''I said he is like a phoenix rising from the rubble far back when he was still taking the entrance exam... this performance here has solidified that for me.'' He looked at his fellow teachers with a smile on his face.

    ''A new generation is stepping up now... a powerful one at that. This boy is a genius, one that will lead some aspect of the new world, that, I know for certain.'' He paused... ''Now, it''s just a matter of time for the world to realize that fact as well.'' He gazed out into the crowd.

    "For your prize..." Julius suddenly said, capturing everyone''s attention as they quieted down. Lyrian and the others on stage also listened in.

    "You will be getting any free item of your choice from thising auction. However, remember that you cannot wait till the end and choose. If something is already bought, then you cannot im it. If you do happen to find something you like, however... understand that it is yours."

    After understanding his prize, Lyrian made his way back to his seat along with the others. On arriving there, almost everyone gave him kind congrattions.

    Lyrian couldn''t help but notice that far more eyes were on him now, which he thought to be impossible only moments ago. Nheless, he didn''t care right now.

    As soon as he sat down, he began scarfing down the food. He didn''t like to be rushed while eating, but he never said he didn''t like to rush while eating himself either. These are twopletely different things...

    With the audience still abuzz with excitement, the banquet continued, and the students resumed their conversations andughter.

    Meanwhile, Julius took charge of the auction proceedings. He stood at the center of the stage,manding the attention of the crowd once more.

    "Ladies and gentlemen, now that we''ve witnessed the incredible disy of talent by our MVP of impressive talent, let the auction begin!" Julius announced with a flourish of his hand.

    The crowd erupted in apuse, and the attention shifted to the dazzling array of items disyed on the auction stage. Magical artifacts, rare spell scrolls, exquisite jewelry, and even unique creatures were among the treasures up for bid.

    The auctioneer, a loud and skilled speaker, stepped onto the stage and began showcasing the first items. These items were of the lesser tier, so they were shown and bid for in bulk.

    A beautifully crafted crystal amulet known for enhancing one''s magical abilities was introduced first. Bidding started modestly but quickly escted as mages and collectors vied for ownership.

    As the auction progressed, the atmosphere in the banquet hall grew charged with anticipation. The bids became morepetitive, and participants waved their enchanted cards to ce their offers. The auctioneer''s rapid-fire banter and charmingmentary added to the excitement.

    With the auction in full swing and various magical items finding new owners, Lyrian continued to savor his meal. The banquet hall was a whirlwind of activity, with participants eagerly raising their enchanted cards to ce bids.

    As the auctioneer''s voice echoed through the room, Alten leaned in toward Lyrian and said, "So, have you spotted anything you''d like to bid on yet?"

    Lyrian wiped his mouth with a napkin and nced at the items on the auction stage. His eyesnded on a shimmering crystal vial filled with a radiant blue liquid.

    It was said to contain a rare and potent potion known as the "Elixir of Arcane rity," capable of permanently enhancing a mage''s magical concentration and ability. It worked by allowing mages to bend their spells more to their own wishes.

    "That elixir looks intriguing," Lyrian replied, nodding toward the vial. "I''ve been curious about its effects ever since it got introduced."

    Leon chimed in, his eyes scanning the auction stage as well. "I heard there''s a rare spellbook containing advanced elemental spellsing up. I might consider bidding on that."

    As the auction proceeded, the second tier of items was released. These were also shown in bulk but in about half the quantity of the first lesser tier. The bidding for various items intensified. The crowd''s energy grew, and the auctioneer skillfully maintained the momentum.

    Suddenly, a hushed murmur spread through the audience as a remarkable item was unveiled��a stunning Lightning Golem Stone cloak. The cloak was said to grant its wearer the ability to harden their armor effortlessly through just a thought, akin to a golem.

    Lyrian wasn''t particrly interested in the item, seeing as how it was still only a second-tier one, but Geld seemed to be really into it. Bids soared higher as he continued to put his bids in.

    "That? Really? It''s a pretty low-tier item," Alten said, questioning Geld''s choice to bid for it.

    Geld replied with a smirk, "At an auction, you should look at the actual value of the item, instead of what tier the auctioneers put it at. They can easily make mistakes..."

 Chapter 237 Shadow Jade Pendant

    <h4>Chapter 237 Shadow Jade Pendant</h4>

    As the price of the Lightning Golem Cloak reached over 50 Riftstones, most people began to lower their magical tes, which showed their bidding numbers. They were interested in the item but not the 50 Riftstones type of interest. In the end, only two bidders were left: Geld and Linus Creyuun.

    "The bidding rises again! A 55 Riftstone proposal by Geld, any takers from the Yuun kingdom side!?" The auctioneer began speaking rapidly.

    "Oh! And there is!" He said as Linus lifted his magical te and said "60," to which the auctioneer quickly turned his neck towards Lyrian''s side of the room, "60 Riftstones for Linus! Any takers over here!? Geld, what are we saying?"

    Geld smirked upon hearing this. "So... another person who recognizes the worth of the Lightning Golem Cloak, huh? Interesting." He raised his te, "70!" he eximed loudly.

    "Oooow! A brave 70 Riftstones put up by Geld, is Linus going to reply back!?" As the auctioneer spoke, the crowd followed his head, which darted left and right from Geld to Linus. His captivating voice was enough to excite almost anyone.

    "75!"

    "Yes, we do!"

    "90!"

    "Oh, my golly goshness! Geld is a madman! Raising 15 on the spot just like that! Has Linus got what it takes t--"

    "100 Riftstones!" Linus suddenly eximed. This time, the crowd turned their heads to Geld without even hearing his words. They were used to turning their heads at this point.

    Geld was slightly silent for a moment.

    "Oh? Are we seeing the mighty Geld of the Fortune Sector begin to falter!?"

    Geld awkwardly chuckled. "Ah~ I didn''t want to go more than that on this..." He paused, getting a resounding "Ohh..." of disappointment from the crowd.

    "If that''s the case, then,dies and gentlemen, we have a winn--" The auctioneer was just about to announce, as Geld suddenly cut him off.

    "But I''m not going down without a fight!" He raised his te in the air, "150 Riftstones!"

    The crowd cheered in astonishment and amusement as they heard this, all turning their heads once again toward Linus, who seemed to have a slightly enraged glint in his eyes.

    "Geld has done it again! Now, can Linus outbid him, or will he give up here!?"

    "Tsk!" Linus slightly eximed, putting down his bidding te for good.

    As soon as he did this, a loud apuse sounded for Geld after the exciting battle.

    "Ssssold To Geld Worth for 150 Riftstones!" The auctioneer paused as all of the items on stage were quickly taken away. "Ladies and gentlemen, here are the products we all have truly been waiting for... the third-tier items and up! From now on, there will only be ten more items on disy. They will vary from tier 3 to tier 6 in value at random!"

    The crowd erupted in cheer.

    "These items will not be listed, and their worth can vary on the slight preferences of the individual, so bid well. On top of that, we even have a mysterious item that entered the lineup unexpectedly, so look out for that! In truth, even we do not know its full capabilities."

    As soon as the auctioneer finished his speech, he stood behind a podium in front of which the product of the moment was disyed.

    "First up, Syans Mana Ne! A magical item that provides 100 extra mana! The bidding price starts at 100 Riftstones!"

    The golden ne with a blue gem embedded in the middle was gazed upon by everyone at the banquet. The name quickly caught Lyrian''s attention.

    His eyes sparked up as soon as he heard about the 100 extra mana. ''That is tempting... but It''s definitely not worth my free choice. Although I could just buy it, I don''t know whether to save or spend my Riftstones yet. If only I knew how to get more sufficiently, I wouldn''t care so much about spending them...'' He mused to himself, deciding not to bid on the item.

    After a series of bids, the item was sold, and another quickly popped up.

    "The second item is the Ogre Helm! When put on, this mystical item will provide you an honor of respect within a tribe of Ogres! Along with that, it will almost make you admirable within Goblin groups, Orc groups, and Hobgoblin groups! 150 is the starting bid for this item!"

    The Ogre Helm, a normal-lookingrge helmet with two ivory horns on the side of it, was more popr than the ne before it. It quickly sold out, but Lyrian found no use for it.

    "The third item! A Ring of Kaltus'' Elements! This mystical ring allows one to gain greater control over all the elements, and if you are only a one elemental affinity bloke, then that one elemental affinity will be boosted in ce of the other four!"

    ''Nah... I don''t see how that would be worth more than 100 Riftstones...''

    "The fourth item! Urs''s Tiara!"

    ''Eh... I could go with better.''

    "King Soloman''s Mantle of Divinity!"

    ''Seems useless in battle...''

    "The Spear of Alexander!"

    ''My de is probably stronger...''

    Lyrian rejected all the offers that came his way. Everyone was expecting him to jump in at any moment and take an item right from under their hands, but he hadn''t done so up until this point.

    In fact, the boy had beenpletely silent.

    "This next item, the 7th one of the lineup, is the mysterious item spoken of at the intro of the original ten." The auctioneer said, cing a dark purple ne on the disy pedestal in front of him. The ne seemed to ooze a ck essence.

    "Originally, in its ce, we had an entirely different item, but by special request, it is now here, in front of all of you today. The Shadow Jade Locket. It is a powerful item which supposedly grants the user control over another''s body simply by touching their shadow with the other person''s..."

    As the crowd sounded their astonishment, Lyrian''s attention was also intrigued, as he perked up and opened his ears.

    "This wouldn''t be as easy as it seems. To activate its power, one would not only need to be in a ce where shadows were possible but also align their bodies perfectly in the light so it touched the opponent''s shadow. Keep in mind, that the opponent can dodge your shadow at any time... This item starts at the price of 500 Riftstones..."

 Chapter 238 Time To Bid

    <h4>Chapter 238 Time To Bid</h4>

    The eyes of everyone in the crowd widened as several suddenly threw their hands into the air, bidding te in hand.

    "550!" The first student spoke up, excitedly raising his voice.

    "555!"

    "560!"

    Many others raised the bids by small amounts, as one voice shut those small bidders up.

    "600!" Geld eximed as he raised his te.

    "700!" Israthel suddenly spoke as well, challenging Geld by raising the price by 100 right off the bat.

    The auctioneer began to speak away as he saw the prices change so quickly.

    "We have a 710! A 720 over here! Wait! Now the max bid is 750!"

    He began pointing to randoms in the crowd as the price soared higher and higher.

    Israthel gritted his teeth and raised his te into the air for one final time, hoping it would be the final one that he had to do. "850 Riftstones!" He announced, silencing many more bidders.

    For a few seconds, silence spread throughout the banquet hall, giving Israthel a sense of confidence as he looked around in joy. However, his grin quickly turned upside down into a frown as he heard the following words...

    "1000 Riftstones!"

    Linus lifted his te into the air, as a hush fell over the crowd even more so than before.

    "1100!"

    The crowd was shocked to hear this, as they turned to look over at Geld, who had raised his te.

    "1250."

    "What in the world!? Godfrey of Veridrake has finally decided to speak up and has added 150 Riftstones out of nowhere! Where will it go now!?"

    Geld put his te down after this. There was no way he was going to bid close to 1500 Riftstones for an item that didn''t even have a full description yet.

    "That item sounds very useful, but it also has many downsides. I''m stopping here," he said to his table.

    "1285!"

    Linus battled Godfrey''s bid. As the rest of the hall silenced themselves, Linus and Godfrey began to bark out higher and higher bids.

    "We have an astounding bid of 1300 from Drake! Oh, wait, another victor, 1310 from Creyuun! But that''s not all, has Godfrey got any more Riftstones in those pockets of his? And he does! He raises the bid to 1350!"

    The two raised their tes aggressively as they stared each other down with furrowed brows of seriousness. Every split second, they were raising their tes now. Finally, their ruthlesspetitiveness came to a surprising sh as they raised their bidding te at the exact same time by coincidence.

    In unison, they both shouted: "1500 Riftstones!"

    They both paused for a moment after this, as did the crowd, as did the auctioneer.

    ''I wanted to save for the final item, rumored to be ''that'' thing... but this mysterious pendant might even be more valuable. I need to get it. Still, I can''t go much over 1500.'' Linus mused, panting slightly.

    ''Damn brat... how is he still going. I will get this item no matter what. Even if I have to spend all my Riftstones, goddamit!'' Drake also panted lightly.

    They were in a trance ofpetition, in a daze focused on only themselves. As they both took in a deep breath to announce their next bids, another voice suddenly cut through the silence.

    "I''ll take it!" Lyrian suddenly said with a smirk on his face, raising his bidding te.

    "Huh?" Linus suddenly said in confusion, turning towards Lyrian with a raised brow.

    "Huh?" Godfrey did the same.

    "Huh?" The auctioneer seemed to also be lost in thepetition between the two MVPs and almost forgot his job for a moment.

    "Huh!?!" The entire crowd suddenly looked at Lyrian, who eagerly stared at the pendant.

    ''It must be my lucky day... Sure, this item may have a bad side to others, since they need to correctly match their shadows to another person and all that jibber jabber. But for me... all I have to do is use my Shadow spell.'' His eyes lit up, as his grin grew wider.

    "S-sold... to Lyrian Theageld." The auctioneer said, almost in a state of shock. It was as if no one believed him at first, with his calm tone. No one made a peep, still not convinced.

    Suddenly, the auctioneer broke free from his daze. "I-I mean, SOOOLD, to Lyrian Theageld!!" He yelled, as the entire crowd looked at Lyrian, paused for a second... and then broke out into a loud apuse.

    Both Linus and Godfrey dropped their bidding tes in disappointment. They had been so lost in themselves, that they hadpletely forgotten about Lyrian''s free choice.

    "Great choice, Lord Theageld." Geld suddenly eximed to Lyrian with a genuine smile on his face. "I would have done the same."

    Lyrian smiled politely in response.

    "I just want to ask one question, however."

    "Go ahead."

    "Why didn''t you spend your Riftstones thus far? You know... the best ce to spend it, if anywhere, is here in the school auction. It doesn''t happen often, and when it does, items that are better than any other product in the academy campus city are shown..."

    Lyrian didn''t know this, so he was slightly surprised to hear it. Still, he wasn''t convinced that he should spend his Riftstones.

    "I don''t know how to get them efficiently yet. To be honest, I barely know how I earned the majority of them in the exam..." He was truthful.

    Hearing this, Geld suddenly broke out into a smallugh. "Well, good thing the prodigy of the Fortune Sector is here at your disposal! Lord Lyrian... there are many ways to earn Riftstones, but in my opinion, the most efficient way is... by hunting creatures and selling their cores and materials."

    Hearing this, Lyrian leaned back slightly and curled his brows inwards in surprise. "Huh? No way... is it really that simple?" He inquired, taken aback.

    Geld nodded, simplyughing in reply. Alten couldn''t help but tease the boy as well.

    "The next item will start at a bid of 400! The Beast-King''s Diadem! A powerful magic item that can be equipped onto your very own Spirit Creature. With it, their power increases by arge amount!"

    Before literally anyone, even Linus or Godfrey could raise their tes, Lyrian''s hand swiftly flew into the air.

    "800 Riftstones!"

 Chapter 239 Lucifer Morningstar

    <h4>Chapter 239 Lucifer Morningstar</h4>

    Linus and Godfrey both turned their heads toward Lyrian, slightly annoyed at him due to what had happened in the previous bid.

    "So he''s finally spending money now, huh?" Drake mused as Linus put his bidding te down for some reason. Drake found this slightly confusing because he wouldn''t expect Linus to back down so easily, but he didn''t care too much about it either.

    "I''m not going to give up this item so easily," he thought, eximing outward, "900 Rif--" He was swiftly cut off before he could finish.

    "1000," Lyrian smirked.

    "Wha-- fine! 105--" Godfrey Drake was cut off once again.

    "1100!"

    With this, Drake nced over at Linus, who had a light smirk on his face. ''Ah...'' Drake finally got why Linus had put his te down at the beginning of this bid.

    ''He has more Riftstones than us since he hasn''t bid even once yet... far more. Going up against him now would almost be foolish, especially for such a good item.'' With this, Drake lowered his te as well.

    No one else in the crowd seemed to want to challenge Lyrian. In fact, who knows if there were any others left who even had more than 1100 Riftstones anyway...

    "Sold to Lyrian Theageld!" The auctioneer announced, quickly moving on to the ninth item. After another small battle of bets, the auctioneer felt as though he had d��j�� vu.

    "Sold to Lyrian Theageld!---Again..."

    As the auction that Lyrian was dominating continued, he began to get abrupt images popping up in his head. They came and went in shes, and he could tell they were from his shadow''s point of view.

    ''That''s right... my shadow is still in that realm. I can''t make any use of that Shadow Jade Pendant if I don''t have my shadow... I''m going to need to find a way to get it back.'' He mused, focusing on his shadow.

    As soon as he concentrated on it, his vision switched to the shadows. Currently, it was being moved from its cell, chained with some sort of dark chain made of rusted metal. It oozed a purple aura that seemed to have some sort of power that was able to bind even a shadow.

    "The tenth and final item will now be presented!" The auctioneer suddenly announced as Lyrian decided to shrug the thought of his shadow off for a moment and focus more on the current moment.

    Meanwhile...

    ***

    In the depths of Purgatory.

    Lyrian''s shadow, which, ording to Gear, had a personality of its own, was being taken somewhere through the dark and scary halls of the Purgatory prison... or whatever the hell it was.

    Behind him was the menacing dog... Cerberus. It walked powerfully behind Lyrian''s shadow, sending light tremors through the walls as it moved with the shadow''s chain in its mouth.

    After walking for a while, the shadow finally arrived at arge opening. Stairs led down to an expansive room; inside of which was a giant line leading to a single throne at the end of it.

    The sides of the room were designed with giant pirs of dark purple gemstone, and the floor was made of a scorching hot material. The inside of the room was dark but was lit up by the small pits of purpleva that flowed within the ground and also within the walls.

    The shadow joined the giant line of... creatures. It tried to make out what they were, but since it had only recently gained a conscience, it could not recognize them.

    Some were tall, had many arms, and arge build. Others were short and had only one eye. And some were humans, as the shadow was able to see. However, it did also note that out of every distinction amongst the several hundred creatures, there were twomon traits.

    Firstly, they all were slightly transparent. One could see right through him with a nce. Secondly, they all looked to be depressed; no, traumatized, more like it. Their eyes were emotionless, like voids. Their shoulders drooped in, and their aura exuded despair.

    The shadow was forced into this line, and it curiously stepped behind thest creature inside of it. Still, Cerberus held its chain in its mouth so the shadow couldn''t escape.

    The shadow was forced to stay in line for several hours before it finally made its way very close to the end, where the line was finishing. It was about 10 ces away when it noticed the being sitting on the throne.

    It nonchntly stared at the being, feeling no certain way about it. However, it also noticed that those closer to the being in line had their bodies shriveled up and shaking in fear.

    The being was extremely tall, over 20 feet in height. He looked like a man, except he had giant ck wings behind his back. His skin was as pale as a sickly man''s, and his clothes were torn and ravaged. His hair, ck and slightly long, was slicked back, and his face resembled that of models; with a sharp jawline and wlessplexion. Peering into his eyes, one could only see a void full of malice.

    However, this being sat on the throne as though bored, with one hand ced atop a palm. As the transparent beings in line arrived at the end, the being moved its fingers left and right, signifying where those in line could go.

    As Lyrian''s soul moved closer, it realized that the transparent beings... were going to ces of torture. Fire,va, spikes, and many other contraptions made specifically for the pain of one soul were scattered all around the area beside the throne.

    As the shadow finally made its way to the front of the line, it curiously gazed at the bored-looking being. What it didn''t know, however, was that this very being in front of it... was the Almighty Sovereign Of Purgatory; Lucifer Morningstar.

    Before the presence of such a being, nearly any creature from the abyss'' and heavens would be forced to bow down from the sheer spiritual pressure that he exuded, no matter how powerful!

    Angels, demons, cultivation masters, magical prodigies, mythical beings, all were nothing but prostrators to such a powerful demon.

    However... the shadow in front of this being didn''t have the capacity to feel any spiritual aura...

 Chapter 240 The Darkness Swallows

    <h4>Chapter 240 The Darkness Swallows</h4>

    Lucifer stared at that dark being with his infinite void eyes nkly for several seconds. Lyrian''s shadow didn''t hesitate to do the same.

    To anyone or anything else, staring into the eyes of Lucifer Morningstar alone would have been enough for mental and physical destruction from the inside out.

    That was the sheer amount of spiritual aura that Lucifer exuded from simply existing. However, for Lyrian''s shadow, which could feel no spiritual pressure, it was like looking into the eyes of an average man.

    A hint of intrigue showed on the powerful being''s face as he slowly lifted his head away from the palm of his hand.

    The sides of his lips curled down as he said, "Hmm," slightly impressed by what he was seeing. "A shadow... one that cannot feel my aura." Lucifer turned his head toward Cerberus, who stood behind the Shadow.

    "Why did you bring it here? What was the purpose? It is not a soul worthy of punishment," Lucifer spoke in a deep voice that resonated through the walls.

    Cerberus didn''t reply, so Lucifer turned his head back toward the unknowing shadow and smirked lightly. "Shadow... you aren''t a soul, but you are an intruder. For this, you may deserve punishment..." Lucifer slowly said, a grin still persisting on his face.

    In thousands of years, this was the only somewhat interesting thing that had happened for the Sovereign.

    Hearing Lucifer''s words, the shadow''s eye holes widened slightly in surprise. He didn''t know what punishment Lucifer was talking about would or could consist of, but he knew that punishments altogether weren''t great.

    "But as I said, you may deserve it. You have a chance to redeem yourself." He looked at Cerberus once again. "Defeat that dog, and you will gain your freedom," Lucifer said. Both he and Cerberus knew it was nothing more than an attempt to entertain himself.

    The shadow slowly turned and faced Cerberus. Its face didn''t show a hint of fear, even while facing such a disastrous creature head to head.

    It didn''t know it, but within the creature threat levels that Lyrian had learned of in Nria''s ss, Cerberus would have easily topped the highest threat level; CATASTROPHE.

    In fact, to even begin to grade a creature as powerful as Cerberus, the Warden of Purgatory, those creature threat levels would need to form not just one, or two, but 10 more threat levels above CATASTROPHE at its current rate of strength increase between levels...

    With this being said, the unknowing shadow still faced Cerberus with a determined gaze. As it did, Cerberus also decided to take this small quarrel seriously.

    Cerberus knew that the shadow could not feel spiritual pressure, since, at the end of the day, it was only made of the absence of light. Or in other words, it was nothing... However, there was one thing that could defeat even nothing, and that thing was simple; something.

    In the instance of the shadow, the thing that could defeat it was... light.

    Lucifer smirked at Cerberus'' thoughts, able to read them wlessly. Cerberus prepared its first show of power, before even beginning to attack. Its entire body suddenly caught on fire, a deep purple me that was almost blinding to gaze at.

    Currently, it was far enough away from the shadow that it didn''t erase the shadow. However, all it had to do if it wanted to get rid of the shadow was to simply take a few steps forward.

    On top of igniting its body in the fire of Purgatory, it infused that fire with its spiritual energy. This allowed the fire to burn even brighter, fueled by the beast''s soul.

    Finally, Cerberus took one step forward, beginning to erase the shadow from existence. Then, it took another.

    Now, Lyrian''s shadow hadpletely disappeared. There was a short moment of silence before something unexpected began to ur where Lyrian''s shadow previously was.

    Arge grin appeared on Lucifer''s face as he realized what was happening.

    The light which the dog exuded... was being channeled into one specific ce and sucked in, as if there was a ck hole there. The movement of light traveling towards this area began to grow more and more rapid, as Cerberus found himself getting pulled in by it as well!

    For a split second, a feeling that the creature hadn''t felt in hundreds of thousands of years suddenly showed up in its mind: Fear. It was random, but enough to make it jerk up and jump away.

    However... it was toote for that. Since Cerberus had infused the fire with his soul, his body, which--in Purgatory--was forever in soul form, was pulled forcefully into Lyrian''s shadow at a rate that it couldn''t outspeed.

    "Hahaha! How magnificent! Even I would have never expected such an oue." Lucifer suddenly burst out into a peal ofughter. "The absence of light was so infinite that it caused all light to be sucked in!" In the next moment, the ginormous body of Cerberus in its entirety was funneled into Lyrian''s shadow. Afterward, it quickly turned and stared at Lucifer, who stared back at it with a grin on his face.

    This exchange of gazessted for a few moments before the shadow found itself free from the chain that was once held by Cerberus and began to fly out of the structure at extreme speeds.

    Lucifer gazed at the dark, curious being as it began to make its way out of his pce. "Not just any shadow is capable of that," Lucifer muttered, in slight awe. "The being in which that soul belongs to... his bloodline..." That was all that he said out loud before suddenly snapping his fingers.

    As soon as the loud snapping noise began to echo through the entire realm, Lyrian''s shadow disappeared from Purgatory.

    ***

    At that moment, Lyrian suddenly felt a jolt of pain travel through his entire body. It started from his head and quickly darted down all the way to his feet before suddenly escaping his body.

    He quickly looked down in slight shock, as his confused expression suddenly turned into a delightfully amused one.

    "You''re back..."

 Chapter 241 The Final Item

    <h4>Chapter 241 The Final Item</h4>

    His shadow didn''t move, but Lyrian could tell that the shadow was also relieved to be back. However, Lyrian also felt something odd now that his shadow was back with him.

    "Maybe I got used to not having a shadow," he mused, attributing the odd sensation to this as he moved on.

    Currently, the tenth and final item of the auction is being showcased.

    "The final item!" The auctioneer paused as his gaze swept through the eager crowd. Most of the bidders were students, but many adults and other executives were also scattered around, who were almost just as excited.

    Lyrian saw a table where many heads of the academy sectors sat. He knew this since he saw a familiar face sitting there with his stomach out. It was none other than the Battle Forge Module shop owner.

    The old man''s belly moved up and down as he chuckled in joy. The auctioneer continued his speech, "This is a very luxurious item! One meant for the utmost of nobles and royals."

    As Lyrian heard this, an eyebrow slightly raised. ''What kind of item requires that description?'' He said to himself. ''He''s probably just trying to hype it up, but it''s unnecessary.''

    As the auctioneer, who had a bright smile on his face, continued, his chest rose. It seemed he also was at the edge of his seat to announce this final item, as were the rest of those in the crowd.

    Geld gazed at the auctioneer, "If my calctions are correct... this item will be the one I''ve been waiting for." His eyes lit up as he spoke.

    Finally, a cart was slowly rolled onto the stage by a helper. A thin velvet cloth was ced on top of it, hiding the final item from view.

    "The final item is... a mana cultivation technique from the fourth level of the Ancient Library! The fabled Hellish Swords Of M cultivation technique!"

    As soon as the auctioneer finished his statement, the entire banquet hall erupted in cheers, as several hands darted up into the air.

    "Yes!" Geld eximed in joy, as Lyrian turned his gaze to him. "This is it! The revered book from the fourth level! The spiritual pressure of the fourth level is said to be so great that only those pure-blood royals with the greatest of gic spiritual will can ovee it, and yet, it is right in front of us today!"

    Lyrian leaned back in his chair, "Che!" He scoffed,ughing slightly. "And here I thought it was going to be a worthwhile buy. Hahaha!" He suddenly burst out into augh. He couldn''t help himself.

    "All this... just for a level four book?" He ced his palm on his face as he shook his head from side to side. Many others near his table caught on to this and nced in this direction with judgmental faces.

    "Lord Theageld... surely you aren''t insisting that you have a different type of strength-gaining power that is even stronger than cultivation techniques..." Geld inquired, bewildered by the boy''s reaction. "As for the outer academy, this is arguably the best technique in the entire building! Of course, excluding the ancient library, that is."

    Lyrian didn''t hesitate to answer. It wasn''t like his achievement of getting the level five cultivation technique was a secret. It just wasn''t known by everyone... yet.

    "Nope. I''m not insisting that I have something else than a cultivation technique that''s better, but rather, that I have a better cultivation technique in general." He said with a slight grin.

    Geld didn''t speak for a moment, as those around Lyrian at other tables now perked their ears up to hear the seemingly insane words he was spouting.

    "Bu-but... surely, that''s impossible. Not even royals can reach a floor higher than four here in the outer academy." Geld slowly responded, not knowing whether to believe Lyrian or not.

    "What? So you''re saying I''m lying?" Lyrian joked.

    "N-no! I don''t mean to offend you in any way, Lord Theageld. But... it is just that I find someone who isn''t of royal blood reaching the fifth level as... unbelievable." Geld''s emotions seemed genuine.

    Lyrian paused for a moment before replying. "Well... then I guess that means that royalty doesn''t mean you have greater spiritual will, does it?" He smirked, staring directly into Geld''s eyes with bright eyes.

    For some reason, this took Geld slightly aback. Lyrian''s eyes felt like looking at a beautiful sky horizon, an azure eclipse. That followed up with his words sent shivers down his spine.

    "I suppose... that''s true." Geld slowly eximed, a little speechless.

    "Pfft! Yeah right! Who does that loser think he is!" A random kid from another table suddenly eximed, as his entire table burst out intoughter.

    "He might have identally be an MVP, but it doesn''t mean that he is at the status of a noble, or royal. He isn''t jack shitpared to them..." He paused, his expression getting more serious, "No... he''s a worthless pile of lying dogshit. Who the hell would believe that he has a cultivation technique from the fifth goddamn level... he''s clearly just saying that to hate on royals."

    One of the kid''s friends sneered in disdain, "He should get his tongue cut off just for speaking like that... tsk! Ignorant retard... he doesn''t know how lucky he is that he''s an MVP."

    These two yelled this out pretty loud. As they began to do so, the entire hall quieted down, and their words were heard by nearly everyone present.

    All of a sudden, it felt as though everyone stopped talking, and all the attention in the hall was pointed only towards those two kids and Lyrian''s table.

    On hearing these words, Leon looked at the two morons with a piercing gaze. Alten''s expression wasn''t happy either. As tension seemed to boil, a few nobles from other tables began tough.

    "He isn''t saying anything..." One whispered.

    "I mean... he is just a peasant after all... I don''t think he has the gall to speak up against nobles."

    Words like these murmured through the banquet. Suddenly, Lyrianzily turned his neck and dropped his head towards the two at the other table.

    "Huuuuuh?"

 Chapter 242 Only Three Seconds...

    <h4>Chapter 242 Only Three Seconds...</h4>

    A hush fell over the crowd as Lyrian spoke up. With a raised brow and his arm leaning over his chair, Lyrian retorted, "If you want to cut my tongue off, how about you go ahead and try."

    A wave of shock suddenly fell upon the banquet hall as many mouths went agape. No one had anticipated the boy to say something like that.

    Teachers on the sidelines were bbergasted. Others had even more shocked reactions. Some were confused, some were irritated, and some even found the situation amusing.

    One of thetter was Julius, who chuckled with a grin on his face as he witnessed what was going on. A teacher at the academy, Edward, turned toward Julius, who was right next to him, with his jaw on the floor.

    "Aren''t you going to say anything to stop this?" he whispered, only for Julius to reply with, "Why would I? This is hrious. Another official should step in." He raised his hands as though under arrest.

    The boy who initially said that Lyrian''s tongue should be cut off had a shadowed expression. He stared downwards, but Lyrian could tell that the boy was clearly seething in anger.

    After a few seconds of deafening silence, in which time itself felt as though it had frozen, the boy suddenly stood up, revealing his luxurious robe, indicating that this boy was most likely of higher-status origin. His face was contorted with anger, his eyebrows furrowed, and his gaze furious.

    With a clenched fist, he appeared right in front of Lyrian. It all happened so quickly that no one had seen iting. The crowd held their breath as Lyrian made his move. Enhancing his quads, he darted up to his feet.

    In an instant, Lyrian''s left hand grabbed the luxurious-robed kid''s cor, and his right hand glowed green before unleashing onto the kid''s face... multiple times.

    Like a bullet ricocheting from one side of a thin room to the other, Lyrian''s fist mmed into the robed kid''s face over 15 times in 3 seconds. His nose was caved in, crushed, and gushing with blood. His eyes were swollen ck, and both of his lips were busted open.

    By the time this torture ended, the robed kid''s fist was finally released, only for its target to swiftly dodge out of the way. Lyrian let go of the boy''s cor, allowing the momentum of the boy''s punch to propel him forward towards the ground.

    *Thump*

    The boynded t on his face. For a moment, he took in a deep gasp of shock, unable toprehend what just happened. Then, he screamed at the top of his lungs, eximing the excruciating agony he felt all over his face right now.

    Lyrian''s expression remained nonchnt as his gaze turned to the other boy who had spoken out against him.

    "You want to try it too?"

    The boy whom he was speaking to quickly turned around, clenching his fist, but unable to retaliate.

    "Well?!" Lyrian said in a louder tone, looking around the room at those who whispered negatives about him.

    "Not a single person wants to speak their bull shit in front of me? You were all saying it just a second ago. What? Too scared to actually say it to my face?"

    He raised both hands slightly to address everyone as he spoke, before pausing to allow anyone to speak up.

    No one peeped a single word. Those who had spoken badly about him just a few seconds ago now lowered their gaze to avoid confrontation. Finally, he scoffed. "Bunch of cowards." He returned to his seated position.

    "Wait!" A voice cut through the silence. It was Israthel. "He just beat up a kid! Shouldn''t that constitute a punishment!?" He looked to the school officials and teachers.

    "What kind of example do we want to set here?" he eximed, expecting to garner some nods from people in the banquet. And, his expectations would have actually been correct here if not for Lyrian''s speech just one second prior. Right now, no one wanted to speak out against him.

    ''That guy again...'' Lyrian thought to himself. ''What an irritating fool.''

    After a long moment of silence, another voice, slightly familiar as well, spoke out.

    "It was only self-defense. Completely justified in my view. The boy on the ground right now is the one who initiated first. Lyrian, on the other hand, simply fought back. Unlucky for the first guy... he bit off more than he could chew."

    Nevin, the boy from the Religion Sector whom Lyrian met while on his way to buy the BF Module, said firmly. This time, what Israthel expected to happen with his statement happened to the opposite one instead. Many found logic in Nevin''s statement, and others simply nodded out of fear of being picked on.

    "What!? But how can you say it was self-defense when the kid''sid out like that--" Israthel tried to retort but was abruptly cut off.

    "Be quiet, man. Let''s get to the auction already. You can have an in-depth conversation with a teacher after it''s over if you want," Lyrian retorted out of nowhere, as Israthel felt the eyes of everyone staring at him awkwardly.

    Once again, he felt humiliated. After another few seconds of silence, of Israthel staring at Lyrian as he breathed ragged, angered breaths, the auctioneer finally made his way into the conversation.

    "...Uh... well..." He scratched his head, "Let''s continue with the auction I guess then, everyone! Things happen, but we must learn to forget and not let those things disrupt the flow of the moment! Now, who''s excited for the final item!"

    With this, a short second of silence sounded through the calls, giving some doubt to the auctioneer. However, his doubt was quickly erased. A few people eximed their excitement, and then, a few more joined them. Just like this, before long, the entire room was buzzing with an eager feeling once again.

    "Now that''s more like it! The starting price for this grand item is 800 Riftstones, let the bidding begin!"

 Chapter 243 The Final Item Is Sold!

    <h4>Chapter 243 The Final Item Is Sold!</h4>

    "820 over here!" Draco shouted from his table, raising his magical bidding te into the air.

    This time, many adults also raised their tes. "850!" A man dressed in an all-navy suit yelled. Lyrian gazed at the man and recognized him from the campus city fountain. He was the man who was harassed by the fake monks.

    Turning to his table, the man said, "I''m going to spend all of my saved-up money if I have to, but I want to get that technique for my daughter," he said.

    Others at his table talked with him. "Your daughter, Oasmine, how old is she now?" A woman asked with genuine care in her eyes.

    As they conversed, another raised his te from afar.

    "900!" He yelled, as the auctioneer quickly began spitting his lines.

    "A clean 900 bid soars to the top for this! Are we going to go any higher for this illustrious item!?" He paused, as another te raised into the air, followed by several more in the span of a few seconds.

    "The bids have raised up to 950 now! How far are we going to go? The price is rising quickly, folks!" As he said this, even more people were enticed to raise their tes.

    A boy sitting next to Godfrey nudged the MVP''s shoulder. "When are you going to bid?" He asked, capturing the attention of the others at the table.

    "Meh... I''ll bid when it gets past 1200," he nkly stated, throwing the kid who asked the question off slightly.

    "W-what? You really think it will reach 1200?"

    Drake looked at the boy for a split second, before gazing back up at the auctioneer. "Not even a question."

    "Then... why not just bid now?" The kid asked shortly after.

    "Hmm... wouldn''t that take the fun out of it?" Drake smirked.

    "1200!" Linus'' voice sounded through the banquet, cutting off all other voices as tes slowly came down from the air.

    "Tsk." Drake scoffed, "Of course he would do that."

    "By golly! We have a 1200 bid! We haven''t ever gone higher than this before, will it happen,dies and gentlemen!?" The auctioneer passionately eximed with a bright smile on his face.

    Even those who could no longer bid mostly still had smiles on their faces. In truth, they knew they wouldn''t be able to get the item anyway, but it was worth a try to them. It was all in good fun. Now, they were excited to see the true winner.

    "..." The auctioneer paused, as Linus'' hand remained as the only one standing in the air. "The people of this academy... It is my pleasure to inform you all that the true bidding war has just begun!" He said, hyping up everyone in the crowd as anticipation rose greatly in the room.

    Cheers began being thrown around everywhere, as people began to stand up and exim their excitement.

    "1220!" Godfrey Drake also stood tall among the rest of them, raising his hand in the air.

    "1250," said an unexpected voice that garnered a lot of attention. Everyone turned their heads to look at a man in his mid-forties, raising his te into the air.

    Confused murmurs spread through the crowd, as they had no clue who the man was. Even though the man felt hundreds of eyes piercing into him, he still stood confidently amongst the crowd, a stern expression on his face.

    ''This is for my daughter''s future... it''s nothingpared to the extent I''d go for her. She''s all I have left, god damn it.'' He solidified in his mind, as those at his table looked up at him. They couldn''t help but be slightly inspired by his actions.

    ''He saved up his sry for this... what a foolish sacrifice to make, since he''s going to lose it all anyway.'' A man from his table thought, having slight disdain for the man.

    "1300" Linus stood up from his seat, as all the attention in the room was stripped from the man and switched over to Linus. The man, having been defeated, fell back down into his chair.

    He was slightly devastated, but there wasn''t anything he could really do about it. Those at his table sympathized with him, but one man, the one who looked at him with disdain only seconds ago, couldn''t help but grin slightly.

    ''What a fool. To think that his measly year''s sry would be enough topete with the likes of royals in the academy.'' The grinning man thought to himself.

    At this moment, Lyrian looked at his bracelet, checking his current number of Riftstones.

    ''1500 Riftstones.''

    ''Hm... since this is thest item, and it''s also useless for me, I might as well conserve thesest few Riftstones. I might need them when making a system to get even more Riftstones in the future...'' He thought to himself, opting to not participate in this bidding.

    Instead, he left to go get more food. By this point, no one at his table had enough Riftstones to challenge Linus and Godfrey, who were still going at it. Along with them, no one else in the banquet wanted to bid either.

    "The whispers of old ages sound in the air, beckoning you to seize this opportunity! 1310! 1320! 1330! A crescendo of voices, each one a melody of ambition and fervor! Can you feel the magic coursing through this room?" The auctioneer began to speak faster and faster, and Linus and Godfrey outbid themselves nonstop.

    As his voice got faster, so did the excitement in the room.

    "Do I hear a 1340? Yes, indeed! Twelve bids, each one a deration of unyielding determination. Our item remains glorious, but its allure grows stronger with each offer. Who will be the one to unlock its powers? 1350! 1360! 1370! Our champions stand undeterred!"

    Teachers cheered, executives watched, and students celebrated. The night was a fireball of exhration.

    Silence suddenly cut through the air, as only the auctioneers voice sounded.

    "The countdown begins, my friends. Going once... going twice... is there room for yet another daring bid? 1380! 1390! 1400! The aura of enchantment surrounds us all! Going twice... going thrice!"

    ...

    "Sooo--!!--ld?"

 Chapter 244 Duel Of The MVP’s!

    <h4>Chapter 244 Duel Of The MVP''s!</h4>

    The auctioneer''s voice changed when he announced that the item had been sold. It went from a confident and excited announcement to a more confused tone.

    The reason behind this was that both Linus and Godfrey had raised their tes in unison, shouting the exact same number of Riftstones as their bet.

    Usually, the person who said it first would get the prize, but in this scenario, they both said it at the exact same time. The crowd quieted down, looking at each other and the auctioneer in confused nces.

    The final price was 1400, but neither Linus nor Godfrey raised the prices beyond that. The reason behind this was simple...

    ''Damn it!'' Linus thought to himself, breaking character slightly as he continued holding his te in the air. ''These are all my Riftstones.''

    ''He doesn''t have any more left? I would have expected him to...'' Godfrey thought, on the other hand.

    "Folks, it seems we have a draw!" The auctioneer shouted, causing even more confusion amongst the people in the crowd. "What do you think we should do?" He proposed a question to the people.

    For a moment, all of them stood silently, not really knowing what to say. Just then, out of nowhere, a voice cut through the awkward silence.

    Standing at the food table, where chefs were preparing food in real-time at very fast speeds, Lyrian picked out his favorite dishes as he shouted, "Have them duel for it!" behind his back.

    As he said this, the eyes of the crowd darted over to him. A few seconds passed by, and then, sounds of approval quickly began to surface. In seconds, an excited roar had formted.

    "Yeah! How about that!" A man shouted, pumping his fist into the air as he jumped up.

    "I sure as hell would like to see those two go at it!"

    "Woohoo! Let''s get it going!"

    "Perfect!"

    "Those two fighting!? Hell yeah!"

    More and more voices spoke as the auctioneer nced over at the side of the room, where most of the teachers were gathered. They were surprised at Lyrian''s proposal, but the auctioneer turned his attention away from the others and looked at Julius.

    Julius, still smiling, raised both palms into the air as he shrugged. It was almost to say, "Go for it, I don''t mind."

    Seeing this, the auctioneer turned his head toward the crowd, "A great proposal from the MVP, Lyrian Theageld! Folks, what do we say about a duel, eh?" He officially asked the crowd, garnering an even louder cheer.

    "Then it''s settled! Linus and Godfrey, please make your way up to the stage!"

    With this, the auctioneer left, and tables near the stage quickly cleared away. By this time, Lyrian had retrieved his food and sat back down. As he continued to eat, he smirked, ''I didn''t think it would actually happen, but it''s good news that I can observe these two royals'' strengths. Let''s see... am I stronger than them or not.''

    He eagerly thought to himself. Right now, he couldn''t tell whether he wanted to find out that they were stronger than him or not. On one end, his being stronger than them was a relief. On the other, it would be a challenge for him.

    Internally, he imagined he knew the real answer though. He couldn''t help but smile in excitement just thinking about it... soon, he would see if his guess would be correct.

    He was also thinking of one other thing, ''Why aren''t they picking their friend up? He''s still lying on the floor.'' He mused, looking at the poor kid''s face t on the ground. He nced over at the kid''s table, only to see that everyone was distracted with what was going on right now.

    Linus and Godfrey made their way to the center of the banquet. Tables and chairs cleared the way for a 30 by 30 square feet area for the two to fight in.

    As they both made their way onto the stage, Linus'' expression remained calm and undisturbed, while Godfrey smiled widely.

    ''It''s been a while since I dueled him. When was it...'' Linus mused, looking at his joyful opponent. ''The Bud Power Tournament? Yes... that''s when it was. He and I fought near the beginning, and I bested him back then. It will be the same today. Although... it has been two years since then.''

    Godfrey stared at Linus while grinning through his teeth. ''Ka-haha! I''m shaking from excitement! How long has it been since I''ve fought an opponent strong enough to challenge me? Ages... actually, two years.'' He smirked.

    "Boys, are you both ready?" Julius shouted from the sidelines.

    "Yes," Linus calmly stated.

    "Hell yeah!" Godfrey eximed, eager to begin.

    "Then fight!"

    As soon as they heard this from Julius, the two of them seemed to whisper something under their breath in unison. Lyrian could tell that it was some sort of chant.

    "Art of The Emerald Dragon; ws," said Godfrey, raising his squeezed fists in front of his face. Thick, dark green lines began to draw themselves 3 inches away from his fists, eventually forming what looked to be a set of reptilian ws.

    The lines were drawn in the air and weren''t filled in, so one could still see his palm. However, the lines moved as Godfrey''s hand moved, as if the w was an attachment in full coordination with his body.

    "Art of The Emerald Dragon; Eyes," Godfrey whispered again, as the same type of lines formed around his eyes. The lines were sharp and long, forming the eyes of a powerful dragon about 3 inches away from his eye-sockets.

    Just as Godfrey used his magic, so did Linus.

    "Lunar Calendar," he whispered, as a turning yellow sphere suddenly appeared in front of him. It had several white lines checkering across it, making it seem as though it was made of squares.

    Linus moved his wand, as the sphere violently turned left for several hundred turns at once, sending air waving through the air. Finally, it abruptly stopped at the same time as his wand.

    "20," he murmured, as a single square on the sphere glew brightly. The square exited the sphere, causing the orb to disperse into light, as the square entered Linus'' body and invigorated him in a yellow light.

    His body continued to shine, and his eyes widened. Taking in a deep breath, Linus spoke, "Prepare to lose."

 Chapter 245 Godfrey Versus Linus

    <h4>Chapter 245 Godfrey Versus Linus</h4>

    "You know why you lostst time, right?" Linus said as everyone gazed at his enchanted body. "It was because you were too frivolous in your fight--" The royal was suddenly cut off.

    "It was because I was weaker than you, to put it simply. No need to say any more than that. But, who cares?" Godfrey shouted, mming his two fists together.

    Except, the fists did not touch. Instead, his ws mmed against each other, causing a loud sh. It was enough for everyone in the hall to hear and enough to cause Lyrian to be slightly taken aback.

    The sh wasn''t even that forceful from Godfrey, yet, it made a muchrger impact than what Lyrian had imagined.

    "You were careless in your fighting technique, and now, you are careless in your speech as well," Linus froze his gaze on his opponent.

    "I was, and still am, always fighting how I like. Call it carefree if you want, but I like to fight how I see fit."

    On saying this, Godfrey lunged forward forcefully, appearing before Linus in seconds. His fist, carrying with it the momentum of his speed, hurled towards Linus at extreme speed.

    "The main w in a mage... is a weak body," Linus said, suddenly disappearing from the spot. The crowd witnessed as he appeared behind Godfrey, his body almost like a mirage.

    Godfrey used the continuing momentum of his fist to abruptly spin back around, pushing his foot off the ground as he jumped towards Linus with another punch.

    "Not being able to move fast enough," Linus said, adding to what he was speaking about as he swiftly sidestepped the oing punch. Following that was a barrage of punches unleashed by Godfrey, all of which Linus swiftly evaded with his glowing body.

    "Not being able to control oneself... not being able to maneuver, dodge, or parry," Linus continued, moving ever so calmly as he made precise steps to avoid and parry all of Godfrey''s attacks with his wand.

    The crowd cheered as they saw his performance, impressed at both his actions and words. Lyrian observed both of the duelers and saw that each of their expressions remainedposed and simr to how they were before the fight.

    "When a mage clears that only w of his..." Linus began to move even faster, disappearing and appearing on different edges of the stage, and then on the ground, and then in the air. Godfrey followed him not even a split second behind, also appearing on the edge of the stage, on the floor, and in the air, all while unleashing his flurry of punches.

    "He... bes unstoppable!" Linus thrust his wand in the air, finally going on the offensive. As Godfrey''s punch hurtled toward his face, a gravitational pull suddenly threw his entire body toward the ground.

    In an instant, the boy flew down toward the carpet face first, before maneuvering mid-air tond on his feet. The ground beneath him cracked, but he managed to withstand the force of the gravitational push as he looked at Linus, who fell down from the air.

    Another wave of mesmerized sounds traveled through the crowd. Lyrian''s brows furrowed as he leaned in to look closer.

    "What kind of magic is that?" He asked, to be quickly answered.

    "Gravitational magic," Glis responded, equally as astonished. "He has already mastered such a power..." She said, in a slight daze of awe.

    "No... he hasn''t." Geld suddenly followed up. "Although the young lord''s talent is worthy of awe, his talent is not in the magic of Gravity, rather, the mastery of his family spell."

    The entire table looked at him, wanting to hear a better exnation.

    "Just like how a mage can use a previously locked magic element using an item, a mage can also do the same using a series of spells conjoined with each other. These spells are called family spells, not only because they are multiple spells in one, but also because they possess a talisman that allows anyone to control whatever magic the spells are based within, once mastered, of course. Each high-ranking family has this."

    On hearing this, their attention diverted back to the fight.

    "Not bad..." Godfrey rose up to a fully standing position. "But you will have to do better than that if you want to win." He squeezed his eyes shut before allowing his eyelids to fly open.

    As he did this, his dragon eyes followed the same movement path, and as they opened back up, a wave of green energy pulsated from his eyes and quickly spread through the room.

    In an instant, all the extra gravity ced onto him was gone. "No immobilizing or intoxicating spell can be put on my glorious body, as long as my Emerald Eyes are open!" He eximed, jumping toward Linus with a speed doubling that of what he was doing before.

    "You didn''t have those eyesst time," Linus said, as he blocked the powerful punch from Godfrey with his wand. "But it doesn''t make a difference." He pushed Drake''s hand down before filling his lungs with air and blowing forcefully.

    Godfrey was immediately blown away into the air as if he weighed as much as a feather. As he spun in the air, he too filled his lungs up with air, "You think you can beat me at my own ability!?" He yelled, cing one w in front of his mouth as he breathed out.

    Suddenly, a powerful burst of fire flew out of his mouth, traveling toward Linus. The two winds shed in the middle, resulting in a magnificent view for the onlookers.

    Finally, Drake''s disastrous mes broke through, assaulting Linus as they quickly enveloped his enchanted body. "Tsk tsk tsk... you think a measly me can burn out the light?" He said, dispersing the me with a wave of his wand.

    As Drake fell down to the floor, Linus eximed, "It seems you still haven''t learned about fighting intelligence. Until you know why one makes certain decisions in fights, you will never defeat me."

    With a smile on his face, Godfrey challenged these words without a hint of hesitation, "I make decisions in fights for one purpose only, and that is to win!"

 Chapter 246 Who Is Victorious?

    <h4>Chapter 246 Who Is Victorious?</h4>

    On hearing this, the two engaged in a staredown for quite some time. Their eyes locked with each other as they disyed their simmering rage. It was evident to everyone in the room that they were closely observing each other''s actions.

    At the end of this intense standoff, they both suddenly smirked before letting out a slight chuckle. Seeing Prince Linus behave this way surprised his side of the room, as they hadn''t witnessed this side of him before.

    "Let''s end this," Linus was the first to speak, followed by Godfrey, who said, "Right on."

    Linus tapped his glowing body with his wand multiple times, each time making his body grow brighter and brighter with that golden aura of his.

    "Lunar Calendar, day 22, 23, 24... 25," the prince tapped his chest each time he added another number to the Lunar day.

    Godfrey clenched his fists together, transforming his transparent fists into more realistic-looking ws. He closed his eyes, and when they opened, they were no longer the eyes of a mortal man; instead, they resembled the gaze of an ancient dragon.

    "Art of The Emerald Dragon; True ws and True Eyes," he spoke with a calm yet assertive voice.

    *Fwissh!*

    Linus dashed forward with the wand in hand.

    *Fwoosh!*

    Godfrey did the same, and the two quickly met in the middle in a soul-rattling sh. The MVPs swiftly began to exchange a multitude of quick, precise, and powerful blows with each other.

    Neither of them looked to slow down; Linus wielded his wand like a master swordsman in the heat of battle, while Godfrey attacked his opponent as though he were a wild beast, someone well-versed in the art of killing.

    *Bang!*

    *Tish!*

    *Taaang!*

    Their weapons collided with each other, each collision sending loud noises echoing through the room. All the onlookers were awed as they witnessed the battle unfold.

    Lyrian observed the two from afar. ''They are both strong in their own right,'' he mused. Although he didn''t want to, he found a painful truth in this duel, ''These two... are on a different level from me.'' He came to this realization quickly after their duel began.

    ''Far, far above me... they are the strongest fighters I have ever seen.'' Each thought in his mind pierced him like needles, yet those needles also felt like they were coated in a healing elixir, tending to his wounds as they pricked him.

    ''But...'' A grin, which a few nearby quickly noticed, slowly spread across his face. ''That only means that they are hurdles to ovee. They are challenges. Those, I wee. Those, make me stronger.''

    Seeing his eerie smile, the table in front of him, with one boy missing, began to whisper amongst themselves.

    "Look... he''s smiling."

    "Do they appear weak to him, or something? I can''tprehend what he finds amusing about this."

    "We must inform the others about this... if he genuinely considers their powerful disy as weak, he will be too formidable to control."

    "No... not too formidable to control��we are well past that point��instead, he will be too formidable to even stop."

    With a few more devastating blows that sent small shockwaves through the hall, the two stepped back for one final attack. Linus spoke, "26th... night," tapping his body once again. This time, instead of a golden aura, a white color enveloped him, even changing the color of his clothes.

    "Emerald Dragon; Reensroth, bestow upon me your divine strength, so that I may prosper," Godfrey closed his eyes and spoke formally, an unexpected demeanor for the brazen young prince. "Dra-tal first formation!"

    In an instant, vines of green aura grew out from his True Dragon Eyes and True Dragon ws, making their way to his back. Suddenly, a pair ofrge and powerful green wings sprouted from his back.

    As he exhaled a deep breath, his muscles expanded slightly, pressing against his skin and causing his veins to bulge. The men from both sides of the families and kingdoms watched with mixed emotions.

    Some were excited, others nervous, and others concerned. In any case, the event left the audience holding their breath. With one final push from both of them, a strong one at that, they both propelled forward with the intent of slicing off each other''s heads.

    *BANG!*

    The sh sent tremors through the room, and dust quickly enveloped the stage. People stared forward, trying to determine the winner, but what they saw as the dust cleared left them unsatisfied.

    On the stage stood two tall men, both dressed in different types of armor. When the dust finally cleared enough, the crowd noticed that the weapons of both boys were held back by two guards.

    "A halt?" The auctioneer spoke, slightly confused. At this moment, both Linus and Godfrey undid all of their transformations and returned to their normal states, panting slightly.

    "The Prince of Yuun was about to kill our prince, and so, this duel was halted by the order of Veridrake," the knight holding back Linus'' wand exined.

    "The Prince of Veridrake was about to kill our prince, and so, this duel was halted by the order of Yuun," the other knight said, holding Godfrey''s fists in ce.

    "I see..." The auctioneer was left somewhat speechless.

    "Very well then," Julius stepped forward. "If it is your imperial verdict, then who am I to deny it," he said, walking onto the stage.

    "Looks like that will be it for today''s duel, folks," Julius announced, causing a wave of disappointed noises to sweep over the crowd. "As for the winner of... this esteemed cultivation technique, that will be discussed privately, and you will not know the answer until the decision is made." He nodded to some of his own knights, and they quickly took away the technique book.

    "You may not have seen the victor of this rather amusing duel, but why dwell on such matters? This is merely the beginning of the night! I want to thank you all foring, and I don''t want anyone to leave feeling upset... so, how about we feast until dawn?" He eximed in excitement, raising his ss.

    This great news was enough to reignite the fire within the crowd, as they all raised their sses onest time for the promise of fun.

    And just like that, the banquet continued. Music hummed, peopleughed, sses clinked, and Lyrian... left.

 Chapter 247 Cure

    <h4>Chapter 247 Cure</h4>

    "Lyrian! Leaving so early?" Alten shouted through the halls as he followed his friend back to their rooms.

    "It isn''t like him," Leon said, calmly walking back to his room as well. He left before even Lyrian did and was in front of the other two.

    "Yeah... I don''t see the need to celebrate as if I just achieved victory or something when I have barely just started," Lyrian said as he made his way back to his room.

    Alten caught up to him. Looking at Lyrian with eyes showing almost a hint of concern, Alten spoke, "When would you celebrate, then?" He asked.

    Lyrian grabbed the handle of the door, turning his head as he spoke, "I will celebrate when I aplish my dream. When I rule the world." He turned the knob and opened the door.

    Alten didn''t say anything. He was slightly taken aback in awe, as Leon simply watched from a few feet away.

    "And... also whenever I feel like it, I guess," Lyrian added, stepping inside. "I won''t be practicing on BF with you guys today; I gotta do some other... stuff." He said, clenching his jaw as he closed the door behind him.

    "Huh..." Alten said, walking to where Leon was standing. As they two made it into their rooms, Alten eximed, "I don''t know what it is about him, but he is special." He spoke calmly.

    Leon gazed at him for a few seconds of silence before retorting, "What are you? In love with him?" He teased beforeughing slightly.

    "Shut up! You know what I''m talking about!" Alten joined in theughter as he closed the door to the room behind him.

    Lyrian, on the other hand, entered his room only to immediately fall onto his knees. He had been clenching his jaw the entire time due to the immense burning sensation he felt radiating through his entire being.

    His shadow hadn''t felt any pain, since it literally couldn''t, but that didn''t mean Lyrian was immune to it either. He knew exactly where it wasing from.

    "Damn it! What the hell did you do in there!?" He yelled at his own shadow, gripping the carpet on the ground. He didn''t expect to get a real reply, only gazing at his shadow in confusion and eximing in pain slightly.

    However, he was shocked to see his shadow move without him. It moved to create the shape of three circles with mouths attached to one body. Three heads, on one torso.

    "What is this..." Lyrian questioned, still feeling the searing burn course through his veins. The shadow couldn''t think of what else to do to make Lyrian understand.

    Finally, it made itself into the shape of a gear flowing clockwise. Lyrian understood what it was trying to say immediately.

    "Gear... tell me, what did my shadow do in Purgatory? Why do I feel this heat?"

    [Certainly]

    [Your Shadow was captured by the Warden of Purgatory; Cerberus The Hound]

    Lyrian''s eyes widened in shock as Gear''s voice sounded in his head. "Wh-what!? What are you talking about right now?"

    [After a challenge, your Shadow swallowed the beast in its entirety and returned to the realm.

    - The burning sensation is due to Cerberus

    - Expected duration of pain if your condition is not changed: Infinite

    - Cure: cting...

    .

    .

    .

    Cure found!

    - Number of cures found: 1]

    "Hm. So, then... what''s the damn cure?"

    [The cure to this pain is from one of your special abilities: Skill Convergence]

    [Use the skills, items, and beings in your possession, and create not only a cure but also a new power]

    *Ding* [New Quest Formed]

    Lyrian didn''t have to open the quest tab to understand what it was. Gear had told him as clear as day. Still, it wasn''t going to be easy. Not by any means of the imagination.

    Lyrian stood up and walked over to his seat before sitting down. Before leaving the banquet, he had obtained the Shadow Jade Pendant; which he ced down onto the table.

    Just as he did so, a wave of zing pain seared through one side of his brain, causing him to wince and exim in pain.

    "Damn it! I can''t think of this pain! How am I supposed to create a new skill--" He couldn''t continue speaking, as the pain was unbearable for a split second.

    "Arrgh!" He eximed, "Stop!" He told himself, clenching his fist. "Don''t be foolish. This... is nothingpared to the spiritual aura of the Purgatory floor. Cerberus, your mes--ack!--cannot burn me!" He took in a deep breath.

    He focused his mind on one thing, and one thing only; creating a new skill to help him. At that instant, a new canvas materialized before him.

    ''The art of Smithing alwayses in handy. I imagine this is how it feels for a good cksmith to work in his shop.'' Lyrian thought to himself, imagining a great smith hammering away at a fine de in the midst of a burning furnace.

    They too used the art of Smithing to focus their minds away from the mes, difort, sweat, and only on one thing; their creation. Now, he would have to do the same.

    Gritting his teeth, he pulled himself together and imagined his Shadow Puppet skill. As soon as he did, a small version of his shadow appeared on the canvas.

    "Good... but what can I possiblybine it with? What skill? Shadow? No, that would only make for a useless ability..." He continued to think about what to do, as the pain in his mind only seemed to be getting more furious.

    He tried to concentrate on other things, but whenever he broke focus, he couldn''t help but feel as though he was being incinerated by the mes of Purgatory themselves.

    Finally, he felt as though an epiphany hade to his mind. Some would call it an epiphany, others would call it ast-ditch attempt. Lyrian took his Four Arch Daemon Cultivation technique scroll out, cing it next to the canvas on the table.

    "You won''t allow me to cultivate you, even though I follow all the steps. If that''s the case, then I''ll just force the Warden of your origin to reap mana for me!" He spoke to the scroll.

 Chapter 248 Shadow Hound Cerberus Cultivation Technique Of The Four Arch Daemons

    <h4>Chapter 248 Shadow Hound Cerberus Cultivation Technique Of The Four Arch Daemons</h4>

    With a determined gaze, he looked at the materialization of his shadow on the canvas. It was a light blue, semi-transparent being, but it still existed nheless. This was his skill: Shadow Puppet.

    "Come out!" He eximed, squeezing his eyes closer to shut as his neck began to shake from the pressure he was putting on his head. He was trying to make Cerberus escape from the shadow, but all his efforts seemed to be in vain.

    "It won''te out..." Lyrian stopped for a second and thought of a new approach. "Wait... why would it? The Hound is still within my shadow, not within the Shadow Puppet skill. If that''s the case, then I need it toe out of my shadow first before I meddle at all with the Skill Convergence Canvas."

    On this thought, he turned his focus from the canvas to his own shadow. Although Lyrian''s shadow had a soul of its own, it was still soul-bound to him. This was the case for all of his other creatures as well.

    With the soul bound between Lyrian and his shadow, he used the depths of his mind to force Cerberus out of his shadow. Squeezing his eyes shut, he gripped his fists tightly and gritted his teeth; all to drive the beast out of his shadow.

    Finally, signs of the beast detaching from his shadow showed, and Lyrian felt a hint of relief. He was prepared for this very moment and quickly gripped onto the Shadow Jade Pendant.

    ''If��if this pendant allows me to take control of any being, as long as they are within my shadow, I might have the ability to control Cerberus for just a split moment��enough for me to plunge it into the Four Arch Daemon Technique.'' He thought to himself.

    His n was simple, yet risky. Still, he needed to do it, or else, he feared the worst woulde. His meridians would burn to ashes, and his core felt as though it was going tobust. Nheless, he had faith that this would work. He saw no other way.

    Firstly, he would extract the catastrophic beast from the shadow��and that he did! As soon as a hint of its energy was released, Lyrian took in a deep breath and tightened his grip on the Shadow Jade Pendant, instantly taking control of what little of Cerberus'' being was shown.

    In that very millisecond, he summoned his soul and his Four Arch Daemon Cultivation Technique onto his Skill Convergence canvas with a flick of a thought.

    [You have created a new skill; Shadow Of Daemon]

    His shadow and the cultivation technique merged in an instant with hismand, just as they did, Lyrian transferred the soul of Cerberus into the Four Arch Daemon Cultivation Technique, now known as Shadow Of Daemon.

    Of course, he wouldn''t have been able to control such a powerful beast with the Shadow Jade Pendant so easily, but because it was already in an absorbed form, and also because only a hint of its energy had shown, Lyrian was able to be the middle man between reality and the object.

    From his beckoning, the disastrous hound was sucked into the cultivation technique, but not without releasing its spiritual aura for one-tenth of a second��the time it took for Lyrian to not merge his Shadow Puppet skill and the Four Arch Daemon scroll, but also the time it took for Lyrian to transfer Cerberus into the new Shadow Of Daemon cultivation technique.

    In that one-tenth of a second, enough spiritual energy was released in the room to send Lyrian flying toward the wall. His back mmed into the matte wall with a lot of force before he fell back down to the ground.

    The burning sensation within his body suddenly left��

    [You have created a new skill; Shadow Hound Cerberus Cultivation Technique Of The Four Arch Daemons]

    ��but a new burning sensation existed within the outside of his body now. It didn''t take long for Lyrian to realize that the entire room had been burned to a crisp and that the pain he felt on his skin right now was due to burn marks.

    He didn''t freak out, as he had been feeling a simr pain for minutes by now inside of him. Instead, he quickly took out a better healing elixir from his storage ring and chugged it down quickly.

    Finally, he fell onto the floor face-t. Withstanding that spiritual pressure from Cerberus, even if it was for one-tenth of a second, even if it was not even 0.0001% of the beast''s power, was enough to overwhelm his nervous system.

    *Bang*

    The door to his room flew open as he fainted. The two concerned faces of Alten and Leon quickly stepped inside, as they saw a burning room within. Walls were cracked, and ckened with me. The beds were on fire, and the carpet had been turned to ash.

    "What in the hell!?" Alten eximed, quickly rushing over to Lyrian.

    "Get water to put the mes out, I''ll see to him!" Leon shouted before Alten could reach Lyrian.

    Dismissively, Alten ran past Lyrian and into the bathroom. ''I hope he''s alright...'' He worriedly thought, quickly grabbing the shower faucet in the room that was still turned on for some reason.

    He quickly pulled it out into the room before pumping it with some of his own mana and rinsing the entire ce clean. Leon got down on one knee and held Lyrian''s torso up slightly.

    He patted him on the cheek a few times, but couldn''t get the boy to wake. Finally, he looked up at Alten who was busy watering the room down.

    "Spray his face," Leon said, as Alten quickly obliged without hesitation.

    *Ssh*

    Still... nothing.

    *Fwissh*

    Both Alten and Leon turned to look at the door as they heard this sound. Julius had appeared within the room in an instant, as though he had teleported there.

    With a serious gaze on his face and furrowed brows, he quickly walked over to Lyrian before kneeling down. cing his hand over the young boy''s be, he closed his eyes.

    ''It��it can''t be...'' His brows furrowed inward even more.

 Chapter 249 The Final Class

    <h4>Chapter 249 The Final ss</h4>

    Julius'' eyes continued to squeeze more as each second passed of him feeling Lyrian''s be. His look of serious concern grew more.

    "Is he alright?" Alten spoke in the silence, a genuine inquiry.

    Julius arose from the floor a few momentster, opening his eyes. "He''s... alright. I''ll take him to the infirmary... it will probably be a little while longer before he awakes."

    Julius picked the boy up from the floor. Leon stepped forward, "How long is a little while?"

    Julius looked at him with slight worry in his brows, "I... don''t know." He said as Leon stepped back again. With no more questions from the two, Julius disappeared from the room in the same fashion as he had entered--taking Lyrian with him.

    As Julius entered the infirmary doors and began walking to an empty bedroom, he couldn''t just but muse in worry even more. "This is... demonic magic. The magic... of Purgatory." He clenched his jaw. "Boy..." His gaze turned to Lyrian''s unconscious face, "What have you gotten yourself into... that energy I felt--no, that energy that the elites of every continent in the Mortal ins felt--it is enough to start a war..."

    Julius arrived at an empty stic-curtained room and ced Lyrian down on a stretcher. He scratched his head, "How am I supposed to exin this one to the Chancellors..." He turned around and left the room, closing the blinds behind him.

    ''If a demon of Purgatory--power enough to release the energy that it did--is in the realm... who knows what powers will seek to destroy it. Ai yai yai... howplicated.''

    ***

    Seven dayster. 10th day of Anaviotis Academy.

    Lyrian''s eyes slowly opened, as the blinding ceiling light assaulted his eyes, ''Ugh... lights fueled by magic are too bright.'' He mused, sitting up in his stretcher.

    ''This feels all too simr.'' He had been here before...

    He opened and closed his fists, feeling not very different from his usual self. However, his body was quite sore, as if he hadn''t moved for a while. He tried to maintain daily exercise, simply to stay loose and mobile.

    ''It doesn''t feel right.'' He mused, getting off of the bed he dropped down to the floor and began to stretch.

    He did some jump pushups, where he started from the ground, and used his hands to propel himself over three feet into the air while maintaining perfect form. After ten reps of those, he did jump squats, jumping only a few millimeters below the ceiling.

    "Phew... this feels a little better. But, still not normal." He thought, gripping his hand once again. Just then, the frontal curtains to his room opened, and a young nurse walked in with a clipboard pressed firmly against her chest.

    "Oh! You''re awake, Lyrian!" She said in a chirpy tone. "You probably should be up and active yet... we still haven''t checked you out."

    Lyrian heard these words and couldn''t help but think, ''Yeah... I''ve definitely been here before. It feels like Deja vu.''

    The nurse moved to the side of the stretcher as he sat back down on it. "I know what you''re thinking, and don''t worry, you''re not the only one that feels like this has happened before in the past... It is unfortunate, but I have to see you again, Lyrian, after I specifically said that I didn''t want to on ourst encounter."

    Lyrian didn''t really know how to respond to that, "Yeah... well, I''m fine, aren''t I?"

    The nurse ced the clipboard on the seat. "You are certainly alright, but just like before... you had severe meridian issues, and now, they have fully healed. Truly, I have no idea how you do it. It''s almost as if you have the regenerative abilities of a Phoenix or something!" She eximed, giggling slightly.

    "Heh..." Lyrian awkwardly retorted.

    "Well... I suppose you are free to go. I have no reason to hold you here any longer since you have healed already." She picked up her clipboard and took a step back.

    "Please," She suddenly spoke, causing Lyrian to look her way, "Don''t make me see you again. Take care of yourself, Lyrian. Our lives are not worth risking... they are meant something to someone."

    Lyrian stood up again, "Right... oh and," Lyrian paused, opening and closing his fist once again, "How long exactly have I been asleep for?"

    "Oh well, that would be seven days." The nurse said nonchntly, looking at Lyrian with a nk stare.

    Lyrian froze for a moment, at a loss for words... "Huh!?"

    ***

    He arrived back to his room, which was polished clean, just like how it was before. "Hm..." He said as he inspected the ce, "I guess if they could clean up my roommate''s mess on the first day, then this would be expected." He said before sitting down on his chair.

    "So it''s been seven days huh... that makes this the tenth day of school, already. I probably missed too much." He uneagerly looked at the pile of books on his table, which were previously not there.

    "Eh~" He bore an unimpressed expression. "I better get studying, I guess..." He pulled the pile closer. Just as he was about to read, he remembered something.

    "Wait... the tenth day. This is myst day to pick my courses for the year!" He eximed, slightly freaked out. Without dy, he quickly began scrolling through his potential sses on his bracelet.

    First: Zaryn Mythology. Second: Spirit Beast Taming. Third: Lunch. Fourth: Hunting ss. Fifth: Magia ss. And finally, sixth... it turned out that he only had to choose one ss after all since he got six in total.

    There wasn''t really any reason to freak out, so he felt pretty silly about that. Still, he was stuck between two choices; cksmithing ss, or Alchemy ss.

    "I cater more towards cksmithing... but alchemy also interests me. One is a work in progress that has been helping me greatly, and the other has a ton of potential to be powerful when used correctly," He paused, leaning back in his chair.

    "I''ll choose... Alchemy."

 Chapter 250 Pheon Of Ancient

    <h4>Chapter 250 Pheon Of Ancient</h4>

    "I will continue learning how to smith properly as time progresses, but I haven''t started learning about alchemy at all yet. I want to be great at it all so that I have no shorings. That maye and haunt meter down the line," he mused, locking ''Alchemy ss'' in on his bracelet.

    He sat back in his chair after a small sigh. "Now... onest thing before I begin to study," he said, taking his cultivation technique scroll out from his storage ring.

    "The default name given to this was something that went along the lines of ''Shadow Hound Cerberus Cultivation Technique Of The Four Arch Daemons''... yeah, that is way too long. Gear, I''m going to rename it."

    [Go ahead]

    "A simple name..." He began to think, "It will be my main cultivation technique until I enter the inner academy and gain ess to the other four levels of the Ancient Library. I not only want it to be easy but also practical, since I''ll be using it for a while."

    After a few seconds, he finally announced, "Cerberus. I''ll simply call it Cerberus."

    [Name change sessful. ''Shadow Hound Cerberus Cultivation Technique Of The Four Arch Daemons'' has been changed to ''Cerberus'']

    Lyrian checked the time to know how much longer he had in the day. All the day''s sses had finished, and everything he had to learn was most likely noted for him in the books.

    Finally, he opened up the Zaryn Mythology textbook and read the very first letter, only to have his attention swayed away again. This time, it was because he felt two small feetnd on his right shoulder...

    ''Huh? Did I release Tao or something?'' He immediately thought to himself as he turned to look at what sat on his shoulder. He was shocked to see that on his shoulder was a small bird whose feathers were a mix of red, orange, and even a few yellow streaks.

    "Uh..." He didn''t know what to think. The bird stared directly at him as it hopped around on his shoulder slightly to bnce itself. It tilted its head to the left, and then to the right.

    Finally, it hopped forward and rubbed its head against the side of Lyrian''s jaw. At this moment, Lyrian looked at his window sill and saw that the egg that he got from Spirit Pet; Beast Taming ss was cracked into two pieces.

    "I totally forgot about it..." He looked at the small bird again. "What am I supposed to do with you? Has anyone even fed you? I can''t put you into my shadow like I can with my own creations..." He had many questions, but no answers.

    He tried reaching toward the small bird, but as soon as his fingers came a few inches from the bird, it got startled. It quickly jumped off and flew under Lyrian''s bed, where it seemed to befortable.

    "Were you hiding under there this entire time?" He got slightly worried. He was confused as to how the bird was even still alive since he hadn''t been there to do that himself for three entire days.

    Gazing at the small bird hiding under the bed, Lyrian said, "Scan. You were a bit of a special one, right?"

    ��������Scan��������

    Name: None

    Species: Pheon

    Age: ~1

    Overall Power (OP): 1

    Health: 14/14

    Stamina: 10/10

    Strength: 11/11

    Agility: 30/30

    Defense: 10/10

    Rank: None

    Special: Ancient Bloodline (This creature holds a unique bloodline, granting it the power of its ancient predecessors.) Note that this creature will continue gaining more of its unique ancient abilities as it matures.

    ����������������������

    "What in the hell is that agility!" Lyrian eximed, surprised. "Gear, do you know what this bird eats?"

    [A Pheon normally consumes fruits and meats]

    [However, this unique Pheon has the ancient ability to consume sunlight]

    "Woah... no wonder it''s still alive. But, staying under the bed won''t be good enough." He said, stretching his hand out toward the bird.

    It didn''t seem to trust him at first, but after gazing at his deep eyes, it soon hopped towards him. Finally, it jumped onto his fingers but was still a little wary.

    Lyrian stood up and walked near the window before cing the bird on the sill. The bird excitedly jumped off and tried to fly outside, but quickly regretted its decision as it mmed into the window.

    It fell t on its back, seeing stars for a second as Lyrian smirked slightly. "I can''t let you go just yet. I''ll probably need to make some sort of soul bond with you before I do that just so you won''t escape." He said, leaving the bird and returning to his seat, "Stay there."

    He sat down and finally opened up his books...

    Hours soon passed, as he studied the sections marked in each of the four books that he had. After approximately three hours, Lyrian put all of the school books aside and gazed at the one odd book in the pile.

    "The book written by Ephrias Varant called ''The Superior Path''... it might be as important as the other books, so I will give it a try. Many will probably take a random book such as this and take it as trash, but knowledge is powerful when ites to the knowledge of the wise. Why struggle to learn about the ways of the world, when you can learn it directly from one who has already struggled and has learned the way to conquer."

    Lyrian opened the first page of the book...

    He spent the next hour reading it, as Varant''s words sucked him in like a whirlpool. There was no doubt in his mind: This book was pure gold when it came to knowledge.

    Each page he read, written by the legendary man himself, felt like a life lesson to inherit. One line stuck with him greatly, it was the line that marked a new chapter and went as follows...

    "No carelessness in my actions. No confusion in my words. No imprecision in my thoughts."

    These powerful words drove Lyrian to want to input Varant''s powerful words into his life.

    To manage one''s ever-changing emotions to not be overwhelmed by life.

    To endure trials with steadfastness.

    And tomunicate efficiently, with authenticity that pierces through the noise. This was the way of a conqueror.

 Chapter 251 To Hunt...

    ?

    "Varant''s words made sense. Why would a powerful man have confused, slurred speech? Why would he have a weak voice? An uncontrolled mind? He was convinced. Lyrian was going to try his best from now on to learn and input Varant''sws into his own life."

    "I imagine the best way to be someone is to do whatever they do," he said, finally closing the book. Right now, Lyrian had a few things that he wanted to do. Out of all of those things, two stood out from the rest.

    One was using Cerberus to cultivate for the first time, and the other was to begin hunting for beast materials outside of the academy''s campus. After all, the entire academy was ced in the heart of a random forestnd that stretched on for an indefinite length.

    "I want to test out Cerberus, and I also want to begin making some Riftstones..." He paused in thought for a moment, "How about Ibine the two?" He mused, pushing himself up from his seat. "I''ll just cultivate in the forest."

    Lyrian opened the door and stepped out. He felt a small tug on his shirt from behind, and then he felt the Pheon''s two feet resting on his shoulder again.

    "Oh... you don''t want me to leave, huh?" He looked at the bird. "No... it''s probably that you don''t want to be alone again. I mean... I am probably the only person you''ve seen... apart from my roommate. You might have seen him," he said, closing the door.

    "Then again, I wouldn''t be surprised if you just hid from the weirdo. I would too if I were you," he joked, making the bird chirp a little. "What? You can actually understand me? That''s... weird." Lyrian nced over at Leon and Alten''s room.

    "It''s probably best for me to go out alone first. I want to explore first, and then if it seems right, I''ll have them join me," he thought as he stepped out. As he walked through the halls, he got his usual stares, but also some unusual ones. As he nonchntly walked through the halls as normal, his Pheon flying near his head, he got some confused looks. People raised their brows, squinted to look closer, and sometimes even furrowed their brows in surprise.

    ''Hmm... odd. Surely, they don''t care that much that I''ve awakened from thea or something right? I mean, how would they even know that...'' This was the best he could think of. It wasn''t like they were surprised at his Pheon or anything, or at least, he didn''t think so. Everyone got Spirit Pets when attending Spirit Pet ss... so why would anyone be surprised at that? Nheless, it wasn''t worth putting so much thought into.

    Lyrian soon exited the academy walls and neared the gate separating the school grounds from the campus city. The older guard posted there addressed him as he neared the gate.

    "Reason for leaving, young lord?"

    "I wanna go hunt," Lyrian shouted without any second thoughts.

    "May I have a look at your hunting license, lord."

    Lyrian stopped and raised one eyebrow. "Hunting license? What are you talking about?"

    The guard simply stared at him...

    A few minutester, Lyrian sat across from a random Hunting ss teacher at a desk. After some asking around, people led him there of all ces to get his license.

    "So... can I get my license quickly? I want to go hun--" He was cut off.

    "Your license? Do you have your approval certificate from your Hunting ss teacher?" The man spoke as if he had done this a million times before.

    Lyrian let out an exasperated sigh. This day was not going as he nned...

    Several minutester, Lyrian found Rerth, his Hunting ss teacher, after asking a bunch of teachers about his location. He was at the teacher''s lounge no less, talking to a group of teachers sitting down on couches as they had coffees.

    Lyrian barged into the room unannounced and walked right up to Rerth as he saw him.

    "Hey, Rerth." He spoke out of the blue, causing the teachers to stop their conversations as they gazed at him instead.

    "Wait, how are you in here? You shouldn''t be allowed to--" Rerth was cut off.

    "Don''t worry about that... just listen to what I have to say. I need your certificate of approval for my hunting license right now." Lyrian spoke directly, not wasting any time.

    "Wha--? You disrupted my meeting for this?"

    Lyrian tilted his head and looked at the other teachers, seemingly enjoying coffee as they conversed.

    "Doesn''t look like much of a meeting to me."

    "Yeah well... fine. You hunted before?" Rerth asked out of nowhere.

    "I have. I hunted for several years back in my hometown."

    Rerth didn''t waste much time either, wanting to get back to his ''meeting.'' "You are one of my more promising students, so I guess there isn''t any harm in giving you the certificate without a test. Although, know that one is required. Even if that''s true, you will get it eventually anyway."

    Lyrian was happy to hear this. Rerth turned to the side and addressed one of his fellow teachers.

    "Hey, Sndra!" He shouted, "Get me a certificate from my office!"

    ''Sndra?'' Lyrian questioned, slightly confused. From a bit deeper inside of the room full of teachers, a young man stepped up. It was the same man who initially presented himself to Lyrian and the others when they first arrived in Anaviotis.

    "You''re always picking on me," Jalls joked.

    "You''re the new guy! You still gotta learn our manners!" Rerth teased across the room, as other teachersughed.

    "I''ve been here for over a year now... I wouldn''t exactly say I''m still so new." Jalls said, before suddenly disappearing on the spot.

    "Hey! What are you doing? You can''t just give out free certificates like that!" A teacher near Rerth suddenly spoke out.

    "Ah... it''s alright. This kid will get itter on anyways whether I like it or not." Rerth retorted calmly.

    "How can you be so sure!?"

    Rerth paused on hearing this, his expression bing more serious as he spoke in a stern voice, "He... is probably even stronger than you, Edward!" He suddenly smirked as he teased the teacher, making the room burst outughing.

 Chapter 252 Certificate Of Approval

    ?

    Edward didn''t seem to find it so funny, so as the room quieted down, he retorted in anger, "Rerth... I''m serious." His tone was sterner. "The forest outside of Anaviotis is not even close to a joke." He looked at Lyrian.

    "I understand that you are an MVP, but the entrance exam is hardly enough to prepare you for what''s really out there... do you wish to reconsider until the proper time?" Edward asked genuinely.

    Lyrian didn''t hesitate nor pause in his answer, "No, I want to get out there as soon as possible." He was actually quite excited to hear that the difficulty level was higher than expected.

    On hearing this, Edward sighed in disappointment, "Kids these days... they are too brazen. Fine, do what you want. Don''te crying to us when you have a limb torn off though..." He said harshly.

    Rerthughed this off, and at that very moment, Jalls Sndra appeared in the room once again. He walked over to Rerth and handed him a small slip of paper.

    "Here, this was thest one on your desk."

    Rerth took the paper and handed it right over to Lyrian. Staring directly into the boy''s eyes, Rerth eximed, "You have potential, boy. Do not waste it by killing yourself."

    Lyrian nodded as he epted the certificate.

    "But before you worry about that, I suppose you have an entire license exam to think about, so I apologize for making you think ahead so much. You probably want to focus on what''s directly in front of you, rather than what''s so much farther in the future."

    Lyrian''s brows furrowed. He was slightly shocked and also a bit annoyed at what he just heard. ''A... a license exam!?'' He thought in frustration as he stormed out of the room.

    The teachers witnessed him leave and stayed silent for a few seconds as the door closed behind him.

    "You say he has potential?" A teacher near Rerth inquired.

    Rerth simply smiled before chuckling slightly. "When I tell you he does, I don''t just mean he is a good candidate. I mean... he is the best candidate." His eyes lit up. Hearing these words about Lyrian, teachers gazed at Rerth in awe of their vision of Lyrian in their heads.

    Truth be told, they were also quite mesmerized by the thought of the best candidate for a hunter in a while.

    "Oi! I have the best candidate in my Hunting ss too; don''t make objective ims like that so quickly!" Another teacher suddenly eximed as the room continued its conversation.

    ***

    Lyrian sat across from the same teacher once again in that same room where he was first asked to get the certificate of approval. He thought that it was all he needed for the hunting license, but now he realized that it was actually an approval for the license exam, not the license itself.

    It bugged him slightly, but he didn''t have any other choice but to go along with it. He handed the certificate to the stern-looking teacher who looked at it closely through his sses.

    This teacher, who was also a teacher of the Hunting ss, was quite muscr for someone who had sses on his face. Seeing a buff guy with sses on wasn''t verymon, especially not for a teacher who was wearing formal suit attire, except without therge coat on the outside.

    He wore overalls on his vest instead, all of which entuated his bulging muscles. This man was also taller than most teachers and had a more calm presence.

    ''I wonder how many hunting teachers there are...'' Lyrian thought as he waited for the man to finish examining his certificate.

    Finally, the teacher flicked the side of the paper slip, and as he did, a small flow of mana traveled through it.

    "You''re ready for the hunting license exam. Take this to the main desk, and they will put you in the line immediately." He handed over the slip of paper.

    ***

    In the next couple of minutes, Lyrian found himself sitting in the main desk lobby, waiting to enter the office so he could get his hunting license test.

    In the quite spacious lobby, he found a few other students waiting to enter. Out of the several dozen seats scattered around, there were five kids in the room. They each held their very own certificates.

    ''Huh... I guess they had the same idea as me,'' Lyrian thought as he looked at them. This slightly reminded him of the time he had to get his magia element affinity tested out. The nervous energy in the room matched the atmosphere of that past lobby almost exactly.

    Thedy at the front desk suddenly called out, "Lank Jitus!" As the boy closest to her stood up and made his way to the desk. After exchanging a few words with the front deskdy, he was pointed to a certain room.

    Just like this, Lyrian waited as one after another student was called into the same room. Finally, it was his turn.

    "Lyrian Theageld!" The front deskdy called out. Lyrian promptly stood and made his way over to thedy, handing her the certificate.

    "Thank you so much!" She chirped, "Please, enter room 215 for hunting license exams." A delightful smile shadowed her face as she pointed toward the room.

    As Lyrian entered, he was immediately taken aback. He saw a few seats to the wall not too far left of him. To the right of this wall was another desk, where anotherdy was posted.

    Staring forward, the room continued for about 10 more feet before suddenly ending at a wall made of pure ss. It was a dome, simr to his hunting ss gym. The bright rays of the sun shined through the dome as the sky''s blue horizon could be clearly seen.

    Through the dome, Lyrian saw a ground made of dirt, hardened by the several footsteps that it endured over the years. Inside of it was a single student, who fought what seemed to be a wooden dummy.

    The seats to the left were all empty. Instead, all of the seven students that were inside were glued to the dome. They pressed their hands against the ss as they peered inside with excited expressions on their faces.

 Chapter 253 Hunting License Exam

    ?

    Lyrian joined the students at the wall, but not before being greeted by thedy at the desk. "Wee!" she said in a simr tone to the front deskdy outside in the lobby. "Feel free to sit or watch the license exam currently taking ce."

    Lyrian nodded and walked to the ss. He stared out with his hands in his pockets, nonchntly waiting to get this damned license. He wanted to rush this as much as possible...

    Inside the dome, the student was fighting the dummy, which was ratherrge. Although it looked weak, its movements were actually quite good. It had a wooden sword in hand, and it seemed that it was enough to push back the examinee.

    It seemed he had joined the others viewing the battle just in time, as the dummy leaped into the air at that moment and swung down its wooden de with force. The student went to one knee and ced his spear above his head, but the power behind the dummy''s attack was too much to handle. The boy''s spear broke into two after a short struggle.

    *Thwack*

    The wooden de pushed back his neck as it hit his temple top. He was knocked out in an instant. The dummy stood facing forward, its sword to its side, as it walked backward to the middle of the dome.

    To Lyrian''s surprise, it even shrunk for some reason, turning into a 5''10 ft dummy, instead of the 7 ft monster that it was just a moment ago.

    ''Huh?'' he thought, slightly confused by that.

    "Ile Hevan has failed," thedy at the desk announced, as a few guards entered the dome from some side doors and dragged the boy outside.

    "Next examinee, please enter."

    Another kid entered. The kid seemed to talk out loud for a minute or so, saying words that Lyrian couldn''t hear or discern. After that odd conversation or whatever it was, the dummy suddenly changed into an even smaller size.

    As the battle began, the dummy moved around swiftly, as if it was a leopard in the forest. Dashing from side to side, it avoided all of the kid''s attacks before suddenly thrusting its de forward and digging it right into the boy''s chest.

    His eyes rolled back into his head as he failed. The dummy reset itself, and he failed soon after.

    "Wow... he had to be the worst out of everyone yet. He didn''t evenst five minutes," a kid eximed, seemingly disappointed. "He talked a big game too..."

    Lyrian observed all of this and imagined that the dummy would change its shape and fighting technique ording to the specific examinee. Still, this was just a theory. He would have to figure out the answer for himself when it was his turn.

    40 minutester, it was finally his turn. His name was called, and he entered the dome without hesitation. ''Finally...'' he said, his hand on his hilt as he approached the dummy.

    By now, a group of five students had piled up behind him and watched him through the dome as he took the exam. After walking up to the average-sized dummy, he stared at it for a few seconds. Finally, a voice suddenly sounded from its being, even though it didn''t move at all.

    "What is your ss?" the deep voice said, throwing Lyrian slightly off.

    "Uh... ss? I guess this is for hunting ss..." he said, confused.

    "I will provide you with the sses," the dummy instantly retorted.

    Lyrian didn''t say anything; instead, he listened intently.

    "Warrior:

    Description: Frontline fighters, strong in closebat, are known for their physical strength and heavy armor skills.

    ss Abilities: Weapon Mastery, Shield Expertise, Close Combat Prowess."

    It paused after each ss to allow the examinee to understand properly.

    "Mage:

    Description: Magic experts wielding spells and elemental powers from a distance.

    ss Abilities: Spellcasting, Elemental Affinity, Mana Restoration."

    "Rogue:

    Description: Stealthy and nimble characters excel in sneak attacks, traps, and rangedbat.

    ss Abilities: Sneak Attacks, Evasion, Trap Handling."

    "Pdin:

    Description: Divine spellcasters, specializing in healing, protection, and moral guidance.

    ss Abilities: Divine Magic, Healing Abilities."

    "Ranger:

    Description: Wilderness experts skilled in archery, tracking, and survival.

    ss Abilities: Archery, Animal Companionship, Survival Skills."

    "Which ss are you?"

    Lyrian paused for a moment also before replying. He hadn''t ever considered these options. From the descriptions, however, he thought that the Rogue and Warrior ss suited him most. Since he didn''t wear heavy armor and was more fast in his fighting, he decided to go with the former.

    "Rogue."

    After a short pause, the dummy transformed into a 4''5 ft being. Its wooden sword turned into half of its original size; a dagger. Without wasting any time, it dashed forward toward Lyrian.

    Lyrian withdrew his sword and jumped backward. He had analyzed the dummy''s powers and had seen that they usually limated to the examinee''s strength. But, so far, he hadn''t seen it be too fast for him, which made him feel confident for the exam.

    However, his confidence was immediately challenged as the dummy appeared in front of him in an instant. It swung its dagger at his neck, and Lyrian had no choice but to enhance his arm to move his Obsidian de fast enough to parry the attack.

    He hadn''t used Enhance in a while, so this caught him off guard. The dummy backed up, before beginning to run around toward Lyrian from the side. Its speed was intense, and its ferocity and precision were nothing tough at.

    It was clear now that it could limate to a much higher strength than what Lyrian had seen of it before. "It''s not bad... but I''m not gonna let some chunk of wood defeat me." He widened his eyes before propelling himself forward.

    He went on the offensive as well, shing with the dummy. They began to exchange several blows with the sword, and Lyrian quickly began to push it back.

    Clutching his de firmly, Lyrian thrust forward with utmost focus; using the art of Smithing to advance his attack proficiency. The thrust pierced straight through the dummy''s torso, seemingly breaking through a thin protective barrier that revealed itself on breaking.

    The dummy instantly flew back several feet before skidding to a stop over 50 feet back. Thedy at the desk furrowed her brows in surprise as she looked at the magic orb in front of her which showed the exam ground.

 Chapter 254 Final Stage: Wooden Bull

    ?

    Thedy could not believe her eyes. Her smile from before was reced with a shocked mouth that was slightly agape. She stood from her chair as she looked at Lyrian through the dome in real life to check if she was seeing things correctly.

    Lyrian sheathed his de. Thedy sat back down, perplexed. ''He... broke through? That should be impossible for a first-year student... did the dummy break?'' She thought for an instant.

    "Our first passing student for today is Lyrian Theageld! Congrattions!" She eximed.

    The students looking at Lyrian through the dome were equally as shocked as her. They all exchanged nces with each other, and then back at the MVP who stood menacingly in the middle of the dome.

    "H... holy shit! That was awesome!" One kid eximed in excitement.

    "I know, right!? The power of an MVP, sheesh!"

    "I wish I was that powerful... how lucky."

    "He actually passed!"

    Thedy then continued, "Now, moving on to the final stage of the hunting license exam!"

    As soon as she said this, a single brow raised on Lyrian''s face. He turned to look back at thedy, "Huh? This is bull shit! How many surprises am I going to encounter today, god damn it..."

    As he said this, the dummy arose once again. Soon, the cavity in its chest as a result of Lyrian''s attack healed up, and it returned to face Lyrian.

    "You have passed the first stage. Congrattions," the dummy said, its voice showing no emotion.

    "Yeah... thanks, bud," Lyrian sarcastically spoke.

    "Next, you will have a true test," the dummy stated, as it quickly began to transform on the spot. Soon enough, it had turned into a giant bull carving made of thick wood.

    It dragged its front foot against the ground, kicking up dust. Staring ferociously at Lyrian, it huffed out a cloud of smoke.

    "Huh? Where is that evening from? And just how dangerous is the forest outside of this school, for the exam to be this hard... I feel like only the top students of the academy could pass it. Even I''m having some trouble."

    Naturally, the raging bull offered no reply, opting instead to charge forward with the primal determination of its wild counterpart. Lyrian, however, held his ground steadfastly, unwavering from his chosen spot.

    The group of children observed with bated breath as the bull rapidly closed the distance to Lyrian. Suddenly, one of the kids couldn''t contain his excitement and burst out, "I think I know what he''s up to! How clever of him!"

    The others turned their curious gazes toward him, eager to hear his insight. "He intends to remain still until the veryst moment, and then swiftly evade the bull''s charge, causing it to miss!" His promation garnered nods of admiration from the rest, impressed by his ability to discern such a brilliant maneuver in real time.

    The bull drew closer, its massive form looming, and it came within a mere five feet of Lyrian. The tension in the room grew palpable, and the crowd of students, along with thedy at the desk, collectively held their breath.

    Every eye was fixed on Lyrian. When would he move? In which direction would he evade? The air was thick with anticipation, and the uncertainty of the wooden bull''s reaction prompted a few muffled giggles of exhration as the suspense reached its peak.

    Atst, with the bull just inches away, Lyrian seized the creature''s massive horns, channeling a strong Enhancement into his hands and feet. "HUH!?" The student who''d proposed the theory cried out in astonishment, leaving everyone else equally bbergasted by the unexpected turn of events.

    The resounding impact of the wooden bull''s horns striking Lyrian''s palms resonated throughout the dome. Yet, the resolute boy remained immobile, his jaw clenched in unwavering determination as he forcefully pushed the grunting bull backward.

    Spectators in the waiting area watched in sheer disbelief as Lyrian continued to drive the bull, gaining momentum with each step. Eventually, he stepped back once, pulling the bull toward him and hoisting it into the air before mming it down on the opposite side.

    The bully sprawled on its back, utterly incapacitated. Within seconds, the wooden bull reverted to its original form, a motionless dummy, which returned to its designated position at the center of the dome.

    Amid the stunned silence, the children exchanged wide-eyed nces, realizing that they had just witnessed a remarkable feat of strength and technique that defied all expectations.

    "Y-you have passed the entire exam... well done... Lyrian..." Thedy at the desk was shocked. She hadn''t seen anything like this before in her entire career of working for the academy.

    Lyrian smirked, grasping his hands. They were blistered and even slightly torn, but he didn''t care too much. He was just happy that he got the exam out of the way.

    As he stepped outside of the dome, the kids waiting near the ss stared at him.

    "Hey... why didn''t you just move out of the way?" One asked, still in a daze of awe.

    "Yeah... that''s what we expected," another added.

    Lyrian didn''t hesitate to answer, "Why would I dodge it? I want to overpower it and defeat it, not run away. It was a fight." He stated before turning and walking to the desk.

    This left the kids struck with a profound feeling. As Lyrian got his license from the stunneddy at the desk and quickly exited the room, one of the kids couldn''t help but exim, "So that is how an MVP is..."

    Lyrian found himself in the halls of the academy soon after, examining his little hunting license. It was a small te made of some sort of white metal that had a very slight purple hue to it. From what he knew, it was made of tinum and was round.

    It had some lettering on it that indicated that it was a hunting license, and no more than that.

 Chapter 255 Robed Individuals

    <h4>Chapter 255 Robed Individuals</h4>

    "All of that just for this, huh?" Lyrian flipped the little piece of metal over a few times while looking at it. "I''ll make sure it''s worth it."

    He soon arrived back at the main gate, with nothing else to stop him in his way. This time, he showed the te to the guard before either of them even uttered a word.

    The guard squinted his eyes to examine the small token before nodding. Lyrian walked past him and through the gates, feeling aplished. Stepping out into the city felt like a well-deserved breath of fresh air.

    "Alright... the forest should be straight ahead if I''m not mistaken, but I might as well make sure I''m not wrong," he said, checking his wrist bracelet.

    He pulled up a holographic map of the campus city area, allowing him to click anywhere he wanted to travel. He zoomed out from his current location and clicked the closest forest area he saw. As he did, a line appeared on the map from his position to the destination, acting as a guide.

    "Huh... how convenient," he thought, taking a breath of relief and beginning to walk. Before, he had simply followed the map with rudimentary map reading skills, but this discovery was valuable and one he would keep in mind.

    Soon the map led him to the same fountain he had passed when he first explored the city to buy his BF module. This time, there wasn''t a bigmotion. Instead, the city flowed swiftly and calmly. People were busy with their own activities��working, shopping, bartering, and the like. After a few more minutes, Lyrian noticed that his surroundings began to change rapidly.

    Fromrge skyscraping towers and intricately made wide buildings, thendscape changed to smaller structures and many more housing areas. The paths became narrower but still retained their high-quality maintenance. Now, stone houses filled Lyrian''s view, scattered everywhere he looked. He walked through several different dark alleyways and shortcuts ording to the guide.

    As he made his way into another alleyway, as directed by the guidelines on his map, he noticed a trio of brown-robed individuals leaning against one of the building walls. They conversed quietly with their faces hidden, but their height was quite short.

    "Students?" Lyrian questioned as he noticed their stature. He wasn''t sure, but it mattered little to him.

    However, as he made his way out of the alleyway, he took note of the three bandit-looking individuals pushing themselves off of the wall and began trailing him. They quickly blended into the crowd.

    He nced behind his shoulder for a split second and then stared forward again. "This reminds me... I beat those fools up in an alley before I took the entrance exam. In Illstria... Cedric was a part of them. I wonder what he''s doing now..." Lyrian mused as he gazed at the map.

    Right now, he was looking for when he would have to enter an alleyway once again. Why? Well, it was simple. As soon as he noticed them following him, he had already decided to teach them a lesson.

    Ironically, the three people following him also had the same thoughts in their heads. One of them turned to the others, "As soon as he enters an alley where he''s hidden, pounce on him. Make sure no one sees us... he''s a student. That means there are real repercussions to messing with him." He whispered quietly.

    Lyrian heard every word. "Che..." Heughed slightly.

    "Hey... I think I recognize him," one of the individuals said, "He seems familiar." He seemed to have a hint of concern in his tone.

    The other guy recognized this and quickly retorted, "Shut up, you idiot. You barely have even gone to your sses, how are you going to recognize anything? Just go along with the n and stopining."

    "I wasn''tining!" the boy raised his voice slightly.

    "Hey!" The other boy said in a whispered yell, "Keep it down!"

    As they continued to have their little conversation, Lyrian adopted a smile on his face. ''There it is...'' He said, turning to the left suddenly. He entered a dark, hidden alleyway. It was a longer one, and in between two tall buildings.

    The trio turned with him, as smiles appeared on their faces as well. ''Bad luck, boy... you just had to walk into a great alleyway. Well, great for us, that is.'' He grinned from one side of his face to the other.

    Suddenly, the boy they were following halted, causing them to freeze on the spot as well. Confused, the one who seemed to speak the most stepped up slightly, his smile removed from his face.

    ''He stopped?'' He questioned, trying to figure out why.

    Then, the boy they were trailing abruptly turned around and faced them. He had a smirk on his face.

    The boy who was concerned that he recognized Lyrian''s face from before was a bit freaked to see this. "Hey... I really think I recognize him..." He said to the boy next to him, who quickly barked at him to shut up.

    The boy in front began walking toward Lyrian. "Stop right there... boy. Today''s your lucky day." He said.

    "I wasn''t moving anyways," Lyrian replied, staring at the hooded boy. "My lucky day, huh? And why''s that?" He couldn''t help but keep his smile on his face. It wasn''t going anywhere anytime soon.

    "You think you''re smart, huh?" The main robed individual who was now 5 feet away from Lyrian retorted, "Buddy... I don''t think you know who you''re trying to act like a smart ass to." He walked right up to Lyrian, while still hiding his face.

    "Why don''t you show me then. Lift your hood." Lyrian boldly stated as the two that stayed behind became slightly surprised at his remark.

    "Yo... who is this kid..." The kid who told the concerned one to shut up before was now beginning to question Lyrian''s identity himself.

    "Lift my hood, huh? Fine." The boy in front of Lyrian lifted his brown hood.

    Lyrian''s face quickly contorted to one of shock.

 Chapter 256 Pray To Buddha

    <h4>Chapter 256 Pray To Buddha</h4>

    "You?" Lyrian stated, recognizing the boy immediately.

    "What? Have you seen me before or something?" The boy said with a mocking expression. His head was clean-shaven, shining a bright gleam in Lyrian''s eyes.

    "Yeah... I saw you scamming some guy at the water fountain a while back, the Buddhist monk kid. Or rather, I should call you the fake Buddhist monk scammer," Lyrian scoffed.

    The kid seemed to get pissed off by this remark. He ced his hand on Lyrian''s shoulder. Lyrian looked at the hand, and then back at the boy.

    "You should be more careful with your words, boy. If you know who I am, then you know the power I hold."

    Lyrian didn''t reply, but his smile was also now gone. He gazed at the boy with an indifferent yet serious expression.

    "If you want to live, give me all the Riftstones you have in your possession. It is for the sake of Lord Buddha," the boy said, as his two aplices held their breath in anticipation. Lyrian slowed and raised his palm to his face, confusing the trio of goons.

    Finally, he burst into augh. "Haha... hahaha!" He said, unable to control it. "What bad luck... to try and rob me of all people in this entire city." He continued tough as the boy in front of him tried to interject.

    "It wasn''t luck, kid!" He yelled, "We chose you because we know you''re a student. It was your bad luck, not mine! Now don''t make me repeat myself anymore and give me your damn Riftstones!" He tightened his grip on Lyrian''s shoulder.

    At that moment, the concerned boy who was slightly recognizing Lyrian from the start suddenly remembered where he had seen the boy''s face before. "Wait! I know him!" He eximed, "I saw him on the first day, isn''t that... Lyrian Theageld? The MVP from Yaltas?"

    Just as he finished speaking, the boy in front of Lyrian quickly turned to look back at his friend with a shocked face. "What!?" He eximed in astonishment.

    Lyrian grabbed the boy''s hand and lifted it off of his shoulder. The boy quickly stared forward again, not knowing what to do. A mix of emotions swirled in his mind, from anger to confusion, to even a hint of fear.

    He wasn''t so scared of the physical power of the boy standing in front of him, but rather, the power that he held in status. For the most part, that''s what he cared about. That''s what he used to rob people to get Riftstones, and if he couldn''t abuse that, then he was pretty much useless.

    The boy aggressively pulled his hand away from Lyrian''s grip, staring at the MVP with furrowed eyebrows.

    "On your knees..." Lyrian suddenly said, looking down at the boy with an ice-cold gaze.

    "What!?" The boy eximed, bewildered.

    "If you really are a Buddhist monk, then get on your knees and pray to Buddha. That is the only chance you--" He paused, looking back at the other two behind the boy, "--and your friends have to escape my punishment."

    The kids in the back took in gasps of horror as Lyrian''s gaze fell on them for a moment.

    ''I knew it! I''m in so much trouble!'' One of the kids in the back thought.

    ''Damn it! We just had to rob an MVP! I''m screwed!'' The other yelled in his head.

    "What did you sa--" The boy in front of Lyrian began to bark back in anger, as the boys behind him quickly intervened.

    "Just do as he says, you retard! Use your head!" One of them shouted.

    "This is for all three of us! Don''t let your mistake get me expelled, or I swear, I won''t ever forgive you for the rest of my living days!" The other screamed with contempt. This was no small deal. He had worked his entire life to enter the academy and to leave like this would be the worst way to go.

    What would he say to his family? Hismunity back in his city? No... it was too much to risk. The same was the case for the other aplices.

    "I only joined you in these petty robberies because you said no one could touch us... don''t go back on your word!"

    The boy slowly turned to face Lyrian''s cold stare once again. The MVP was clearly looking down at him as if he was some sort of putrid creature. At that moment, he suddenly felt a chill go down his back.

    ''K-killing intent! He''s serious about this!'' The boy mused, feeling threatened.

    "F--fine!" He eximed, slowly getting onto his knees as he looked around to make sure no one was looking at him. Lyrian''s eyes slowly followed him as he knelt down. The boy stopped at his knees.

    "No, farther down. ce your head on the ground for your beloved god."

    The boy let out a frustrated grunt, before bowing all the way down in a curled-up position. He stayed quiet for a moment.

    "What are you doing? Begin to pray," Lyrian ordered as the boy began to stutter his way into a prayer.

    "L--Lord Buddha! May you bless me and my family and friends. You''re the supreme... God..."

    Lyrian paused, a look of disappointment on his face. "You... clearly haven''t ever prayed to Buddha in your life," he eximed, kicking the kid forcefully on the side of his stomach.

    He was flung to the wall,nding hard on his back before falling to the ground. Blood oozed out of his mouth as he attempted to get up.

    "Hey!" One of the two in the back suddenly eximed. "You said you woul--" He was cut off.

    "I would give you all a chance if he prayed to Buddha. This fool''s words are not worthy of that chance," Lyrian coldly stated.

    "But..." The other boy paused, clenching his fist. "But you can''t do this to us! You know how hard I worked to get here!? Do you know how much effort I put into the promises I made to my loved ones!? You can''t ruin it all for me!"

    Lyrian gazed at the boy with a nk smile. "Yes, I can, and I''m going to. You can''t do anything to stop me because you are weak," he said, beginning to step toward them.

    "I''m going to ruin your lives, simply because I feel like it."

 Chapter 257 Fake Monk Beatdown

    <h4>Chapter 257 Fake Monk Beatdown</h4>

    The two thieves werepletely taken aback and at a loss for words. They couldn''t believe their ears.

    "He''s... evil! Damn it! What a cruel motherfucker!" One eximed in frustration, defeated in posture.

    "I can''t believe it''s all over... my life..." The other kid wasn''t so expressive. He was in a daze of shock, slowly speaking with a quiet tone.

    A smirk appeared on Lyrian''s face as he walked towards the thieves, who prepared themselves to fight. Now, they had no other choice but to try and beat Lyrian in battle. It was quite literally the life or death of their livelihoods.

    Now, did Lyrian really believe the words he said to them? No, he didn''t fully. Although he did want to beat them up, it wasn''t purely for that reason. The real reason was to punish them. When they stole the sries of poor civilizations, did they consider their livelihoods? Their children? Their lives? Their families,munities? No, they didn''t. They were blinded by greed and took what they deemed ripe for the taking without any consideration.

    ''It''s only fair to those civilians, that I give payback to these three. I can''t give them their money back, but even if not for them, it will give me satisfaction knowing that these fools got what they deserve.'' Lyrian thought to himself.

    And the only reason he didn''t tell them this true reason was to simply make them suffer even more. Knowing that their pain came from a crazed maniac, simr to how they were perceived by their past victims, would bring them much more suffering than knowing that it was only a punishment for their actions.

    There was always more fear, danger, and despair in mystery. This remained true in all aspects of life. At least, that''s what Lyrian believed.

    "Arrgh! Fuck you, you bastaaaard!!" One of the boys yelled, running forward with a dagger in his hand.

    He swung at Lyrian, as Lyrian swiftly ducked to the side and grabbed the iing hand holding the dagger. He rotated his palm to the right forcefully, discting the boy''s elbow.

    "AGGHH!!" The boy screamed in pain as tears quickly gathered up in his eyes. He fell to the floor with wide eyes, grasping his hand as he squirmed around on the floor.

    The other kid saw this and stopped. He gazed at Lyrian for a split second, before turning around and making a run for it. He made it out of the alley and quickly turned to the left, disappearing from sight.

    "How annoying... I can''t be having a wild goose chase right now... I have somewhere to be." He said in an irritated tone as he prepared to dash forward.

    Just then, he felt a hand wrap around his neck, stopping him from moving forward. It was the first Buddhist monk kid that Lyrian had kicked.

    "F--fuck you." He quietly said out of his bloody lips which were curled up to make a grin, as Lyrian suddenly felt a sharp object pierce through the skin of his back.

    His eyes instantly widened as he quickly concentrated his Enhance skill on the cut point. The boy''s dagger suddenly ceased to move, as the fake monk''s grin disappeared once again.

    "Damn it!" He yelled. "Palm arts; Invigoration!" He yelled, as his body appeared to grow in muscle size slightly out of nowhere.

    As soon as Lyrian heard this, he concentrated even more mana on the spot where he felt the de slightly puncture through his topyer of skin.

    "What!? How is this possi--" The boy was swiftly cut off, as Lyrian grabbed his neck and lifted him up in the air, dagger and all. With force, he mmed him into the ground, simr to how he finished off the Wooden Bull.

    The boy''s eyes rolled back into his head as all the air in his lungs was driven out. He passed out immediately. Lyrian then dashed forward, determined to catch up with the kid who escaped.

    The crowd stopped and looked at him with confusion as he swiftly blitzed past them, in awe of his abilities. He darted past the crowd at extreme speeds, quickly catching up with a robed kid not too far ahead.

    The kid seemed to notice Lyrian. He turned his head to look behind him, as a horrified expression eclipsed his face. The boy he was running from had appeared right behind him.

    With a serious expression, Lyrian grabbed onto the back of the fake monk''s head and drove it to the ground using the momentum of his run. The encounter was finished an in instant, as the boy''s nose was crunched and a pool of blood slowly began to form around his head. He was also knocked fully unconscious.

    Several passersby paused and looked in astonishment at what just happened, their eyes allnding on Lyrian with furrowed brows of shock. A circle automatically formed around the scene, as Lyrian looked at the people around him.

    He was just about to speak when a man suddenly began to... p? Another joined in as well, and the apuse slowly built up.

    Finally, a man eximed with joy, "Hell yeah! I was dying to live a day where I could see those bastards get what they deserved for how they terrorized us!"

    And with this, the crowd burst into apuse and cheer. Lyrianughed in surprise himself, not at all expecting this oue.

    ''Well then... I think my job is done,'' He mused, looking at the boy on the floor, ''Time to go do what I''ve been trying to do for what feels like eons by now...''

    Lyrian quickly dashed forward, entering the crowd before everyone''s gazes could follow him, and soon disappearing into the distance.

    At that moment a middle-aged man ran into the small circle, seemingly panting. He nced at the unconscious boy on the floor, and then looked around. "Where! Where did that boy go!?" He eximed.

    "He just left... he was way too quick to see." A person replied.

    "Damn it! I just missed him! Tell me, what did he look like? I must thank him!"

 Chapter 258 Exiting The Campus; Into The Forest

    <h4>Chapter 258 Exiting The Campus; Into The Forest</h4>

    The crowd around the panting man soon dispersed back to normal. The man only stared forward.

    "I must thank him." He said with resolve.

    ***

    By that time, Lyrian had already traveled far away. He imagined that the brats were going to be questioned for their injuries soon. After being questioned, they would be undoubtedly looked into.

    ''More so than anything, I just hope they learned their lesson.'' Lyrian thought.

    ***

    Before long, he arrived near the outskirts of town. Just like he expected, the workmanship when it came to building architecture, roads, and other structures was less. However, it wasn''t nearly as bad as he thought.

    Although the buildings were a good bit smaller and more spread around, thendscape was still very high quality. There were no broken roads or unfinished buildings, which Lyrian was slightly surprised to see.

    Soon after, he made it to the tall wall that stretched around the campus. Mere feet apart from the walls was the titanic seethrough a magic dome that encapsted the entire academy grounds.

    He was slightly surprised to see students entering and leaving the walls at a pretty high rate. It wasn''t like the inner city crowds, but there were at least 10 students he could see right now either entering or leaving the campus.

    Most of them looked to be riding on their own unique mounts--each asrge as a fully grown horse--and some evenrger. Loud stomps sounded beside Lyrian as a rider on a majestic white deer rode by, ncing at Lyrian.

    ''Upperssmen. They are not first, or even second years.'' He said, as he had seen both years, and the students didn''t seem to resemble any.

    ''The first and second-year students are in the outer academy. These must be the inner academy guys.'' Lyrian mused as he walked past the iing riders and made his way to the wall.

    There was arge opening where the students passed through. The iron gate was pulled up, allowing people to freely go in and out. The guards posted on the outside of the wall didn''t take a second look at Lyrian, as he walked right through.

    While passing through the opening, however, he was stopped by a short man in a small stall within the wall to the left.

    "Please, good sir! If you could, show me your hunting license before you pass this gate. It is only a one-time showcase, your lordship, as I have a very good memory." The small, stubby man said with a grin on his face.

    Lyrian nodded and passed over his tinum circle te--his hunting license. ''A dwarf? I didn''t expect to see one here.'' He said inwardly.

    The man, who Lyrian saw was a dwarf, examined the te for only a small period before passing it back over. "MVP Lyrian Theageld!" He shouted, garnering the eyes of a few passing students.

    ''He''s an MVP huh?'' One of the third-year students thought as he walked through. He had green hair.

    Others also took note of the kid as an MVP. Lyrian noticed this but didn''t care. He took back the te as the dwarf continued.

    "I shall remember you. Safe hunting." He smiled.

    Lyrian nodded again, making his way out the other end of the wall opening. He walked patches of grass mixed in with the stone path for a few feet. Finally, he crossed over the blue dome and stepped onto only grasnd.

    Stopping, he looked up at the sky that was already covered by the treetops. He hadn''t even taken two steps from the dome, yet no ray of the sun pierced through the leaves.

    Taking a deep breath and preparing himself, he then gazed forward at the deep forest in front of him. Trees were thick in their trunks and were shaped oddly. They were straight, but curved and had bulges and other deformities.

    The air was crisp, yet had a tinge of mystery in it, making it elusive--and even a bit frightening for some. Lyrian exhaled his breath and smiled.

    "Ah~ this reminds me of when I first entered Eade forest." He said, reminiscing.

    It hadn''t been too long, but he had entered that forest to find a ce to cultivate, just as Lyrian was nning to do here. There was one more thing other than cultivating, however, and that was to hunt.

    "Firstly... I''ll hunt." He grinned, dashing forward into the forest. As he traveled through the jungle at a quick pace, he became better used to thendscape. It wasn''t exactly like the Eade forest, but close enough for him to be quickly limated to it.

    He had practically lived in the jungle... he liked being in there. He noticed that near the wall, many trees were marked by the hunters. Along with that, there were paths formed on the ground due to the constant travel.

    Soon, however, these markings and paths began to dissipate into pure wilderness. Lyrian got excited thinking of how powerful creatures here would be.

    It wasn''t long before he had found his ce in the depths of the untamed forest. It wasn''t like thisnd was imed or anything... it was fought for day by day by nature and its beasts.

    Lyrian looked for an opening, a ce where he could potentially set a trap or something of that nature. Traveling at his speed, he eventually found one not too far away.

    It was a fair-sized opening, enough to catch even arge beast off guard.

    ''Before I cultivate, I want to try out just how hard it is to beat up these creatures outside of the academy walls. I want to fight a strong one though, not just some random critter. Not only for its greater materials but also because it will actually be a challenge.'' He mused, darting his eyes around the area.

    ''Hm... I don''t really have the time to set a trap and wait. It might just be a good idea to go out and try to find one near this area.'' He thought after a few seconds of total silence.

    Just then, he felt an odd chill creep down his back. Slightly hesitant, he slowly turned his head.

    *ROAR*

    As he turned, he met the face of a ferocious tiger, its piercing amber eyes locked onto him with predatory intensity.

 Chapter 259 Rubus Tiger

    <h4>Chapter 259 Rubus Tiger</h4>

    The ck stripes above its eyes gave it an ominous, almost human-like expression, while its powerful muzzle showcased sharp white teeth.

    The face of this apex predator was a threatening, filled with raw, untamed power. The beast lunged at Lyrian with its maw gaped, itsrge fangs ready to tear the boy''s face apart.

    "Woah!" Lyrian eximed, jumping away off of his back foot. "I didn''t even notice you, yet you were that close..."

    The tiger stood from its pounce stance, its hulking shoulders raising up from the bushes. It wasrge, nearly double the size of a normal tiger. It also had a red gem on its forehead, symbolizing that it wasn''t just a basic animal.

    With a guttural growl, it slowly stepped forward. Lyrian slowly stepped back, feeling the predator''s gaze feel as though it punctured through his body.

    "Youpletely see me as a prey right now..." Lyrian said, observing the beast. "Scan."

    ��������Scan��������

    Name: None

    Species: Rubus Tiger

    Age: 37

    Overall Power (OP): 6

    Health: 66/66

    Stamina: 65/65

    Strength: 70

    Agility: 62

    Defense: 58

    Rank: Pure Beast: Layer 1

    ����������������������

    ''Pure... that is the beast rank equivalent to Genesis if I remember correctly from Ms. Nria.'' Lyrian thought to himself, taking a look at the beast''s stats.

    ''Our strength and speed nearly doubled during the duration of the Entrance exam. Still, I should be able to take this bastard out without a problem. All my stats are higher than it''s.''

    His OP was 8, while the Rubus Tigers'' was 6. Still, a mistake could cost him his life.

    The beast didn''t give him much more time to think, lunging at him with a paw swipe from the side. Lyrian dashed backward, easily evading the blow.

    This fight wasn''t like with the entrance exam. The stakes were much higher. This was life or death.

    Lyrian unsheathed his obsidian de, dashing back some more as the tigerunched a few more swipes.

    "And..." Lyrian said, focusing his eyes on the beast''s paws as it ran towards him.

    Finally, it lunged forward once again, attacking with its razor-sharp ws made of thick keratin.

    "Now!" Lyrian eximed, swiftly sidestepping the attack before thrusting his de up through the tiger''s arm. The arm was sliced clean off by the de''s sharp edge, leaving the tiger squealing in pain.

    It backed up, falling onto its stump of an arm as it let out a bloodcurdling roar.

    "Huh? A predator letting out a death cry? I haven''t seen that happen before." Lyrian said as he looked at the birds flying off of the tree tops out of the corner of his vision.

    "Wait... that''s not a death cry--" He cut himself off, feeling an iing burst of killing energy from behind him.

    Without hesitation, he Enhanced his legs and jumped into the air in a split second--just barely dodging another Rubus Tiger''s paw swipe by the breadth of a hair.

    "It was a call for help." Lyrian surmised,nding a few feet away.

    The new tiger quickly began to chase after him as he backed up the same way he did with the first one.

    "A duo of tigers. They are meant to be solo-hunting animals, but I guess it was foolish of me to assume that it would be like that everywhere. Who knows how they evolved in different ecosystems, thousands of miles apart from each other."

    As the tiger neared once more, Lyrian suddenly shouted, "Shadow Puppet!" As his shadow burst out of his chest. It flew forward and crashed into the iing tiger, bursting into smoke before suddenly being absorbed inside of the Rubus Tiger''s body.

    Lyrian smirked as the tiger froze on the spot. He stood up from the ground, having regained control of his real body.

    "Too strong..." He said, proudly wearing the Shadow Jade Pendant around his neck. "This item is far too strong." He smirked.

    "From what I understand, the being controlled by my shadow will follow my own body''s movement. Later on, however, I can even control the controlled being''s movement from thought alone." He grinned, as the thought was amusing.

    "For now though..." He slowly raised his hand, as the tiger did the same with its front paw.

    With force, he swiped his hand across his face. His nails were inches away from his face, but the tiger''s sure wasn''t. It sliced its face wide open with three distinct gashes, quickly covering its expression with blood.

    At that moment, Lyrian undid the skill, forcing his shadow back into his body as he leaped forward at the tiger. With it now blinded by its own blood, Lyrian was able to swiftly decapitate it.

    He didn''t stop there, running over to the other struggling tiger before putting it out of its misery as well by stabbing his de directly into the be of the beast.

    He pushed his leg against its snout as he pulled the de out. It sliced like a knife going through butter. Lyrian cleaned the blood off of it with a swift sh in the air before sheathing it.

    He gazed at the two bodies now lifeless on the floor. "Hmm... maybe I should been cleaner." He said walking over to the decapitated head of one of the tigers.

    He flipped it over to see the face. "And I probably should have conserved the hide as well." He took his de out again.

    "No... thinking on it, the hide will probably matter far less than the actual valuable item of the beast. For efficiency sake, I might just have to aim for these..." He said, carving the red gem out of the beast''s forehead.

    "Scan."

    ��������Item Scan��������

    Name: Magia Ruby

    Description: A diamond-shaped ruby enchained with mana found in the skull of a Rubus Tiger. This item is fairly valuable and is used to create magic elixirs, along with other trinkets.

    ������������������������������

    "Valuable huh? That''s what I like to hear." Lyrian smirked. He stored the ruby and then cut off a piece of the tiger''s hide. "Scan this now."

    ��������Item Scan��������

    Name: Rubus Tiger Fur

    Description: Poorly cut hide of a Rubus Tiger. This item is not very valuable, only used for low-tier armor. The low-grade cut also decreases its value.

    ������������������������������

 Chapter 260 Greater Cultivation

    <h4>Chapter 260 Greater Cultivation</h4>

    "Good. I won''t have to waste time collecting trash now, thanks to Gear," Lyrian said, tossing the piece of tiger fur on the ground.

    He looked at the bodies of the tigers after collecting the rubies from their heads. Their blood had been scattered everywhere. "No point in moving these bodies to save myself from predators, since I won''t be staying here anyways," he mumbled, leaping away.

    He was going to hunt some moreter on. Right now, however, he wanted to find a ce to cultivate. He was eager to use his new cultivation technique: Cerberus.

    ''A mana alcove would be ideal... but I doubt I''d find something like that here.'' He joked to himself as he traveled through the forest. After about half an hour, he decided that he was far enough away from the tiger bodies to not garner any attention from lurking beasts.

    Still, he wanted to be safe, so he climbed up a tree. The tree wasrger than most, so by the time he scaled it to the top, he was above the forest canopy.

    The sun was setting by this point on the distant horizon. It was awe-inspiring to gaze at��the endless sky with several clouds dispersed across it. The treetops below also didn''t stop.

    He sat down on one of the tter branches, leaning his back against the main trunk of the tree. In a lotus position, he closed his eyes. The cool, wild breeze hit his face as he began his cultivation.

    With Cerberus the Hound now infused into his cultivation technique, there was only one main difference. At first, he had to get mana himself using the technique. Eventually, he would get enough mana to unlock one of the four arch daemons.

    Each demon would greatly increase his speed of cultivation, but getting mana himself seemed to be impossible when he first did it. Now, however, Cerberus was going to be the one retrieving mana. At least, that was the idea.

    Cerberus was the Warden of Purgatory. It collected souls wandering the abyss realm and trapped them in prisons. So, why couldn''t it help Lyrian by collecting mana and trapping it inside of his body?

    Now, all that was left to do was test this out. Lyrian followed his usual protocol when cultivating. After using the art of Smithing to greatly stabilize his concentration, his vision turned 3D once again.

    In the pitch darkness, only a silhouette of his body was outlined in white. Finally, he summoned Cerberus forth.

    ''Go, Cerberus. Bring me mana,'' he said in his mind. He made this a part of his technique so that it wouldn''t disturb his concentration.

    As he thought this, a sphere of purple smoke appeared in front of him. Of course, this was only visible to him in his concentrated state. In the real world, it was invisible.

    However, he also realized at that moment that he had the ability to make it visible. For now, he chose not to do that and continued. From the sphere soon came the head of a ferocious hound.

    At his new master''smand, the hound swiftly traveled outwards into the world, leaving a trail of purple smoke behind it. It soon neared the colorful gaseous liquid floating in the air. This was mana in its most raw form.

    It opened its maw, before chomping down on the substance.

    [0.004 Mana gained]

    After a couple of minutes, it found another blob of mana before scarfing it down as well.

    [0.003 Mana gained]

    Lyrian didn''t know what to think of this pace at first. Sure, it was greater than his initial cultivation technique, Gale, but was it strong enough for him?

    After an hour, he calcted the amount of mana he received. It was around 0.15 mana. With that standard, it would take him about six or seven hours of cultivation to get one mana.

    Taking this, he began to calcte using Gear. If he could cultivate for a maximum of 6-8 hours a day or 7 hours, it would get him about 1.05 mana per day.

    This... was amazing! It didn''t seem like much, but 1 mana per day was like hitting the jackpot! That meant he would break through past Genesis after only a year and a little bit, considering the stronger arch daemons would grant him an even greater cultivation speed.

    "The mana I have cultivated so far, which took me several years... I could get that in around a third of a single year with this speed," he smiled, continuing to cultivate for that day.

    As the sun fully set several hourster, Lyrian opened his eyes. He was pretty mentally exhausted from cultivating, but he also felt rejuvenated at the same time.

    "Status," he immediately said, wanting to understand his future rate of growth.

    ��������Status��������

    Name: Lyrian Theageld

    Title(s): None

    Species: Human

    Bloodline: Unknown

    Age: 10 Years

    Overall Power (OP): 8

    Vitality: 113 Years

    Health: 80/80

    Stamina: 77/77

    Strength: 81

    Agility: 80

    Defense: 75

    Body: Normal

    Rank: Genesis: Layer 1

    MP: 130.6/200 (+50)

    ����������������������

    "Ah..." he awkwardlyughed. "I guess I won''t make improvements so quickly. Although it''s many times more efficient than before, it''s still going to be tough to grow in power," he mused. "But, that''s alright. It will only be up from here."

    He closed the tab before beginning to climb down the tree. The forest was much creepier after night fell. Lyrian hadpletely lost track of time. He wanted to hunt as well but didn''t find the time to do so.

    "I might as well start making my schedule now..." he ran back to the academy gates following his bracelet map.

    "I want to hunt for materials, cultivate, and also practice on BF. Of course, all of this will be in my free time. After all my courses, I will be out at about 1 p.m." He paused, musing how to fix his schedule.

    "I will hunt first, but not for long. An hour should suffice. After that, I will cultivate for seven hours. That will be my main priority. Finally, I''ll train on Battle Forge for another hour, or even two if I don''t have any school work."

 Chapter 261 Battle Forge Shop

    <h4>Chapter 261 Battle Forge Shop</h4>

    Lyrian soon arrived back in his dorm room. He hadn''t seen his roommate for a while now, and this time, he was nowhere to be seen either. As he took off his shoes, he heard the quiet hum of the showering from the bathroom.

    "Has he been in there this entire time?" Lyrian mumbled under his breath, entering his own BF. "I have about an hour or so before I have to sleep now. I suppose that time is best spent probably beating up some people for training."

    As soon as he entered, he went to the game menu and paused. He was going to click the ranked game mode option immediately but had another thought as he saw the [Shop] icon avable to him.

    Currently, he had a rank of 201. He was on the third rank and only needed to get 49 more points to rank up again. Ever since entering the third rank, this tab was shown as unlocked to him by the game.

    He never really bothered checking it, but this time, he decided to take a look. As soon as he chose it, a wide panel with a vast array of items appeared before him.

    He was slightly taken aback in surprise. Armor and weapons were the main courses, sold for surprisingly cheap prices. Some, however, were also very expensive.

    At first nce, everything looked to be of very high quality and powerful. On closer inspection, however, Lyrian realized that none of the items were actually worth anything.

    Reading the description of a few, he saw that they were nothing but skins that went on previously existing items to make them look better. This came as a relief to Lyrian, who thought that this game was pay-to-win.

    That would have made no sense anyway, as he hadn''t heard about that as of yet, and it wouldn''t make sense for a game of training practice anyway. After all, yers wouldn''t be able to use those items in the real world, so having them benefit them in the game didn''t seem usible. Thankfully, his suspicions were correct.

    After a few more seconds of scrolling, he was about to click off the tab when something caught his attention. It was a skin for armor, specifically one for his head. It was a white mask with a simple expression on it. It wasn''t veryrge or over the top, not overdramatic whatsoever.

    So far, Lyrian had simply been using his shirt to cover his face. It was so he wouldn''t get recognized, but it was an annoying aspect of BF for him. This mask, however, would aid him greatly. Not only would he be able to fight morefortably, but his identity would also be safer with a real mask.

    The price of it was 10 Riftstones, which was surprisingly cheap. He bought it without hesitation, as he didn''t see anything else remotely close to it in looks. Everything else was big and bulky. They were helmets and armor pieces, all of which he imagined would impede his ability to fight.

    As soon as he spent the Riftstones, the mask appeared in his in-game inventory. He pulled it out before putting it on his face. His vision wasn''t impaired at all, and it fit perfectly.

    With a satisfied smirk on his face, he left the shop menu and queued for a ranked game. The queues were always mere seconds long. It seemed some people never left the game.

    Before long, a fight had initiated. Opponents were stronger now due to his higher rank, but he could still defeat them without much problem. Even if he were to lose, he knew that Garmr could finish off his te.

    With the mask on his face, Lyrian faced his opponent, who also had a masked face. The boy standing 50 feet away from Lyrian was fully clothed in red knight armor. The knight lifted the long broadsword in his hand as he positioned himself to fight. Seeing this, Lyrian also unsheathed his de.

    Without warning, the two dashed forward at each other. Their des met powerfully in the middle of the domain, as they pushed each other back. At that moment, Lyrian deemed that his opponent was strong enough to be at least one rank higher than him.

    ''He must be over 250 points... and he hasn''t said a word either. A serious fighter,'' Lyrian mused. He liked this. He could finally train hard.

    The two backed off slightly, before reengaging their fight with a barrage of attacks. Each sh was dodged by the other, each thrust dodged. Finally, a powerful overhead cleave forced Lyrian to back off. Clearly, his opponent''s sword skill was greater than his.

    ''Sword skill again... I have to get better at it. Simply overpowering someone won''t be feasible,'' he thought to himself. He wasn''t allowed to n ahead, as the knight dashed toward him and began unleashing several powerful shes in his direction. Enhancing his body, Lyrian dodged the attacks precisely.

    However, the tip of the cleaver managed to slightly scratch him a few times. Clearly, this wasn''t a rookie. Without letting up, the knight continued to march forward with his attacks.

    Lyrian wanted to use his Shadow Jade Pendant but knew that he was the only one who had such a thing in the academy. It was well known that he had it as well, so exposing himself wouldn''t be smart.

    With another sh, a shallow cut gashed across Lyrian''s chest. At that moment, he realized that this battle was going nowhere.

    ''Damn,'' he mused, disappointed in himself, ''I guess you can''t win them all... I need to learn how to use the sword better.'' He dashed back for onest time before jumping straight up in the air. This left the knight slightly confused. What confused him even more was when a giant wolf appeared underneath his opponent. Garmr lunged at the knight without hesitation.

    The knight tried to sidestep but was caught in the attack. He fell to the floor as Garmr began to swipe away at him with his sharp ws.

    *ng*

    *ng*

    The knight blocked the attacks as much as he could with his sword, but eventually, Garmr''s paw mmed into his side. The attack sent him flying across the room.

 Chapter 262 The Red Knight

    <h4>Chapter 262 The Red Knight</h4>

    After skidding across the floor, the knight drove his de across the ground to stop himself. Finally, he pushed the face cover of his helmet off to reveal his eyes, nose, and mouth.

    His eyes widened in shock, and he was slightly bleeding from his lips. Pushing his sword into the ground, he stood up. "This is... unheard of," he said, standing up.

    Still on top of Garmr, Lyrian slowly made his way to the boy. Soon enough, he realized that he recognized the face under that helmet...

    ''Huh? That''s my roommate!'' He said to himself in confusion.

    Out of nowhere, the knight, who Lyrian now realized was his roommate after all, began tough. "Hahahaha! Something like this hasn''t happened to me in a while. First, someone actually fights me and doesn''t forfeit the match immediately, and second, they do some damage!" He sounded like a maniac.

    "The arrogance on this guy..." Lyrian mumbled with distaste.

    "Don''t take it the wrong way... I''m just surprised, is all. Now... let me y seriously."

    Lyrian didn''t know what the knight was talking about, but he soon found out. Within seconds, the knight''s entire body began to glow in a green hue.

    ''What? That... Enhance.'' Lyrian couldn''t help but recognize that color.

    "You see... I tend to go easy on here. Otherwise, no one would want to fight me. The ones that do still give up after a while most of the time. However, if they actually pose a challenge, which doesn''t happen often, I start to use mana." The boy''s eyes lit up as he spoke.

    "But don''t get discouraged, weakling. I only use a little, and use more as the fight goes on. I want to get the most out of this, you know?"

    "You like fighting that much?" Lyrian retorted abruptly.

    "No... I don''t like fighting much at all. I like to study though... study all manners of battle so that I can be greater than others. But enough about me. How about you show me how you handle this?"

    On hearing this, Lyrian said, "Shadow," under his breath. Garmr disappeared from sight, as Zuuc appeared in his stead.

    "Huh? Another beast? Not bad..." The knight eximed.

    Lyrian walked to the side. He stared at the Generational Hobgoblin, whose arms were crossed. As usual, he didn''t feel like following Lyrian''smands that day either.

    "Zuuc! If you beat this guy, I will deem you stronger than Garmr for one day!"

    Suddenly, Zuuc''s eyes widened, and a grin formed on his face. "What!? I''ll do it then!" The beast eximed in its rough voice, uncrossing its hands.

    "Puny human, prepare to die!" He stared at the knight.

    "Huh... having it fight for you huh? I suppose that is your right as a summoner," Lyrian''s roommate eximed, facing Zuuc.

    "Begin!" Lyrian shouted as Zuuc stormed towards the knight in his adult, green form.

    He was agile, like a human running at max speed. Except, much more ferocious and scary. The knight didn''t back down, however. He ran toward Zuuc at full speed, dragging his de behind him.

    He was much faster now with Enhance, and Lyrian noticed this early on. "I would have gotten destroyed quickly if I fought with him like that..." He said as Zuuc neared the knight.

    Finally, the knight heaved his sword up and swung toward the tall brute from the side. At that moment, the hobgoblin disappeared from the knight''s sight out of nowhere!

    Zuuc had transformed into his baby form. He ran to the side of the attack before turning into his elder form out of nowhere and unleashing a powerful punch right at the knight''s shoulder.

    "Woah--not good." The boy said, driving his sword in front of his shoulder just in time to block the attack. Still, he was flung into the air once again. Hended safely this time but understood the power that he just felt.

    "If that hit me straight on..." He began to muse, as the beast began storming towards him again.

    "Haha! Good! I will use my normal power now then!" The knight suddenly threw his broad sword to the side.

    "I used that weapon to purposefully slow me down. Only brainless brutes have such big weapons. The wise use the quick weapons, the small weapons." He said, unsheathing a thin but long de from his waist.

    In a series of quick and calcted steps, he neared Zuuc in less than a second. Before the hobgoblin knew it, its arm had been pierced straight through. It dashed back, gripping its forearm that was spewing out blood.

    Lyrian was also surprised to see this. ''Hmm... Zuuc''s current OP is around 9. An OP of 10 represents a Genesis: Layer 2 rank. If he is stronger than Zuuc, that means that he is in the secondyer undoubtedly. Maybe even the third.''

    "You see, I learned my skills from my great father. He knew all that needed to be known in this world and taught me how to be a feared and ruthless monarch. These skills are for inducing fright within an enemy. Now, feel it, beast." He remarked, dashing from side to side as Zuuc quickly became disorientated.

    "Side Step Mirage!" The knight shouted as the speed of his side steps allowed him to create several blurs of himself around the hobgoblin.

    Out of nowhere, spikes and thrusts began hurtling toward Zuuc from different ces in the circle. They poked and prodded at him, injuring him countlessly in a matter of seconds.

    "Alright... that''s enough. Shadow." Lyrian called Zuuc back into his shadow at that moment.

    "Hahaha!" The boy suddenly broke out into a frenziedugh, "Scared for your summon, huh? Better get it some potions, or it''s not gonnast long with how much it''s bleeding!"

    ''Let''s see... how strong have you gotten, Tao?'' Lyrian said, unleashing the bird from his shadow.

    It was surprisinglyrge, the size of a fully grown eagle by this point. As it began soaring through the air, its wingspan was nine feet in length.

    Lyrian looked at its stats... and was at a loss for words.

    ��������Scan��������

    Name: Tao

    ---

 Chapter 263 New Strongest Creature

    <h4>Chapter 263 New Strongest Creature</h4>

    Even though the creature was only a juvenile, its strength was at an absurd level. Although Lyrian''s created creatures grew quickly in their early years thanks to the system, this was still an unexpected level of power.

    ��������Scan��������

    Name: Tao

    Species: Duskwing Pheon

    Age: ~1

    Overall Power (OP): 12

    Health: 120/120

    Stamina: 124/124

    Strength: 122

    Agility: 140

    Defense: 115

    Rank: Normal

    Special: Ancient Bloodline (This creature holds a unique bloodline, granting it the power of its ancient predecessors.) Note that this creature will continue gaining more of its unique ancient abilities as it matures.

    ����������������������

    ''Not only is it absurdly powerful... but it also gained the Ancient Bloodline just like the Pheon! And just like the Pheon, its agility stat is immensely higher as well. This thing will grow into a beast when it fully matures.'' A smirk appeared on Lyrian''s face.

    Tao had a serious yet indifferent expression on its face as it continued to fly freely.

    "Tao! Will you take mymand?" Lyrian announced, staring at the bird. The knight also looked up, ceasing to fight for a moment.

    "What in the hell is that? First, you had a big Dire wolf, and then a weird shape-changing hobgoblin, and now, a white and ck bird?"

    After a few seconds, Tao pped its wings toward the ground and darted up into the infinite ceiling, or whatever it was that was above them. It soon turned into a minuscule blur, before suddenly missiling down towards the ground.

    It moved so fast that a thinyer of orange heat formed in front of it. The knight donned a concerned face, backing up slightly. Lyrian was also confused, and clueless about what Tao was doing.

    Suddenly, the bird came inches from the ground before turning in mid-air and darting toward Lyrian at immense speeds. Lyrian instinctively blocked his hands, seeing the birding at him at speeds he could barely even witness.

    At that moment, he felt tworge talons clutch onto his wrist. He opened his closed eyes, noticing that Tao hadnded on his arm.

    "Ha--haha! Good, so you will obey me!" Tao didn''t make a sound but didn''t deny Lyrian either.

    "At least I have some creatures who listen to me... now, go and take care of that bastard!" Lyrian shouted, as Tao jumped off of his arm and blitzed towards the knight without wasting a millisecond.

    "Hey! What the he--" The knight tried to exim, but was suddenly cut off as a blurred figure tore through his left arm. It flew in the air beforending a few feet away on the ground.

    "Huh!? So quick! I have to y seriously!" The knight fueled his body with a ton of mana and Enhanced it thickly as he turned around to face the bird that wasing back for another go.

    He took in a deep breath and tried to time the bird''s attack. As soon as it arrived 50 feet from him, he thrust forward with his sword. It wasn''t well thought out, but it was the best he could do.

    However, Tao swiftly evaded the attack and flew at the knight''s neck. In one fell sweep, the knight was decapitated.

    +1 Rank Point.

    And with that, Tao returned to Lyrian''s arm in an instant. Lyrian had an uncontroble grin on his face this entire time. "Good work. Shadow," Tao disappeared into his shadow, "I guess there is a new general in town. The strongest of all my creatures. Speaking of which... I want to create an even stronger one soon. Maybe I''ll go on a big hunt." He mused, leaving the BF.

    As soon as he stepped out of it, his roommate walked out of the bathroom. He seemed frustrated, marching straight to his bed and falling onto it.

    "H-how!? How can a weakling like that have tamed such a beast!? Damn it! My first loss... and it was to a damn summon." He mumbled to himself into his pillow, clenching his fists.

    Lyrian soon entered his bed to sleep as well. As he did, his roommate suddenly looked over at him gazing up at the ceiling.

    "Hey... you." The boy suddenly said, staring directly at Lyrian.

    Lyrian slowly turned to him, ''What the heck? Did he figure me out or something?''

    "Hmm..." His roommate squinted his eyes and continued gazing at him without saying a word. "Never mind... you are way too weak for that. There''s no way."

    As soon as Lyrian heard this, he turned to face the ceiling again. He heaved a quiet sigh of relief.

    ''That was close... thank god he didn''t find out that it was me. All my secrets would have been spoiled.''

    "There was a guy... a crazy strong one." His roommate began to talk.

    ''What is this bastard yapping to me about now!? Doesn''t he hate me?'' Lyrian thought to himself.

    "He was... too strong, so I had to report him. He took away my 100% win rate for this year... the cunt." He eximed in frustration, before looking over at Lyrian, "Ya'' hear me--" He cut himself off, seeing Lyrian snoring.

    "Wh--how dare you! You are a mongrel! Ugh!" He turned around aggressively, closing his eyes shut.

    ***

    "Another report of a yer abusing the system?" A man said, standing behind the seat of a man who stared at a magic orb.

    "Yeah... how about you let me work?" The man sitting in front of the orb said, turning to look at the man standing behind him with slight irritation.

    "Hahaha! This is my only break today, let me have some fun bullying you! Anyways... how many of those do you get per day?"

    "I get 50 or more." The man working with the orb quickly replied.

    "Do you have to reply to all of them?"

    "No... all of them are just sore losers who can''t ept losses. At least, for the most part."

    A few seconds of silence resounded in the room they were in... before another report popped up on the orb.

    "What''s this? A new one..."

    The man ced his hand above the orb, as it shifted to show the recap of a recently reported fight.

    "What in the world!?" The man standing behind the seated man said in pure shock, "Summons like that, and from a new ranker!?"

    "I have to report this..." The man using the orb sounded dumbfounded.

 Chapter 264 Perfection

    <h4>Chapter 264 Perfection</h4>

    *Ring*

    *Ring*

    *Click*

    A man brought his wrist bracelet up to his ear. His face was shadowed. His bracelet looked more advanced in techpared to every other one.

    "A phone call straight to me?" He immediately said with slight irritation.

    "N-no, sir! We got this phone call from a series of other lines leading up. They all reported to us, and we feel we have to report it to you!" The voice behind the call sounded nervous.

    "Hmm... fine. Tell me, what was so important that you felt it was necessary to report to me directly?"

    "Well... you see, it is best shown, rather than said. Take a look at this footage of a duel in BF."

    ...

    The man who wore a more advanced bracelet had a slightly surprised but also amused expression on his face. "Oo~ what is this?"

    "That is exactly what we thought as well, sir. What should we do?"

    "Well first, tell me who he is."

    "...We can''t, sir."

    "What? Why not?"

    "This yer seems to want to keep his identity hidden."

    "Then go into his personal logs and find out. I want to know who it is by tomorrow." The man didn''t hesitate to say.

    "B-but, sir! That would be going against our polic--" The employee was cut off.

    "I''m sure I can trust you to handle this business proficiently."

    *Click*

    ***

    *Tweet!*

    A pointy object poked Lyrian''s nose out of nowhere, forcing him to jerk up from his sleep.

    "What the?" He touched the tip of his nose, which had now turned red.

    "You..." He stared at his Pheon, which was chirping as it flew in a circle in front of him.

    He looked at the time on his bracelet and saw that it was almost time to wake up for ss, so he did just that.

    After a short sigh, he began to get ready. "Calling you ''you'' isn''t simple. I guess I''ll give you a real name." Lyrian mumbled under his breath as he began to brush his teeth, the Pheon circling around him.

    "Hmm. Nova... yeah, that fits." He said as the Pheon quickly flew around him, pecking at his head multiple times.

    "Ah-! Hey! Stop that you bastard!" He eximed, ducking and weaving the attacks as he swatted away at the bird.

    At that moment, he remembered something. "I''m still wondering why everyone was looking at me oddly when I went out with you yesterday..."

    This thought persisted in his mind until he was fully ready. He left his room and began heading to his first ss.

    Just like the day before, he got some surprised, odd looks. This time, he even heard some whispers.

    "Is that his Spirit Pet?"

    "That''s the one he got as an MVP, right? From the high-grade egg?"

    "Look... it''s following him without any trouble..."

    Soon, Lyrian arrived at his first ss. Zaryn Mythology continued as normal until halfway through the ss when Sir Peser proposed a question to the ss.

    "And so, kids, that was how Ephiras created a powerful alliance between our three kingdoms as well! Now, we all know that Varant was great, and we prize him in many aspects, but do you know what he prized himself? What was his greatest quality, the thing that shaped his personality?"

    As soon as he said this, several hands were raised in the air as usual. Smart kids near the front of the ss were eager to answer.

    However, Peser picked a hand from the back, one that never raised before.

    "I would say that Varant valued the concept of perfection the most," Lyrian said from his seat, garnering a few head turns.

    Sir Peser didn''t say anything, as other students quickly interjected.

    "What? Were you not listening to the lecture this entire time!?" A boy with sses sitting in the front row suddenly eximed, "If you studied the textbook, you would see that he valued honesty above all!"

    Suddenly, the front of the ss erupted into a free-for-all, where students began to disagree with each other left and right.

    "No! The 8th chapter highlights his strength more so than his honesty!"

    "Huh? So what!? The 9th values courage!"

    "What do you mean ''so what?''? The 8th chapter is written by one of the greatest historians known on earth! You can''t deny his words!"

    Finally, Peser silenced the students, "Shush!" He eximed in a stern tone, interrupting all of the ongoing arguments.

    "Lyrian." He said as people turned to face him again.

    "Perfection... I haven''t ever heard that answer to this question before."

    As he was speaking, a nerdy boy mumbled under his breath, "Yeah... ''cause it''s not in the textbook!" Beforeughing with his friends. "Fucking retard..." He insulted Lyrian.

    "Why did you say perfection?" Peser finished his question.

    Lyrian looked down at the nerdy boy in the front row who was slouched overughing with his friends and answered promptly. "It''s simple, he says showing how his greatest quality was perfection."

    The nerdy boy couldn''t take any more of this and suddenly shouted out, "Wrong! He directly never says a word in the textbook! What is this guy talking about?" His friends burst into augh again.

    Lyrian continued, "The textbook is written by ''historians'' or in other words, random people who never met or saw Varant. However, I have read his personal book."

    At that moment, the students in the front row ceased theirughing. A smirk even appeared on Peser''s face.

    "There, he writes that one should have mastered all forms of his being. Not just his strength, courage, and honesty, but even down to how he speaks and thinks."

    Before anyone could say anything to this, Peser eximed, "Correct! My, it''s been years since I''ve read the book; I nearly forgot about it. It being so unpopr should be a crime... but Lyrian, you hit the nail right on the head!"

    Peser said as he continued to lecture, bringing a grimacing frown to the nerdy kid''s face.

    "Che." Lyrian chuckled at seeing this.

    "No-no! That''s wrong." A voice suddenly cut through the early silence.

    At that moment, everyone turned their heads to face... Israthel.

 Chapter 265 Israthels Beatdown

    Chapter 265 Israthel''s Beatdown

    As Lyrian turned his head toward Israthel, an unimpressed expression donning his face, he said to himself, ''How miserable can a person be... this idiot just won''t stop trying to get at me. Still, this is pathetic.''

    Peser called on Israthel to continue his point.

    "Varant never says that perfection is his greatest quality, so this fool is wrong! You can''t just make up shit, you moron. This isn''t the boonies where you can get away with it, this is a royal academy."

    No one spoke for a few seconds.

    "Is that... right," Peser said, as the bell marking the end of ss suddenly rang.

    Israthel smiled cunningly at Lyrian as Sir Peser left the ss with his bag, along with several other students.

    "Come with me, if you''re not a fucking pussy." Israthel stood up and began to walk down toward the exit, as his fat friend quickly followed him.

    Lyrian and Leon exchanged irritated looks with each other before walking out of the room themselves.

    Surprisingly, they followed Israthel as he made his way to the bathroom. Who was this surprising to? Well, Israthel, of course. He turned to look behind himself as he saw the two still behind him.

    ''It worked! They really fell for it! I didn''t think they were going to... but now, they will learn their lesson.'' He inwardly rejoiced.

    As soon as he, his aplice, Lyrian, and Leon entered the bathroom, he stopped. Turning around, he said, "Come out boys," With a smirk on his face, "It''s time to hunt."

    As he said this, five students suddenly jumped out of the stalls. They walked over to Israthel with excited grins.

    "You idiots... how could you just walk in here so cluelessly? Why did you trust me in the first ce? Ahaha! Now you''re dead! So what if you''re strong and whatnot... you don''t possibly think you can beat a two versus seven fight do you?"

    As he said this, one of the five kids walked behind Lyrian and Leon and blocked the exit. At that moment, both Lyrian and Leon smirked.

    As Israthel was expecting, the two of them usually wouldn''t follow his lead. However, they had surmised a n through their eyes alone back in the ssroom.

    "We followed you in here cluelessly... to beat your ass," Lyrian said, Enhancing his fist.

    "Huh?" Israthel eximed, as a fist suddenly hurtled toward his face.

    Before he could react, one of his aplices blocked the punch from Lyrian, but not without hurting his hand.

    "Ouch!" He eximed in pain. His palm, which he blocked the attack with, was bright red and bruised.

    "Beat my ass!? Go ahead and try!"

    With that, all the goons attacked the two all at once. They all knew not to use magic since it would make too much noise. However, fighting closebat with two closebat fighters turned out to be a silly choice...

    After three minutes, all of the seven kids, along with Israthel, were seated against the wall. Their faces looked like avocados, they were beaten so bad that they were unrecognizable.

    Lyrian curled his palm into a fist again, as all of them suddenly gasped.

    "Gnoooo!" Israthel eximed, trying to say ''Noo!'' "Don''f do vhis! Im sowyy!"

    "Listen up... you all are lucky I spared you." Lyrian began to walk in front of the kids lined up against the wall.

    As he walked past them, each one of them gasped in horror. They touched their palms together to pray to be pitied as Lyrian continued his frightening walk...

    "And you." He stopped at Israthel and knelt down.

    "Stop messing with me. Next time will be worse if you try to again..."

    Israthel violently nodded, looking at Lyrian with conviction.

    Seeing this, Lyrian and Leon exited the bathroom. After a few seconds, Israthel screamed at the top of his lungs.

    "ARGHH! DAMN IT ALL!" He mmed his fists into the floor. They were injured from his fight with Lyrian, so it hurt him far more than he was expecting. "Ahh! Fuck!" He eximed in pain.

    "Hey! He can probably still hear you! Calm down!" One of his aplices said.

    Israthel stood up abruptly and grabbed the kid by his cor, lifting him up against the wall. His eyes were fueled with rage.

    "What the fuck did you say?! You think I''m scared of him!? He''s gone too far now... If I don''t murder that son of a bitch, I swear, my name won''t be Israthel any longer!"

    He said, dropping the horrified kid on the ground as he stomped outside of the bathroom. He was forced toe to a halt as soon as he exited, however, as a crowd of students had formed around the hall near the bathroom.

    As soon as they all saw him, they were left astonished. Jaws dropped to the floors, and several bracelets shed to take pictures.

    Whispers of spection and jokes murmured through the crowd as Israthel was forced to take in a deep gasp of embarrassment. He quickly broke through the crowd and stormed off, hiding his head in shame.

    "I swear..." He widened his eyes as he stared at the ground, boiling with infuriation. "I swear I''ll kill him."

    ***

    By this point, Lyrian had arrived at Ms. Nria''s ss. As he entered, he noticed something peculiar immediately. On the desks of every student was... a small cage?

    Whether it be a box for and creature or a bird cage for a flyer, no desk failed to have one atop it. As he entered, everyone stared at him and Nova.

    ''Ah... so this is why everyone was staring at me like a ghost.''

    "Lyrian! It is a miracle! You have already tamed your Spirit Pet!" Nria suddenly shouted in glee as he walked over to Lyrian.

    Lyrian nearly replied, ''Yeah...'' With a hint of awkwardness in his voice, but remembering Varant''sws, opted to give another reply. A confident reply.

    "I did." He said instead, garnering the gasps of a few.

    His confidence made him seem like he had some sort of powerful taming technique, which made others respect him even more.

 Chapter 266 Tamed Without A Technique?

    Chapter 266 Tamed Without A Technique?

    Nria looked at him with wide eyes and a delighted smile on his face. An awkward silence prolonged as Lyrian looked around. Everyone was staring right at him.

    ''Am I... supposed to say something? What''s everyone waiting for?'' He mused with confusion.

    "So... tell us. What taming technique did you use?" Nria said as she saw that Lyrian had remained silent.

    ''What technique?'' He was dumbfounded. ''I am supposed to be confident, but I shouldn''t lie either. What''s the point in that.''

    "I didn''t use a technique. Nova here simply took a liking to me." He stopped himself there before he could say ''I guess'' at the end. That would sound unconfident.

    Several gasps of astonishment and awe reverberated through the kids.

    "Wow..."

    "How is that even possible for a Pheon? My Tree Turtle won''t even do that, let alone a high-ranking pet such as that..."

    Nria herself was even more pleased, as her smile stretched even more. ''A... prodigy! How is it possible, to have a beast like this be tamed from sheer presence!'' She thought to herself, looking at Nova who joyfully flew around Lyrian''s head.

    Lyrian followed the bird with his eyes, as everyone else in the ss did as well. He looked at it in annoyance, but everyone else looked at it with jealousy and amazement.

    ''I wish my creature flew around me like that...''

    ''How his Pheon so... lively? My Rock Snake doesn''t even move...''

    "Alright, calm down bird. Stop flying around me, it''s getting annoying." Lyrian suddenly eximed, as Nova quickly stopped andnded on top of his head.

    Even more gasps sounded from the ss. This time they originated from different emotions; a mix of surprise and even some anger.

    ''How could he be so rude to his pet!? He is ungrateful! If my pet behaved so nicely, I would praise it a hundred times each day!''

    ''Woah... it stopped with a singlemand? Did he really not use any technique to tame it?''

    Nria eventually began her lesson, but most of the ss spent time looking at Nova. Nova wasn''t too upset about this either, looking rather happy on Lyrian''s head. It��or rather, he, had his chin up and eyes closed, feeling prideful.

    While on the other hand, Lyrian, whose temple Nova stood on, felt irritated by the whole predicament. He didn''t like everyone''s eyes on him for such an extended period for such an odd reason... it was weird.

    The ss end was a relief, as Lyrian quickly got out of there before anyone could ask him questions.

    "Hey! I want to ask you what you did to make it like you so much!"

    Kids began to shout questions at him as they saw him rushing to leave. However, Lyrian ignored all of them and skedaddled away.

    In the halls, he looked up at Nova and heaved a relieved sigh. ''This school life is getting boring... I don''t learn anything, and instead, I get pissed off...''

    In the canteen, Lyrian noticed Draco walk by his table again. The boy had a cheeky smirk on his face as if to tease Lyrian.

    As Lyrian''s eyes followed him, he thought of getting revenge. ''It''s been a while since myst encounter with him. I want to avenge my loss fromst time. I''ll have to do it while still hiding my identity, so it won''t be as satisfying. But it''s sure as hell going to be fun still.'' A smirk donned his face as he thought of it.

    In Rerth''s ss, Lyrian was acknowledged by the teacher for his absence for the first time in the day.

    As he and his ssmates sat on the stalls, waiting to be counted up, Rerth approached him.

    "Boy, how are you feeling? Not injured for life or anything like that, are you?" He shoved Lyrian on the back with quite a bit of force, making Lyrian nearly stumble forward.

    "I''m fine, Rerth, better than before." What he said was true, but he made sure to say it in a way where Rerth understood his annoyance.

    "Haha! I''m just messing with ya! I have your medical records in my back pocket, kid. I was just testing you to see if you were going to try and get out of today''s lesson." Rerth stared at Lyrian with a smile on his face after finishing his joke.

    He expected someughter from Lyrian or at least one of the other students, but they all just stared at him nkly. "Ah?" He asked, encouragingughter, "Ah." He said in disappointment, not smiling anymore.

    Walking to the front of the ss, he began to speak, "Alright, well listen up brats! You have all been training for a while now and have gotten stronger. More limated to intense physical scenarios!"

    Everyone shook their heads in agreement as he continued.

    "Now, you will all be tested a bit on what you have learned so far!"

    As he said this, many kids smiled in excitement.

    "Finally!" A kid blurted out, seemingly excited.

    "It''s happening! Soon, we won''t have to spend our lives at this crappy school anymore!" Another said to his friend.

    ''Huh?'' Lyrian mused in confusion. ''What is he talking about... not spending their lives here.'' He was slightly interested, as life at the academy had started to get quite crappy for him as well. At least, life in his sses.

    "Tomorrow, we will perform a scheduled hunt! Today, I will exin what it is, and what you will have to do to fully prepare for it."

    Rerth took in a big breath, "Two sses! Each one is a Hunting ss, one led by me, and one led by another Hunting ss instructor. You brats and the brats of the other ss will enter a marked domain in the forest. There, both teams will be released into the Venus Dungeon, and the one with the most valuable beast items will win a prize. That is your motive to try your best. This isn''t an exam where you pass or fail, but still, don''t ck off. If you do, I won''t cut you into the prize at all..."

 Chapter 267 Alchemy Class

    Chapter 267 Alchemy ss

    "The prize is a simple thing: 1000 Riftstones divided among you equally. When I say equally, I don''t mean fairly, however. The one who contributes most to the hunting, who gets the most valuable beast materials, will get the biggest chunk of the prize. This is why you shouldn''t ck off."

    As Rerth said this, kids became eager to begin training for the event right this second.

    "I''ll talk to you more about it tomorrow, the day of the little practice. Today, I have other matters to attend to," Rerth said, quickly running out of the ssroom.

    The students were disappointed to see this. "He''s been running off at the end of ss for over a week now," they said with unimpressed expressions. "I wonder what he''s always busy doing..."

    Lyrian, on the other hand, had a smirk on his face. ''I guess it''s going to be my payday tomorrow,'' he mused. Anything that had to do with getting more Riftstones was great news for him.

    Lyrian spent the ss doing some exercises on the several machines scattered around the gym floor before moving to his next ss.

    Granweid''s Magia course wasn''t as eventful as the others. Granweid congratted Lyrian on getting the cultivation technique from the 5th floor of the ancient library and checked on his well-being.

    After that, a basic exnation of how cultivation techniques worked and their backgrounds was revealed.

    "Cultivation techniques are methods created mostly by powerful cultivators of the past who not only wanted to maximize their power but also pass it on to future generations. Although there are several ways a mana cultivation technique can be forged, most are created in this way." This information from his teacher was the most useful to Lyrian.

    As it ended, Lyrian got pretty excited for his next and final ss. It was his new course that he picked: Alchemy.

    ***

    Lyrian made his way into the ssroom and was surprised by its interior immediately. It was like the time he walked into Nria''s ss and saw the giant tree within.

    Here, instead of a giant tree, he walked into a room with a giant ck pot in the middle of it. A round cauldron, one could say. There was nothing but that on the floor, but on the sides looked to be steps leading up to the upper floor of the room.

    Lyrian walked up the steps and walked past the cauldron in the middle of the room, soon arriving at the real ssroom farther back. Railings were ced on the pathway to the ssroom, as well as at the back of the ssroom, all dropping to the cauldron on the first floor.

    Lyrian went and sat on one of the chairs, as a few heads turned to look at him. It was the usual gazes, but this time, Lyrian noticed someone that caught his interest.

    This kid wasn''t looking at him, but near the first row sat a boy with a white robe on. His robe was littered with the yellow symbol of crescent moons, and Lyrian recognized those immediately.

    ''That... Linus Creyuun.'' He mused, sitting down opposite of him in the room��the only seat left.

    In front of the ss was arge board with a ton of writings and recipes, it seemed like. There was also a desk, but no teacher to be found.

    Just then, loud cking footsteps began to make their way up the steps. Before long, a beautiful young woman made her way to the front of the ss.

    She wore long heels and stockings, which hid��yet entuated her long legs. Her face was that of a model, some might have even called her... a jade beauty. Her body looked to be just on par��voluptuous in shape.

    Her two eyes were sharp and piercing, yet her expression was calm. She had two other��quiterge��things on her that were also sharp and piercing... but Lyrian didn''t pay much attention to those...

    Ahem!

    Many students looked in awe of her beauty as she finally began to speak after a few seconds.

    "Before we begin, a new student has joined our ss," she said, staring directly at Lyrian. He was used to stares, but hers felt a little off-putting for some reason.

    Since he sat at the back, other students turned to face him as well.

    "Lyrian, why don''t you stand up and introduce yourself to the ss."

    Although this was kind of a drag, Lyrian didn''t hesitate to follow his teacher''s instructions.

    Standing up, he eximed to the ss, "I''m sure you all know what my name is. It''s a pleasure to be in this ss with all of you," he politely stated before sitting back down.

    This garnered him not much of a reaction, as expected, and ss continued as usual.

    The teacher, whose name was written on the board as "Madam Scarlett," turned and began writing on the board. While turned, she spoke, "Lyrian, I''m sure you''ve read the textbook and have caught up for this ss. But in case you forgot anything, do you need anything to be exined to you up until our lesson today?"

    "No, I''m fine."

    And with that, Scarlett finished what she was writing on the board. By the time she was done, it looked like a magic circle, except, it had the names of ingredients on each side of the star in the middle of the circle.

    It was lessplicated than a normal magic circle but more confusing to Lyrian nheless, as he wasn''t fully familiar with it.

    "These past days, we have been studying how to make small elixirs and pills. You have all received your very own alchemy kits, with mixing pots to create said elixirs and pills."

    As she said this, a pot slowly floated over andnded on Lyrian''s desk. It was no bigger than the size of a watermelon. Its shape resembled the big cauldron on the bottom floor.

    "Today, however, we will finally use what we''ve learned to create some high-quality products." She finally turned back around. "Using therge cauldron."

 Chapter 268 Alchemy Crafting

    Chapter 268 Alchemy Crafting

    A short minute passed as all the students stood against the railing on all three sides of the giant cauldron on the first floor. They were spread out equally, with their teacher, Madam Scarlett, in the middle.

    Gazing down into it from above, Lyrian noticed that the cauldron wasn''t empty. Inside it seemed to be some sort of purple haze. From his distance, he couldn''t discern if it was a liquid or not.

    Truth be told, Lyrian barely knew the basics of this ss��let alone how to create anything with alchemy.

    "As you all know," Scarlett began to say, as Lyrian heaved a light sigh of relief.

    ''Perfect... she might exin some stuff. I don''t want topletely flop this.''

    "Alchemy is a form of creation. We alchemists are the backbones of the front-line mages and warriors. The horse of the stable!" She began to proim.

    "However, a wounded or inexperienced horse is never taken out to battle. Unless, of course, the kingdom is in a dire time. You all must prove today that you are not inexperienced horses, for those beasts lead to the death of the rider." She said fiercely.

    She reached forward to a table in front of her behind the railing which held several items on it and grabbed an orange feather. She threw it in the air in front of her, and it floated down into the cauldron.

    As soon as it touched the purple haze within, a reverberation of enlightened energy rippled through it.

    "Fire Parrot''s Feather,"

    Taking in a calm breath, she threw the next item inside; a fairlyrge white horn with sparks of blue lightning surrounding it. It caused the same reaction as the feather.

    "Lightning Wolf Fang,"

    Finally, she threw in the final item. It was a diamond-shaped red gem.

    "Rubus Tiger Magia Ruby."

    Lyrian expected something to happen as she announced the final item, but no such thing urred. He looked at the faces of the other students, and they all kept their gazes locked onto the cauldron. They concentrated and focused. Looking directly in front of him, he saw Linus on the other side of the cauldron. He looked to be the only one with his eyes closed for some reason.

    Finally, Scarlett closed her eyes, as a few heads turned to look at her. Taking another deep breath, she sped her palms together and began to mumble something under her breath.

    "By thine glory and thy power, bestow upon me the ultimate creation. All strength to Gaia."

    ''What? Is this alchemy a religious practice?'' Lyrian couldn''t help but be slightly confused by this. If it did happen to be a religious art, then Lyrian would find himself quite worried, as he hadn''t ever been very religious before.

    At that moment, Scarlett''s eyelids flew open. A few kids gasped in awe, as the ingredients that had disappeared inside the purple haze of the cauldron showed themselves again at the surface of the substance.

    The ingredients stirred around in the gaseous substance and dissolved into another substance that looked like mana��colorful and free-moving.

    A loud hum began to resonate from the cauldron as the mana blended into the purple haze. It swirled faster and faster, spinning to the middle of the bowl.

    Finally, the colorful substance met in the middle and condensed into a single, minuscule point. It shook violently, as though it was unstable.

    This entire time, Scarlett had her hands sped together. After a few more seconds of this, the small orb in the middle became still.

    It lost its rainbow color and cooled into a red sphere the size of a marble. Finally, Scarlett fetched it up to where she was with the swipe of a hand.

    After catching it, she showed it to the entire ss. "Luxury Unstable Pill!" She eximed as many let out impressed sounds.

    "This pill is of the Normal grade. Just like weapons, armor, and cultivation techniques, alchemy products have grades, or tiers, as well. From weakest to strongest, it goes as follows." She paused, allowing everyone to catch.

    Her next words were going to hold the utmost importance. "Trash, Unstable, Normal, Potent, Vigorous, Vitalizing. However, keep in mind that although Unstable grade alchemy products are usually in between trash and normal in terms of strength, sometimes, they can be even greater than Vitalizing!"

    As she said this, a wave of surprised gasps resonated through the crowd. Lyrian''s intrigue was also piqued.

    "Unstable simply means that the product is at itsst stage of creation, but hasn''t been stabilized yet. As you saw at the end of the process of creating this pill," She raised the pill once again, "It shook uncontrobly. If I had stopped there, it would have be an Unstable grade pill��that is, if it didn''t fizzle into nothing beforehand and waste all of those materials."

    After this, all of the students were allowed to go into a connected room to the main one where an inventory of vast materials was stored.

    None of them were very high-grade materials, but high-grade materials didn''t always mean high-grade products. It depended on the skill of the alchemist, and also thebination of the products.

    With the several rows and shelves to pick from, Lyrian tried to think of a goodbination. In total, he had to pick three items.

    ��������Item Scan��������

    Name: Lightning Maned Lion Fur

    Description: Precisely cut hide of a Lightning Maned Lion. This item is slightly valuable. It can be used for low to normal-grade armor. The precise grade cut also increases its value.

    ������������������������������

    ''I don''t know about fur... I''d rather go with a more valuable item...''

    ��������Item Scan��������

    Name: Garr''s Horns

    Description: Cleanly maintained horns of the Garr. This item is fairly valuable. It can be used for alchemy crafting and armor enchanting.

    ������������������������������

    ��������Item Scan��������

    Name: King Crocodile''s Crescent Diamond

    Description: A crescent-shaped diamond from a King Crocodile. This item is fairly valuable. It can be used for alchemy crafting, armor enchanting, and also weapon crafting.

    ������������������������������

 Chapter 269 Vigorous Grade Pill!

    Chapter 269 Vigorous Grade Pill!

    In the end, Lyrian chose three items that felt best suited for the item he wanted to make. Although he barely had a clue about alchemy craft, he was willing to give it his best shot. How hard could it really be?

    His items were: King Crocodile''s Crescent Diamond, Rathor''s Blue Eyeball, and the Anae m Pearl. All of these items were of fairly high value and were used in armor, sword, and alchemy work.

    With their items retrieved, the students returned to their ces behind the railings.

    "Before we begin, note that you may perform any ritual you want to help you concentrate before the creation process begins," Scarlett said to the ss. ''Ah... so a religious chant isn''t needed. Good, I know no god, so what was I supposed to praise?'' He was slightly relieved to hear this.

    "You all know how it''s done. Don''t be nervous. First, we will start off on this side and make our way around." She pointed to the side opposite of Lyrian. ''Great, I''ll have some insight to copy off of before it''s my turn.''

    The first kid threw his items inside therge cauldron one by one and began to chant a prayer of his own. Finally, he closed his eyes and focused for a while, as his ingredients began to form something.

    In the end, they formed a blue bead, but it was deemed unstable by the teacher. Just like this, students began to go after one another. To Lyrian''s surprise, most either failed to make a pill/elixir. It turned out to be harder than he imagined.

    Most, at best, created Trash to Normal grade crafts. Any Unstable pills, however, were deemed as a failure by Scarlett. Unstable pills were dangerous, with the ingredients not yet fully contained safely.

    Finally, it was Linus'' turn to go. Lyrian took note of his items. The first one was the King Crocodile''s Crescent Diamond, just like the one he had chosen. After that was some sort of yellow feather, and then a pitch-ck elixir.

    Instead of sping his hands together like the majority of the other students, Linus raised his elbow into the air. He kept it perpendicr and ced his other hand on top of it in the same position, creating a square gap inside. Closing his eyes, he began to mumble under his breath.

    "God of the waning and waxing moon, supplier of all wants and necessities, hear my call. With your luminescent blessing, I shall create the artifact of utmost splendor." He opened his eyes once again, as his ingredients began tobine.

    They shook for a whole while, making the ss hold their breaths in anticipation to see if it was going to turn out Unstable like many of the others. However, it finally cooled down at the end and flew back up to Linus in a small yellow circle pill form. "The grade... is Potent!" Scarlett eximed, delightfully surprised. Her eyebrows raised and her eyes widened in astonishment.

    Kids expressed their quiet, surprised, and impressed noises. They stared at Linus with awe, as he simply kept his eyes closed and faced his chin to the ceiling, his hands in his sleeves. Lyrian looked at Linus with more respect behind his eyes. ''Not bad. He really is talented. Although, that should be the bare minimum for a prince.''

    Another several minutes passed as the line of students who hadn''t gone yet got shorter and shorter. As it neared Lyrian''s turn, he began to get slightly nervous. Taking in a deep breath, he said inwardly, ''I must be calm on both the outside and the inside. A powerful person wouldn''t be scared of such a small thing. All I want is to do better than him.'' He looked at Linus with determination.

    "Next, Lyrian! Show us what you got, MVP." Scarlett called him out, as every head turned to face him. For some reason, she found the bright idea topare him directly with Linus.

    Although it wasn''t expected, Lyrian wasn''t going toin about it. After all, he was already doing that. Scarlett looked at him with an almost condescending expression as he began his crafting. She had her arms crossed, and a cunning smile on her face. ''Is she trying to look like a bitch, or is that just her face?'' Lyrian mused, slightly thrown off by her expression. He threw his ingredients into the cauldron one by one.

    He didn''t put his hands together or say a prayer. He didn''t say anything at all, which no other student had done before. Instead, he jumped right into the alchemy process.

    As soon as the ingredients entered the pot, he allowed a small amount of mana to enter the cauldron. He took in a deep breath, closed his eyes, and activated the art of Smithing.

    At this point, it wasn''t just a way of thought. He had practiced it so much that he had gained a new level of concentration, where it felt like he was going into some sort of mode every time he did it. He was so focused that all sounds and smells left his mind, and he was only connected to the ingredients in the cauldron.

    An especially loud hum began to sound throughout the room as the ingredients inside began to mingle. Lyrian wasn''t happy with this, however. ''At best... It feels the same as Linus''... I''ll have to go even farther.'' He said, pouring more mana into the cauldron.

    From this experience, he was learning what alchemy crafting was and how one did it. Bncing your mana perfectly would allow the crafting process to go as smoothly as possible. He sensed that he could even tweak the process if he so chose, but opted that doing so was too dangerous. As he input more mana, the hum became far louder, but he couldn''t hear it at all.

    For all the other students though, it became almost painful. A stinging ring in their eardrums. A few closed their ears in response, agitated expressions on their faces. By now, the ingredients inside were spiraling extremely quickly and violently, condensing into a very shaky circle pill. Scarlett''s face was now serious, her eyebrows furrowed. ''Trash... Normal... Potent!? How could he--'' She cut herself off. ''What!? This pill... it''s entering the Vigorous grade!''

 Chapter 270 Unstable Pill?

    Chapter 270 Unstable Pill?

    Whips of blistering wind shot out of the cauldron at times as the students looked on in worry and awe. Scarlett leaned over the railing, looking down at the pill that was barely holding together.

    ''It won''t condense fully... it''s impossible,'' she thought as she looked over at Lyrian. ''He''s concentrated... but he''s clearly never done this before. For learning to do it in just a few minutes, this level of concentration and talent is... amazing,'' she mused, astonished.

    She then looked over at Linus, who was actually facing the pill inside the cauldron.

    ''But... if I allow him to create a better pill than Lord Linus,'' she mused, a worried thought crossing her head. ''No... I can''t.'' She looked back at the pill.

    ''But... surely, such a poorly constructed pill wouldn''tbine. His concentration may be almost wless, but this is still his first-ever attempt. As expected, it''s not going calmly.''

    Her gaze was locked onto the pill, as was the gaze of all the other students. Finally, gasps of shock sounded through the kids as Lyrian''s pill began to cool down and condense.

    Scarlett''s eyes widened in shock, as she suddenly blurted out, "Stop right there!" She yelled, throwing her hand toward Lyrian.

    "That''s an Unstable Grade pill! It''s dangerou--" He paused abruptly, noticing that Lyrian wasn''t hearing a single word she said.

    Stressed, she looked at the pill once again and found that it had now fully condensed. Lyrian opened his eyes, as the pill flew right toward him. The humming stopped, along with the forceful winds.

    He grabbed onto the pill and looked toward Scarlett. The students continued to gaze at him, however. Scarlett looked at Linus, and then back at Lyrian.

    ''He actually did it. No... I can''t allow this,'' she said inwardly, not wanting to be punished for allowing such a thing to happen.

    She was from the Creyuun kingdom. To let another student, an MVP, and a peasant at that, best the prince of her kingdom would be simr to signing a death warrant.

    Lyrian waited for her to announce its grade, as Scarlett began to speak. "Failed!" She said out of nowhere, shocking everyone.

    Even Nova flew around Lyrian with furrowed brows, not happy with those words.

    Although Lyrian''s initial process was questionable, it was clear to see that he had formed a good pill. They were confused as to why she said it failed.

    "That is an Unstable Grade pill! Hand it over immediately!" She eximed, reaching her hand out.

    "Unstable? This isn''t unstable at all," Lyrian spoke back to everyone''s surprise, as a few let out shocked noises.

    Linus looked at Lyrian, and then back at Scarlett. One couldn''t read the expression on his face. It was... expressionless.

    Scarlett saw this, and without wasting any time, she opened her eyes widely for only a split second. At once, the pill exploded into pieces from the inside.

    Everyone looked at the crumbs of the pill on the ground, as Scarlett nervously side-eyed Linus.

    Seeing this, Linus simply walked away from the railing.

    "W--where are you going, lord? ss isn''t over!" Scarlett yelled on seeing this.

    "I''m leaving," Linus said nonchntly, walking out of the ss.

    Lyrian looked at Scarlett with furrowed brows as she heaved a sigh of relief.

    ''This bitch...'' He mused, slightly annoyed. He knew what happened here, but it seemed none of the students had a single clue.

    Finally, Scarlett opened her eyes and faced Lyrian. "Who are you looking at like that, boy? Step back from your railing, didn''t I tell you it was unstable?"

    Before Lyrian could say anything, another boy spoke up. "It didn''t really look unstable to me--" He was cut off.

    "If it wasn''t Unstable, then how did itbust!?" She lectured, shutting the boy up quickly. "It may have looked fully condensed and cooled, but on the inside, it was still Unstable. That was why it broke into pieces. Or else, what could possibly lead it to explode as it did?"

    The other students didn''t seem to have an answer to this question.

    "Maybe because..." Lyrian began to say, "You broke it with magic." He said out of nowhere.

    Scarlett was thrown off and shook her head as she leaned back in astonishment. ''I get Lord Linus... but how did he recognize that?'' She mused as others looked at her in confusion.

    "W-what!?" She sounded baffled. "How dare you use me of this, boy! You will be getting written up for this!" She began to exim, as Lyrian began walking.

    He neared the stairs to the bottom floor, simr to how Linus had left.

    "Where do you think you are going! ss hasn''t ended, and I still have to give you your punishment!" She barked at him. All the students only observed in bewilderment.

    A lot of crazy, unexpected events happened in that ss period, so they were rightfully at a loss for words.

    "If Linus left, I can leave too. What is it? MVP bias or Prince bias?"

    Scarlett opened her mouth to reply, but before any words came out of her mouth, Lyrian continued.

    "I couldn''t care less either way. I''m leaving..." He turned to face forward, leaving the room with an irritated gaze on his face--with Nova following shortly behind him.

    ''She could have at least given me it... so it seems sheep are also amongst the teachers. How annoying.'' Lyrian mused as he exited the room.

    There, Linus stood outside leaning against the wall. Lyrian made eye contact with him for a moment.

    ''What''s he doing out here?'' Lyrian mused, staring at the boy.

    After looking at Lyrian for a second, Linus simply walked away.

    ''What the... was he just waiting here to look at me or something? Weirdo...'' Lyrian said this and returned to his room.

    After unpacking his stuff, Lyrian left for the forest once again. He didn''t want to waste any time, as he knew the hunting practice with the other team was the tomorrow.

    More than that though, he also just wanted to hunt and cultivate. Being in that bull shit room with the bull shit teacher and her bull shit ways wouldn''t do anything productive for him.

 Chapter 271 Traveling Far Out

    Chapter 271 Traveling Far Out

    Lyrian soon crossed over the walls of the academy, with Nova following shortly behind him. There, he garnered some more looks from the upper years again. After entering the forest, he began running far out.

    To be most efficient, Lyrian decided that he would hunt any creature he saw on his way.

    His way to where, exactly? Well, where he wanted to go was far. That''s all he knew.

    On his way, he killed another pair of Rubus tigers, a King Crocodile, and even a Garr��an animal specific to Zaryn. To his surprise, he had seen all of these creatures'' body parts in his Alchemy room.

    But it made sense. The most amount of materials that the academy had would be from creatures mostmonly found right outside of the academy walls.

    However, Garr''s horns that he gained weren''t as valuable as the ones he saw in ss. This was because he wasn''t able to cut the horns off of therge, buffalo-like beast, well enough.

    The Garr was half the size of an elephant, and even though it looked like a raging bull, it was a predator of the jungle. Its hide was so tough that Lyrian found it awkward to perfectly cut the horns off of its head.

    Still, they would sell for something, he imagined...

    ''I haven''t sold anything yet.'' Lyrian mused as he put the horns of the Garr into his storage ring.

    ''And my storage is almost filled up.''

    At that moment, he jumped up onto the thickest tree he could find and began to climb it. Before long, he arrived at the top, above the forest canopy.

    There, he looked at how far the sun had traveled west, indicating what time of day it was.

    ''It''s gone down quite a bit.'' He mused, looking down from the sky and forward at where he was currently heading.

    A few miles away, he managed to see a pond that was past a fairlyrge drop-off.

    ''A pond huh... that''s a gathering ce for creatures...'' He checked how much space he had left in his ring.

    It was about 2 square feet now that some time had passed. ''That''s good enough.'' He said, beginning to climb down the tree.

    Just then, Nova began chirping, staying up at the tree top. Lyrian looked up at the bird, wondering why it was making so much noise and not following him.

    He climbed back up and saw that Nova was looking at the pond while yelling.

    "Yes, I''m going to go there. What do you want to say?" He said to the bird, confused.

    To make Lyrian understand, Nova then darted from the tree they were currently on, to the next, and then to the next.

    "Ah..." Lyrian mumbled under his breath as he saw this.

    "Good idea. It would be faster to just go across the treetops. I guess I was walking on the ground just to hunt, but not that I''m not doing that, this will be most efficient."

    Catching up with Nova, he leaped from tree to tree before arriving at the drop-off not too far away. It took him a few minutes, however, since the actual distance was a mile.

    From there, Lyrian jumped back down to the ground. He walked to the very edge and saw that the drop-off was straight down. Steep, with no curve whatsoever.

    It was probably over 500 feet down. He saw birds flying at eye level, which surprised him. Clouds were still far up in the sky, but this wasn''t going to be a small drop.

    Looking left and right, Lyrian noted that his drop-off continued for as far as the eye could see. Thinking back, he realized that he hadn''t seen it end even when he was on the tree top.

    "Then... I guess I have no choice but to jump." He mumbled, taking a few steps back.

    Suddenly, his back pressed up against something sturdy.

    ''Huh? I''m sure there wasn''t a tree behind me.'' He mused, turning around to see a giant creature behind him.

    ''A Garr.'' He quickly dashed back a bit, startled by the creature. He was now right on the edge of the drop-off.

    At that moment, he noticed the person sitting on top of the beast. Then, he also noticed that this Garr didn''t look wild. It had an entire saddle and straps ced on its back.

    The boy on top of the Garr wore a robe and looked down at Lyrian with a cold expression.

    "What are you doing here, first year?" He said in a low voice, backed up with a hint of disdain.

    Then, the robed boy sized Lyrian up and down. ''A peasant? How did he get into this academy anyway...''

    "Boy, tell me, are you from Anaviotis?" He said, making his Garr step forward slightly.

    Lyrian looked behind past his shoulder and saw that he was mere feet from falling.

    With a serious gaze, he faced the rider. "I am Lyrian Theageld of Anaviotis. What''s your goal in trying to make me fall from this ledge?"

    "Lyrian Theageld? Ah... I see." The rider stopped moving his Garr.

    Jumping off of its back, he neared Lyrian on foot. He looked a little taller and had a built physique.

    Now, with a smile on his face, he eximed, "My name is Roswil Jecent, of Anaviotis as well. I''m a second year... It''s a pleasure to meet you, MVP."

    His tone was polite, as he reached a hand out towards Lyrian. Lyrian was slightly hesitant at first but decided to ept the handshake.

    Most times, Lyrian found it easy to read whether someone was lying or trying to pull a trick, but right now, he didn''t get those feelings.

    As soon as their palms sped together, Roswil stepped forward in a series of precise and quick steps. In less than a second, he pushed Lyrian back to where Lyrian''s foot was halfway off of the edge��and held him there.

    With a stern expression, Lyrian looked behind his shoulder again, and then at Roswil.

    "Boy... you need to learn to not trust strangers��" Roswil was cut off, as Lyrian used his leverage to twist his body out of harm''s way.

    In one swift move, Roswil was now the one on the edge, and Lyrian was where Roswilst was.

    The robed boy''s expression contorted to shock as soon as he realized what had just happened.

    Looking past his shoulder, his head quickly turned back to face Lyrian.

    "W-wait!" He shrieked in horror.

 Chapter 272 Sudden Encounter

    Chapter 272 Sudden Encounter

    At that moment, Lyrian released a ruthless killing intent. It had a mix of spiritual energy from all of his created creatures.

    Roswil panted heavily, as his heart felt like it came up to his throat. He looked into Lyrian''s furious expression, which was enough to cause the hairs on his body to stand up.

    In a low voice, Lyrian coldly spoke, "Tell me why I shouldn''t let you go right now."

    "Because..." Roswil paused, as Lyrian noticed his eyes dart to the side.

    ''He''s signaling his Garr toe over... too obvious.'' Lyrian mused, understanding the situation.

    "Because..." Roswil continued, "Because fuck you!" He eximed just as the Garr''s long and piercing horns came mere inches from puncturing Lyrian''s back.

    Anticipating this, however, Lyrian swiftly moved to the side��allowing the Garr to attack Roswil instead.

    Roswil''s eyes widened in shock as Lyrian let him go to be hit by his own beast. He didn''t just have to worry about falling now, but also the horns of the Garr.

    Time felt as though it slowed for him, as he sped his hands together at thest moment before the Garr''s horns plunged through him.

    "Enhance!" He yelled, causing his body to glow green.

    The Garr''s struck him hard but didn''t puncture through any more than his initialyer of skin. They lifted him up in the air, and the Garr couldn''t stop it from sliding off the edge.

    Roswil pushed the creature''s head down with his arm, allowing himself toe up instead. Jumping off the falling beast''s back, hended on safe ground several meters away from the edge.

    The Garr didn''t get so lucky, however, falling to its demise. After a few seconds, a loud howl of pain sounded at the bottom.

    Lyrian noticed that the robed boy didn''t care, however. He clutched to the ground on his hands and knees, happy to be alive.

    "That was close..." He said, finally standing up.

    Lyrian''s expression was still angry, his brows furrowed.

    "You''re dead now, for trying to assassinate a high noble of the Veridrake kingdom..." Roswil said angrily as he reached into his vest and took out a curved saber.

    "I tried to assassinate you? You mean, you tried to kill me first."

    "Dog... do not disrespect me. I hate peasants who earn some status and think they can speak back."

    Lyrian didn''t say anything.

    "I have proof..." Roswil eximed. "Keaaaw!" He suddenly let out a scream.

    At that moment, a parrot darted out of the forest andnded on his shoulder.

    Lyrian was confused about how the parrot was proof that he tried to assassinate the fool, but he didn''t show it.

    Thankfully, Roswil did that himself. "This isn''t any old parrot," He turned to it, "Aren''t you, Risha?"

    "Keeaw! You''re right! I''m not!" The parrot eximed in a high-pitched voice.

    Lyrian raised an eyebrow and squinted an eye.

    "What happened here, tell me, just like how you''re gonna tell the school authorities!"

    "Keaaw! I saw everything, and Risha tells no lies. I swear it!" The parrot eximed.

    Lyrian let the parrot continue, wanting to hear what it would say.

    "Lyrian Theageld, oh I swear it! He randomly saw our lord Roswil and attempted a malicious assassination! For what reason I know not!"

    Lyrian gripped the hilt of his sword, "How fucking annoying..." He mumbled.

    ''What do I do here? If I beat him up, then it will be supportive of the parrot''s bull shit story...'''' He mused, looking at Nova. ''If only you could talk as well.''

    "You''re dead meat. I''m going to beat you so bad that you would have wished your little peasant parents would have never met in some brothel or wherever peasants meet nowadays. I wouldn''t know, since, I''m not a peasant, you see." Roswil had a cunning smile on his face as he spoke.

    Lyrian clenched his jaw. ''I have no other choice. He''s gonna report me anyways... so I might as well beat him up in the process.''

    After making this decision, he smiled. He no longer had any stress about the situation.

    "Nova... get that little shit," Lyrian eximed, looking at the parrot.

    Nova knew what to do immediately, and jumped off of Lyrian''s shoulder toward Risha.

    "Sending your little stupid bird huh? Bad decision!" Roswil yelled, lifting his sword to cut Nova in half.

    Nova didn''t focus on that, as if he knew the sword wasn''t going to hit him. As it neared mere inches from his body, the sword was struck back by an obsidian de.

    Nova mmed into the parrot, as they quickly entered the sky for an aerial battle. As this happened, Lyrian and Roswil began to exchange a series of blows.

    "Using Enhance as well huh!? Well, that''s too bad, you won''t ever be able to get through my de, no matter how strong you are!" Roswil eximed.

    His strength wasn''t something to scoff at. He was a second year after all, and it was clear to see that his sword expertise was higher than Lyrian''s.

    After a few seconds of shing des, Lyrian began to get outworked in terms of footstep cement and was pushed back.

    A smile donned Roswil''s face, "Ha... haha!" Heughed like a maniac. "You don''t know how to use the sword at all! You''re pathetic!" He yelled.

    "What did I expect!? You''re a peasant, after all. Look at your de! It''s made of obsidian! Pahaha!"

    He began pushing Lyrian back further.

    "Shadow Puppet."

    Suddenly, Roswil''s body halted to apletely frozen stance. His expression stayed the same, but he was in horror--unable to express his feelings.

    His eyes, however, seemed to be able to move around. They showed deep desperation and shock inside of them, darting around frivolously.

    Lyrian''s shadow had connected to his in a mere second. Stepping forward, he raised his obsidian de. Roswil raised his saber in the air as well, his eyes following it with absolute horror.

    Finally, Lyrian swung it above his head! Roswil''s de also swung mere millimeters above his head, shaving the middle of his head clean bald.

    Roswil''s eyes began to turn red as Lyrian broke out into a peal ofughter out of nowhere.

    "Ha...hahaha!"

 Chapter 273 Utter Humiliation; Creature Of The Pond

    Chapter 273 Utter Humiliation; Creature Of The Pond

    It was clear to see that Roswil was petrified to see his long ck hair neatly tied in a bun to be shaven off. A double petrification had urred that day.

    Lyrian... loved his pendant. After a few minutes of ying around, Roswil found himself almostpletely naked with his eyebrows shaved off.

    After this, Lyrian made Roswil punch himself multiple times until his head, too, turned into the shape of a bruised avocado. Red and purple.

    Finally, a loud crunch of his nose marked the end of his suffering. Allowing the bozo to hide his private parts with a piece of cloth, Lyrian undid the spell.

    The boy fell to the ground after being released, before suddenly standing up, his hand still keeping the cloth around his crotch steady.

    With enraged and teary eyes, he stared at Lyrian and eximed, "I swear on my life that I will kill you! You will never forget the day you did this to me!"

    Lyrian smirked, "You want me to do it again?" As soon as he said this, a chill ran up Roswil''s spine.

    He jerked up, turning around before running into the forest butt-naked.

    "Risha!" He screamed, as his parrot quickly flew to his shoulder.

    "Keaaw! Lord! You are... pathetic..."

    "Shut up, bird, you want to die as well!"

    They argued with each other as their voices slowly faded.

    Lyrian looked up, "Hmm," As Nova flew to him.

    "You didn''t do much. I expected you to destroy that bird way quicker." Instead, Lyrian noticed some injuries on Nova.

    After a sigh, Lyrian took out a smaller potion of healing and fed it to the bird.

    "I don''t know if that was the correct call... to just let him go like that. I will probablye and bite me in the asster. Speaking of which... that will most likely be his fate as well." He smiled at his own joke, turning back around.

    He faced the drop-off... and leaped right off...

    ''I was nning to go down this way anyways...'' He mused, his eyes closed as he fell to the ground.

    As he came about 20 feet away, he summoned Garmr underneath him,nding with Garmr''s feet instead of his own. Since Garmr only fell 20 feet in reality, the impact was minor.

    "Shadow," Lyrian said, as Garmr returned to his shadow. "Now... time to get to that pond."

    He arrived at an opening of trees shortly after, where there was about 50 feet of grass all around the pond in front of him, and nothing else.

    Before he went out into the open, however, Lyrian surveyed the area. There were footprints almost everywhere, so this ce seemed to be popr.

    He also noticed a pair ofrge deer on the other side of the pond taking a drink.

    His eyes scanned them for a while longer, as he noticed that their horns looked to reflect a golden hue. ''Gold...'' He said, having his presencepletely masked.

    Just then, a bird jumped off of the tree and into the air. It looked to startle the deers. They jerked back from the water, stopping to drink for a few moments.

    ''That''s odd... the sound came from the bird, but they were scared of the water. That means... there is something powerful in the water, considering their OPs.''

    He had scanned them the moment he saw them.

    ��������Scan��������

    Name: None

    Species: Gold Horn Deer

    Age: 32

    Overall Power (OP): 7

    Health: 72/72

    Stamina: 79/79

    Strength: 65

    Agility: 90

    Defense: 69

    Rank: Pure Beast: Layer 1

    ����������������������

    ''They''re strong... I wonder how strong the thing they are so scared of is.'' He saw that they had yet to return to the pond to drink water.

    If they were that hesitant, it was only natural to wonder what made them hesitate so much.

    ''It can''t be a King Crocodile, since that usually doesn''t touch the 70s in stats.''

    At that moment, he walked out into the opennd. The deers noticed him but didn''t move, simply tracking his every step.

    Lyrian felt as though several eyes tracked him at that moment like the entire jungle was watching him. It was an eerie, threatening feeling.

    He continued to move forward, stopping at the water''s edge before looking at the surface.

    There was nothing at first, just some still water with small ripples flowing through it. Suddenly, Lyrian saw a light circr shadow beginning to appear.

    It became bigger, and as it became bigger, it became darker as well. Before, finally, it broke through the water''s surface.

    Lyrian jumped back, as a giant serpent chomped its saw where his body was just a second before.

    The body of the serpent was extremely fluorescent, with beautiful scales reflecting almost every color you could imagine. It looked majestic, yet more fierce than any creature he had seen that day.

    "That!" He eximed, seeing the beast now out of the water. "That''s a Hydro Serpent!"

    ��������Scan��������

    Name: None

    Species: Hydro Serpent

    Age: 55

    Overall Power (OP): 9

    Health: 91/91

    Stamina: 86/86

    Strength: 96

    Agility: 76

    Defense: 93

    Rank: Pure Beast: Layer 1

    Special: Elder (Title) This creature has lived an abnormally long life and has evolved into an Elder; all stats increased

    ����������������������

    "You''re even stronger than the entrance exam one. An elder, huh? My second one to date." Lyrian began to grow excited.

    At that moment, the beast frilled the fins behind its head, ring them up uncontrobly with aggression. Its eyes were threatening, piercing toward Lyrian.

    By this time the Gold Horn Deers had already escaped into the forest. Now, it seemed not even a bird was present to take part in this show.

    No one wanted a piece of this beast.

    "Perfect...e out, everyone!"

    Lyrian shouted, as three shadowy figures appeared behind him. Finally, they materialized into three beings; Garmr, the giant Direwolf, Zuuc, the powerful Hobgoblin, and Tao, the incredibly fast Duskwing Pheon.

    "Attack it... the first one to kill it gets to officially im the title of the strongest, and bes ''General''."

 Chapter 274 Obliterated

    Chapter 274 Obliterated

    As soon as those words left Lyrian''s lips, all of his creatures got amped up.

    Garmr was ready to prove himself as his master''s greatest beast, while Zuuc wanted to prove badly that he was the strongest!

    Tao, on the other hand, was a bit more difficult to figure out for the average person, but since Lyrian could read Tao''s mind, that wasn''t much of a problem.

    ''You want to be the strongest as well... but not just to show that you''re the strongest, but to earn the title, huh?'' Lyrian mused, reading exactly what the Duskwing Pheon was thinking through its eyes.

    Tao nodded in response, as Lyrian smirked. "Sure... if that''s what helps you y the beast."

    Lyrian faced the Hydro Serpent, which was still itching to fight. "Go," he said calmly, as all of his beasts immediately darted forward with pure determination in their eyes.

    Garmr had a predatory stare, locked onto his prey without a hint of confusion. Zuuc had a menacing smile on his face as he transformed into his elder state, adrenaline flowing through his veins.

    Tao was less predatory and less excited. He waspletely zoned in, with a nonchnt yet fierce expression.

    Lyrian expected this to be an entertaining brawl, but his mouth gaped slightly in astonishment as he saw what took ce...

    Tao was the first to reach the serpent, as he spun in the air fast enough to look like a Beyde and tore through the side of the snake''s abdomen in one fast motion.

    Arge chunk of meat was shredded into pieces, sttering dark red blood into the water.

    The Hydro Serpent eximed its agony, but before it could make a move, a giant wolf appeared before it.

    It froze for a moment, gazing into the monstrous eyes of the Direwolf. Garmr chomped the serpent''s mouth, as a loud crunch sounded.

    He then shook his head violently, tearing the front of the snake''s face off in an instant. With it, he continued his lunge to the other side of the pond.

    The serpent was surely finished now, but it was still breathing.

    Less than a second after Garmr''s attack, Zuuc appeared before the snake and unleashed a forceful punch into its neck, leaving a deep indent.

    He toonded on the other side of the pond, and this all happened in 5 seconds...

    The snake began to fall over from the trauma and pain, but as it did, Garmr lunged in once again, grabbing onto the back of its neck before tearing arge chunk off.

    He also destroyed the serpent''s spinal cord, killing it instantly as it plunged into the water. The ssh was big enough to reach Lyrian''s feet, who was standing over 10 feet away from the water''s edge.

    He was dumbfounded at what he saw. But then, a grin donned his face.

    "Garmr... you are now General," he proimed, as the ferocious Direwolf suddenly began to pant quickly, sticking its tongue out; as it wagged its tail and kneeled in front of Lyrian submissively.

    "What!? Unfair! I have killed the beast! I should be General!" Zuuc eximed in frustration. Tao was also slightly shocked as he flew over to Lyrian''s side of the water bed.

    "Tao, although your stats are the best, you are still the youngest. What the other twock in power, they surpass you in wisdom," Lyrian said, looking over to Zuuc.

    "Well... maybe not all of them," he teased, "Next time I have a power contest... I expect you to defeat these two."

    On hearing this, Tao simply closed his eyes. He understood what Lyrian said, and would try his best to make up for his losses in the future.

    Garmr had no reaction, happy to serve his master''s words. Zuuc, however, wasn''t so happy.

    "How can you expect a bird to defeat me? I will be the strongest," the Hobgoblin proimed, seemingly upset.

    "Zuuc," Lyrian said in a serious tone, "You are weaker than Tao, and you will most likely never defeat Tao." These words seemed to throw Zuuc back slightly. He didn''t expect to hear them at that moment.

    "However, your goal is not to defeat Tao in a contest of strengths." As Lyrian said this, Zuuc quieted down and listened to his creator''s words.

    "My order of beasts will continue to grow, and as it does, I do not expect each one to be the strongest. That is not your duty. Your duty is to try your best to serve me. Whatever request I may give, whatever inquiry I may have, whatever idea I may muse, it is your duty to fulfill. If done so right, then you are my greatest creation."Lyrian''s words sounded profound.

    Zuuc didn''t speak for a moment, thinking through Lyrian''s statement.

    Lyrian could tell that Zuuc understood hismands, but that the Hobgoblin also wanted to continue striving for power.

    Noticing this, Lyrian said, "But, for now, I want you to continue to be as strong as possible. Not to defeat Tao or any other of my beasts, but to serve me better." As soon as Lyrian said this, a smile appeared on Zuuc''s face.

    Now, he could continue his quest for limitless power without any hindrance in his mind.

    "I shall do that!" the beast eximed excitedly. "Good... now-" Lyrian paused, hearing a rustle in the bushes nearby. ''Shadow.'' He immediately thought as all of his creatures disappeared into his shadow.

    As Garmr disappeared, he left the Hydro Serpent''s crowned jewel on the floor. Lyrian noticed this, but before picking it up, he turned to see what made the noise.

    As he turned, he was surprised to see a body walk out of the forest. This boy also looked to be a second-year. He walked with his hands on his knees and looked simr to Roswil.

    Seeing this caused Lyrian to raise his guard. The only thing differentiating the boy from Roswil was that he had short hair instead of a long ponytail, and his eyes were a shade of green, instead of brown.

    "My my... that was... interesting," the boy eximed, smiling as he walked toward Lyrian.

 Chapter 275 Selling Beast Materials

    Chapter 275 Selling Beast Materials

    Lyrian gripped his de.

    "Woah!" The boy seemed to be thrown off by this, as he quickly raised his hands in the air. "Ie in peace! No need for any of... that." He was clearly talking about Lyrian''s sword.

    "What do you want?" Lyrian stated, his hand still on his de.

    ''Did that idiot send his brother or something?'' Lyrian mused, noting the simr appearance between Roswil and this guy.

    "Nothing... I just happened to be passing by," the green-eyed boy said, a light and innocent smile on his face.

    He seemed convincing, but so did Roswil, before suddenly trying to kill Lyrian. It was safe to say that Lyrian wasn''t going to fall for that again.

    Lyrian let go of his hilt. He turned around, ignoring the boy. Picking up the crowned jewel, he scanned it.

    ��������Item Scan��������

    Name: Hydro Serpent''s Crowned Jewel

    Description: A red jewel extracted from the head of a Hydro Serpent. This gem is valuable and can be used for Alchemy crafting, weapon enchanting, cksmithing, and much more.

    Special: This gem has been extracted from an elder creature. The gem has aged and has gained more mana. The value of this gem is significantly increased.

    ������������������������������

    ''Nice...'' Lyrian turned back around.

    "Are you going to tell anyone about this?" Lyrian inquired, getting ready to leave.

    The other boy tilted his head to the side and furrowed his brows in confusion. "Tell? Why would I tell? Is there a reason for me to not tell?" He questioned, slightly intrigued.

    "Nope," Lyrian stated before making his way to a nearby tree and beginning to jump up its branches.

    "Well... it was nice to meet you! My name is Roswick! What was your name?" The boy shouted as Lyrian made it to the top of the tree.

    He looked toward the direction of Roswick, wondering what to do. After a few seconds, he simply turned away before dashing off.

    Roswick turned towards the water. "What an interesting boy..." He mused, "Strong for his age... that''s for sure."

    After this, Lyrian decided not to waste any more time and began cultivating a bit early.

    By the end of the day, he had reached 131.2 mana. At this rate, he would reachyer 2 of Genesis in just under three months, which was exciting.

    Lyrian returned to the city that night feeling pretty refreshed and eventually made his way to the thick inner city.

    Even at night, the campus seemed to be condensed with people. For a moment, Lyrian thought that it was even more packed than in the afternoon!

    The city lights, market mes, and other lights created a dark, yet bright atmosphere. The vendors, merchants, and store owners created a bustling environment.

    The more he walked, the more he saw the reality of normal life in this city. People were off their shifts now and enjoyed their lives here.

    Some went out to eat, while others did other activities. They were with their friends, family, etc.

    Lyrian soon neared the shop that he had been looking for. For some reason, material shops were harder toe across than one would assume.

    It was a raggedy stall on the path side. Puny, having a sign at the front saying "Beast Material Shop."

    After asking Alten at the canteen, this shop was the one that he had rmended. When Lyrian saw it, however, he had second thoughts.

    ''Alten really rmended this? It looks like it hasn''t had a customer in ages...'' He thought, still about a hundred feet away from it.

    After making his way through the wall of pedestrians, Lyrian finally made his way to the front of the shop.

    He was shocked to find a long line of both students and adults in front of it, however.

    ''Huh... maybe this is the one.'' Lyrian had fewer doubts now, entering the line without hesitation.

    The store owner seemed familiar. He was a middle-aged man, in his early forties. He wore work clothes, a white robe with a white hat. He almost looked like a smith, with all the dirt on his clothes.

    With a smile, he served every customer at his stand.

    ''That''s the guy that was getting harassed by the fake monks when I entered the city for the first time.'' Lyrian said to himself, slightly surprised to see him working there.

    The person in front of Lyrian turned around for a second and noticed him standing behind.

    The person, who was a young man, widened their eyes in surprise as he saw Lyrian.

    "You''re Lyrian Theageld!" He shouted in shock, "P-please! I didn''t mean to stand in line in front of you!" His voice sounded shaky as he moved to the side.

    Hearing these words, a few bystanders turned to look at Lyrian as well. Their voices murmured in whispers as they saw him.

    Those standing in front of the man who moved out of the way also heard his words, quickly moving to the side as they saw Lyrian approaching.

    ''Huh... this is convenient.'' Lyrian mused, not willing toin.

    Even the students in the line moved for him, as he made it to the front in mere seconds.

    "Greetings!" The store owner said, closing his eyes tightly with a wide grin to greet his customer.

    As he opened his eyes, he spoke, "How may I hel--" But suddenly paused, seeing Lyrian''s face.

    "You!" He blurted out. "I--I mean, Lord! Lord Theageld! I have been looking for you! You are the one who took out those fake monks delinquents!"

    He sounded astonished but also relieved at the same time.

    "I don''t know how to express my gratitude." He said, nearly tearing up.

    "You saved me and my daughter''s life." He suddenly eximed.

    "I see... I didn''t know I affected you so much." Lyrian said, not really knowing what else to reply with.

    The store ownerposed himself, and with a bright smile on his face, he said, "Look! Tell me what you have to sell. I will give you the best prices I can."

    Hearing this put a sudden smile on Lyrian''s face. "Are you sure?"

    "Of course! It is the least I can do!"

    "Haha!" Lyrian eximed, now excited. "Perfect! Then here, this is what I have to sell."

    Heid out several items on the table below. As he did, those in line, adults, and students, all gazed in awe.

    Even the store clerk was slightly taken aback.

    Four rubies of the Rubus Tiger, two diamonds of the King Crocodile, a pair of Garr horns, and also the Crowned Jewel of the Hydro Serpent.

    "H--" The store owner paused, "Holy shit!"

 Chapter 276 Great Prices!

    Chapter 276 Great Prices!

    "He has the King Crocodile diamond! The crescent-shaped one!" a student eximed. "Those are pretty strong, but they are way harder to find than most others."

    A woman shoved past him to get a peek at the dazzling items. "Screw that, kid, he has the crowned jewel of the Hydro Serpent! Those usually don''t even show up in this region," she eagerly eximed.

    The store owner paused for a few moments, speechless.

    "So... what price do you think is fair for all of this?" Lyrian asked, slightly excited by the words spewing around him.

    ''My expectations weren''t that high, but it seems luck is on my side today,'' he mused to himself as the store owner opened his mouth to speak.

    "I see most of these items on the daily��excluding the Hydro Serpent jewel, but to see them all in one pile is something else." He paused before giving his final price.

    "The mana rubies from the Rubus Tiger''s are impressive, but the least valuable items here. Usually, they go for 30 Riftstones a pop.

    Since they aren''t extracted perfectly, I could do 20 Riftstones, but for you, I''ll double that. In total, that will be 160 Riftstones."

    ''Not bad,'' Lyrian thought to himself, letting the store owner continue. Many gasped in astonishment and jealousy at these prizes.

    "The pair of Garr horns are also very impressive. Garr''s are stronger than the Rubus Tiger''s, so their value is higher. They can also be used for greater endeavors. The usual price of one runs for 50 Riftstones, but, as you see, they are slightly damaged. Yourck of expertise when collecting the item is understandable, however. I will give you the two of them for 110 Riftstones t."

    "What!? 110 for damaged horns? Those don''t even go for 10 at their current state, much less 55 each!" a man in line blurted out in shock.

    "You have two of the Crescent Shaped Diamond Gems of the King Crocodile. One of them would go for 65 Riftstones, but again, your collecting has reduced that normal price down to 45 for normal terms."

    The store owner picked both of them up, inspecting them with a monocle spyss attached to his cor.

    "One of them seems to be less damaged than the other... I will do 145 for both of them!" He slid those into the pile of items he already bought and moved on to thest one left.

    "The final item... certainly not the least of the pile." His eyes seemed to glow as he picked up the crowned jewel and inspected it with the spyss.

    The red jewel sparkled in themp light, shimmering a vast array of colors around the shop. People were amazed by its mesmerizing beauty.

    "This gem is very valuable... and it''s aged to elder status!" He eximed, causing a few people to gasp. "This is incredible! I haven''t seen anything like it from a Hydro Serpent. This crowned jewel is meant to mostly be a look-based item, due to its amazing prettiness. It is, however, also very important for more practical uses."

    He paused, estimating its final worth as the crowd seemed to hold their breath in anticipation.

    Lyrian was at ease, however, happy with his great deals. He knew that he wasn''t getting ripped off purely by the reaction of the crowd every time a price was announced.

    "Usually, something of this rarity would run for 100 Riftstones by itself. However... it''s aged elder status would up that price too..." The man almost hesitated to say, "300 Riftstones."

    Lyrian''s eyes widened slightly as he heard that price. ''Huh!''

    The store owner finally looked away from the stone and back to Lyrian. "I will buy it from you for 350 Riftstones." He proudly said with a smile. He ced the stone down into his bought pile and reached his hand over.

    "In total, I have given you 205 Riftstones bonus on top of your original, raising it up to 765."

    The crowd was shocked to hear this. Before they could make a peep, Lyrian reached over and shook the store owner''s hand.

    There was no way he was going to try and bargain here, although that was his original n. This was too good to try and stop.

    "My name is Istal. Istal Hem. I hope I can continue to serve you for what you have done for me and my family, Lord Lyrian," the middle-aged store owner said with genuine emotion behind his words. He shook Lyrian''s hand tightly to express his gratitude.

    "My pleasure, Sir Hem," Lyrian stated. At that moment, he noticed a pair of small eyes peek over at him from the corner. It was a young girl who carried a small teddy bear.

    "Thank you... big brother," she said in a high-pitched voice. Lyrian politely smiled at her. Istal handed over a pouch of Riftstones, and before long, Lyrian made his way out of the line and back to the academy.

    On his way there, he checked the pouch. "Riftstones in a pouch, huh? I didn''t think they existed in real life. I wonder why they are called Riftstones..." He mumbled, opening the pouch up. Taking a look inside, he pulled out one of the Riftstones and observed it in front of his face.

    "Huh," he said, unimpressed by how the stone looked. It looked like a small gray pebble with purple wording on top. The wording was engraved into the stone, and the stones were slightly different in shape. But other than that, they were all basic in form and simple-looking.

    Putting the stone away, he returned to the academy. As soon as he entered his room, he noticed the shower was on again. ''That guy... all he does is y that game,'' Lyrian mused, sitting down at his table.

    His work for the day wasn''t over just yet. Although he wanted to hop onto BF to rank up and train a bit more, his first priority was to learn about the hunting practice tomorrow. And so... he opened his textbook.

 Chapter 277 Importance Of Thought

    Chapter 277 Importance Of Thought

    Hundreds of years ago, somewhere in the north of the Mortal in Continent.

    Climbing up adder, a young aspirant, sturdy yet calm, reached the top of the battle wall. Once stepping foot on the stone path, he noticed stationed in every crevice of the wall were archers, ready to attack any oing enemy.

    Some were young cadets, nervously awaiting battle. Others were old and roughed-up veterans, only wanting to go home and find peace.

    This tall young man, in his early twenties, began walking across the tower tops, as every soldier quickly stood and saluted him.

    "Lord!" One young man eximed, standing up straight. His chin faced the sky as he mmed his foot on the ground.

    He put one of his hands out to the side, opening his palm to face the young man whom he addressed as ''lord.''

    The young man nodded as he continued to walk across the path. He gazed at the length of the forest that this wall was blocking. Not far beyond that was a long beach, followed by an endless sea.

    "Your lordship!" Soldiers, young and old, stood to salute the young man.

    "Your majesty!"

    "Your Highness!"

    The young man continued to nod as he moved past them. Finally, he arrived at a very old man stationed at the very end of this line.

    While brewing a hot drink, the elder man sat and gazed out into the forest. His face was wrinkled and had dust covering it.

    He looked up into the brilliant azure sky, which seemed to house no bloodshed. Yet... he felt a fire burn through his eyes every time he looked at the calming horizon.

    "Lord Matthew." The young man spoke, getting down to one knee and bowing his head as soon as he reached the old man.

    He lifted his head, looking the elder in the eyes. "I havee... to take you back." He spoke with a tone of resolution.

    "Who was it this time? That brat Koyazin?"

    "Yes. By the ultimate decree of the emperor, I must take you back with me to Yaltas."

    The old man paused, gazing back out into the vast horizon. Birds flew across gantly. Cool, yet warming winds graced the faces of the men. Small critters showed themselves living a peaceful life.

    Streams freely flowed, grass danced softly in the wind... it was paradise.

    "Look out there, young monkey." The old man said, peacefully looking at the beautiful scenery.

    His eyes were delicate, as though he enjoyed what he saw, yet, not a hint of emotions could be seen behind them. They were gray... no, more like voided.

    ''Monkey... he called me that ever since I was taken in. I hadn''t heard it in so long that I forgot about that nickname.''

    "I''m looking," The young man paused, "Beautiful, isn''t it?"

    The elder didn''t speak.

    "Is this why you want to spend your final days out here? I suppose... it''s reasonable," The young man continued, "I would also love to spend my days out here... but unfortunately, times are tough for everyone back in the kingdom." He also paused.

    Looking back at the old man, he said, "We need you��" But was swiftly interrupted.

    "Monkey... all I see is death and pain. Where do you see this so-called beauty?"

    "Wha�� I-" The young man couldn''t reply fast enough and was overtaken by the old man again.

    "The cool air I breathe burns my lungs. The beautiful scenery I gaze upon scorches my eyes. All that I feel is the pain of a thousand plum swords stabbing into my skin. What here, is peaceful? What here, is beautiful? What here... would I stay for?"

    The young man was taken aback by those words. A profound wisdom, he was just given.

    He stood up only a second after with no hesitation.

    "Going so early?" Matthew, the old man, smiled, "How about a cup of hot water?" He raised a ss.

    "I have made my decision. I won''t take you in. I have no right to do so." The young man firmly established.

    "Really? You are going to go against the emperor''s decree?"

    On hearing this question, the young man clenched his jaw, looking out toward the forest as he spoke, "I must do what I determine to be righteous," He paused, looking facing the old man, "Even if It means I must go against the world." Before turning around and walking away.

    ...

    "Your majesty!"

    ...

    "Your Highness!"

    ...

    ***

    "So ss, what do we think Ephiras Varant gained from Lord Matthew''s words? What was the insight he received to garner such a reaction?"

    Peres asked the ss, closing his textbook.

    Not a single hand raised in the sky.

    "Correct answer... the answer to such a question has yet to be determined." Mr. Peres said with a smile.

    *RING*

    On hearing the bell, Lyrian stood up and exited the room with Leon. Israthel wasn''t present for some reason on that day... but Lyrian had a guess as to why.

    The two soon departed as Lyrian entered his Spirit Pet/Beast Taming ss.

    After a while of mostly useless learning, mostly useless Gargan, Lyrian was allowed to leave the ss. He had to maneuver past the questions about Nova this time as well.

    "It''ll probably be a while before people forget and stop bombarding me with those questions..."

    His lunch at the canteen soon passed by as well, since he was actually eager for what wasing next. The main event of the day: The hunting practice.

    Lyrian arrived to ss and was surprised to see that no one was present. Instead, there was a notice on the board that read: "If you are inside,e outside."

    "Huh..." Lyrian mumbled, going back outside to the training grounds which he hadn''t entered since the first day of the ss.

    As soon as he stepped outside, he noticed a bunch of kids standing a few feet apart from each other in a rectangr shape in the middle of the track.

    There were more students than usual. Almost double his normal ss.

    He also saw two taller figures standing in front of them. One was his teacher, Rerth, and the other was also a familiar face.

    The same teacher whom Lyrian had met to get his License Exam.

    "Listen up, brats!" Rerth shouted, "You only have ten seconds, GO!"

 Chapter 278 The Hunting Practice Begins!

    Chapter 278 The Hunting Practice Begins!

    *Pant, pant, pant*

    *Thud, thud, thud*

    *Wheeze* "Help me! I''m dying!" A chubby boy shouted, running around the track with his whole body drenched in sweat.

    He woozily ran, trying to keep hisposure. The sweat from his forehead was now burning his eyes.

    A slimmer student next to him passed him in an instant. "C''mon, fatso! Can''t bully now, can ya''?" This slender kid remarked.

    He wore sses and had a smaller build. Nheless, he was still outperforming the chubby boy in this running experiment.

    Lyrian was running behind the two, watching their drama as he calmly jogged. He hadn''t even broken a sweat yet, and it had been 20 minutes of nonstop moving.

    Every student in both Rerth''s��and the other Hunting ss Teacher��Gater''s ss waspping around the training ground in the middle.

    "What did you say!? I''ll kill you, nerd!" The round boy said as his face turned red.

    "Haha!" The skinny kid turned around and started running backward. "Catch me if you can, idiot!"

    "Err..." The chubby boy grumbled under his breath, summoning fire magic into his palms.

    "me Scorch!" He suddenly shouted, hurling a st of fire toward the unexpected boy.

    *Pew! Pew! Pew!*

    The me that erupted out of the chubby boy''s palm was suddenly pierced through multiple times and dispersed by several quick-moving items of some sort.

    "Hey! You wanna get a detention or something!?" Rerth shouted from the middle of the track with a little anger beyond his voice.

    He yed with a few pebbles in his right hand.

    "Oh~" The chubby boy winced, quickly getting back to running as normal. "Shit... I forgot." He mumbled quietly.

    "Hahaha..." The slim kid teased silently, sticking his tongue out.

    "Alright, that''s enough! Everyone back to the center!" Rerth eximed after a few seconds, as everyone came to a stop.

    Most began walking to the center. Some were showered in sweat, their clothes wet, and some werepletely dry. Everyone else was somewhere in the middle.

    Apart from these students, some stayed on the track, putting their hands on their knees as they panted heavily.

    "Oi! Did I tell you that you canze around!?" Rerth immediately shouted, flicking the pebbles toward those students.

    "Ye--ouch!" A few eximed in pain before walking to the center.

    "Ah!"

    "K-!"

    "Shit! What was that!?" The chubby boy was struck right on his behind. He caressed his bum as he walked to the center with a slight limp.

    Even though everyone was slightly distracted, they all paid attention to Rerth, who demanded attention when he began to speak.

    His eagle-like eyes scanned through the crowd, mostly noticing the most vigorous-looking students.

    "You may be asking me, ''Why did you make us do that, teacher?''," Rerth made a high-pitched imitation voice, contrasting his usual rough tone, "Well, it''s simple! I wanted to see which one of you was a warrior! Which one of you was the fittest for this practice, and which one of you was going to be taking this seriously!"

    As he said this, many who were still leaning toward the floor straightened their back in an attempt to look more presentable. They felt slightly exposed, but rightfully so.

    "Now," Gator, the other teacher, began to speak, "Let''s begin the practice." He said, walking toward the entrance to the gym room with his hands clutched behind his back.

    The students quickly followed suit, walking behind the two teachers. They made it into the room, and then into the halls.

    Students began to converse with each other about the practice, some were excited, and others a bit more nervous.

    Lyrian was slightly intrigued to see exactly where the teachers were leading them. It wasn''t near the exit, but he knew that the dungeon would be outside, so he guessed that some sort of teleportation technology was going to be used.

    Although he had been there for many days, therge academy grounds still slightly puzzled him.

    He had yet to travel across all the floor and halls, but on top of that, this was only the outer academy. The inner academy was even bigger...

    Finally, they made it to some sort ofrge opening on the second floor. It looked to be a lobby of sorts but had a sort 2 stair leading up to a heightened tform.

    The tform housed a giant magical contraption, which looked confusing to even gaze at. Arge sphere made of white metal swirled in seemingly random directions in the middle of it all��powered by some sort of magic.

    "This is the Rift Gate of the outer academy. It''s in the middle if you want to know." Rerth eximed as many of the students gazed in awe.

    The sses hadn''t ascended the short tform yet, but Lyrian saw that on it was arge circle outlined in the floor with ck steel.

    As the ss entered it, it encapsted all of them without trouble. Still, it could hold double what was inside and be totally spacious.

    "Once this activity ends, the exam will begin automatically. Remember your ssmates if you haven''t already since they will be the ones that you must not stall." Rerth announced, walking over to a booth to the side of the room with a person inside.

    Gator continued, "Here are the main personal rules!" All of the students turned their heads to listen.

    "Both teams will enter the same dungeon, so expect contact. Beasts will be rampant, so don''t be haughty and rely on your team for help! They are your only lifeline."

    Students nodded along as the stern Gator continued to exin. Some students already began making ns before the practice even began.

    "You will collect beast materials, but remember that all beast materials only matter at the end of the practice, so keeping them is just as important as getting them."

    Before Gator could continue the next part, Rerth suddenly announced, "And listen to the next rules! They are the most important!" He yelled from the booth.

    Students prepared to hear Gator''s next words.

    "When I say keep your items... that doesn''t mean I''m telling you to not slip and drop them..." He paused, as a hint of excitement brewed in some students.

    This included Lyrian, who grinned on hearing those words. He knew what it meant.

    ''That means...'' He mused.

    "That means..." Gator eximed.

    "You can take items from the other team! Now, begin!"

    At that moment, a purple halo suddenly surrounded the circle the entire ss was in.

    In the span of a blink, Lyrian noticed that everything around him had changed out of nowhere...

 Chapter 279 Leaf Boy

    Chapter 279 Leaf Boy

    ''The forest outside of the campus,'' Lyrian mused, quickly surveying the area as everyone else did the same.

    ''But... It''s different. Nothing is too familiar, and nothing looks marked.'' He noticed that all of the grass strands were untouched. The bushes weren''t bent or curved in any way, and the trees looked wild.

    ''We are far. Really far.'' He had wanted toe out this far anyway, so this was nothing but a good thing.

    "Look! There''s the dungeon!" A kid from Gator''s ss pointed to a cave opening under a hill nearby.

    The opening wasrge, over 20 feet in height and length. It was pitch ck inside, so no one could see past a few feet.

    At that moment, a few stragglers separated from the onerge cluster of students and ran towards the cave.

    "Ya-hoo! I''m gone!" One with red hair said, running into the cave.

    "I''m gonna win this! It''s not a team activity, it''s a solo one." Another followed.

    "Hey! Fools!" A few didn''t like their idea, as it went against what Gator said right before the teleportation.

    "Don''t be stupid like them. If you are still here, then let''s form groups!"

    Just like that, the two sses split up and began to n outside of the cave.

    Lyrian observed both of the sses carefully. His ss looked to be led by a loud but higher-status noble boy.

    "Move in a close-knit group so we can take out as many beasts as possible in the shortest amount of time without losing anyone either. The only way we can get robbed is if someone is alone, but if we stick together, we won''t lose our materials unless a full-on war breaks out." The kid, who had a long gray robe and arge specter attached to his waist said.

    "Kaith, that''s a good idea, but won''t we be too slow?" A boy in a red robe challenged, him, as everyone listened on. "I feel we should split into at least 3 teams so that we can all move faster and ahead of the other team."

    "Nope, no way." Another kid intervened. This kid was the sses-wearing, small physique boy that Lyrian noticed in the track jog.

    "If we do that, then we will have a higher chance of getting robbed. What if the other team decides to go as onerge group? We won''t be able topete."

    Finally, the gray robe-wearing��addressed as Kaith��chimed in again, "Yes... on top of that, there are different paths in the dungeon, so there is no need to worry about being too far ahead or behind the group."

    The red robe-wearing kid couldn''t help but exim, "There are different paths... but they all lead to the same ce."

    But his words were almost ignored, as Kaith moved forward. "Let''s do a head count before going in!"

    As they did this, Lyrian changed his view of the other team. He had already been taking note of what their strategy was.

    "Hey! We''re missing one!" The red-robed kid said.

    "Huh?" Kaith eximed in confusion. "Tact, can''t you do anything correctly?" He eximed in frustration.

    After doing a head count himself, he was puzzled to announce that there truly was someone missing from the group.

    "Who could it be?" The kid wearing the red robe��addressed as Tact��said, as everyone slowly turned their heads to him in slight irritation.

    "What do you mean, who!? It''s the MVP, Lyrian Theageld!" Kaith said, furious.

    Lyrian smirked, as he had been observing both teams from the bushes this entire time. There was a reason for this, which would be revealedter on...

    ''This n should go well...'' He mused.

    *Rustle*

    Lyrian looked to his side, noticing something move in the bushes. It caught him off guard, as he made sure he was the only one in there before entering.

    All that look to be there were some green leaves... so he quickly shrugged it off as some critter happening to pass by.

    "We lost the MVP!? Damn it! He was our ticket to victory!" Tact yelled in shock, garnering a few head turns from the opposing team.

    "They lost the MVP! That was our main worry!" A kid from Gator''s team eximed quietly, excited.

    The entire team celebrated slightly as they heard the news. While they did, Lyrian noted each and every one of their faces.

    ''This blue robe looks to be the leader since he''s talking the most.'' His gaze darted to another kid, ''That calm and quiet one... he''s strong, I know it. He will most likely get the most materials.''

    At that moment, Gator''s team began walking toward the cave, while Rerth''s ss was still in shambles from Lyrian having gone missing.

    "Fool! How could you reveal that!" Kaith scolded angrily.

    "Screw that! Where did Theageld go!?" The nerdy kid yelled desperately, "Surely, he didn''t go in alone at the start, did he?"

    "No! I was looking at all the fools that ran in. He definitely didn''t go in, I swear my life on it." Kaith eximed, still in a bad mood. "We don''t have time to waste. Forget about that weirdo for now... let''s just go in!"

    As Rerth''s ss began walking toward the cave, Tact eximed in confusion, "What did he do then? Walk into the damn forest?"

    "I wouldn''t be surprised... he''s an odd one."

    "Did you hear his entrance speech?"

    "Did I��of course I did!"

    "Fucker wanted to rule the world!"

    ***

    "Kahaha! I can''t believe they actually lost their MVP though."

    "Shush! We can''t be focusing on him right now."

    Gator''s team walked into the cave hesitantly, as it continued to go down a steep path. The small amber stones lit the way slightly, but it was still quite sketchy.

    Before long, they came across a fork in the road. Between the left and right pathways, they chose the right and soon discovered a giant opening.

    "Stop! Do the headcount again before we enter!" A kid eximed, as another one quickly turned around and began counting.

    "25, 26, and... 27?" The kid counting had a brow raised, "Did I see you before? Why do you look so... weird?"

    The kid he was referring to was decked out in woven leaves and had a leaf hood over his head. Although he looked odd, his boring stance gave him an unsuspecting look.

    Heads began to turn as the main boy who said to head count turned around to deal with the dy.

    "What''s wrong? Oh, him?" He looked at the leaf outfit boy for a few seconds, squinting his eyes as he stared.

    "Yeah! He was with us when we did the first headcount. Now stop wasting time and let''s move on!"

    ...

    ''Ha...hahaha! It actually worked.'' A certain someone mused in relief under the leaf hood.

    "No! Wait!" The boy who just did the head count said. "You." He stepped forward, right in front of the leaf boy.

    "What''s your name."

    After a short pause, the boy said, "Linkus Oatas of Veridrake."

    Another few seconds of anticipation followed... "Alright... you''ll be sticking with me, Linkus." The boy turned around.

    ''Phew...'' Lyrian eximed to himself in relief.

 Chapter 280 Lizardmen

    Chapter 280 Lizardmen

    Their path opened up very wide, with the ceiling reaching over 50 feet in height. There were stctites at the top, which gave Lyrian some good memories.

    A few of the students whispered amongst each other, the few that were friends. They were curious about the leaf boy.

    However, the majority of kids, who kept quiet to themselves, didn''t seem to care about the leaf kid. It hadn''t even been two weeks of school. They didn''t even know half their ss yet, so why would one stand out too much from the rest?

    While walking, the path below Lyrian��The Leaf Boy��and the kid who did the head count��Jiller, as he proudly proimed��began to swerve to the left.

    "So... what''s with the leaf outfit, man?" Jiller asked curiously. He had yapped to Lyrian during their few-minute walk nonstop.

    Lyrian hadn''t said a word yet.

    "I see you''re a man of few words, Linkus," Jiller eximed but was then surprised to hear the leaf boy actually make a sound.

    "I love hunting," was all the leaf boy said, in an oddly deep voice.

    A smile formed on Jiller''s face, as his eyes widened. Lifting a finger in the air, he said, "Ah ha! I get it now! So that''s why you have the leaves on your body."

    ''He seems like a buffoon, but at least he can understand something like camouge,'' Lyrian mused, thinking of how much Jiller had spouted up until now.

    "Leaves are the perfect thing for herbivores to eat, so you lure them in with your body."

    ''Huh?''

    "That''s pretty ingenious, ya'' know. There is no getting closer than that! It would make them an easy target," Jiller said, proud to figure it out.

    ''Huh!? Is this guy seriously retarded?'' Lyrian confusedly thought.

    "Hey! Stop." The blue-robed kid at the front of the group of students halted, raising his hand in the air. This prompted everyone else to stop as well.

    They gazed in awe, as the blue-robed kid, peered around the corner of the spiraling cave.

    There, he saw an even bigger opening. It looked to be arge cave room that was about 20 feet below them. The cave led there eventually, but the blue-robed kid was hesitant to enter.

    Down there was a group of fourrge lizard-like humanoids. They had hard scales, especially against their back traps down to their long tails. Two held swords, while another��slightlyrger one��held an axe. Thest one held a bow, as they looked to converse with each other.

    The room was still dark, so the blue-robed kid couldn''t fully recognize everything in therge room.

    However, he knew that if he walked a few feet forward, the saurian (lizardman) would be able to spot him.

    Whispering, he eximed to his team, "Alright... listen up."

    The team huddled around him, Jiller and Leaf Boy included, as they discussed the next n, of course.

    After a few minutes, Lyrian began to get impatient. ''Hm... this is taking too long. My team must have in at least one lizardman by now. I want them to kill as little as possible so that I can join this team and head over there to reap the materials of my team''s path as well.''

    "What do we do? Those are saurians, which are already super strong, and they don''t look like some weaklings either."

    "No... they must be the higher-ranking guards. Otherwise, they wouldn''t be stationed out here."

    Everyone nodded in agreement.

    "How about this... we split into four teams and take down one each as groups."

    "Are you sure? The axe one looks stronger than the others."

    "You''re right... what do we do about him?"

    Lyrian suddenly left the huddle and walked over to where the blue-robed kid had spotted the lizardmen.

    "Hey! What are you--!?" Jiller yelled in a whisper, trying to hold the Leaf Boy back. He failed.

    Lyrian observed the saurians and did a quick scan.

    ''Their OP''s are 6. The brute over there with the axe is 7. Stronger than the usual beasts in the forest... but, unexpectedly weak as well. This far out, I expected more.''

    "Hey!" Lyrian suddenly blurted out. This time, his voice wasn''t so deep, and instead a bit high.

    The huddled teammates looked up in horror, hearing the Leaf Boy loudly speak.

    "How about I take on the husk with the axe and you guys take on the rest?" He shouted, causing the team to lose their minds.

    "What are you doing!?" Jiller eximed in a screaming whisper. The blue-robed kid simply widened his eyes in shock, speechless.

    ''No way he just yelled out like that...''

    At that moment, Leaf Boy jumped from the edge of the path down to the ground, and the students quickly walked further down the path until they could see the room in its entirety.

    Then, they looked at Leaf Boy as he ran toward the lizardmen. All of them were riddled with disbelief.

    "How did he pass the entrance exam? The fool will get demolished in an instant if he thinks he can take on that axe lizardman."

    "No... screw that. Does he think the other lizardmen will just let him duel the brute? He is a fool."

    "That axe-wielding saurian is probably close to the secondyer of Pure Beast... and that idiot is rushing in with his sword as if he will defeat it in one blow or something," The blue-robed kid eximed in frustration, "Who in the hell does he think he is? An MVP or something?"

    The other students shook their heads side to side in disappointment as Leaf Boy reached 20 feet from the brutish lizard man. They actually had a bit of pity in their eyes.

    Seeing Lyrian rush in like that, the other saurian did something totally unexpected. Instead of running to help their ally, they actuallyughed at Leaf Boy, turning to look at the show instead.

    ''That works for me.'' Lyrian mused, looking at therge lizardman, who was also smiling, seemingly amused, ''I''ll wipe that smirk right off your face.''

    At that moment, a ruthless bloodlust melted through the air and pierced through the heart of the lizardman. Its smile faded, as its mouth gaped. Its eyes widened slightly, as the small Leaf Boy in front of it suddenly disappeared from sight.

    "Shock Fist!"

 Chapter 281 Leaf Boys Chaotic Precision

    Chapter 281 Leaf Boys Chaotic Precision

    As its axe began to swing, therge saurian felt a blunt force crash against the side of its head with incredibly powerful force.

    Its skin blistered and melted away slightly on the impact point as its neck whipped back.

    In the next moment, the lizardman was flung across the cavern room,ing to a skidding stop over 100 feet away.

    With his fist slightly smoking, Lyrian lessened the Enhance.

    The students who looked at him fight had their jaws on the floor. Their eyes popped out of their skulls in surprise.

    "Did I just see that?"

    "No... way."

    They were dumbfounded. Even the other lizardmen were shocked, no longer smiling.

    "He..." Jiller began to say, "He''s amazing! I never doubted him from the start!"

    Other kids celebrated with him, acting as if they weren''t just bad-mouthing him a second ago.

    The blue-robed kid didn''t know how to feel about this. He was deep in thought, confused about the whole situation.

    The other lizardmen saw the oue of their friend and began running toward Lyrian with weapons ready to ughter.

    "Hey look! They are going for him!"

    Jiller heard this from another student and jumped down into the cavern room without hesitation. "I can''t be one upped! I''m going to support that G!" He said, as several other students joined him in the attack.

    "Hey! Wait!" The blue-robed kid eximed, trying to grab onto the students. However, they ran fast enough for their clothes to slip right out of the blue-robed kid''s fingers.

    "There is something off about all of this..." He said, thest one still on the path.

    "Diieee!" Jiller screamed, taking out his sword as he attacked one of the saurians. The other students released their onught as well.

    In moments, the entire cave room turned into a giant, confusing, chaotic, brawl!

    Lyrian nced up at the blue-robed kid. ''C''mon... get down here as well.'' He said to himself, waiting patiently as he pretended to fight amidst the other students.

    He could tell that bluey over there was eyeing him.

    ''And...'' Lyrian mused, as blue ball finally jumped into the fray, ''Perfect.'' He mused before he disappeared from sight...

    ''In the middle of this chaos, not a single person who''s a part of it will notice me.''

    Lyrian sneakily rushed over to therge lizardman. It tried to stand but he swiftly cut its head off before it could do so.

    ''I can''t waste time. What am I taking?'' He thought, quickly examining the beast''s body. He knew that only valuable materials mattered, so he looked for some sort of gem or other item.

    He then saw a small pair of horns on the beast''s snout, and precisely cut those out in a quick fashion before storing them.

    ''Damn it, this is taking too long. Scan.'' He began to scan the lizardman''s entire body, as several panels popped up in his vision at once.

    ��������Scan��������

    Name: Lizardman Hide

    Description: Hide of a lizardman. This hide is tough and can be used for armor, but is not very valuable.

    ����������������������

    ��������Scan��������

    Name: Lizardman Teeth

    Description: Lizardman teeth are small, sharp teeth that allow the lizardman to eat efficiently. Although they are not rare, they provide a good multitude of uses.

    ����������������������

    ��������Scan��������

    Name: Lizardman Snoutal Horn''s

    Description: The ivory horns of a lizardman which are a few inches in length. This is a valuable item--

    ����������������������

    Lyrian didn''t need to see any more than that. He was assured that he made the right decision on the horns and moved on.

    ��������Scan��������

    Name: Lizardman Eye

    Description: The crystal eye of a lizardman, is a very valuable crafting item. It can be used fo---

    ����������������������

    ''Perfect.''

    After scanning some more, he found that those two items were the only ones that were valuable in a saurian''s body. He made sure to check for anything else just in case, even flipping the beast around.

    In seconds, he returned to the battle. The archer had nearly copsed by now. It had multiple stab wounds and was getting cornered by the students on all sides.

    Moving swiftly, Lyrian appeared as a blur in the darkness in front of the beast''s face.

    "What the heck is that?" Jiller eximed in confusion, only being able to see a blurry figure in the darkness.

    In less than a second, the figure disappeared, leaving behind an eyeless, hornless lizardman to fall on its back.

    "Woah! It fell!" Those closer to the outside of the fight with the archer lizardman eximed, moving in.

    "What th-!? Its valuables are already taken!"

    Hearing this, a kid who was close to the lizardman when it died retorted, "How odd... it had them just a second ago, and now it doesn''t. It didn''t have any when it fell..."

    The first kid from the outside of the fight yelled back, "Yeah right! Just say you took the materials first since you were the closest, you bastard!"

    Other students also joined the conversation, being on different stances due to theck of vision and difference in distance. As they continued to argue, Lyrian had slid around to another fight.

    One of the swordsman lizardmen, which wasn''t as weak as the archer. That one wasn''t used to closebat, but this one was a master at it.

    With only a few small wounds from the more experienced students, it was barely injured and held the student''s back carefully.

    A kid ran to the back of the 7-foot beast, trying to stab his sword into the creature''s blind spot.

    Just as he was a few feet away, the tail of the saurian mmed into him, sending him flying.

    "Be careful! It''s not just strong, but also smart! That alone doubles its power when ites to a fight!" The blue-robed kid, who was in the group fighting this lizardman, eximed, as students backed up slightly.

    They were scared of it, no longer willing to go in so frivolously.

    ''No... this won''t allow me to attack it. There needs to be students near it to create a distraction.'' Lyrian thought to himself, slithering next to the blue-robed kid.

    "Huh? Were you always there?" Bluey said, suddenly noticing him.

    "Everyone! Don''t be so disheartened! Let''s kill this thing!" Leaf boy suddenly eximed.

    After a few seconds, a few brave souls ran toward the lizardman again, as many others followed.

    At that moment, a blurry figure appeared in front of the saurian''s face once again... and then disappeared--causing it to fall on its back.

    "Wh--!" The blue-robed kid eximed in shock. "Was that... the leaf boy?"

    "What? No... what are you talking about." The leaf boy eximed, suddenly tapping blue-robed kid''s shoulder and spooking him.

 Chapter 282 Lizardman Duel

    Chapter 282 Lizardman Duel

    "Wha-!?" The blue-robed boy eximed in shock and confusion. "But-- you-- how!?" He couldn''t find words to express his confusion.

    "What are you talking about?" The leaf boy said in a slightly less confused tone.

    "You know what... never mind." The blue-robed kid took a deep breath. ''It seems I was worrying for the wrong reason. My mind and its imaginations are making me stress for no reason. This is no time to be stressed.''

    The leaf boy smiled under his hood. "Yes... good." He eximed.

    Hearing this, the blue-robed kid looked up at him again. "Huh?" He said, a little thrown off.

    The leaf boy changed his tone. "Good! Now, you can no longer stress."

    "Yeah... I suppose." The blue-robed kid still didn''t find his situation fullyfortable, but he had no other choice but to deal with it for now.

    ''I could have sworn seeing him up there... but it was dark. I got weird vibes from him since the start... but I''ll have to chalk all that up to my own mind. Right now, I need to fight.''

    After thinking this to himself, he noticed that the leaf boy was gone. He tried to look around the chaotic crowd surrounding the saurian''s body but couldn''t get a good enough look to identify anyone.

    Before long, Lyrian appeared in the crowd fighting thest lizardman. The crowd of students from the dead archer group had joined this one, making it evenrger.

    Right now, however, no one attacked the beast. Instead, they spaced out over 10 feet or so, allowing enough space for the duel that was taking ce.

    Lyrian slithered his way through the crowd and saw a kid fighting the lizard in a sword battle.

    ''Ah... that was the strong, quiet kid that I noticed earlier. He seemed capable. I guess this will be his test.''

    *ng*

    After a sh of des, both opponents jumped back for a moment. The kid dueling the saurian jumped back near the crowd, where Lyrian noted he had short ck hair.

    "Remember!" The kid shouted while he had the chance, "This is a one versus one, so if I win, I get all the spoils!" He reminded the crowd.

    Although they were hesitant to agree, many still nodded their heads to see this spectacle.

    After another few shes of des, the kid was flung into the air from the powerful tail swipe of the beast.

    Gasps of shock sounded as a hush fell over the crowd. Everyone looked in horror as the lizardman readied to stab the falling boy.

    "What happens if a beast kills you in here!?" A kid shouted, imagining the worst.

    "They don''t let you die... but it''s close enough to still make you want to cry to mommy."

    "Yeah, practice examiners are looking at our every step. In fact, they are somewhere in this cave room with us right now."

    Hearing this, Lyrian took a look around out of curiosity. He then diverted his attention back to the fight, gripping his own de.

    As the boy came close to the lizardman''s sword, the saurian thrust at him forcefully.

    The crowd held their breath as the sword neared the boy... only to be deflected out of nowhere.

    This time, a clear figure appeared in mid-air between the kid and the lizardman. As the kid fell to the floor, panting in shock, he was dragged into the crowd by some students.

    "Are you alright!?"

    "What happened to me!? I thought I was going to die!"

    "You were saved!"

    "By who?"

    As he asked this, no one said a word, simply staring at the next kid who stood before the lizardman.

    At that moment, a few kids actually stepped out closer to the battle, but the leaf boy''s de swung up and pointed straight at them out of nowhere.

    They halted, looking at the pointy edge of the weapon.

    "Woah... who''s side are you on, man?"

    "Yeah, don''t point that thing at us!"

    The leaf boy calmly spoke, "This is a one versus one duel that isn''t over yet." He looked over to the nearly-killed kid, "I''ll fight for you."

    The kid who was fighting just a moment ago smiled on hearing this, as a grateful feeling washed over him. "Thank--"

    "Except! I will reap all the benefits... as I alone will be the one to kill it."

    "--You..." The kid wasn''t smiling anymore. The other students also backed up, giving the leaf boy the space to fight.

    At that moment, the group from the past swordman saurian also joined this one. Now, the entire group was watching him.

    Stepping forward, he faced the lizardman and pointed his de toward it next.

    ''Your skills aren''t actually too bad.'' He thought to himself as the beast abruptly lunged at him.

    Lyrian calmly stepped to the side, avoiding the thrust. With a swift series of precise steps, he neared the beast before swinging his sword toward its abdomen.

    Noticing this, the lizardman jumped back onto its tail and dodged the sh. It propelled itself forward, again, releasing a barrage of attacks toward Lyrian.

    Lyrian wanted to try and outskill the beast but also knew that his own team was moving on as he did, so he decided to end it here quickly.

    His body lit up in a green aura and he blitzed forward. Before the saurian could react, he was beside it.

    In one clean swing, Lyrian split the creature''s Achilles tendon in half, before swiftly darting behind it.

    The lizardman fell to its knees, and Lyrian climbed up on its back before delivering the final blow to its spinal cord right behind its neck.

    It was an instant kill. The beast would have fallen face-front, but Lyrian grabbed it by the back of the head and pulled it down toward him.

    With its knees still bent, the back of its head and its back thumped onto the ground.

    Finally, for the first time, the team saw a beast that still had its valuable material attached. Before Lyrian could do anything further, everyone began to walk closer, their eyes blinded by the materials.

    *Shing!*

    Lyrian''s de suddenly rose up in the air again, facing all of them.

    "Not a step closer." He dered in a serious tone.

 Chapter 283 Back Off

    Chapter 283 Back Off

    A few furrowed their brows, tightening the grip on their des. Most stayed where they were, but a couple of students backed off immediately, not seeing the point in this.

    The more angry ones eyed the leaf boy down. He was standing in front of the corpse, which looked ripe for the taking.

    "Every other corpse has been looted. Who knows how many creatures there will be. I need this," a kid said in a stern tone.

    "There was an agreemen--" Lyrian tried to say, but was abruptly cut off.

    "Screw your damn agreement! I want Riftstones, damn it! Look at you, you wear leaves on your body for fuck''s sake, why do you care about money?"

    Lyrian clenched his jaw on hearing this. He stared at every single one of them under his hood.

    His head eventually met Jiller, who stood amongst the fray. After shrugging, the boy said, "Sorry... we gotta split this. I can''t let you have it all. You got all the stuff from that big axe lizardman as well."

    Everyone nodded, realizing that the leaf boy already got a fair share of the valuables with the brutish lizardman from before.

    Their confidence grew even more. Still, they were wary, since they had just seen what the leaf boy was capable of.

    Not only here, but also when fighting therger saurian a few moments ago.

    A few brazen kids in the front moved forward slightly. Finally, one took a step forward, and everyone followed suit.

    At that very moment, a burst of dangerous killing aura assaulted them, almost thickening the atmosphere around them.

    They felt as though they were being stared down by some unique, monstrous beast of some sort. In only a few seconds, half of the students backed off, some stumbling onto their bums as they walked backward.

    Those at the front had also lost most of their courage, as they winced with slightly horrified faces.

    This almost demonic energy surging from the hooded figure in the darkness ahead of them made them go slightly limp.

    Frozen in fear, they were mentally defeated. A few kids, however, withheld their ground.

    "Tricks... you might try to put me under them." One said, struggling to talk, "But it won''t work in the end!" He began running at Lyrian.

    The others stayed back. They weren''t going to follow their leader''s steps anymore.

    Now, it was a battle to fend for themselves. They were going to see how one fared against him, and then decide whether to fight him themselves or not.

    Lyrian dashed forward as well, not letting up. In an instant, he appeared in front of the boy and held him up in the air by the neck.

    After choking him for a few seconds, he dashed him to the side as if he were a pebble.

    The boy thudded against the ground and rolled for a few seconds before stopping 20 feet away. Seeing this, the others finally backed up.

    "Fine... we give up." One said, turning around.

    The others didn''t hesitate to do the same. Jiller also turned around, feeling humiliated and embarrassed.

    Lyrian carved his rightfully earned materials out of the lizardman''s head, leaving the rest to decay away.

    "Hey... what the heck is that!?" A boy shouted from afar. It seemed he was one of the first ones to leave the group that attempted to gang up against Lyrian.

    Instead, he was about 100 feet away in the cavern room, where he pointed to something. A few others rushed to him, curious to see what he was surprised at.

    It was pretty dark, so only after jogging about 50 feet did they see the tworge, torso-sized duffle bags sitting on the side of the wall.

    The entire group joined as they neared the bags. Lyrian also took a nce at them and saw a sign poking out of each of them.

    The bags seemed to be filled with sand, and the signs showed the faces of two students with X''s ced over their eyes.

    "Those are..." The blue-robed kid stated,ing to a realization, "The kids who failed."

    Another student was slightly taken aback on hearing this. This student was Jiller. "What!? Fromst year?" He retorted in surprise.

    The blue-robed kid didn''t hesitate to correct him, "No. They are the fools that ran into the dungeon without any care in the world."

    Jiller put his hands on his hips and tilted his head to the side in confusion, as everyone stared at him.

    "Hmm... that doesn''t really look like them though. Are their bodies perhaps inside?"

    "No, you buffoon! Of course, the teachers wouldn''t allow something like that to happen! I''m sure they came close enough to dying, so the teachers were forced to remove them and put these bags in their ce to mark their death."

    "Ah..." Jiller began to nod, caressing his chin.

    At this moment, Lyrian walked away from the group, examining the cavern room. It was definitelyrge... but this was not where everything ended, right?

    As he looked around, he suddenly noticed tworge metal gates in the far corner of the domain. He then looked back at the group to see if they were done speaking yet.

    ''Those were the dungeon entrance gates for sure...'' He mused, waiting for the group.

    "Hey... speaking of dungeon, when are we going to enter one?" The short-haired kid from before who fought the swordsman saurian inquired, stepping forward.

    "So far, we''ve only seen a long stretch of cavernous area. I want to actually explore a dungeon for the first time."

    "The dungeon huh? I wonder if there even is a dungeon. I feel like that would be too dangerous. I mean... hell! Look at the fate of these two fools." Jiller chimed in, teasing the duffle bags.

    "We aren''t as foolish as those two. We got through these strong guards without much trouble at all. As long as we keep at this, we will blow through this ce. Judging the strength of the guards, I would say that their strongest soldiers will rank about the same, so we should be able to deal with them."

    The blue-robed kid was going to continue while everyone listened, but the leaf boy suddenly blurted out something that caught everyone''s attention.

    "Hey! I see something over here! They look like... gates."

    Everyone turned their heads at once to look.

 Chapter 284 First Dungeon Room: Manathryll

    Chapter 284 First Dungeon Room: Manathryll

    ''Gates?'' The blue-robed kid said under his breath, walking over to where Lyrian was. As he did this, everyone else followed him.

    "Hey! Those are real gates!" The kid who dueled the lizard eximedin excitement, rushing over to it.

    "Hey!" The blue-robed kid barked, "Don''t run off on your own. You don''t wanna end up like those two!"

    Hearing this, the excited-haired kid slowed down to a walk as he approached the gates. By this time, they weren''t so small anymore and instead had a robust look to them. Over 20 feet in height, they had multiplerge nuts and bolts made of raw and rusty metal. Each one was asrge if not bigger than the domes of the students.

    Students gazed in awe, and some tried to push it open immediately. Among these few were Jiller, the short-haired kid, and also the leaf boy, of course.

    The blue-robed kid stood back with his arms crossed. As he did this, another kid came up to him, "This door doesn''t have a lock, meaning it requires pure strength to open. We should all push together."

    At that moment, Lyrian backed off slightly from the door, his eyes wide in shock.

    ''Holy fuck... I tried my best to push it open, and it didn''t even budge.'' It had been a while since he had been humbled, and by a door no less.

    On the blue-robed kid''smand, everyone lined up against the door.

    "Heave!"

    They all prepared themselves, putting pressure on their back legs.

    "Ho!"

    They all shouted, driving all of their weight into their front legs as they pushed forward with utmost force.

    *Creak*

    The door moved slightly, but not enough to fully open. This was only one door as well. Lyrian grimaced at the thought of trying to open both doors at once.

    "One more time!" He eximed as everyone caught their breath and lined up against the door for the second time.

    The blue-robed kid began to shout again, "Heave!"

    "Ho!"

    This time, Lyrian infused his legs and arms with a good amount of mana using Enhance and pushed forward.

    The door slid open a bit faster, as everyone delightfully walked inside. Immediately, they were met with apletely different interior to the previous ce they were just in.

    No longer were the walls made of gray stone, and no longer was it dark. Instead, the walls looked to be polished light-gray stone, and the floor was t, made of bs of the same material as the walls.

    The ceiling was no different, and severalrge pirs of smooth stone held the room together.

    The light source inside of this room was piles of some sort of blueish ore encased in the gray stone from the cave. They were in each of the corners and in masses.

    It gave the room a very bright, light-blue glow to it. Lyrian saw the ore and immediately thought about what it was.

    He also saw another gate to the other room, but before he could act on that, a student rushed over to some of the ore.

    "This is Manathryll! Be it a low grade, it''s still the stone of mana!" He observed a bright smile on his face that was already reflecting off of the crystal.

    "Huh?" Lyrian said, walking closer to one of the stones.

    "You''re right!" A student said, as everyone quickly scattered around.

    "Damn it! I wish I could collect it! It would sell for a nice amount of Riftstones." Jiller eximed, looking at the Manathryll with glowing eyes.

    Lyrian, who was next to him, inquired a question, "How many Riftstones are we talking about?"

    In a daze of awe, Jiller unconsciously replied, "A pound of this stuff sells for 100 Riftstones. Encased in all the stones here, there is at least over 20 pounds of the stuff."

    "I... see." Lyrian looked at the Manathryll, now also in awe.

    ''Hmm... what do I have that can mine it? I have my obsidian de, but I''m not going to ruin it by mining this ore. Plus, I don''t want to disgrace Brokkr''s weapon, meant to be used in battle.'' He mused, as others around him also wondered how they could extract the material.

    A few went a different route from Lyrian, opting to sacrifice their weapons to get the ore.

    It seemed quite brittle, and easily breakable with a tool. Lyrian then got an idea. He Enhanced his fist and then threw a punch at the ore.

    As soon as itnded, Lyrian felt all of the strength in his fist disappear. The ore rippled with a blue color as if it had absorbed his mana straight from his hand.

    All of the force from the mana was also absorbed.

    "Woah," Lyrian said in genuine surprise.

    "Haha!" Jiller suddenlyughed. "That''s natural Manathryll dude. It can''t be effected by magic."

    "What!?" Lyrian was shocked to hear those words and quickly retorted in bewilderment.

    "Yeah... after it''s refined, it takes a skilled cksmith to actually use that natural property of its��to negate a lot of magia. When it''s raw, it doesn''t need to be tampered with, so it retains its natural power. The only way to collect it is by using a tool."

    Hearing this, Lyrian wondered how he could extract the ore again. He wanted it since it provided a good amount of Riftstones. On top of that, it could also pose to be a good item for cultivation.

    ''Oh... maybe this.'' He finally mused. Reaching into his storage ring, he pulled out a simple long spear.

    ''These are the spears of the Magma Dwellers. They were in the pile of treasure, but I never intended to actually use them. I just wanted to take all the treasure at once.''

    He began swirling the spear in the air. ''Not bad... they would be better than my original obsidian de, but currently, they are useless to me. I might as well use them.''

    As he neared them toward the Manathryll ore, Jiller intervened, "Hey! Don''t tell me you''re wasting that perfectly good spear for this! L-Let me take it!"

    Lyrian ignored him, stabbing the ore right in between the stone and the Manathryll.

    *Crack*

    A chunk of blue crystal fell onto the floor.

 Chapter 285 Team Reunion

    Chapter 285 Team Reunion

    The sound of the piece of Manathryll falling echoed through the room, causing many kids to turn their heads toward the leaf boy.

    "What th--!? It actually worked!" Jiller eximed in surprise.

    Lyrian smiled, jabbing at the ore bulge with precise strikes. More and more small chunks of gem began flying out like there was no tomorrow,nding all around Lyrian.

    Students gathered closer in awe of the spectacle. They were jealous, of course. They wanted some of the ore, at the least.

    After a few minutes, all of the ore in that corner had been dislodged cleanly onto the floor. Lyrian went along and picked all of them upright afterward, storing them in his ring.

    ''That was about 5 pounds. 500 Riftstones.'' He mused, looking at the tip of his spear. It was roughed up, but not too badly.

    The students continued to stare at him with puppy eyes, wanting a few pieces.

    "Lord!"

    Hearing this made Lyrian throw his guard up slightly. ''What?'' He thought to himself since he imagined he would only be called ''lord'' when they found out that he was an MVP.

    But instead, he saw that the kid who said it didn''t look like he knew that he was an MVP.

    He came up to Lyrian and put his hands together before begging. "Let me get some... please!"

    Before Lyrian could reply, half the room burst into begs and pleads, some even falling to their knees before Lyrian.

    Lyrian looked at them all calmly for a moment... and then turned around and walked away.

    The kids immediately stopped begging as they saw this cold reply. There was no emotion behind the boy''s actions. No words, no nothing.

    It was clear that he didn''t care one bit about giving any of them anything.

    Jiller sighed, getting up from his hands and knees. ''He''s a piece of shit... but at least he''s strong. He''s strong and even smart. On top of that, he is closest to me. If anything goes wrong, next time, I''m sticking by him.'' He thought to himself.

    Lyrian arrived at the next ore pile and began striking at it as well. After several minutes, the entire room was swiped clean of its ore. Lyrian got about 17 pounds, and the rest was retrieved by random students.

    Most were disheartened by that point, having not a single Riftstone to their name in his ''fun'' activity.

    Finally, Lyrian walked toward the gate. It was creaked open ever so slightly. This was because while he was collecting the Manathryll, the students had tried to push it open.

    Without his help, however, it didn''t budge any more than a few centimeters.

    Finally, the other students lined up against it as well, pushing with all their might.

    "Heave! Ho!"

    The door slowly opened, as everyone stepped across the doorway. This time, instead of a room, they were met with a wide hallway. Amber crystals lit up the walls as they quickly walked through it.

    Before long, they came across a fairlyrge opening, in the middle of which was a big water fountain.

    The water fountain was bright and shimmered the room in a bright light. This room was circr, having three different doorways inside of it.

    Firstly, there were two doorways without any gates leading from the west and the east toward the fountain.

    Finally, north of the fountain was a gated doorway, which was made of a door that looked even more robust.

    It was bigger, most likely 30 feet in height. It also had a shine to it this time, so one could tell that it was of higher quality.

    As Lyrian and his current team made it into therge open room with the water fountain, they noticed that from the other side of the room, another group of students walked into the room through the other open doorway as well.

    As soon as Lyrian noticed them, he slithered his way to the back of his current team without anyone noticing.

    ''I don''t want them to see me yet... I fooled this team, but I might not fool them. There needs to be a fight first before I can reveal myself.'' He mused, staying in the back.

    "Hey! Bums!" A red-robed kid from the other team shouted with a smile as he saw Lyrian''s current team.

    "Didn''t expect to see you guys already here, especially not you, Minton. How little material did you collect so far, huh?" Jiller retorted back, as the red-robed kid (Minton) and Jiller stared each other down.

    "Huh? Little materials? We collected the motherload, didn''t we, Kaith?" Minton turned to the staff-wielding kid.

    "Sure..." Kaith replied quietly.

    "Ya'' don''t sound too confident!" Jiller barked.

    "What''d you say!?" Minton retorted angrily.

    "Both of you!" Both Kaith and the blue-robed kid spoke in unison, "Shut up!"

    A hush fell over the two of them, and silence spread through the room for a few seconds as the blue-robed kid walked toward the gates.

    "I want to advance. There is nothing here but a useless water fountain. Let''s not waste any time." He turned, speaking to his team.

    Everyone followed along, lining themselves against the wall.

    "Hey." Kaith turned toward his team, "Let''s go." He flicked his head toward the door before walking over there.

    Just like the blue-robed kid''s team, his team also followed him closely. Now, both teams lined themselves against each door, ready to push.

    Lyrian to the edge of his team, farthest from the other team. He didn''t want his identity exposed just yet.

    ''I am closest to the hinge of the door, so I will provide almost no help. Hopefully... these doors open without me needing to push them from the middle.'' He thought to himself, slightly worried.

    He looked up at the sheer stature of the gates and doubted even more.

    "Heave!" The blue-robed kid suddenly shouted as everyone from both teams readied themselves.

    "Ho!"

    With full force, everyone drove their strength into the gates and pushed.

    *Creak*

    The doors opened... but only a centimeter.

    "Again! Heave! Ho!"

    It didn''t budge even an inch. Lyrian sighed, stepping away from the door.

    He walked to the center, as his team moved down. They knew that he was far stronger than them, so they weren''t reluctant to give him space.

    ''Hm.'' Kaith said to himself, noticing this happen.

    A boy next to him wearing a green hood was also slightly amused to see this for some reason.

    "Heave! Ho!"

    Lyrian Enhanced his legs and arms and pushed as hard as possible.

    At that moment, Kaith noticed that the kid in the leaf hood looked a bit familiar.

    His eyes widened slightly as the door swung open.

    "Wait a second... you are..."

 Chapter 286 Leaf Boys Identity Revealed

    Chapter 286 Leaf Boy''s Identity Revealed

    *Sheeeow!*

    An arrow shot from out of nowhere, grazing right past Kaith''s nose as it bounced off the metal door next to him.

    A small trickle of blood began to make its way down his face as everyone quickly turned their attention to where the arrow came from.

    Looking inside the room, they saw a room simr in looks and size to the Manathryll room, except it had a bunch of giant lizardmen inside.

    It had none of the ore but instead was full of carts with food in them.

    There were also barrels of what looked to be wine everywhere.

    Finally, the skeletons of what looked to be human remains scattered the floor.

    *Sheeeow! Sheeeow!*

    A few more arrows shot at the group of students, as one person found it too hard to dodge.

    The arrow approaching him neared mere millimeters before he suddenly disappeared.

    In his ce appeared a sack of sand and a sign with his head and eyes crossed out��just like the ones they saw a few moments ago.

    Another arrow went straight for a kid dressed in a green hood, and he didn''t seem to make a reaction even though the arrow was mere feet from lodging into him.

    The crowd of student''s held their breath as it neared 1 foot from the student.

    *Swoosh*

    His hand suddenly rose, grabbing the arrow and breaking it in half swiftly.

    Lyrian took note of the boy.

    Everyone was now on high alert and stormed the room. They spread out, eyeing each of the 10 saurians that were inside.

    They seemed to be of the same strength as the ones they fought when they were still in the cave.

    This time, however, there were 3rge axe-wielding brutes, 3 swordsmen, 2 spearmen, and 2 archers.

    Lyrian smiled as he dashed around, ''I didn''t expect to meet them so early, but this is a good thing.''

    He was thinking about his original team. ''Now, I can take their items as well.''

    He looked over at Minton, who ran toward one of the swordsman lizardmen.

    ''That guy was probably bluffing when he said that they hit the jackpot, since Kaith''s reaction wasn''t supporting his. Still, they must have collected something. More than my team.'' He smirked at his own joke.

    As he continued to dash around, students began teaming up against the beasts. Lyrian thought of how to y things.

    He wanted the most benefits while putting himself in the least danger.

    ''For now... I''ll do this,'' He said to himself, looking at the thick doors that led to the next room, ''If there are more rooms, I don''t need to exact my final move yet.''

    With that, he dashed over to one of the archers. ''However... one thing I didn''t want to do, I have to do now.'' He thought inwardly, appearing before the face of the lizardman archer.

    He used his obsidian de''s sharp edge to slice through the creature''s head, obtaining its eyes and snoutal horns.

    He did all of this whilst still in mid-air. This time, he was seen by everyone fighting this lizardman, so instead of dashing away quickly, he dropped to the floor in front of the saurian''s body.

    Everyone apart of that group, students from both teams, gazed at him in awe and shock.

    "My suspicions from before were true..." Kaith retorted, now looking at Lyrian with widened eyes.

    Others paused and stared at him with intrigue as he spoke. Hemanded a lot of heads to turn, as his status was high.

    "He is Lyrian Theageld! The MVP!" He shouted as many other kids from different fights turned to look in shock. This included the blue-robed kid, who had given up on that thought...

    Before fully revealing himself, Lyrian waited to see the crowd''s reaction. Although it was extremely small, there was a chance that the crowd went against Kaith''s words.

    If this happened, he could continue having some disguise and trust between the two groups, if nothing.

    "Wait a minute... now that I think about it, you''re right!" Jiller spoke slowly, "Why else would he be so strong!?"

    Kaith looked at him with disappointment, "You should have noticed that a while ago."

    With this, everyone around Lyrian roared in agreement with Kaith.

    "You''re right! How did we miss that!?"

    "You are a genius for noticing so quickly, master Kaith."

    "You bastard! How dare you trick us!" A few even began to ridicule Lyrian.

    ''I see... this disguise is useless now. I could try to y it off as if I''m not him, but I doubt anyone would listen to me over him.''

    He pondered, before stripping off his leaf hood. Shocked gasps sounded through the crowd as their thoughts were confirmed.

    "I don''t care! I''m still siding with him! Hell, I think his strategy was smart!" Jiller eximed, raising his sword.

    No one else said a word and simply looked at him. There were a few who wanted to support Lyrian as well, and those kids looked around to see if anyone else was going to speak out first.

    Jiller''s words didn''t really mean anything, since he was a fool, but if someone intellectual said it, then they could agree without shame.

    For now, people decided to keep their mouths shut. At that moment, Lyrian turned and began to walk away.

    "Hey!" A kid grabbed his shoulder and gripped it tight. A few behind him tried to restrain him, but he had already done it before they could do anything.

    Lyrian stopped, looking back past his shoulder at the boy.

    "You stole all of our materials from those first lizardmen... remember? Did you think we forgot?" He said in an arrogant tone.

    Lyrian stared at him with a piercing gaze, making him loosen his grip slightly. He himself realized at that moment that this was the same kid who showcased that deadly killing intent from before and gulped.

    "Stole? I killed those beasts and took their materials all by myself. How did it be your''s all of a sudden?" Lyrian said, pulling his shoulder in as the boy''s grip let go.

    He walked out of the crowd, and no one attempted to follow him.

    "Dude... what the hell are you thinking. That''s not just some nobody." A kid nearby said to the boy who grabbed Lyrian''s shoulder. He was now in a slight daze of fear.

    "I know... he was really strong. I forgot." The boy said.

    "No! Not that. Don''t you realize that we aren''t just messing with some kid, or strong kid even... that is an MVP. That''s Lyrian Theageld. Some people call him the Pheonix after that night of the banquet..."

 Chapter 287 Slicing Through

    Chapter 287 Slicing Through

    Many students didn''t know how to feel at that moment. A lot wanted their share of materials but knew they couldn''t confront Lyrian.

    Kaith''s team was simply surprised that all of this urred. Of course, the part of the team that was fighting that specific lizardman.

    "Stop dilly-dallying!" Kaith retorted to the silent crowd. "This is a dungeon! Go fight beasts!"

    Hearing this, the bulk of the students quickly moved on to the different saurians, despite how they felt.

    Kaith was the first person to run after Lyrian out of the crowd. At that moment, Lyrian was looking at which lizardman was the most injured, so he could not risk another one being killed and looted first.

    Kaith made his way next to him before whispering, "Hey... so what was this disguise all about? What are you nning?"

    Lyrian stopped and looked at Kaith as he heard this. He was initially confused about what the boy was talking about.

    However, he quickly realized that his actions portrayed either two things to the basic person -- him fully betraying his own team, or him doing all of this to contribute to his team in some way.

    ''He must have gone with the second option,'' Lyrian mused as he began to speak.

    "You will find out soon enough," he said, not explicitly giving a clear answer.

    "Yes! It''s down!" A voice cut through the noise from afar, entering right into Lyrian''s ears as his eyes widened.

    Through the screams of battle, Kaith didn''t hear those words, but Lyrian was locked onto anything having to do with the beast''s dying.

    Before Kaith could reply, Lyrian rushed over to where the voice came from.

    He soon arrived at the scene where another archer had been felled and looked at who was collecting the beast''s materials.

    ''It''s a kid from Gator''s ss. That''s no big deal then...'' Lyrian turned to face the other lizardmen.

    On seeing that the swordsman was in hisst moments, he quickly ran over to it.

    On his way there, he realized that he was wasting too much time. ''It''s time to hurry up and finish off these lizardmen.''

    He arrived at the battle as a kid jumped into the air with a sword in hand. The kid was ready to plunge his de into the heart of the saurian, which was on its knees.

    Just before he could kill it, Lyrian appeared behind the lizardman and quickly extracted its materials.

    "Hey! Wait! You are--" The boy''s de still stabbed into the lizardman, but he was more concerned with the kid who had just stolen the valuables.

    Before anyone could say or do anything to him, Lyrian was already gone. The angry crowd followed him, however, since many wanted those materials shared.

    Lyrian dashed around and finished off the remaining two sword-wielding lizardmen with ease.

    The crowd following him became bigger and more rowdy, which was annoying to him, but he didn''t want to stall.

    ''I''ll have to deal with them in the end...'' He tsked, moving onto the two spearmen.

    They were different in fight styles and fought together instead of being alone.

    So far, no one had been able to so much as touch them, even though their stats were on par with every other lizardman''s.

    On closer inspection, however, it looked like their speed stat was about 5-10 points higher than every other lizardman.

    ''Spear training requires fast twitch movements, so that exins their greater speed.''

    He looked at the two lizardmen having each other''s backs as they fought against the kids.

    They tried to poke and lunge at them, taking turns. However, none of their efforts bore fruit.

    If they caught one off guard, the other would guard him. If they managed to get past both of them, their teamwork was great enough to fend off any opponent 2v1.

    Lyrian neared 50 feet of the two saurians when a few students stepped up to face the duo again. Many were already injured by this time.

    The three who stepped up looked at each other with determination. "You two go for both of them at once, and I''ll attack them while they are distracted!"

    "Got it!"

    "This better work!"

    The three lunged in, as the lizardmen backed up slightly. The two kids at the front shed with the duo.

    However, they soon began to get pushed back with powerful strikes.

    At that moment, the third student jumped in and shed both of their ankles -- at least, that was his n.

    He only managed to sh the ankles of one lizardman, before he was swatted away by its tail.

    With that, the lizardman turned the other two fighters into bags of sand.

    At that moment, when everyone gathered around these two warriors backed up in slight fear; a figure jumped into battle.

    "Hey! What are you thinking!? Didn''t you see what just happened!" A kid blurted out as he saw the boy lunge toward the spear-wielding saurians.

    "We need to wait for stronger kids toe forth!" Another shouted, but his words were ignored.

    Lyrian ran directly toward the lizardmen. They tried to stop him with quick and forceful strikes at the same time, but he jumped over the spears and near their legs.

    Without any dy or hesitation, he swiftly danced in between their legs, shing each of their Achilles tendons.

    The two fell to their knees, as Lyrian jumped up onto one of the shoulders of the lizardmen and shed its neck.

    From there he leaped over to the other beast''s shoulder and did the same.

    He made sure to kick both of them backwards, so theynded face up.

    Just as therge crowd that was following him caught up, he had already looted the bodies of the beasts.

    Those who stood and watched were mesmerized by the power. Lyrian didn''t care for this, however.

    He didn''t stand back, continuing to run.

    As soon as he got a few meters out of that group of students, who now followed therger group in following Lyrian, he gazed at the other fights.

    All that were left were the axe-wielding lizardmen. Laying around each of them, Lyrian saw several sandbags.

 Chapter 288 Max Spiritual Energy; Challenge

    Chapter 288 Max Spiritual Energy; Challenge

    There looked to be a few stronger kids fighting these brutes. They were the more daring ones.

    Some may have called them foolish instead. These hulking lizardmen had thick backs, unable to be prated by most weapons.

    Without losing his calm, Lyrian approached these beasts and jumped up, leaping over the crowd around them.

    While in the air, he surveyed that over 6 students had been eliminated by the three final lizardmen.

    They were the strongest and quite close together. Although, they didn''t seem to like fighting in a team like the spearmen.

    As everyone looked in surprise, Lyriannded on the back of an axeman who was focused on the students in front of it.

    It immediately noticed the boy on its shoulders and tried to swing at him, but Lyrian wasn''t going to let that happen.

    Enhancing his hands, he jabbed his de down the neck of the saurian. The de sliced cleanly through its flesh and bones as if it were butter, and came out with a fountain of blood.

    Lyrian pulled this lizardman down by its head, quickly carving out its eyes and horns.

    With blood sttered over his face and torso, he moved on to the other two. They attempted to swing at him with quite dangerous force, but Lyrian was able to outmaneuver the first one easily.

    Stepping to the side, Lyrian unleashed multiple stabs into the lizardman''s chest. As it fell, Lyrian jumped up and kicked it in the jaw so it fell backward.

    Whilst still in the air, Lyrian noticed something odd happen with the lizardman''s body.

    It began to get cleaved in half by something, as time felt as though it slowed. That something was the head of an axe.

    It was headed straight for him next, through the lizardman''s body--as he was right in front of it.

    Since he was in the air, he couldn''t dodge it quickly either, and he hadn''t anticipated the axeman to attack through its own kin''s body.

    This caught him off guard, and his eyes widened as he thought of what to do.

    This situation was actually dangerous. He tried to Enhance the side of his torso, as that was where the axe was shing toward but realized that not enough mana would go there fast enough to protect him.

    Then, he caught a glimpse of the lizardman wielding this axe in between the slit of the two parts of the dead lizardman''s body.

    "Shadow Puppet!"

    His shadow lunged out, grabbing onto that lizardman at once as his axe halted right where it was, mere inches from cleaving right through Lyrian.

    "That was close..." He muttered under his breath, taking his hands and mimicking a swinging motion toward his own head as he fell to the floor.

    The lizardman swung its axe right into itself, decapitating its head. It bounced on the floor a few times, before rolling right to Lyrian''s feet.

    He was now drenched in blood but obtained the materials of all three of thest lizardmen.

    By this point, all the students in the dungeon were gathered around him. He shed his de in the air, ridding it of blood as he resheathed it.

    Turning around, he finally faced all of the students.

    "You motherfucker! Are you retarded!?"

    And the words began to spout...

    "You have to share those!"

    "What are you thinking!? This exam doesn''t allow you to take all the materials for yourself!"

    "Apologize and split the materials if you value your life!"

    As they yelled, they took out their weapons and pointed them at Lyrian.

    After a few seconds, he began walking to the front of the crowd.

    "Lyrian... if you aren''t nning to split those materials." Kaith had a serious expression on his face. "We won''t have any choice but to take them from you."

    The blue-robed kid stepped up next to him. "You don''t possibly think you can take all of us, do you? MVP or not, you are still human." He emphasized the ''all''.

    "Fine," Lyrian stated out of the blue.

    "Haha! That''s right!" Students began to roar.

    "Good thing you came to your senses!"

    "No matter your title, you have to realize your limits. It was a good decision you made." Kaith quipped.

    At that moment, Lyrian suddenly unsheathed his sword and held it by his side.

    As soon as he did this, the students were thrown off.

    "I don''t want to fight..." He paused, confusing the kids even more since he just took his sword out.

    "But if it''s a fight you want, then so be it." A chilling spiritual aura began to slowly ooze out of him--already deterring a lot of students.

    "All of you versus me. Let''s fight for these materials." With that, a dangerous burst of lethal spiritual energy erupted out of Lyrian''s figure, enveloping every student''s body.

    Lyrian didn''t hold back this time, allowing his creatures to showcase their entire spiritual prowess.

    The power was unlikest time, it was levels above.

    Hairs stood on end, and the skin of every student felt a slight burning sensation.

    Kaith''s eyes were stretched wide with shock. He expected a scary power when he first felt that energy oozing out of Lyrian, but this was not even close to his expectations.

    It tore through his expectations like a sheet of paper and rose uncountable times above it.

    ''This... is not the power of a first-year student. How is it possible?'' He realized the sheer magnitude of the difference between their powers.

    Of course, Lyrian''s spiritual energybined with that of his beasts, which made an incredibly powerful oue.

    No one in the crowd knew this of course, so their minds raced with oundish thoughts and measurements of the boy''s power.

    Most took steps back, stumbling and falling onto their rears, as some had done in the cave.

    However, the difference was that these were the students at the front, not the back. They were the stronger, more daring kids.

    In the midst of it all, a single kid walked forward nonchntly.

    "Che! This is what you all are pissing yourselves over?"

 Chapter 289 The Hooded Boy...

    Chapter 289 The Hooded Boy...

    The kid in a green-colored hood from before stepped out of the crowd, walking toward Lyrian.

    "I mean, don''t get me wrong... it''s undoubtedly powerful. But guys... spiritual energy isn''t everything, ya'' know." The kid seemed to be smirking under his hood, but his face was hidden, so Lyrian couldn''t see anything.

    ''Now that I think about it... his voice sounds slightly familiar.'' Lyrian mused, as others in the crowd also pondered who the kid could be.

    However, they were too scared to really think much right now, still under Lyrian''s ruthless pressure.

    He had been quiet and almost invisible the entire time. No one knew that he was even in the hunting practice.

    ''Wait a second... I didn''t see him in either of the teams from the bushes at the start of the practice either. Just where was he? When did he show up?'' Lyrian began to get slightly confused.

    "Wondering where I was, huh?" The green hooded kid predicted, catching Lyrian off guard as he released his spiritual energy.

    The kid behind the green hooded boy quickly backed off, finally able to breathe calmly again.

    They all surmised that the chance of them fighting Lyrian, even if they had some slim chance to win, was zero.

    Lyrian didn''t answer back to the hooded kid''s inquiry, allowing him to continue.

    "You must have thought that you were the first one to hide himself... but I was already in the bushes quite a while before you."

    Lyrian raised a brow as he heard this. He was sure that no one else had seen him go into the bushes, so he knew the kid wasn''t lying.

    "I even saw you prepare your little outfit there..."

    At that moment, Lyrian thought back to the time when he heard a rustle in the bushes while hiding.

    He shrugged it off at that time as nothing, but thinking on it now, there was no way that a small creature could get past him without being noticed.

    It would have had to have been something, or someone, that could hide their presence...

    Lyrian tsked, disappointed that he didn''t notice such a thing. At this point, he had pretty much figured out who this hooded kid was.

    From the green hood to the excited voice...

    ''This is...''

    "Me? Well, I didn''t want to expose myself since it would be annoying to deal with the useless yapping from these lot," He turned to look at the students.

    "But fine..." He began to remove his hood.

    ''Godfrey.''

    "I''m Drake." He fully removed it, showing his emerald eyes to Lyrian with a grin on his face. "Godfrey Drake."

    "HUH!?" Jiller eximed. His eyes popped out of his sockets.

    The entire crowd freaked out on seeing the young prince. Many of those who were from the kingdom of Veridrake hastily got on one knee and bowed.

    "Your grace!" They all began to exim.

    "Your grace!"

    "Your grace!"

    "I apologize for not recognizing you, Lord Godfrey."

    Others nodded, agreeing with this statement.

    "It''s alright, you all are forgiven," Drake said, turning to Lyrian.

    "Huh... Alright then, that''s not too big of a problem." Lyrian said, pointing his de toward the prince.

    Drake continued to smile as he looked down at the obsidian de''s edge.

    He walked closer, his hands and body still hidden in hisrge hooded robe.

    ''Drake... I won''t be able to defeat him alone. If worsees to worse, then I will use Tao.'' Lyrian mused, understanding the prince''s level of power.

    When he fought off against Linus, Lyrian saw that his power was by no meansughable. Quite the contrary, in fact.

    "A very fine de," Drake said, stopping about 8 feet away from Lyrian.

    "Are you sure, Your Grace? That is an obsidian de." Kaith, who was kneeling, eximed, "It would not befit you topliment such a low-grade sword."

    "Kaith, you don''t have a keen eye for des still, I see." Drake turned past his shoulder to say.

    Kaith identally gasped for breath. He was horrified to hear that he didn''t understand his master''s words.

    ''How... that de is obsidian! How could I be wrong about that!'' He was frustrated with himself.

    "This de is sharp." His grin widened. "It''s good for killing. That''s all it needs to be a good de."

    "I-I see!" Kaith shouted, ''So... it''s just that it''s sharpened huh?'' He mused as Drake continued.

    "It''s also made with the finest of techniques. I regret to say that not even my own imperial weaponpares to its finesse." He looked up from the de and at Lyrian.

    "Where did you get it?" His expression was eager.

    Lyrian turned his de to the side. He did it so fast that its shining echoed through the silent room quietly.

    "Enough bull shit. Do you want to fight me, or not." Lyrian nkly stated.

    Drake looked at the de, and then back at Lyrian. He then took a step back and turned around.

    "I''m still deciding on that. I''ll let you know when you tell me who made that de." He said, walking back into the crowd.

    "Do you want to collect materials in this practice?" Lyrian shouted this question at him as he walked farther away.

    "Maybe... maybe not. First, tell me who was the creator of that de."

    Lyrian sheathed the de, as everyone took a heavy sigh of relief.

    "Damn... I actually wanted to see you fight him, you know?" Jiller eximed,ing next to Lyrian.

    Lyrian looked at him with an irritated expression as he eximed, "MVP versus MVP... that would have been sick!"

    Lyrian walked away from the boy, ignoring him.

    "Everyone! Pretend you didn''t see me. If youe to talk to me for a stupid reason, I''ll cut your tongue off." Drake indifferently shouted to the crowd as he neared the gates to the next room.

    "Get up!" Kaith eximed, standing up and nearing the gates as well. Most students followed him and the blue-robed kid as they made their way to the doors.

    "This next room... is the final one." He said to the students, who nodded with understanding, as Kaith''s eyes darted to Lyrian.

    "Let''s try our best to collect as many materials as possible..." Kaith said slowly, a hint of disdain in his tone.

    "Heave!" The blue-robed kid shouted, as every student lined up against the walls, and readied themselves.

    "HO!"

 Chapter 290 Final Room; Draconian Figure

    Chapter 290 Final Room; Draconian Figure

    The gates to the final room creaked open, revealing a fair-sized chamber with walls adorned in ancient carvings.

    The students entered cautiously, their eyes darting around, uncertain of the challenges they would face next.

    As the students ventured deeper into the room, they noticed the mysterious carvings on the walls.

    The symbols and images told a story of a bygone era, a time when the dungeon had a different purpose.

    Sketches of lizardmen attacked different tribes in an all-out war.

    In the midst of it all, a figure that looked to be both human and reptile descended from the sky.

    All the different tribes of saurians dropped their weapons and prostrated themselves, bowing down to the enlightened lizard half-human being.

    Kaith now wore a thoughtful expression as he tried to decipher the meaning behind the ancient hieroglyphs.

    Meanwhile, Lyrian found himself drawn to a peculiar, uncarved section of the cavern wall.

    It was as if the artists had intentionally left this space nk, a pristine canvas amidst the ancient narrative.

    There was an undeniable energy emanating from this spot, and Lyrian feltpelled to investigate.

    He extended his hand and touched the untouched stone. In an instant, the markings began to shift and change.

    It was as though the wall itself responded to his presence, revealing a hidden passage behind it.

    Lyrian had discovered a secret within the depths of the dungeon, something that intrigued his curiosity.

    Other students noticed this, as they followed Lyrian into the hallway. It was quite wide, over 30 by 30 feet in height and width.

    This hallway was unlike any they had encountered before, dimly lit and filled with an air of foreboding.

    It didn''t take long for them to realize that they were not alone.

    A few lizardman guards, different from those they had faced earlier, stood as formidable sentinels in the narrow corridor in front of another pair of rustic doors.

    These guards were unlike any they had encountered before��stronger,rger, and more heavily armed.

    Their eyes glinted with a primal intelligence, and their scales were adorned with intricate tattoos that hinted at their status.

    Lyrian furrowed his brows to look closer at the guards. He understood that these guards were no ordinary foes; they were the protectors of the dungeon''s inner sanctum��the final room.

    As the guards lunged with their formidable weapons, the students at the front retreated back.

    However, their speed wasn''t fast enough. They looked at the iing spears of the two lizardmen ahead of them, as their lives shed before their eyes for a moment.

    Just then, Lyrian and Drake moved forward in unison, parrying the spears into the air and countering with calcted precision.

    They harnessed their abilities. Lyrian used his obsidian de to lunge forward and pierce into the abdomen and torso of his opponent.

    He Enhanced his hands for a faster attack and Enhanced his legs for faster movements.

    Drake used his dragon ws to sh at and grip through his lizardman opponent, gashing the beast several times all over its body.

    Their movements were fast, pushing back the guards at once.

    Lyrian''s obsidian de moved with uncanny grace, its edge slicing through the air with lethal precision.

    Drake''s magia flowed seamlessly with his ws, creating forceful aftershocks.

    The guards, despite their strength and size, found themselves outmatched.

    With each blow, the guards stumbled and faltered, their defenses crumbling.

    The hallway echoed with the sh of weapons and the primal roars of the lizardmen.

    The battle raged on, a relentless exchange of blows and power.

    Finally, with a final, resounding strike, the guards were defeated, their forms crumbling to the floor.

    Drake jumped backward, having killed his opponent. Lyrian looked at him to see if he would loot the one he killed, but Drake turned around and headed back to the crowd.

    With this, Lyrian took all the materials from these two lizardmen as well, and the students found it difficult to say anything about it.

    Before, arguing with the leaf boy was easy... but trying to do the same with an MVP wasn''t nearly as fun.

    On top of that, Drake''s presence made everyone realize just how high Lyrian''s prowess and status was.

    Although they weren''t as scared of him currently as they were of Drake, their fear for him undoubtedly rose when associated with the prince so closely.

    With the guards defeated, they continued toward the hidden passage at the end of the hallway.

    As the students passed by the bodies of the lizardmen, they couldn''t help but look in jealousy.

    The door loomedrge, its ancient, weathered surface hinting at the challenges that awaited within.

    With a forceful push from everyone, the doors swung open.

    The room was a vast, cavernous chamber, illuminated by a soft, ethereal glow.

    At its center stood a colossal statue��a figure that had watched over the chamber for centuries.

    Its eyes gleamed with an otherworldly light, and its presence exuded a sense of ancient power.

    As they approached the figure, it came to life with a thunderous rumble.

    The statue stepped down from its pedestal, revealing a towering, formidable figure.

    It was a Draconian��a living embodiment of dragon and human, animated by the dungeon''s magic.

    Drake, his eyes filled with intrigue, spoke out loud, "A Draconian, not a real one, of course, but that''s interesting."

    He paused, walking closer to the mesmerizing being. His eyes glowed in amazement.

    "Lizardmen are descendants of dragons, although they are quite far apart in terms of bloodline. Draconians, on the other hand, are a step closer��a powerful presence in their own right."

    The air grew tense as the students prepared to face this formidable opponent.

    At that moment, therge Draconian raised its stone Dragon Spear into the air��which had a pattern of a dragon flowing on it��and threw down the bottom of the weapon on the floor.

    It stood behind it with a domineering presence, as if to say, "I am the guardian of this ce."

    At that moment, random walls in the dungeon began to disappear the same way the passageway that Lyrian discovered showed, and an uncountable amount of Lizardmen began pouring out of them.

    ''More Riftstones.'' Lyrian smirked, tightening the grip on his de.

 Chapter 291 One Versus 40?

    Chapter 291 One Versus 40?

    "Jiller!" The blue-robed kid suddenly eximed in a rush. The boy he called out to was at the front of the crowd.

    "Yeah? What do you want, Yeth?"

    The blue-robed kid, or the boy addressed as ''Yeth,'' retorted back quickly, "How strong are they? Are they as strong as those tattooed guards?"

    Jiller quickly looked forward and surveyed the iing wave of lizardmen.

    "No! I don''t see any tattooed ones right now, but they aren''t weak, I''ll tell you that!"

    "I see..."

    "Yeth!"

    "What!"

    "I think you were wrong about the most powerful guards being ced on the outside... it looks like the farther we go in, the stronger they get!"

    "Yes... it seems I was wrong after all."

    Kaith stepped forward, "Everyone spread out and attack the lizardmen! I''m sure you have gotten used to fighting them by now!"

    "Okay!"

    "Will do, Lord Kaith!"

    "Also! Loot the beasts as soon as you kill them! You want what''s yours... right!?" He roared, ncing at Lyrian.

    In return, he received a loud cheer of yes''s back.

    In total, Lyrian saw that 12 lizardmen had escaped through the four passageways that opened up in the walls.

    They all came to the middle in front of the stone Draconian golem, grouping together.

    Everyone neared them but found it awkward to go in.

    "What the hell!?"

    "They all are teaming up! How are we supposed to do anything!?"

    Hearing these frustrations, some of the axeman lizardmen seemed tough in amusement.

    Lyrian dashed to the side, opting not to go toward the group of lizardmen for some reason.

    Drake, Kaith, and Yeth noticed this, and only Drake was the one who smirked. The other two were bewildered out of their minds.

    "That bastard finally doesn''t go for them now when we need him the most!?" Kaith yelled as the group of lizardmen began pushing him back along with the other students.

    Drake went to the side and sat down, observing from afar.

    "We could really use his help as well... damn it!" Yeth muttered under his breath, ncing at Drake.

    Lyrian looked at therge fight in the middle as he ran to the side of the room.

    ''Good, it looks like they won''t be able to take any of them out.'' He turned his head to look forward again.

    His destination ahead of him was... the passageways where the lizardmen poured out of.

    ''They came from in here. Most likely, there are far more. That is my guess as to how this dungeon is formatted. Waves of stronger and stronger creaturese, as we defeat them. That''s how the rooms have been going...''

    He arrived outside of the passageway, which looked short inside but dark.

    ''I have no clue how the wave system works, but all I know is that if I''m right, there will be a way to get more valuable beast material inside of here rather than anywhere else!''

    He ran inside, casting onest look at the battle raging on in the center. Still, kids looked to fail to even get close to therge chunk of monsters.

    They hissed and lunged, slowly dispersing the group of students.

    At the front stood the swordsman and axemen, who swung and shed to their heart''s content.

    Right behind them was the phnx of spearmen, who used their long spears in between the bodies of the forward axemen and swordsmen to attack without being in danger.

    Finally, at the back were the archers, who found safety behind their lizardmenpanions and shot away at the students.

    All of this ounted for an unbreakable juggernaut of a system, one that all the students struggled against, and one that Drake foundedic to see.

    Lyrian ran through the short passageway and followed it as it took a left turn.

    After a short while of running, Lyrian came across arge room that had four passageways leading to it.

    ''The four passageways the lizardmene out of...'' He mused as he saw what was inside...

    "HUH!?" He suddenly eximed in shock with a bewildered expression.

    Inside, he saw 40 lizardmen sitting down in a neat and organized fashion.

    They had their hands on theirps as they patiently waited for their turn.

    They all looked to be staring at one thing, and that was the wall that Lyrian appeared from.

    On that wall was a small clock made of stone that still turned. It had the number of waves on it.

    Lyrian quickly studied it and realized that it told the lizardmen when to go in.

    "What the--!? This is how waves work!?" He eximed, as the lizardmen quickly stood up, picking up their weapons.

    They looked almost equally as shocked to see a student enter the backrooms of the dungeon, which had never happened before.

    Some looked at each other in confusion.

    "I don''t know what I expected... but to see these monsters sit down waiting for their turn as if it was a daytime job..." Lyrian was perplexed, to say the least.

    "Well, it doesn''t matter that much. What matters is that I was right in assuming there would be many here."

    He raised his chin to look in the back of the crowd of saurians.

    There, he saw 10 tattooed lizardmen, ready to fight. They weren''t just spearmen, but axemen and also swordsmen.

    Before doing anything else, he used Scan to figure out their power levels.

    The beasts were all slightly more powerful after each line.

    They were all more powerful than the ones the students fought in the room right now, and all also more powerful than the ones before that.

    In no world would Lyrian actually be able to take down all of them on his own, even though he may have been stronger.

    If it was a one-versus-one situation, like in the Magma Dweller tower, then his chances at victory were actually quite high.

    But here, in a ce where space was extremely limited, his chances were quite the opposite.

    Except... he didn''t have to fight them alone here...

    "Garmr, Zuuc, Tao. Come out and feast."

    A grin dawned on Lyrian''s face.

 Chapter 292 Massacre

    Chapter 292 Massacre

    All the lizardmen ran forward with weapons in hand, ready to destroy this little son of a bitch who entered the backrooms.

    However, threerge hazes of purple smoke formed in front of him out of nowhere, forcing them to halt their mission.

    Suddenly, threerge and powerful beings with dominating presence appeared in front of them, as they took a few steps back...

    Garmr let out a menacing primal growl, pouncing forward as he grabbed each lizardman he could see and tore through them in a gory, violent manner.

    Grabbing onto their bodies, he aggressively shook his head and ripped them into chunks of meat and bones.

    Tao spun forward, prating through several bodies of lizardmen in seconds as it flew in a straight line.

    It was a massacre, a bloodbath of creatures before Lyrian''s eyes. He couldn''t help butugh in joy as he saw it all take ce.

    Zuuc transformed into his elder stage, stomping forward as an axeman lizardman with tribal tattoos��marking its higher strength and status��met him.

    It swung its axe forcefully toward Zuuc''s abdomen, but the Hobgoblin grabbed the axe''s de��not getting injured even slightly��as the weapon halted at once.

    Zuuc ripped the axe out of the lizardman''s hands as it went in for the kill. The two giants gripped each other''s hands with a resounding boom as they pushed each other back.

    The brutish lizardman was the strongest of its kind. It growled at Zuuc wildly, testing the Hobgoblin''s strength.

    It might have been the strongest of its kind, but it had never met a creature like Zuuc before...

    Zuuc roared back in response right into the lizardman''s face, as the saurian''s tail instinctively tucked between its feet as if it had a mind of its own.

    Zuuc was clearly the superior creature, and the lizardman immediately knew that as the roar vibrated its eardrums.

    The Hobgoblin forcefully pushed the lizardman''s hands down, dislocating both of the creature''s shoulders, before unleashing a powerful kick to its stomach.

    Its life was deceased on impact, but its dead body was still thrown across the room into the wall.

    Zuuc jumped to multiple other lizardmen, destroying their bodies with a single punch and kick as his attacks obliterated gaping holes in their bodies.

    After less than a minute of absolute annihtion, Lyrian said, "Shadow." With a smile on his face.

    In front of him was a room full of pure destion. Mutted bodies and pools of blood.

    Lyrian looked at his own hands and feet, chuckling as he remarked, "I''m covered in blood. This isn''t a great sight."

    *Step step step*

    Lyrian turned around, hearing footsteps from the passageway behind him.

    "Huh?" He muttered, as a figure walked around a corner and saw Lyrian standing before the several dead bodies of the lizarmen.

    The figure... was Drake. His expression, for the first time that Lyrian had seen, was in genuine shock.

    His eyebrows were furrowed, and his eyes beamed forward into the room.

    ''Mmm... maybe it is a great sight.'' Lyrian quipped inwardly.

    "Why did you follow me in here?" Lyrian inquired, as Drake made his way next to Lyrian and stopped, gazing at the room.

    He was speechless for a second, baffled by what he was seeing.

    "I sensed... power. Unlike what I would expect from you." He looked at Lyrian, "It was like the power of your odd spiritual energy."

    ''Makes sense...'' Lyrian mused.

    After a short pause, Drake took in a deep breath. "I suppose I may have... underestimated you, Lyrian."

    "Is that right?"

    ...

    "Screw the de... I''m more interested in you now." Drake''s eyes seemed to glow.

    "What?"

    "No��I mean, look, I like fighting, you know? I''m sure you have learned at least that much about me from our encounters..." Drake reiterated.

    "We''ve never had any."

    "Well��you know what I mean! The times when you saw my personality... anyways... I didn''t think you were that special, but now, I am interested in destroying your face." Drake said that to Lyrian with arge grin on his face, staring at him with unwavering eyes.

    "Telling that to me with a straight face... you have balls."

    "No, I am just truthful."

    "Then I guess it requires balls to be truthful."

    "Well..." Drake trailed off, looking at the room, "I guess that is true..."

    "So, if you aren''t interested in the de anymore... tell me, do you want to loot bodies in here for Riftstones... or not?"

    "Ah yes... that. Do I? Nope. However... that would be a perfect reason for us to fight now that I think about it... wouldn''t it?"

    Lyrian clenched his jaw, "Yes... it would."

    The two stood silently for over 30 seconds, looking inside of the room...

    "Well, I''ll see youter when that happens. I''m sure you have things to do... here." Drake patted Lyrian''s back before calmly walking out.

    Lyrian continued to stand there silently for a moment, pondering what his next moves were going to have to be.

    Finally, he went and scavenged all the materials from the lizardmen one by one.

    After 5 minutes, he made his way out into the main room again. There, he first noticed Drake, who was still sitting by the side looking at the kids fight.

    ''He said he likes fighting... and to my knowledge, he does. But it looks like he doesn''t like fighting weaklings.'' Lyrian said to himself, walking closer to the brawl in the middle.

    ''He''s simr to me...'' He finally looked over the students and the group of lizardmen.

    Surprisingly, over 4 of the beasts had been killed. Lyrian was expecting something like 1 or 2, so that was slightly rming.

    However, their bodies weren''t looted, as they died amid the lizardman group that was still going strong.

    Lyrian saw 4 sandbags of students as well however, "Four for four huh..." He muttered under his breath. "That''s... horrible."

    Lyrian inhaled a deep breath as he walked into the fray of students. He exhaled as he made it to the front of them.

    "You peons," He said before looking up at the Draconian Golem made of stone, "And then you..."

 Chapter 293 The Draconian Awakens

    Chapter 293 The Draconian Awakens

    Kaith noticed Lyrian in the crowd and quickly turned to face him.

    "Lyrian Theageld!" he yelled from the other side of the wall of students.

    Lyrian faced his angry expression. ''Why is he so angry all of a sudden...'' he mused, confusedly.

    Kaith stood there panting while staring at him. Lyrian then turned to face the lizardmen.

    ''Jealousy? Maybe he wants to face these brutes as I did and is angry that he fails to do so. Or maybe, an anger to admit that he needs my help?''

    With his de by his side, Lyrian began to walk toward the phnx of saurians.

    Kaith stayed silent, watching Lyrian with unforgiving eyes.

    ''Damn it all! That bastard will get all the materials again... but we have no other choice! Only he can y these lizardmen!'' he screamed inside.

    His head then turned to face the giant Draconian stone figure.

    ''Whatever material you hold will be most valuable... at the least, I want that.''

    Students looked on as Lyrian came within a lizardman spear''s distance. At that moment, a spear forcefully lunged toward him.

    He swiftly stepped to the side, avoiding the blow before running forward.

    Unexpectedly to everyone, both student and lizardman alike, Lyrian ran into the tightly packed juggernaut of the lizardmen.

    He swerved between the feet of two lizardmen, and underneath the spear of the spearmen, before jumping up and punching the spearmen in the face.

    "Shock Fist!"

    A surge of green mana flowed through his fist as itnded on target.

    BANG

    The lizardman''s face was crushed backward into its skull as its body was forcefully thrown back. It pushed through and fell onto over 4 lizardmen, knocking them onto the floor.

    With the kid inside their midst, all the lizardmen quickly turned to face him on instinct. Since he was so close, they backed up slightly, making distance between their opponent. This caused the tank of lizardmen to disperse, as Kaith thrust the bottom of his staff onto the ground, "me Haaave!"

    A burst of me erupted from the mouth of his staff, mming into the lizardman. As the mes cleared, the lizardman turned around, looking at Kaith with an angry expression.

    "Damn it... thick-backed bastard!"

    Although the lizardmen spreading out seemed to be a blessing at first, the students all realized that it was not so much the case whatsoever. The lizardmen were startled and gave up their organized fighting technique. Instead, they stormed forward, beginning to rampage through the room.

    Students were forced to run for the most part, as the lizardmen quickly covered the room. A couple of archers stood behind the face of Lyrian, but apart from those, 5 lizardmen made the lives of the students a living hell.

    "Don''t look back and just keep running!!" Minton eximed as he ran past Kaith.

    "You fool! These are our opponents! We have to kill them somehow!"

    "You can do that! I''m out!"

    "What!? How do you expect to leave here alive if by just running?!"

    "Damn it... you''re right." Minton abruptly stopped and turned around.

    Kaith ran past him, "What are you thinking!? Not now, you moron! We don''t have a n--" He stopped talking, as his words no longer influenced the boy.

    Minton ran forward with sword in hand toward the spearman. He reached 8 feet from the lizardman when a flurry of spear thrusts came his way.

    Minton used his full strength to dash to the sides, avoiding the fast strikes before lunging up at the beast''s throat. Minton''s eyes widened as he realized he had seeded. He was going in for the kill, and the nape of the beast was wide open. On top of that, it was also caught off guard, so there was no way it could dodge or parry Minton''s attack.

    Just as his de sliced through a bit of the beast''s neck, an arrow darted toward him, splitting through the air. It jabbed into his neck for only a split second, before his body turned into a sandbag. The attack pierced through this sandbag, leaving it to fall to the floor, dripping with loose sand. The arrow came from one of the archers that Lyrian faced. Just as it finished shooting its arrow, the other archer shot several arrows at Lyrian.

    Lyrian dashed around them, but the lizardman wasn''t letting up--creating distance as he shot more and more. The other lizardman also joined in, creating a barrage of arrows at Lyrian''s feet.

    "Fine... let''s go long range then," Lyrian muttered under his breath, taking out the damaged, serrated spear from his inventory and hurling it toward one of the archers. The spear was too quick to react to, as it spun swiftly in the air before thrusting through the lizardman''s torso.

    Surprised by this attack, the second archer let down his guard slightly, as Lyrian dashed forward and slit its neck with a clean sh.

    Seven bodiesy in front of him, ready to be looted. He wasted no time in doing so, while his main opponent stood before him to the right.

    As he walked over to the bodies of the saurians, Lyrian saw that the Draconian figure''s stone eyes still followed his every movement.

    He finished looting when screams of terror and defeat wailed through the arena.

    Before long, several students had begun to get eliminated from the practice. The lizardmen chased them down, hunting them as if they were headless chickens.

    Lyrian jumped up from his crouched position and ran after the leftover lizardmen.

    By the time he was finished with killing and looting all of them, there were only 31 students left. 24 of Rerth''s ss, and 7 of Gator''s. Sandbagsy everywhere. The students who were still alive took a rest from their running and panted.

    At that moment, a quiet hum sounded throughout the dungeon room as the Draconian figure, 30 feet in stature, finally began to move. It lifted its Dragon spear up into the air and transferred it to one hand before cing the bottom down on the floor again.

    "You have attempted to destroy this realm!" the figure''s voice boomed, "For this treason, you shall face me!"

    "Finally!" Drake stood up, "The fun''s getting started," he paused, as everyone turned to look at him. "Art of The Emerald Dragon; True ws."

 Chapter 294 The Great Dragon Spear

    Chapter 294 The Great Dragon Spear

    Drake''s w weapons, made of various types of durable and high-quality-looking metals, were suddenly outlined in green.

    Lyrian recognized the spell since it was the one that Drake used against Linus.

    Most students were exhausted beyond belief and had no clue what was going on.

    They opted to go to the sidelines, tired and finished for the day. Their emotions were contorted with rage, jealousy, and almost every other negative emotion you could think of.

    They could have never expected this practice to go this way. But now that they thought about it, having 2 MVPs meant that they would take over.

    They realized that they should have understood that from the start...

    With them now on the sidelines, they gave Lyrian and Drake the space to do what they wanted.

    At that moment, the Draconian slowly stepped forward. As it moved, it took its Dragon Spear, which was even taller than its body and began to swirl it around in a DNA formation.

    Soon enough, the Dragon Spear swirled faster and faster, reaching speeds where you couldn''t even see it anymore.

    It was a blur and sent gusts of wind toward the student''s direction.

    Finally, with arge lunge forward, the Draconian ended the spear''s spiraling by cing it on his back and facing it toward Lyrian and Drake.

    "Prepare to face Reensroth in Jahof!" The Draconian''s voice boomed throughout the room.

    "Don''t spout his name out of your mouth. You are merely a stone statue, while I am the true retainer of his blood! I am a descendant of the Reensroth Dragon Bloodline!"

    Drake''s words were dominating and his tone was quite serious, which didn''t fit his normal attitude.

    Lyrian found this slightly intriguing.

    "sphemy! Lying against the actions of Reensroth deserves the most torturous of deaths, fool!" The Draconian eximed, seemingly enraged.

    Drake smirked, "Try it, stone bastard."

    Lyrian was in the middle of all of this, turning his head left and right as the two spoke.

    ''It feels like I''m not supposed to be a part of this...'' Lyrian quipped to himself.

    ''Reensroth... I''ve heard Drake speak of that name before. I guess it was a dragon back then. So that''s what his bloodline is... I wonder what mine is. Gear still won''t show me.''

    At that moment, Drake jumped up into the air from his position. In a moment he flew through the air and appeared in front of the Draconian''s face.

    He swung his ws at the noggin of the statue��but it was intercepted by the Dragon Spear that came to the Draconian''s help.

    Drake looked at his w bounce off the stone spear and was slightly surprised.

    As he fell to the floor, he eximed, "Hm... a fake Dragon Spear, yet it seems to have some of the qualities of the real one, at least, in terms of durability."

    "Fake? This Dragon Spear was bestowed upon me by all of the dragons in the past age."

    Drake was slightly thrown off by this but quickly realized the reason why the Draconian spoke in this way.

    "It seems he doesn''t know that he''s a statue. I think he is conscious but doesn''t realize his own reality. How unfortunate." Drake surmised out loud.

    "Doesn''t that mean that when he was alive, this Draconian was actually given the Dragon Spear?" Lyrian suddenly said.

    Drake looked at him for a moment before breaking out into augh.

    "The Dragon Spear? Do you think that some Draconian fool would obtain the Dragon Spear of all things? Don''t you have a clue about what it is?"

    ''I feel like I remember reading about it, but then again, I don''t know any details.'' Lyrian looked back in his memory, but couldn''t find much.

    "That would be like giving a low-status noble the Excalibur weapon. It''s foolish to think of."

    Lyrian''s eyes slightly widened as he heard this. "Excalibur? The strongest weapon of humanity? That Excalibur? Surely, the Dragon Spear couldn''tpare to the Excalibur."

    Drake''s expression suddenly became more serious, "That''s the thing... the Dragon Spear is most likely even more powerful than the Excalibur,"

    ''Huh!? From what I''ve read, the Excalibur''s powers were written to be strong enough to destroy the Mortal in continent in one sh. How could a Dragon Spear be more powerful than that...''

    "The Dragon Spear is a weapon created by all 12 dragons... it was given to only one person, and that person controlled all dragons from that moment forward. It is the most legendary and ultimate weapon. That is what I believe."

    "Power to control all dragons? Then... that may be stronger than Excalibur. Each dragon on its own is enough to make more than one continent shiver in fear. To have the power of all might even be enough to take over the discovered world."

    "That''s right..."

    ...

    "What are you fools discussing down there!? Prepare to be annihted!" The Draconian suddenly yelled, thrusting his spear down on the two students.

    The spear strikes came down faster than the stctites of the tstone Mountains, and with more force as well.

    Lyrian and Drake didn''t have much trouble avoiding them, however.

    Still, Lyrian noticed that even though he had some difficulty, be it very small, Drake dodged the attacks with ease.

    That''s when he looked up and Scanned the Draconian.

    ��������Scan��������

    Name: Halbere

    Species: Golem (Draconian)

    Age: 240

    Overall Power (OP): 6 (9)

    Health: 61/61 (91)

    Stamina: 63/63 (93)

    Strength: 69 (99)

    Agility: 64 (94)

    Defense: 80 (110)

    Rank: Genesis: Layer 1

    Special: Artificial Species: Draconian. Increases stats.

    ����������������������

    ''Nine huh... it''s stronger than me on base stats, but I should still be able to defeat it with Enhance.''

    At that moment, Drake dashed up the Draconian''s Dragon Spear, making sure it couldn''t block his attack this time.

    As soon as he got high enough, he jumped off and flew toward the statue''s face.

    His ws dug in with force, and as he slid down, he dragged his ws through the beast''s body along with him.

 Chapter 295 Lyrian Versus Drake

    Chapter 295 Lyrian Versus Drake

    Sparks of mana flew out of the Draconian''s carved skin as it took a step back.

    It repositioned itself and its spear, facing Drake. However, the young boy didn''t give the golem any time to prepare.

    Drake began dashing up the creature''s leg again, and that''s when Lyrian did the same except on the other side of its body.

    "I wanted to fight it alone! It''s not weak!" Drake eximed as he saw this.

    "I want the materials, so that''s too bad."

    Feeling the two kids squirming up its body, the Draconian spun around a few times, beginning to spiral his Dragon Spear again.

    "Dragon Force!" It eximed, mming the spear down on the floor. A powerful shockwave expanded from the spear at once, blowing against the two students.

    However, the force wasn''t enough to throw them off. They continued up, raising to the Draconian''s shoulders.

    "Rrrahh!" Drake loudly eximed, thrusting his w into the Draconian''s neck as soon as he got to the shoulders.

    Lyrian gripped the hilt of his de tightly, enhancing his hands as he unleashed a fury of shes toward the neck of the golem.

    With an implosion of shock, the head of the Draconian burst off, flying across the room before skidding far to a stop.

    Both of them jumped down to the floor as their bodies fell to the floor, crumbling to a thousand pieces at once.

    Encased in the body was a glowing green orb, which Lyrian imagined to be a valuable item of the golem.

    The item rolled through the pieces of rock and made its way to his feet.

    After picking it up, he began gulping down a mana regeneration potion and looked up at the students on the side of the room.

    There were many shocked faces, and some were full of awe. At that moment the students stood up and slowly began walking out of the final room one by one.

    Soon enough, everyone started to leave. There was an awkward silence throughout the entire walk.

    In the end, Lyrian thought of standing at the finish line, asking everyone for their collected materials. But he opted not to, ''They earned those fair. I''ll let them keep it.'' He mused.

    He and Drake were the ones walking at the back, and as everyone stepped outside of the cavern, they were met by Gator, Rerth, and the eliminated students.

    A few ps fluttered from the small crowd standing outside, as Rerth put his hands on his hips and eximed, "Good job, brats! You--"

    Before Rerth could finish, he felt a powerful spiritual energy--no, two powerful spiritual energies, collide with each other.

    At that moment, Drake dashed over 50 feet away even behind the eliminated students to a tree branch. Lyrian did the same, jumping backward to a tree branch near him.

    Everyone in the middle felt the sh of aura. The students looked left and right in shock.

    Many were confused, others already understood what was going on and got excited with smiles on their faces.

    However, it was evident that everyone within the sh zone of the spiritual aura felt sick--apart from the teachers, of course.

    They began walking out of the way, behind the teachers and a few dozen feet back.

    There, they all grouped up and watched on, still feeling a hint of the spiritual energy.

    Rerth, with a serious expression, eyed both of the students. "Drake... Lyrian... I can''t permit you two MVPs to fight," he sternly stated.

    "Sir Rerth, I think you have forgotten something. This practice began when we first were transported here, and it will only end when we leave," Drake said with a slight smirk on his face.

    Both Rerth, Gator and all of the students looked at him as he continued.

    "That means that this fight is totally permissible under the rules of the practice."

    Rerth crossed his arms, clenching his jaw slightly. He closed his eyes in thought and then turned to Gator after a few seconds and opened his eyes.

    "Hey, man... what should we do here--" Rerth paused, seeing Gator with his back turned, walking toward the group of students.

    "What can we do?" Gator said, emphasizing the ''can'', "This is your doing. You should have chosen a ss other than mine... one that didn''t have another MVP."

    Rerth was left speechless.

    "From the moment you paired my ss with yours, you should have known that this was inevitable."

    After that, Rerth also walked toward the students. "Well hell! I''m going to have a long talk with Julius after this, aren''t I..."

    Rerth eximed in a bit of awkward disappointment, scratching his head.

    He imagined Julius being furious in his seat right now. This wasn''t a duel under normal rules but a fight under the rules of the practice. It could end up badly for all sides.

    At that moment, a figure suddenly appeared on one of the taller trees a bit farther away, whom Lyrian instantly noticed.

    The figure was covered in bandage tape from head to toe and sat on the tree branch like a frog.

    He gazed down on the two fighters with his crimson eyes, the only things that weren''t covered up, and did sopletely silently.

    "Hey!" Rerth suddenly stepped forward, "What the hell do you think you''re doing!?" He loudly eximed.

    Gator grabbed onto his shoulder, stopping him from going forward anymore. As soon as Rerth looked back at Gator, Gator eximed, "Not now. After the fight."

    "Che!" Rerth shrugged with annoyance, eyeing the bandaged figure again. "He has the nerve showing his face here knowing I don''t like him..."

    "I don''t think he came here for you."

    "I don''t care what he came here for! He''s within my line of sight!" Rerth crossed his arms in anger.

    Along with that, a sudden owl also appeared on a tree. It was white and looked at Lyrian; its eyes were big bead eyes. Nocturnal animals didn''t show themselves at this time, so it was odd to see them appear at this time. The reason behind it was obvious, however. With everyone now almost holding their breath in anticipation, Drake said, "Emerald Dragon: True Eyes."

    His eyes were outlined with a green reptile eye a few inches off of his skin. "Emerald Dragon: True ws."

    ''He seems to estimate me over Linus...'' Lyrian mused, remembering that Drake didn''t initially open his true skills when fighting the prince of Creyuun. ''Then... I can''t back down either.''

    At that moment, Lyrian pumped his body full of mana, enhancing every part of it. He enhanced his quads and arms especially, allowing for a perfect fighting body.

    Seconds of silent stillness passed... before *BOOM* both students propelled forward at once.

    Lyrian gripped his de tightly, entering his Smithing mode of ultimate concentration as he directly stared down Drake''s neck.

    If he was going to have a chance to win this, he knew that he would need to want to actually kill his opponent.

    Treating it like some duel wouldn''t be enough to give his body enough motivation to strive as hard as it could.

    With a killing intent intensely forced on the prince, Lyrian shed his sword forward with extreme speed.

    *BANG*

    Lyrian''s sword was stopped by Drake''s ws in their powerful sh that sent an aftershock through the air.

    Their weapons continued to struggle and push against each other as Drake stared at Lyrian with a smirk on his face.

    "Oh... not bad."

    They back dashed out again, and then back in within a millisecond. There began their barrage of shes and thrusts, shing against each other as they moved through the field.

    Lyrian quickly understood that he was not matched to win against Drake whatsoever.

    While thinking, one of Drake''s two ws swerved through his de''s parry and slid in between straight toward his face.

    Time felt as though it slowed down to Lyrian as his eyes widened in shock.

    Everyone stared on in surprise, anticipation clouding their minds. ''Shadow Puppet.'' Lyrian quickly mused.

    As soon as his Shadow Puppet showed a hint of its aura, Drake jumped backward at light speed.

    ''He''s fast. He caught on to the Shadow faster than anyone else...'' Lyrian mused, slightly impressed.

    However, before his shadow coulde out at all--with only a hint of its presence showing--Lyrian pulled it back into himself.

    The reason behind this was the same reason that sent a ripple of gasps through the crowd.

    Jaws dropped to the floor, as even Rerth held his mouth slightly agape.

    Drake... had raised his hands in submission. To everyone, it looked like he had lost. As if he had given up.

    A cheer of amusement broke out, as a flutter of ps sounded for Lyrian, but he was just left confused.

    ''No... this doesn''t make sense. He was barely trying.'' He knew there was something up.

    At that moment, the bandaged figure disappeared, and so did the owl.

    Drake walked forward and leaned into Lyrian''s ear. "Not now..." He whispered, "You are far too weak."

 Chapter 296 In 3 Months

    Chapter 296 In 3 Months

    Lyrian''s eyes widened. Drake stepped back as everyone in the crowd looked at him.

    Eyes faced him, but those eyes were mostly full of confusion. Drake didn''t look like he was losing to them either, but he still gave up.

    Most assumed it might have been out of courtesy.

    "He gave him a free win..."

    "What are you? Stupid?" Others seemed to disagree.

    "It was clear to see that the Phoenix over there scared the shit out of him." The kid who said this got overhyped andughed at the thought of it.

    A few friends nearby did the same.

    However, the two teachers knew the real reason after only a few seconds.

    Lyrian himself was upset, ''Too weak? I''m too weak?'' He knew this already, but hearing it was another type of pain.

    ''Yeah... I am too weak. I tried to use my Shadow Pendant in a duel like this and he caught onto it. He had no choice but to im his loss, knowing I would most likely beat him if I controlled him. Still, it meant that I couldn''t beat him on equal footing.''

    "Oh and by the way..." Drake suddenly said under the noise of the crowd, so only Lyrian could hear it.

    All other noise muffled out as Lyrian paid attention to Drake''s words.

    Drake smiled, as his Dragon Eye outline becamerger and more powerful.

    "No immobilizing or intoxicating spell can be put on my glorious body, as long as my Emerald Eyes are open..." He said, as his outline disappeared and he walked away back into the crowd.

    Lyrian was taken aback, left slightly speechless. ''So... he wouldn''t have been affected by it after all. But, just the fact that I tried to use it was enough for him to dere I was far too weak.''

    Lyrian was slightly disappointed in his strength, but it wasn''t a feeling he wasn''t familiar with before.

    Still, he clenched his fists. ''Another loss... I hate losing. When will it be until I never face defeat again?''

    "Alright, boys! That''s quite enough! Let''s get back to the academy now!" Rerth yelled out.

    "Hey... why didn''t he speak of the winner of the duel?"

    A few kids began to murmur.

    "It wasn''t a duel... that''s probably why."

    "Hm..."

    After that, all the students grouped around the two teachers, as Rerth held his wrist in front of him.

    From his bracelet came a holograph of something that looked like a circr locket of sorts with many mechanical parts inside.

    He closed his eyes, inserting mana into it, as a blue ring of mana suddenly formed around all the students.

    *ZIP*

    At once, Lyrian appeared back in the teleportation room. By that time, Drake was already gone from the scene, and the students began to disperse as well.

    Lyrian felt off, almost not in his own body.

    "Hey! Where are you brats going!?" Rerth suddenly eximed.

    "ss is over, isn''t it? We skipped ourst ss for this..." A kid turned around and said, slightly confused.

    "The time doesn''t dismiss you from my ss, I do!" Rerth eximed, as everyone let out sighs of exasperation and faced him.

    "Listen well, since this is going to be some of the most important information you will hear in a while!"

    A hush fell over the crowd as he ced his hands on his hips and began to speak.

    "The deployment exam is nearing!"

    With these words, gasps immediately rippled through the crowd. Lyrian curiously looked around to see excited faces.

    "That''s right... you brats will finally be able to leave this academy and go do stuff on your own for once. I know, big deal."

    He sarcastically eximed, knowing that it was far more important to the students than to him.

    "The deployment exam is simr to this practice, except the rules will be a bit different. Its purpose will be to actually make sure you are prepared to go out in the real world and hunt."

    He paused, letting everyone soak in the knowledge.

    "You all probably know what happens after you pass these deployment exams... you will get deployed, of course. Where will be based on pure luck. Different ces in the three kingdoms, where you will go on a mission specifically assigned to you. However, note that whatever your mission may be,pleting adventurer/hunting quests is absolutely mandatory in your area. You are students of Anaviotis... show your prowess, strength, integrity, and giving mindset to the people. Put on a good show. Of course, I will talk more about this when it actuallyes... you still got a while till then."

    He took in a big breath as if what he was going to say next was the main deal, "For the next three months, you won''t have a single Hunting ss with me or any other teacher. These three months will be to prepare you for the exam. Use it wisely..."

    Lyrian was intrigued to hear this, but without proper understanding, he didn''t make any judgments early on.

    Gator stepped forward, "At this moment, this will be the extent of your knowledge. More will be detailed as the exam nears, but for now, focus on training. As for your practice rewards... the Riftstones will be awarded now. The group prize, however, will be rewarded after the end of these three months. If you collected any materials,e to the front. That''s it... you all are dis--" He was suddenly cut off.

    "Dismissed! You will be dismissed!" Rerth shouted and then looked over at the irritated Gator with a smirk on his face.

    ''Three months of free farming? And then getting deployed outside of the academy for real-world experience?'' Lyrian couldn''t help but have a smile on his face.

    ''I wonder what kind of world it is out there... I wonder what''s going to happen...'' He mused...

    As students dispersed, Lyrian and a few others who were called toe forward by Rerth did just that.

    The few at the front got small pouches of Riftstones, and finally, Lyrian stepped forward with a slight smirk on his face.

    While handing Lyrian the bulging bag of Riftstones in exchange for his materials, Rerth couldn''t help but break out into augh.

    "Kahaha! You evil bastard!"

 Chapter 297 Lyrian Versus Draco II

    Chapter 297 Lyrian Versus Draco II

    The amount Lyrian received for everything was... 8120 Riftstones. The 40 lizardmen had the most to contribute to this, ounting for over half of the total.

    It was safe to say that Lyrian wouldn''t need to worry so much about Rifstones for a while.

    Still, this didn''t mean that he would stop hunting. He would of course, still hunt, especially with the deployment examing up.

    But that meant that he could take a slight break to focus more on his cultivation.

    He soon arrived at his room. Currently, it was 8:02 PM, so he could still grind some rank points on BF.

    Fully masked up, Zero entered his first rank room in seconds...

    His current rank was 225, or Gold. To get to his next rank of tinum, he needed to reach over 250.

    He nned on doing that today. Soon enough, his opponent joined.

    "Opponent found: yer [King Draco]"

    "Oh?" Lyrian muttered under his breath, as a familiar figure summoned in front of him.

    ''I used Zuuc against himst time... so I can''t use him again, since he will recognize me. Draco isn''t a joke. He was a second year... far stronger than I am still.''

    At that moment, Draco yawned, seemingly bored. As he did this, he also pulled his sword out.

    In the first fight, Lyrian realized Draco had only used his hands, so this was interesting.

    However, Draco''s yawn was halted mid-way through, as he suddenly felt a chilling aura seep down his spine.

    His halfpleted yawn shriveled away as his one opened eye widened and faced the giant wolf in front of him.

    "Woah..." He subconsciously said, eyeing down the ferocious beast.

    Lyrian clenched his fist, his battle instincts kicking in.

    With a confident grin hidden behind his mask, he decided to y it cool.

    "You''ve got a friend too, I see," Draco remarked, his voice dripping with nonchnce.

    He was referring to Garmr, Lyrian''s enormous wolfpanion, who had appeared by his side.

    "Yeah...," Lyrian replied casually. "He''s got quite the bark and bite. You should be careful, he doesn''t like it when people underestimate him."

    Draco chuckled, clearly not taking Lyrian''s threat too seriously. "Oh, I''m not underestimating anyone here. I just like to keep things interesting."

    The room buzzed with anticipation as they prepared to face off.

    ''I''ll try to face him first... stay back, Garmr.''

    After a few seconds, Lyrian and Draco moved simultaneously. It was a blur of motion as they shed, their movements so swift that it was hard to keep track of who had the upper hand.

    Lyrian''s agility and precision were matched by Draco''s raw power.

    Lyrian''s de shed with Draco''s, the force of their collision sending shockwaves through the arena.

    It was clear that Draco was a formidable opponent, and he wasn''t holding back. The battle raged on, both fighters giving it their all.

    As they exchanged blows and strikes, Lyrian couldn''t help but admire Draco''s skill.

    He was indeed a second-year student, and his experience showed. But Lyrian was determined not to back down.

    He had a goal to reach the tinum rank, and he wasn''t going to let Draco stand in his way.

    The fight continued, the tension in the room escting with each passing moment.

    It was a battle of strength, speed, and strategy, and neither yer was willing to yield.

    Their strikes were lightning-fast, each move calcted and executed with precision. It was a testament to their skill and determination.

    As they shed, sparks flew from their weapons, creating a dazzling disy of energy.

    The room resonated with the sound of metal meeting metal. It was a symphony ofbat, and both fighters were fully immersed in the dance of battle.

    Lyrian''s agile movements allowed him to evade many of Draco''s powerful attacks, but Draco''s sheer strength made each of his strikes a potential game-changer.

    The two opponents were seemingly evenly matched.

    ***

    Somewhere in the depth of the Anaviotis technology quadron...

    "Hey! It''s that kid again... I think his name was, Zero?"

    A worker sitting in front of the orb eximed.

    The same guy from before stood behind him. "Did you get his info?"

    "No... I haven''t been able to just yet."

    "Well, what are you waiting for!?"

    They both looked in awe, waiting for a summon to finally fight.

    ***

    Draco''s crimson aura red as he unleashed a devastatingbo, a series of rapid strikes that Lyrian barely managed to block.

    The force of the blows pushed him back, and for a moment, it seemed like Draco had the upper hand. But Lyrian wasn''t one to back down easily.

    With a burst of energy, Lyrianunched a counterattack, his de a blur of motion as he aimed for Draco''s exposed nk.

    Draco managed to parry the blow just in time, but it left him momentarily off bnce.

    Seizing the opportunity, Lyrian leaped backward, putting some distance between himself and his opponent.

    He needed a moment to catch his breath and reassess his strategy. Draco, however, didn''t give him that luxury. He charged forward, determination etched on his face.

    With a sudden burst of speed, Lyrian closed the gap between them and unleashed a flurry of strikes that seemed almost impossible to block.

    Draco fought back with all his might, but Lyrian''s relentless assault seemingly left him with fewer and fewer options.

    In the final moments of their battle, the room of the BF workers was filled with a palpable tension.

    The oue was still uncertain, but Lyrian was determined to give it his all.

    With one final, decisive strike, Lyrian managed to break through Draco''s defenses and deliver the winning blow--almost!

    Draco dashed back at thest moment, dodging the attack with a surprising ease.

    The two spectators temporarily erupted into cheers.

    Again... Draco yawned. "I gave you a chance, but you won''t win against me. You are way too weak."

    Those words felt like needles sticking into Lyrian''s skin.

    "Just use the wolf already."

    ***

    "Yeah! Just use the wolf!" The spectators eximed through the orb.

    ***

    Lyrian let out a sigh, straightening his position.

    ''Garmr... tear through him.''

 Chapter 298 Revenge

    Chapter 298 Revenge

    *Growl*

    Garmr charged forward swiftly. Draco didn''t hesitate, running toward the wolf as well.

    With his average-sized de in his hand, matching his BF outfit, the boy leaped forward and drove his sword at the creature.

    Garmr stepped to the side at surprising speed, catching Draco off guard. He lunged forward, chomping at the boy''s side.

    Just as his jaw mped down, Draco brought his sword to his side to protect himself.

    Garmr''s jaw halted for a moment, not fully closing as Draco struggled against the force of his maw.

    However, Draco quickly realized that his effort was for naught. He felt the bones in his hands begin topress into themselves.

    ''This is bad... my hand''s going to snap!'' Draco mused, kicking the Direwolf''s snout to detach himself.

    As he stumbled back and fast Garmr, Lyrian had a slightly confused thought.

    ''Hesitation?'' He said to himself, looking at Garmr. At that moment, Garmr looked back at him, as they shared thoughts.

    Garmr looked to have a blur in his eyes, one of indecisiveness. At that moment, Lyrian furrowed his brows and crossed his hands.

    "I said tear through him." He said in a low tone, but Garmr was still able to hear his quiet voice.

    The reason why Lyrian thought Garmr was hesitating was that the wolf had Draco in the perfect position to rip his arm right off by shaking his head.

    However, Garmr refrained from doing that, which Lyrian found odd. Still, he was going to be stern with the creature.

    ''I won''t allow any weakness in my soldiers.'' Lyrian mused coldly. He cared about Garmr, and for both his and the wolf''s sake, an unshakable mind was what he needed on the team.

    After this, Garmr shrugged off the sadness of disappointing his master, as his eyes lost their blur and became crystal clear.

    His gaze was locked onto his opponent with a primal stare now, like a tiger ready to pounce on its prey.

    Ever so calm, and steady, yet... ever so powerful and lethal. Draco stood still during this time, as did Garmr.

    Before suddenly, Draco made the slightest movement to advance. Noticing this, Garmr didn''t hesitate for even a second and countered what the boy was going to do.

    Draco made a slight movement to the left, and Garmr chomped his jaw hard down in that direction.

    However, Draco didn''tmit, so his life was spared. Then, he went to the right, and Garmr did the same.

    Still, the boy did notmit, instead opting to jump back a few times.

    He was sweating from his forehead, looking at the beast in front of him and almostughing in surprise.

    "It''s... strong." He chuckled.

    ''Garmr should have learned his movements by now. There won''t be another feint that will trick him.'' Lyrian inwardly said as Garmr moved forward for the kill.

    Draco ran to the right slightly, but the wolf stayed locked forward. Then another direction, and another, but Garmr wasn''t budging even an inch.

    As soon as he got close enough, Draco tried to anticipate and bait the wolf again, but just as he moved to the left, Garmr chomped down in front of him.

    Draco hadn''tmitted to the sidestep that time either, so he was faced with a pair of giant jaws falling down on him.

    "Damn, wolf! You wanna eat something!? Eat this!" Draco put his sword on top of Garmr''s mouth, pointing it up to the roof of his maw.

    Garmr''s eyes opened as his jaw continued to close on the boy, slightly surprised and caught off guard.

    ''Stay calm. Use your tongue.'' Lyrian guided from afar, as Garmr suddenly maneuvered his tongue out from below the sword''s hilt and flicked it across the infinite white room.

    Draco stood speechless, looking forward into the gaping hole in front of him as his entire body was crushed in Garmr''s jaws.

    "Victory! Your rank point has increased by one. New rank point: 226, Gold rank."

    ''Good.'' Garmr dissolved back into Lyrian''s shadow.

    ***

    The duo behind the orb stood motionless.

    "First that bird... and now this creature. Just who could he be?"

    The guy behind the worker in front of the orb said.

    "Who exactly are you guys screaming about over here in the corner?" A random, squeaky, and childish voice called from afar.

    The heads of the two jerked up immediately, facing this voice with a strict expression. Their eyes, however, were riddled with worry and shock.

    ***

    ''I''ll spend the rest of today ying BF, but from tomorrow, most of my free time will be spent cultivating and hunting. Increasing my rank and getting training is great, but I can''t beat these opponents by learning to best them in one-on-one fights when I simply can''t beat them in the first ce. I would need multiple attempts, and I don''t get those. I need more raw power first. After that, I will need to focus on learning a sword art...''

    Hours passed, as Lyrian made his way up to 250 in rank by the end of the day.

    "Victory! Your rank point has increased by one."

    "Congrattions! You have reached 25 points! You have broken through into the tinum Rank!"

    ***

    Lyrian awoke the next day and attended his sses as usual. Since it was already the second week of school, things started to slow down.

    Subjects came at a slower pace, and learning became more and more dull.

    At lunch, Lyrian noted that Draco didn''t talk with his friends while walking back to his seat.

    Instead, he faced the ground with a confused expression on his face, seemingly trying to work things out.

    "Hey! What''s wrong with your expression?" One of his friends suddenly called out, as Lyrian looked up at him.

    "What? Oh... it''s something stupid... don''t worry about it."

    "Hah! No, now you gotta tell me!" His friend joked.

    "Fine... I lost my win streak." Draco grimaced to say.

    "Wh-what!? You? Draco? You lost your win streak?"

    Draco let out an exasperated sigh, as Lyrian smirked.

    ''As I thought... it''s not as satisfying as beating him myself, or with him knowing who beat him... but it ain''t bad.''

 Chapter 299 Trailed By Shadows

    Chapter 299 Trailed By Shadows

    Lyrian walked to his final ss for the day, which was Alchemy. He garnered a few stares, and especially one from the teacher.

    Lyrian noticed her staring and stared back at her. Just as he was going to ask why she had just a scowl on her face, she jerked her body to face the board.

    Her teaching continued with basic stuff that almost everyone already knew. However, Lyrian was new to it, so he still took note of the important stuff in his mind.

    He noticed that Linus was in ss, and as he noticed that, a kid to his right leaned into his shoulder.

    "Hey... I heard you fought Drake and beat him!" He whispered quietly enough for only Lyrian to hear.

    The boy''s tone was excited, and his eyes brightly lit up as he spoke.

    Lyrian was still facing Linus, and he noticed that the prince''s ears suddenly perked up on instinct as the boy next to him spoke.

    ''Out of everyone... he heard that huh?'' Lyrian smirked, amused by this.

    He saw that Linus was clearly intrigued. Knowing that, Lyrian turned to the boy, "I did."

    The boy gasped and leaned back in his chair, his mouth opened like an o.

    Lyrian didn''t do this for any reason, except to get at Linus for the fun of it. He knew of Linus'' and Drake''s rivalry, and to get in between was interesting to do.

    ''I''ll be strong enough to kick his ass soon enough anyways... I will guarantee that.'' Lyrian looked out of the window in the ss.

    He stared at the horizon in the sky.

    ''Faster...'' He simply mused, ''More power, and faster. I don''t have time to be wasting.''

    As that ss ended, Lyrian was thest to leave. Most others didn''t stick around for what Scarlett had to finish up saying, but since he didn''t know the information, he stayed in case it was worthwhile.

    As he left, he saw Linus speaking to the same boy who spoke to him in ss in the distance, which put a grin on his face.

    ''Now... it''s time to hunt.''

    ***

    In under half an hour, Lyrian was as far away from the academy as he had ever traveled before.

    In the middle of the forest, he continued running outward.

    ''I want to get at least as far as that dungeon from yesterday.'' He mused, ''If not that, then as far out as possible. The farther out, the stronger the creatures.''

    Right now, he didn''t want to fight for materials. Rather, he wanted to do so just to fight.

    He wanted to fight beasts that were more powerful than the average he could find lying around every few hundred meters.

    Something more unique and challenging. While on his way out, however, Lyrian noticed a few presences trailing him...

    ''Was it right when I came out here? Maybe 5 minutes in...'' He tried to think of when he noticed these eyes following him.

    Right now, he wasn''t going to let them stop him from going toward his destination.

    However, he also wanted to take them to a more secluded ce before dealing with them...

    Lyrian jumped through the treetops for several more minutes.

    Below him, he saw blurry ck figures appearing and disappearing from sight at random intervals.

    ''Hm... it seems there are over 10. I have an idea as to why they are following me, but I''m not sure if they want to fight, or just to scare me.''

    Lyrian continued traveling out for another hour,pletely ignoring the followers.

    Still, they seemed to not let go of his sight.

    Lyrian stopped as he sensed creatures in bulk ahead of him. He came to a branch of a tall tree and looked down into a t valley.

    Inside the valley was a fairlyrge vige with creatures of familiar look to them wandering around inside.

    Lizardmen, a whole tribe full of them. There were over 15 houses made of sticks and y, all encased in a wooden fence.

    Other buildings also existed inside, and a trial of lizardmen littered the streets within the vige.

    Upon inspecting closer, Lyrian saw that these lizardmen looked far different from those in the dungeon.

    They were slimmer and were slightly shorter. Instead of their eight-foot counterparts, most were closer to 6 feet in height.

    If the other lizardmen weighed 400 pounds of thick muscle and scale, these creatures weighed around 250 or less.

    It was a fairly high amount of weight, but almost half of those in the dungeon.

    Taking a peek behind him, Lyrian felt the presence of almost all of the people following him linger near.

    He couldn''t pinpoint their exact location, but it was clear that they were there.

    ''They should be able to hide their presence if they got into the academy... some trash students these are. I suppose it makes sense for them to stoop so low for money.''

    Lyrian then jumped from tree to tree, suddenly leaping off of a branch and straight into the middle of the lizardman vige

    Hended with a thud, as many lizardmen freaked at his presence. They hissed and growled at him, grabbing their wooden spears to confront him.

    Over three dozen of them gathered around the boy, seemingly conversing with each other in lizardman tongue.

    "What is he doing here!?" One of the young lizardmen turned to an older one and eximed in fear and shock.

    "Face him! Do not let your guard down, young one. These beasts are unpredictable. They are ruthless..." The older lizardman said firmly.

    The young saurian straightened his posture and furrowed his brows, staring at Lyrian, "I know..."

    Lyrian couldn''t understand a word they were saying, but he could feel the hatred seeping through their tongues and into his skin.

    He suddenly faced the sky, "Come out! I know you are following me!" He eximed with a voice increased in volume via Enhancing his vocal cords.

    "What the--!?" The young lizardman jerked back along with a few others, bewildered.

    "Is he doing some sort of war cry!?"

    At that moment, 15 figures dressed in dark cloth suddenly appeared on top of the roofs and on the streets of the surrounding area.

    They all faced Lyrian who was in the middle with covered faces and dangerous gazes.

    "Finally..."

 Chapter 300 Skewed Justice II

    Chapter 300 Skewed Justice II

    The young lizardman shrieked in fear as he looked around. His hands shook slightly with fear, but he remained calm.

    The lizardman soldiers didn''t know what to do but didn''t cower away. They were warriors, ones whose duty bestowed upon them from a young age was to protect their vige and loved ones.

    Their families hid in camps. Their wives and children, grandparents and aunts and uncles. Even if they couldn''t stop these enemies from destroying their homes, they would undoubtedly die trying. Or else, their effort wouldn''t be satisfactory.

    Seeing these brave expressions on the faces of the lizardmen, Lyrian couldn''t help but think to himself in slight regret.

    ''I wanted toe here because it was open, but I didn''t expect this sort of human reaction from these creatures.''

    He looked around to see many more lizardmen, not fit for battle, hiding in their huts and eyeing him from afar.

    "You noticed we were following you, huh?" One of the veiled bandits asked Lyrian. His voice caught Lyrian off guard, as it wasn''t like a kid''s, as he was expecting. Instead, it was like an adult''s. It was rough and fearful deeper than any kid''s voice.

    On top of that, Lyrian now noticed the stature of these bandits. They weren''t nearly as short as him. They looked to be of adult human size. Lyrian had a clue of what was going on as soon as he noticed this.

    "An assassination? Is that what''s going on here?" He said, looking at the faces of each of the bandits in front of him.

    "Ha..." One of the bandits let out a slightugh.

    "Who was it that employed you?" Lyrian eximed out to every bandit.

    There was nothing but silence. Finally, a bandit spoke up.

    "Boy... don''t you understand that we aren''t supposed to say that type of stuff?" This bandit stepped slightly closer.

    Another spoke, "Why do you want to know that? So you can pay us more to not hunt you?"

    This one also neared him.

    Soon enough, every bandit began walking toward him, as Lyrian''s eyes darted around.

    "No. I just wanted to confirm my theory."

    As soon as he said this, one broke out into a peal ofughter.

    "Pahaha! So you''re telling me that you don''t want even a little chance at surviving?"

    "You know... you might be able to win us over. That depends on your pay, of course."

    "Haha, that''s right! Although... the pay the other noble-looking kid gave us was top-notch. I doubt you could ever pay us that amount."

    This bandit looked Lyrian up and down. Lyrian had basic clothing on. A pair of baggy pants that got bigger from his waist down and slimmed up at his ankles again. And a simple cloth tunic.

    "Chance at surviving? Che!" Lyrian scoffed, a grin forming on his face. "Looks like there''s been a misunderstanding. I''m not paying you guys... because I''m not gonna let a single one of you escape here with your lives."

    "Huh?"

    "W-what? What is this brat talking about..."

    After a few seconds of confusion, all the bandits broke out into augh at once.

    As they bawled their eyes out fromughter, Lyrian swiftly moved forward. With a stern expression, he took all the spears from the lizardmen without them even noticing.

    "N-no! He took our weapons!" The young saurian eximed in shock.

    "After him!" Another yelled as the lizardmen began chasing Lyrian.

    Lyrian''s run wasn''t very far away, however. All he did was run farther down the street and stick all the spears down into the ground face up in a circle.

    The lizardmen stopped in confusion, looking at what the boy did. As Lyrian walked back, the lizardmen simply let him go past them without saying a word or doing anything.

    "What the..."

    "It seems he didn''t want to fight."

    "How could that be? His war cry..."

    They were left bewildered but weren''tining either. Instead, many went back to check on their families. Some, however, stayed to watch what was going to happen next.

    The young lizardman and his father were a part of this group.

    The bandits all turned to look at Lyrian approaching as they calmed theirughter.

    "You will kill us all, you say? You? Kill us? Pahahaha!"

    "Maybe if you were some sort of higher noble, or even a noble, we would struggle. But from the looks of it, you are the weakest of the weakest in this school!"

    ''These assassins... they were sent to kill me. If I was weak as they said... they would rip me apart and leave me for dead. They are heartless, ruthless monsters.''

    Lyrian mused without a shred of real emotion behind his eyes or his words. He was simply stating the facts.

    ''Then, I must punish them like they deserve.'' He looked at theirughing expressions behind the lining of their tight veils.

    ''They have most likely ughtered many others, so I won''t hesitate to ughter them. If they want to kill me, it is only right for me to kill them in return.''

    ...

    ''It is only fair.'' Lyrian dered inwardly, his skewed sense of justice contrasting sharply with the world.

    Lyrian unsheathed his de, before suddenly disappearing from the bandit''s sight.

    ''They all have an OP of 7...'' Lyrian mused, having jumped in the air above all of them.

    The bandits stoppedughing as they felt a ruthless bloodlust seep into their bones. Their eyes widened, and they quickly took out their daggers.

    "Where did he go!?" One shouted out in confusion, looking around.

    SLASH

    At once, his head slid off his neck and fell to the floor. The blood gushing out of his stub of a temple showered all of his acquaintances, as his body thumped onto the floor.

    The bandits froze in shock.

    "Keep your guard! Find where that little cunt is!" One of them shouted as the bandits began looking around again.

    SLASH

    Another head flew into the sky,nding in the hands of another bandit. The veil of the decapitated head came off as a lifeless figure stared at the holder of it.

    The one holding the head instantly gasped as he threw the head to the floor, "Damn it!" He eximed in frustration.

    The lizardmen observed in pure awe, fear, and astonishment at what was happening in front of them.

    Then, right in front of him, a bandit was brutally stabbed to death in a fury of multiple vicious thrusts that tore through the stomach of the bandit.

    Lyrian looked into the veiled eyes of the bandit, enveloped in the most despair-filled fear that one could imagine, and sliced his head off without any remorse while grabbing onto his hair.

    SLASH

    Another one bit the dust.

    "Catch him! Don''t just stand around!"

    They all dispersed at once, running around the vige. Between allies and houses, they found themselves free from the boy''s wrath for moments.

    "How is he this powerful!?" One bandit that went off alone said to himself in utter frustration.

    "I can''t die here! I have an actual family to take care of!" He said gripping his dagger, as a figure appeared in front of him...

    It was another one of the bandits. "Jalil! Escape from here!" The other bandit said.

    "W-what?!" The bandit addressed as ''Jalil'' said in shock. "That''s your number one rule. We cannot ever run from a mission... and you want me to break it!?"

    "Screw the damn rule! It looks like none of us will survive here."

    "Are you going to run too!?" Jalil cried in genuine worry, "All of you... are you going to run too!?"

    The other bandit paused for a moment before replying, "No... we will all stay and fight."

    "Then I will to--"

    "NO!" The other bandit roughly eximed.

    "..." Jalil was speechless.

    "You will leave here, and that''s final! You aren''t like the rest of us."

    "I get it! It''s because I''m new, but I''m still valuable to the team!"

    "It''s not because of that! It''s because you are still pure."

    "W-what?"

    "You are a good person, damn it! You have never killed a single person in our missions... you have a family, unlike the rest of us, who are worthless rouges kicked out of their viges for being failures. You have a life! You need to leave! You don''t deserve this fate!"

    "What!? And you''re saying you do? You''re saying you deserve to die in a ce like this?!"

    "..."

    The other bandit paused again, looking toward the floor, and then back to the sky with teary eyes.

    "Yes... this is only right. I knew this day woulde." He paused again, before suddenly wiping his tears, "Run, Jalil! Don''t look back."

    The bandit pushed Jalil into an alley, where the forest was nearby. He paused for a moment, not knowing which direction to go.

    One was his life, his family, his vige... and one was his brotherhood, his mission, his saviors.

    Although he was extremely conflicted, Jalil hesitantly ran toward the forest, tears trickling down his face.

    "Damn it... damn it all!"

 Chapter 301 On Stakes

    Chapter 301 On Stakes

    *SLASH*

    Another head flew into the air with a stter of blood following it. Lyrian had no expression on his face as he continued to move.

    Maybe it was that the bandits were fully clothed, but he felt no remorse for them. Their punishment was fully justified in his mind.

    The bandit who spoke to Jalil moments prior met up with another one. "Kano! What do you think we should do!?" He eximed urgently.

    "I don''t know, Hn! But he''s ruthless! I don''t know how many he''s killed, but I know that most of them are already dead!"

    "Howe we don''t see the heads anywhere!?" ''Hn'' said in a bewildered tone.

    Shivers went down ''Kano''s spine. "Don''t even talk about it so casually," he paused, "I have killed so many faces that I can''t even remember them all... but seeing the faces of my own team on the floor... I can''t deal with it."

    Eventually, the two made their way to the center of the goblin vige. There, it seemed all of the remaining bandits met up.

    They looked to be channeled there somehow since all of them arrived there at the same time.

    In total, there were only five of them. As soon as they arrived at the center, however, all of their hearts felt as though they skipped a beat in unison.

    Their lungs expanded, as their eyes widened at the horrific sight in front of them.

    They all stopped--the devastating feeling weakening their bones and willpower.

    What they all saw at once was the heads of their 9 lostrades stuck onto the 9 of the 15 spears in the middle town square.

    A few fell to their knees, breaking down into tears.

    "Ruthless... how can someone be this ruthless," Hn eximed in utter shock and sadness.

    At that moment, Lyrian appeared on top of one of the hut roofs in front of all of the five bandits.

    One who was crying on his knees looked up with scrunched brows and an enraged face.

    "YOU BASTARD!" He eximed with immense emotion behind his voice, spit flying out of his mouth.

    Lyrian met the angry gaze with an indifferent one.

    "I won''t let you live! No matter what happens I swear to get my revenge!"

    Dashed forward, appearing in front of the bandit at once.

    The bandit quickly rose to his feet, gripping his dagger. He lunged forward without warning shing at Lyrian--who stepped to the side with grace and avoided the attack.

    The bandit didn''t stop there. As a few lizardmen, and all the other bandits stared, the bandit kept on attacking Lyrian.

    Each attack was fueled with rage. Each attack had full force behind it, full killing intent.

    However, each attack failed. And with ease, Lyrian dodged and swatted away the bandit''s shes and thrusts.

    Panting heavily, the bandit faced Lyrian''s cold gaze again. This time, his anger had disappeared.

    His hatred was still prominent, in fact, there was nothing he hated more in his life but the face in front of him.

    Someone who had taken the heads of his lifelong friends and stabbed them onto spears for disy.

    How cruel of an act. Only a demon could do such a thing...

    However, that anger that he once had to fuel him fully disappeared with his failed efforts.

    Still, he tried to swing at Lyrian, but he put no more strength behind it. Soon, he realized that he was powerless in this situation.

    He realized that no matter what he did, he was helpless. He couldn''t avenge his friend... he couldn''t even touch Lyrian.

    His words of revenge held no more meaning. His anger, his thoughts, and his life held no real meaning in this situation, and that was clear to see now.

    With this realization falling on top of his shoulders like a mountain, his legs gave out and became limp.

    He fell to the floors, breathing in weak gasps. Lyrian walked to him and grabbed him by the hair, lifting his body up to face him.

    Lyrian looked into a pair of void-like, devastated eyes.

    "Do you want to live?" He asked as a deafening hush sounded for the next few moments.

    "...Ye--"

    *SLASH*

    The other bandits winced in horror. In fear, and in shock. Lyrian looked at them, as Hn abruptly spoke.

    "Why!?" He screamed, "Why did you ask him if he wanted to live in the first ce!? What kind of monster are you!?"

    Lyrian''s head tilted to the side, as an irritated expression donned on his face.

    "Why did I ask him? I did him a favor. I bet that amongst every person he has ever ughtered, he never asked a single victim whether they wanted to live or not. I''m sure they wanted to be asked that very question, yet only he was granted that liberty, and by no other than me."

    Hn was speechless. He let out a forceful exasperated sigh and looked toward the ground.

    "Let''s get it over with..." He said, gripping his de.

    "Okay."

    "Fine."

    The other bandits replied, gripping the hilt of their own daggers.

    "We are useless!" Hn suddenly shouted.

    "We are useless!" The other three shouted back in unison.

    "We have no family! No virtues! No heaven!"

    "We have no family! No virtues! No heaven!"

    "We deserve to die!"

    There was a short silence...

    "We deserve to die..."

    At that moment, they all roared in an emotional fury and stormed at Lyrian.

    Lyrian didn''t hesitate to run forward at them, ready to slice through all of them.

    As he reached ten feet of them, a voice cut through the air and rang in both his and the bandits'' ears.

    "STOP!"

    A bandit yelled from afar. Hn recognized this voice and turned to look at who it came from with a horrified expression on his face.

    "No..." He muttered just before he could catch a glimpse of the speaker behind that voice.

    "NOO!! Why did youe back, Jalil! You damn fool!" He cried in agony.

    ''I bet my life on you...'' These were his final thoughts.

    *SLASH*

 Chapter 302 Confliction...

    Chapter 302 Confliction...

    "No! Hn!" Jalil turned his dagger so that it faced Lyrian.

    "Stop it right now!"

    "Why did you return!? You were meant to live!"

    Another bandit cried.

    *SLASH*

    Jalil rushed in, "STOP! STOP THIS AT ONCE!"

    *SLASH*

    Now, only one bandit remained in front of Lyrian. Thest one he cut sttered blood all into his eyes, turning his guard off slightly.

    After wiping the blood, he looked at his stained hands as a shiver suddenly ran down his spine.

    "Damn it! I was toote!" Jalil leaped in and thrust his de into Lyrian''s shoulder.

    Somehow, Lyrian got distracted just enough for the de to actually pierce his skin...

    At that moment, he reconnected to reality and quickly took the dagger out of his shoulder.

    With a kick, Jalil was sent flying into one of the huts nearby. He crashed as sticks fell onto him.

    Clutching his shoulder, Lyrian walked to Jalil with a slightly irritated expression on his face.

    He readied his obsidian de, which was dripping in blood, and faced Jalil.

    "Don''t kill him! He has done nothing wrong!"

    The other bandit yelled from afar, "Let him go! Kill me instead!" He began walking closer.

    Lyrian turned to look past his shoulder as he heard this. "Nothing wrong?" He muttered.

    "Yes! He is new... he hasn''t killed anyone. He has a heart..."

    Lyrian looked at Jalil again, who was panting heavily, his heart pounding out of his chest as he stared at Lyrian''s ruthless eyes.

    "A bandit with heart?"

    "He''s doing this for his family! That''s right! He has a family, a wife, and a daughter as well. Spare him, please!"

    The young lizardman couldn''t speak the tongue that these humans were speaking, but he could understand what was going on nheless.

    It was clear to see that the human clothed in ck was begging for the life of hispanion, who was also clothed in ck.

    Since he was observing from the very start, the lizardman knew the situation quite well.

    It was an exhrating and scary predicament that he and his entire vige was in.

    Lyrian then looked at his wound. ''How was I stabbed? Oh... that''s right... this guy.'' He stared at Jalil''s helpless eyes.

    ''I''m surprised that I lost focus that much in a battle like this. It isn''t normal... it''s almost like an outside source contributed to that. Fate, maybe?'' He mused confusedly.

    The pain of the wound jolted through his entire body, reminding him of the monsters that these bandits most likely were.

    The pain that they had caused many other people. He felt there was no shred of doubt in his mind. He was going to kill every one of the bandits.

    ''Who knows if he is lying or not... how could a bandit not kill?'' Lyrian mused, ''But... why do I find myself questioning myself?''

    At that moment, Lyrian''s brain felt like it froze. He realized that he wasn''t moving forward with what he thought he wanted to do, which was to kill the bandit in front of him.

    He felt an odd feeling in some corner of his cornerless mind that he had forgotten the feeling of. Or maybe, he had never felt it before.

    What was it? How did it feel? It felt like a powerful sea drifting toward a fortified wall...

    At that instant, Lyrian felt as though he was teleported to the scene.

    The ocean crashed into the wall many times, shaking it each time, but not infiltrating.

    "And series of dangerous waves..." His gaze switched to the wall, "And a wall of protection."

    At that moment, he looked around and noticed thatnd had formed around the massive ocean.

    It had never been an ocean. He realized that all it was, was a vastke.

    He was then able to look over the fortified wall to see therge vige on the other side.

    This other side surprised him slightly. He saw dry, crackednd. Dead trees. Starving, skinny people that resembled living skeletons.

    Not a shred of grass, and not an ounce of water. Dead bodiesy on the ground, of women, kids, and men.

    It was a drought...

    At that moment, Lyrian looked at the fortified wall once again. Now, instead of a wall of protection, it had be a dam of destruction.

    Then, he realized what this feeling that he suddenly felt was. It was... confliction.

    He felt himself reentering his body, as he looked at Jalil. His reality felt as though it had been flipped on its head because he felt conflicted about what he wanted to do for the first time in a situation like this.

    He didn''t know why, but his body turned around.

    *SLASH*

    The head of the other bandit fell onto the floor and rolled to Jalil''s feet.

    ''I would never spare him...'' Lyrian mused, yet his back was faced to the bandit.

    "Leave... before I change my mind."

    Jalil paused and stared at the back of Lyrian''s head for a while longer.

    "Th--" He began to stand, "Thank you..." Before running away outside of the vige.

    Lyrian then looked at his bloody hand again, and then at the several stakes with heads on them in the middle of the vige.

    At that moment, a young lizardman slid by him, picking up the several heads lying on the floor.

    He rushed over to the spears and stabbed each head onto them. Out of the 15, 14 were filled.

    "You missed one!" His father eximed angrily, suddenly arriving at the scene.

    "I''m sorry, father!"

    "You won''t make him satisfied! Find thest head toplete this peace offering to the powerful being!"

    "But father... I can''t..."

    "What!? Why not!?" Therge lizardman began looking around to see if he could find the head himself.

    "Because he let that one go."

    At that moment, the father of the young lizardman froze.

    "Wh-what? That demonic being... let one go?"

    Both of them stared at the boy as he walked off.

 Chapter 303 Millienium Creature!

    Chapter 303 Millienium Creature!

    As soon as Lyrian exited the vige, he began to run past it again. Even though he was distracted on his journey, he still wanted to travel out as far as he could.

    He wanted to fight stronger beasts, and although he was traveling far out enough to see new creatures like the lizardmen, it still wasn''t far enough.

    Soon, the blood on his skin dried up and began to crack. The feeling was ufortable; it was itchy and pulled on his hair.

    He withstood the feeling for a while until thendscape around him began to change slightly.

    The trees became thicker, and vines started to show themselves. Although Lyrian associated a forest and a jungle to be pretty much the same things, he could tell the difference between the two when needed.

    The ce he was entering now was definitely a jungle. He ran across thisnd for a while as well.

    Again, his surroundings began to change after a while of running. Now, shoots of bamboo started to scarcely spread out throughout the jungle.

    Before long, Lyrian had entered a bamboo forest. Everywhere he looked, he was surrounded by bamboo.

    The reflection of the sun off the tightly packed bamboo shoots made the air have a tint of yellowish green color, as Lyrian was forced to slow down.

    He couldn''t run freely in this new environment not only because of the bamboo that was so dense to get around, but also because he wasn''t used to it.

    Finally, he came across a pond in the middle of the bamboo forest. There existed about 20 feet of open grasnd, with no bamboo on top of it, before theke in the middle.

    This was the case on all sides of theke, which wasn''t toorge.

    ''Ake? I guess I can wash this blood off here...'' He mused, deciding to take a bath in the water.

    After taking off his clothes, which were also soaked in blood, he picked up a thin and long bamboo stick and poked the water with it.

    He didn''t want some crocodile or something toe up and hunt him, after all.

    Sshing the stick around didn''t cause any predator to show itself, which was a good thing.

    On top of that, a beautiful scene showed itself as the subtle ripples waved across the light blue water.

    Lyrian took a dive inside, and as he did, he opened his eyes underneath.

    From what he could see, the pond had some fish swimming around, but there wasn''t anything apart from that.

    He started rinsing off the blood from his body. After he finished, Lyrian suddenly felt arge vibration from the middle of theke.

    ''No fish that I''ve seen can make such a vibration...'' He mused, poking his head underwater to see what it was.

    From the middle of theke, where a deep underwater cave hole looked to be, appeared arge creature.

    Lyrian immediately broke his head out of the water''s surface, as the thinging out did the same.

    Its body was furry but looked smooth due to the water. It was ck and white in color and was round.

    *SPLASH*

    A giant crash of water sent forceful waves going everywhere as a giant panda revealed itself from the depths of the pond.

    Lyrian''s mouth was slightly open in surprise as he stared at the creature.

    The panda immediately turned on its back and began floating in the water calmly.

    However, Lyrian was more surprised at the aura of the beast. This wasn''t the aura of some random creature... better yet, it was the aura of a powerful one.

    ''It feels like I''m next to a fully grown Pheon, or Kailion...'' He thought to himself as he observed the panda calmly floating about in the water.

    ''Scan.''

    ��������Scan��������

    Name: Pan

    Species: Bnce Panda

    Age: 991

    Overall Power (OP): 15

    Health: 161/161

    Stamina: 152/152

    Strength: 155

    Agility: 144

    Defense: 160

    Rank: Genesis: Layer 2

    Special: Millenium Creature. Only one of these creatures exists per thousand years. It is a special breed sought by many adventurers, hunters, and organizations.

    ����������������������

    ''W-what!?'' Lyrian nearly blurted out loud in shock but managed to control himself.

    [This creature tends to try its best to hide itself]

    ''I see...'' Lyrian gazed at the creature a bit longer, before suddenly, the creature sniffed a little too hard a few times.

    *Sniff*

    It opened its eyes as they went to the side in slight confusion.

    *Sniff sniff*

    There was no doubt about it... the panda knew he smelt blood in the water.

    He arose from his floating position and began doggy paddling while staying straight up, as his gaze met with a random young boy''s.

    The boy was staring at him in awe, and it looked at the boy for a while longer as an awkward silence followed.

    After, the panda quickly turned around and exited the pond with a horrified expression on its face.

    As soon as it moved, Lyrian swam after it and began following it.

    ''I need that soul!'' He was ecstatic. Not only was this a strong creature, but also a rare one that he could add to the team.

    For some reason, however, the Bnce Panda ran from him instead of fighting.

    As soon as it got onnd, the panda began running on both of its hind legs and swayed its hands in a human-like manner.

    As Lyrian chased behind it, it panted while running, looking back behind its shoulder at times at the boy on its tail.

    The scene could be considerededic to some, as Lyrian was butt-naked, chasing a 10-foot bear that was running on its two stubby and chubby back legs--through the middle of a bamboo forest, no less.

    "Stop! Fight me! Why are you running!?" Lyrian yelled at the beast in bewilderment.

    However, the panda didn''t stop running. Soon, the bamboo forest cleared up again, and Lyrian noticed a giant hut made of bamboo high in the shoots of bamboo.

    The panda ran over to a shoot underneath the giant bamboodder leading up to the giant bamboo hut and grabbed a giant magical contraption.

    It looked like a half circle, and it quickly ced it over its mouth as it stopped and turned around to face Lyrian.

    "AHHHH! LEAVE ME ALONE!"

    ''That thing,'' Lyrian looked at the magical contraption that the panda held over its mouth, ''It tranted what it said? How did it get something like that?''

    "Leave you alone? What are you talking abou--" Lyrian was about to say how much stronger it was than him, but the panda didn''t pay attention.

    It ran toward itsdder and quickly climbed up it in its human-like posture.

    Entering its own tree-house in the bamboo shoot tops, it soon climbed back down.

    "I''m not supposed to be found yet! This is horrible!" He yelled to himself as it walked down with a coconut in hand.

    "Here! Have this!" It eximed through the magic contraption, throwing the coconut into Lyrian''s hands.

    "Take it and leave!"

    Lyrian looked down at the coconut in confusion with a brow raised. "Huh?" He muttered, ''Scan.''

    ��������Item Scan��������

    Name: Sweet Coconut

    Description: A rare fruit that asionally grows in the bamboo forest. It is renowned for never spoiling. It has a sweet and refreshing taste, which cleanses one''s body from nearly all diseases. This fruit is extremely valuable.

    ������������������������������

    "Wow... this is very useful." Lyrian was surprised to read its hefty description.

    He looked back up at the panda, who eximed, "Yes... It is very useful. Take it, and leave me be."

    Lyrian paused for a moment before replying. He had many questions right now.

    "You said you were supposed to be caught yet? Does that mean you''re supposed to be caught in the future?"

    "Yea--well, look... I''m a millennial creature... If I''m caught before I even reach a thousand years of age, I''m a failure! Still... I don''t ever want to be captured or seen... yet, here I am today!"

    The panda cried in misery, disappointed at itself for being caught.

    "I see..." Lyrian stored the coconut in his ring, "I''m sorry, but I''m not here for the coconut." He changed his tone.

    He continued what he was saying before, "You are far stronger than me... so why are you running?"

    At that moment, the panda leaned back in shock.

    "Oh... you''re right. I got so caught up in the fact that I got caught, that I forgot my own strength after all these years."

    ''What in the world...'' Lyrian mused confusedly.

    At that moment, the panda looked down at the ground, shadowing its face.

    Its body and face began to suddenly twitch almost uncontrobly, as it shook the ground beneath it.

    Lyrian looked down, feeling the rumble under his feet. He then looked back up to see a ferocious expression on the panda''s face.

    Before, it looked like a teddy. Its expression waspletely harmless, like a cartoon''s. But now, its face resembled that of a monstrous predatory bear.

    The panda didn''t growl, however. It only furrowed its brows inplete seriousness.

    "What the--itpletely changed its demeanor... skillful? Or did it turn into another being entirely?" Lyrian couldn''t tell.

    "Weakling... you''re dead for trying to hunt me." The panda menacingly spoke. Its voice exuded power and killing intent.

    Lyrian was leaning more toward the ''other being'' option after it said this.

    It stomped one leg forward, and then pointed its palms toward Lyrian--one at its waist, and one in front of its face.

    It looked to be some martial arts stance that the bear perfectly disyed.

    As it breathed out, small clouds of smoke released from the sides of its mouth.

    "Panda Kung Fu; First form. Tiger!"

 Chapter 304 Panda Kung Fu

    Chapter 304 Panda Kung Fu

    At that moment, a fighting aura exuded from the Bnce Panda that took Lyrian slightly aback.

    It felt as though Lyrian stared at a powerful king, one that ruled the jungle.

    A lone traveler that dominated all other creatures with its intellect, sheer brute strength, and ferocity.

    It''s calcted movements, It''s menacing bite. This creature that Lyrian now felt that he was facing was the true king of the jungle.

    The tiger.

    "Impressive... to have such profound experience in martial arts to mimic a tiger''s aura so perfectly is worthy of amazement."

    He readied his own de. "Before I send out any of my creatures... I will fight this beast myself." He grinned through his teeth.

    At that moment, the panda began to slowly walk sideways, circling around Lyrian.

    [WARNING!]

    [A creature with a lethal threat level has blistered you with its killing intent.

    - Creature threat level: GUARDIAN]

    It had been a long time since Lyrian felt a horrifying chill run up his back, but this was definitely one of those moments.

    The presence of the tiger in front of him was threatening and powerful, making him back up slightly.

    He calibrated where the beast would attack from and matched its circr movement.

    Finally, the panda pounced forward. Itbined its wrists, opening its two palms as though they were the jaws of a tiger.

    It pounced extremely quickly and went straight toward Lyrian''s nape.

    The attack was so fast that it only appeared as a blur to Lyrian.

    Before it couldnd, Garmr suddenly appeared between that attack and Lyrian.

    The impact of the attack sent Garmr flying with a painful indent in his chest.

    The wolf howled slightly in agony as it rolled to a stop several meters away.

    The panda retook its basic martial tiger pose. Its eyes were now fully red, unlike its normal eyes from before.

    "Get it, Garmr!"

    At that moment, Garmr forced himself to stand. Shaking its head, it shrugged off the attack and ran toward the panda.

    Seeing the iing beast, the panda assumed the next fighting form of the tiger.

    When hunting weak prey, the tiger stalked it and then went straight for the kill to the neck.

    However, on fighting an oing powerful beast, it would assume its ferocious fighting style of paw swipes.

    The panda formed ws with its fingers as it opened up its arms, poking out its chest.

    As soon as Garmr entered close, the panda lunged forward and unleashed two powerful swipes.

    The speed and strength of the swipes overwhelmed the wolf, as Garmr was mmed across the skull multiple times.

    Lyrian rushed forward at that moment, thrusting his sword toward the panda''s back.

    However, the panda jumped forward and avoided the attack with ease.

    Fighting against Lyrian seemed to be as easy as pie. It didn''t even need to try at all to destroy him.

    "Show me another style before I y you, panda," Lyrian said as the panda faced him.

    "Hmph... if you want to die by another fate, then so be it." The panda remade its stance.

    "Panda Kung-Fu; Second Form: Crane!"

    The panda elegantly swirled its hand around in a circr motion, bringing them to his body with grace.

    It lifted one leg in the air and faced the sky with its eyes closed.

    When it opened its eyes again, they were white instead of red, simr to Leon''s eyes, but less ferocious.

    The creature''s entire presence had now changed. Now, it was calm and precise, yet felt much more dangerous than before.

    This was because before, Lyrian could tell that the tiger was a beast that fought violently.

    Now, however, the aspect of mystery threw him off slightly.

    With an elegant path of movement, the panda stepped forward in a rhythm of quiet footprints, appearing before Lyrian in seconds.

    With a circr twist, it thrust its palm into Lyrian''s chest at apletely iprehensible speed.

    Again, Lyrian was forced to be deemed useless in this situation by Gear.

    The one who appeared before the beast now was Tao. Before its attack couldnd, Tao began moving out of the way.

    ''Tao''s speed is greater than the panda''s, so it should easily be able to escape--''

    The crane attack of the panda hit Tao too quickly for Tao to move out of the way, shocking Lyrian.

    Tao was thrown into the air but quickly caught his bnce.

    "So... that is the power of the crane. So fast that even something with greater speed may not be able to counter it." Lyrian mused in awe.

    The crane was a devastating creature. Snakes were known for their fast lunging attacks, but cranes were so fast that they outmatched even the snake in terms of speed and easily hunted them for thousands of years.

    "Still..." Lyrian muttered as Tao began to spin back toward the panda, "In this battle of the speed of birds, Tao wille out on top. There is nothing faster than a falcon."

    Tao dived down, shing at the panda''s side as it quickly darted out of the way again.

    It continued this, swooping down and tearing small chunks off of the panda each time it came down.

    "Speed isn''t what wins fights. Too much of one thing is what is called... failure."

    The bnce panda suddenly stomped its leg down onto one of the wings of Tao.

    "The stomp of the crane!" Lyrian said, recognizing the crane''s fighting style.

    When something became too fast for it, cranes held it down and began to attack it.

    Before the panda could get its attack off, however, Zuuc appeared before it and pushed the panda off of Tao.

    At that moment, Tao flew into the air as Lyrian took a step forward. Tao swooped down, floating above Lyrian.

    Zuuc jumped back, standing behind him, as Garmr did the same.

    "All versus one, let''s see who will win this!"

    "If you insist on going all out, then I won''t hold back either..."

    "Panda Kung-Fu; fifth and final form; Dragon!"

 Chapter 305 Thousand Year Knowledge

    Chapter 305 Thousand Year Knowledge

    In the next moment, a ferocious and grand battle continued. The panda used its dominant and powerful technique of the dragon to fight.

    It swiped its precision, unleashing barrages of attacks at times. Its sheer power was enough to overwhelm any one of the four things fighting it.

    However, with each one of the four; Lyrian, Garmr, Zuuc, Tao--poking, prodding, and lunging at it from all different sides at once, the panda began to get overwhelmed.

    Still, it didn''t let up, finding its footing and giving a good beating to Lyrian and his team.

    After an hour-long battle of precision, where any mistake could cost Lyrian and his creations the win, the panda finally dropped to a knee.

    Panting heavily, Lyrian walked forward. Rolling around in the grass, mming into trees, and fighting at max capacity for so long, he was extremely exhausted.

    However, the job wasn''t finished yet.

    Wheezing, the panda returned to its normal state.

    "You defeated me...what is your name." It spoke through the magical object.

    Its voice sounded defeated, yet disciplined.

    "My name is Lyrian Theageld, as far as I know."

    A short silence ensued, as the panda looked at the ground and thought to itself the disappointment that it held for itself for losing.

    "Panda... don''t be upset that you lost to me. I will give you another life, that is guaranteed."

    The panda looked up at Lyrian.

    "My dream is to rule this world. If you submit to me now, you will be a keyponent in that motive. You will help me conquer the, Pan. Do you understand?"

    Lyrian said with apletely serious expression.

    "I see... but, I don''t believe I have a choice here."

    Lyrian didn''t reply to this.

    "But... that means that my only choice is to believe you. Lyrian Theageld... if you want to rule the world, then I have no choice but to help you in doing so. If you let me live again, I will swear an undying oath to you until my final breath."

    The panda bowed its head to Lyrian.

    "Good. Wee to the team, Pan."

    *SLASH*

    The panda''s head went flying as blood splurted all over the grass.

    It''s body thumped to the ground.

    "Reap."

    As Lyrian said this with his hand over the Bnce Panda''s body, a white soul emerged from it and entered his chest.

    Suddenly, Lyrian''s eyelids flew open as the floodgates burst open and an overwhelming amount of knowledge began plunging into his brain.

    In a series of lightning-fast shes, Lyrian ryed nearly a thousand years of knowledge from this intellectual bear at once.

    Although it was still a beast, this beast was so old that its knowledge was far greater than its other beast counterparts.

    But most of all, I also learned and performed several different martial arts!

    This was the first beast that Lyrian had in, which had actually learned a martial art.

    He didn''t know what this meant before he reaped its soul, but he sure did now...

    Lyrian--at once--learned the Bnce Panda''s ''Panda Kung-Fu Martial Art'' without any dy.

    On top of that, his body understood the basics of most martial arts in an instant.

    A smile appeared on his face as he was forced to take a seat on the ground.

    Lyrian sat there on the ground, overwhelmed by the sheer influx of knowledge and power he had gained from the Bnce Panda.

    It was an astonishing transformation, and he could feel the newfound strength coursing through his veins.

    As he took a moment to catch his breath and process the information, he marveled at the possibilities thaty ahead.

    The ''Panda Kung-Fu Martial Art'' was an ancient and unique fighting style, deeply rooted in bnce and adaptability.

    It emphasized fluidity and harmony with one''s surroundings.

    But the martial arts was just the tip of the iceberg.

    Lyrian''s mind was now a treasure trove of information about the flora and fauna of the world.

    He had ess to a vast encyclopedia of nt species, their properties, and potential uses in medicine and alchemy.

    This knowledge could be invaluable in achieving his goal of dominion.

    Lyrian also gained insights into the strategies and tactics of other creatures, which would be helpful when dealing with various adversaries.

    The battle experience of the Bnce Panda, umted over centuries, was now a part of him.

    It was as though he had be a master strategist, capable of outwitting opponents in a heartbeat--at least, as good of a master strategist as a beast could be.

    Feeling the newfound power and wisdom within him, Lyrian couldn''t help but smile.

    The world was his for the taking, and he had just taken a giant step toward his ultimate goal.

    As he rose to his feet, he felt refreshed. "Finding these Millennium creatures is like finding a gold mine. I should try to reap souls purely for knowledge sake sometimes since it seems that I can even learn martial arts, and possibly even cultivation techniques from it."

    "Gear, tell me how my soul slots are looking."

    [Sure]

    [Already Fused Soul Storage: 3/6]

    [Unfused Soul Storage: 2/3]

    "Hm... I guess I have to find a soul fitting to link with this beast of a panda now." As Lyrian muttered this, Gear chimed in.

    [Notice: The Bnce Panda is a special breed of creature that has two souls]

    [This means that it can not be fused with another creature''s soul with the current Creature-link]

    "What? Then I can''t materialize this creature?"

    [There is a way to still use the Creature-link ability with the Bnce Panda]

    Before Gear could say any more, Lyrian realized what this way most likely was.

    "Fuse it with itself." He said, "I just realized that I have two souls in my unfused soul slot, even though I only reaped the panda''s soul. This means that I can fuse it with itself, right?"

    [Correct]

    "Perfect... but before that, I want to try out this new martial technique. I want to increase my mastery of the sword, but I want to be a master of all trades, so increasing mybat prowess is also lucrative."

 Chapter 306 The Five Different Forms

    Chapter 306 The Five Different Forms

    Lyrian immediately went into a stance that he felt like he had performed thousands of times before in the past.

    He took in a deep breath, and let out out as a very transparent smoke exited the sides of his mouth.

    Unlike the panda''s, which was a thick cloud of vapor, his was a little less honed.

    With the use of Smithing, he made sure he would perform the martial arts perfectly.

    But right now, Smithing was only a plus it seemed. He didn''t even need to use it to perform the martial arts perfectly.

    "Panda Kung-Fu: First Form: Tiger."

    Lyrian''s eyes didn''t change like the panda''s, but he knew how to move his body to match the tiger''s stance.

    He moved around quickly, lunging in and out with powerful attacks.

    "The Tiger form is characterized by powerful and fierce movements. Practitioners mimic the strength and ferocity of a tiger, with techniques that involve strong strikes, grabs, and a low, stable stance to generate power."

    Lyrian said to himself, regurgitating the knowledge he now owned.

    "Panda Kung-Fu: Second Form: Crane."

    Now, Lyrian''s demeanor and stance changed to a calm yet mysterious one.

    He felt the power to strike at any moment but also understood to look for perfect openings.

    This fighting style would be great for opponents who fought recklessly.

    The crane was easily the most dominant out of the five in the aspect of elegant fighting.

    "The Crane form in Kung Fu is known for its elegance and bnce. It incorporates flowing, bird-like movements and precision. Crane stylists often use circr hand motions and practice control and bnce."

    Lyrian practiced this form for a few seconds before moving on to the next.

    "Third Form: Monkey."

    Lyrian took in another breath as he closed his eyes. As soon as he opened this time, he quickly knelt on the ground.

    He stuck one leg out and lunged as he tucked his head in. His arms were near his chest in the shape of ''c''s.

    Moving his head in an uncoordinated manner, he suddenly lunged forward with unpredictability, moving like a monkey.

    Flips and kicks, swipes, and one-handed handstands. All were incorporated in his incredible style.

    If the tiger was the one with the most brute force, and the crane was the most graceful, this monkey form was easily the most cunning and confusing.

    "yful and unpredictable tactics. Versatile techniques, including strikes and joint locks. Emphasizes adaptability inbat. The monkey is most cunning."

    Lyrian flowed over to his next form without dy.

    "Fourth form: Snake. The Snake form is characterized by fluid, sinuous movements that mimic the movements of a snake. It focuses on uracy, flexibility, and the use of the whole body to generate power. Practitioners often employ striking and joint-locking techniques inspired by snake movements."

    His movements used his entire body, generating power from his legs all the way up to power his fists.

    This technique required him to stay put at times, but he could strike quickly due to that stagnation in position.

    "And finally, the fifth and final form: Dragon."

    Lyrianposed himself one final time before entering hisst stage. The dragon''s entire deal was abination of all of the techniques.

    Lyrian showed a hint of every fighting style as he danced across the ground, leaping and striking.

    "Dragon Kung Fu is inspired by the dragon, known for its fluid movements, and a bnce of soft and hard techniques. Practitioners emte the dragon''s grace and power with low stances, intricate footwork, and a variety of hand techniques. This martial artbines tradition with effective self-defense techniques and is deeply rooted in Chinese martial philosophy."

    Finally, Lyrian came to a stop and ced his palms together. It was something that he felt he needed to do after using such a technique.

    "It''s definitely powerful and will be extremely useful in the future. I''m grateful that I got ahold of it."

    Now, he sat down to fuse the panda''s two souls into one.

    "I promised to bring it back to life under me, and I intend to keep that vow."

    As he entered Smithing mode, his concentration locked in once again and a canvas appeared in front of him.

    Now, it was even bigger than what it was before, giving him more space to create.

    He didn''t need to do much here, since he didn''t even have the choice to.

    All he needed to do was fuse the two souls, and he had no other option to change the panda in any sort of way.

    So, that''s exactly what he did. The two souls fused in the middle of the canvas, as the attempt was wlessly executed at once.

    [Congradtions! Creature-link sessful, you have created a new creature!

    - You''re new creature is Bnce Panda

    - Please give your new creature a name]

    "He already had a name, so I won''t strip that from him. Still, now that he has joined my team, his identity has changed..."

    As Lyrian muttered this under his breath, a puff of purple smoke materialized into a small, cute baby panda cub right in front of his eyes.

    "From now on, your name will be Panixu."

    The panda stared at him for a while, and then uttered; "Is that right?" Panixu crossed his arms and looked at the confused Lyrian with an unimpressed face.

    "What th--? How can you speak? You didn''t have that ability before... Gear must have done something."

    "I don''t know that, and I also remember every detail from my past life. I said I''d serve under you, but now that I think about it... I don''t know if I will anymore, hmph!"

    Panixu turned away in anger.

    "What? Is it because you don''t like the name?"

    "I mean... c''mon..." The panda muttered under his breath, "Panixu? I sound like a Pocemon or something..."

    "A Pocemon? Isn''t that a theater y for kids where you capture different animals in poce-cubes?"

    "Yes... that exactly," Panixu seemed to be angry.

    "Well, you don''t have any choice," Lyrian stated nkly.

    The panda turned toward him and was suddenly bewildered by the boy''s demented smile.

    "It''s either you serve me willingly, or with force." Lyrian let out an evilugh.

    At that moment, Panixu realized the trouble he put himself in, "You bastard! You''re the devil!"

 Chapter 307 Mana Alcove; Three Months Of Training

    Chapter 307 Mana Alcove; Three Months Of Training

    "Shadow," Lyrian said as he stood up, enveloping Panixu in his shadow realm at once.

    He stood up as Nova flew over to him from a nearby tree branch.

    "Oh... you''re back. I told you to get some sunlight for a few hours and totally forgot I left you back at the pond. I''m surprised you found me."

    Nova gave Lyrian one big peck on his head.

    "I might have deserved that..."

    Lyrian, the butt-naked boy, finally made his way back to the pond. At that moment, he realized that he was so into martial arts that he forgot he was doing thempletely naked.

    He felt a little embarrassed now but shrugged it off. It wasn''t like there was anyone nearby anyway.

    Plus, he thought, "Varant said to have perfection in thought... there''s no point in worrying about stuff that''s already happened. That only breeds weakness in the mind."

    After he arrived back at the pond, Lyrian took a full bath and washed his clothes out. Then, he hung them up to dry again, staying naked as he jumped into the middle of the pond.

    "With the knowledge of the panda... I know exactly what''s down here in this hole." He smiled as he swam toward the water cave that the bear had exited at first.

    He held his breath and swam into it.

    The tunnel was fairly spacious and he swam straight for another few meters before arriving at a surface where he could rise above the water.

    As soon as he did, he came across arge cavern room. He stepped out of the small pool of water where he came in from.

    Walking in, he noticed that the room was very brightly lit with an ore that he had seen before.

    "Manathryll... and a heaping load of it as well. It seems no one has ever explored this ce before..."

    Walking in more, he came to the center of the cavern room that was about 100 square meters in size and sat right in the middle--wherey a t ce that Pan usually sat at.

    Why did the panda sit here? Well, it was simple--because this ce was an;

    "Unlooted Mana Alcove." Lyrian grinned through his teeth as he felt the vibration of mana pulsing through him.

    Without hesitation, Lyrian began to use his Cerberus Cultivation Technique.

    [Mana gained per consumption is doubled due to the high mana density in your area]

    "Haha! Perfect!"

    Just like that, Cerberus began to run around and feast on all of the mana blobs floating around in the air.

    By the end of the day, Lyrian returnedpletely satisfied with his day.

    As hey in bed that night, he thought about his journey so far.

    He wanted to remember why he was doing this in the first ce. The reason was to find that freedom, that liberation that untied him from all restrictions and binds.

    He took in a deep breath, proud of what he had aplished so far.

    He had sacrificed a lot, and at this moment, it felt like things were finally beginning to pay off.

    However, he couldn''t allow himself to getcent. After all, he could barely even call this the beginning of his journey for power.

    Far morey ahead of him. Figures and powers across the world that ruled with absolute dominion stood in his path.

    What he needed now was power, and for the next three months, that''s what he would try to maximize in his training for the deployment exam.

    At that moment, Alten and Leon barged into his room.

    "Lyrian! Where have you been today, man!? We were looking for you everywhere to y BF."

    Alten shouted as Leon entered along with him.

    After this, the three spent the night talking about their goals and futures.

    At the end of the talk, when everyone was ready to go to sleep, they all ended their words with a final message.

    First was Alten, who eximed, "I want to never disappear, and do what is of only golden standard."

    Then Leon, who at first felt a bit hesitant to say his dream out loud.

    "Well... I want my name to be hailed across the realms; Zaryn and the heavens."

    And finally was Lyrian, "To rule everything that I can see with my own two eyes and experience with my five senses. That is my dream."

    The three went to sleep in their separate beds that night, and at the start of the next morning began their three-month training for the deployment exam.

    Their knowledge of it was scarce, but their determination was strong.

    Just like that, days began to fly by...

    The three even hunted together at times, practicing while strengthening their bond.

    As days and weeks passed, each of them upped their cultivation and fighting prowess.

    Nearly a monthter, Lyrian unlocked his first Daemon of his cultivation technique: Astaroth.

    Astaroth bestowed Lyrian with a red aura mana that allowed him to cultivate far more efficiently.

    With the help of the mana alcove, he began to receive double what he was getting before, which was almost double what he was getting without the mana alcove!

    Days continued to pass as they marked off on the calendar.

    They were in the thick of the winter when snow swept across the giant academy campus and covered everything with ayer of powder.

    Lyrian broke through the second Layer of Genesis merely 20 dayster, increasing his strength by leaps and bounds.

    For the next month and a bit, Lyrian continued to follow his schedule and rigorously train until the weather began to clear up again, and spring introduced itself.

    The flowers all began to bloom, and the species of birds began to migrate back.

    Bugs flew through the air, the grass and trees were revived to their luscious green colors, and best of all, Lyrian had gotten a hell of a lot stronger.

    Standing in front of the mirror, Lyrian observed the slight changes in his body.

    It wasn''t much different from before, but he had definitely gained more muscle than before.

    "Now... I wonder how my stats are looking. It''s been over three months since Ist checked... Gear, show me my stats."

    [Sure!]

 Chapter 308 Growth In Power

    Chapter 308 Growth In Power

    As the morning sunlight glistened off of his body, a transparent blue tab appeared before him. A slight smile danced across his face as he stared at the panel.

    ��������Status��������

    Name: Lyrian Theageld

    Title(s): None

    Species: Human

    Bloodline: ??????

    Age: 10 Years

    Overall Power (OP): 13

    Vitality: 116 Years

    Health: 134/134

    Stamina: 136/136

    Strength: 140

    Agility: 139

    Defense: 130

    Body: Normal

    Rank: Genesis: Layer 2

    MP: 277/425 (+50)

    ����������������������

    "Amazing... This is hopefully enough to dominate the deployment exam. With the mana alcove, my progress should have been pretty much double as fast as others. On top of that, I doubt anyone else has a greater cultivation technique."

    He gripped his hand, feeling the strength generated in his fingers.

    "I''m different than before, but this is just the beginning. The Genesis rank is only the foundation rank before the true stages of cultivation power. It is like a baby step, and I have to even take that leap forward yet."

    He closed the tab and got ready for his sses that day.

    In Zaryn Mythology, everyone seemed to be talking about the same thing. That thing was the deployment exams. Sir Peser didn''t even teach a lesson today because he knew that no one could concentrate.

    This event wasn''t just some small thing, but thergest mission of the first-year students. Even if you weren''t a first-year student, you were thinking about it just because of how big of a deal it was.

    Peser let out an exasperated sigh as he leaned on his table. "Haa~ If only you brats had this same passion for the mythology and history of this grand world..."

    By now, Israthel seemed to have fully given up on fighting Lyrian. However, Lyrian still noticed him angrily staring at him at times.

    ''Just when will he learn?'' Lyrian mused, looking over at Israthel who looked at him weirdly now. Leon turned to face him.

    "He is too overconfident. He needs to learn a lesson and stop scratching at the wound." Leon eximed, not impressed by the boy''s behavior.

    "Learn a lesson? I don''t think he will learn a lesson now even if his nose was cut off." Lyrianughed, causing Leon to smirk. He added, "His balls. He would only learn his lesson if he became a eunuch!"

    "Pahaha!"

    ***

    The other sses that day continued as usual. Teachers weren''t able to teach simply because of the importance of the exam that day.

    Leon still didn''t know fully what the deployment exam was. It wasn''t like he hadn''t tried to learn about it, but information simply refused toe to him. Teachers didn''t say, and older students weren''t permitted either. It wasn''t like any students above the second year were in the outer academy anyway, so he was left with no option but mystery.

    After his lunch at the canteen, Lyrian checked his bracelet and realized he needed to head to his final period before his hunting ss. This was because the deployment exam information was going to be told that day, so it wasst.

    When Lyrian walked in, he first looked at Madam Scarlett. For the past months, she had looked at him with a re each time he entered. This time, it wasn''t any different. Scarlett looked at him with a mean, taunting look as soon as he entered.

    By now, Lyrian felt he had enough. As soon as Scarlett looked at him with her disdainful gaze, he also furrowed his brows at her.

    A hint of spiritual energy was released in her direction, making her jerk out of her angry state for a second in shock.

    She was thrown off, confused by the energy she felt. Quickly turning around, she began to write on the board as Lyrian sat down.

    At that moment, a cold sweat covered her entire body. A bead of sweat trickled down her forehead and dropped off of her nose. Her eyes widened, as she mused, ''That spiritual energy... was it his!'' He was utterly bewildered.

    No... in fact, she felt fear. Scarlett wasn''t some weak nobody. She was a teacher at one of the most prestigious academies that existed in the Mortal ins, after all!

    However, what she just felt was enough to make her begin to shake in fear.

    This was because... along with Lyrian, his creatures had also grown in the past months. His rapid growth allowed them to grow at an even faster speed. All of them were fully matured now--all except for Panixu.

    Still, Panixu added his killing intent onto the team, creating an amalgamation of doom upon their victim. Lyrian smirked as he imagined just how strong they had gotten now...

    ''In this deployment exam, and after the actual deployment... I''ll try to use them only as ast resort. Not only as a safety for myself but also because I want to test my new power out in the real world.''

    His expectations were high for the strength of the outside, so he wanted to see exactly what that meant against his new powers.

    Surrounded by Anaviotis students, he forgot where his power ranked up. Still, he knew that the world out there was of the unknown, as very powerful. He couldn''t wait to challenge himself...

    Finally, Lyrian arrived at his final ss. As soon as he entered the gym ssroom, he walked outside and into the training track field.

    In the middle, he noticed arge amount of students. It was like when he arrived for the hunting practice with Gator''s ss, except many more students had gathered this time.

    It wasn''t just of his ss, or Gator''s ss, but of every Hunting ss. This meant that every first-year student was present, including Linus, Godfrey, Leon, Alten, Glis, and more.

    It seemed he was thest one that Rerth was waiting for. He was standing beside Gator, and two other teachers--a shortdy with hair that reached just under her ears.

    She was very petite and looked as though he didn''t reach above 5 feet in height. She wore sses and greeted Lyrian with a polite smile. The other teacher was a man that was about the same height as Rerth, but was more slim and was well trimmed.

    He smiled brightly with his arms crossed.

    "You''rete! Lyrian! How do you expect us to start without you? Don''t waste everyone''s time, you brat!" Rerth suddenly shouted.

 Chapter 309 Forbidden Relic Retrieval

    Chapter 309 Forbidden Relic Retrieval

    "It''s alright, Rerth! I''m sure a few minutes in the sun wasn''t enough to take you down, right?" Lyrian quickly retorted, throwing the teacher off slightly.

    "Wh--where''d you learn to speak back like that, boy!? Get in line!" Rerth pushed Lyrian into the crowd, as he stumbled next to Alten and Leon.

    Rerth looked at his hand for a moment, ''What the... that boy''s back felt like an iron wall. When the hell did he find the time to get so strong?'' He mused in surprise.

    Lyrian was next to not only Alten and Leon but also a few other familiar faces.

    "Hey... you guys ready?" Jackson whispered, standing behind the three.

    Near Lyrian on either side were Linus and Drake as well. ''Seems they''ve all shown up,'' Lyrian thought to himself as Rerth began to speak.

    "Listen up, brats! From the entrance exam alone, you all have gathered a heaping number of 50 students. However, more factors have increased that already big count."

    Rerth shouted at the crowd as they listened to him. His tone was the same for everyone��not caring about status.

    In his ss, status meant nothing. As long as he didn''t cross the line, he knew that he had the backing to do as he wanted.

    This was the reason why he could call Linus and Godfrey ''brats'' and get away without scot-free. Other teachers hesitated to do so.

    "From transfers to special referrals, you have all gathered together in a number of 65 total whipper snappers."

    This was surprising news. Gasps of slight astonishment sounded through the crowd as kids looked around to spot new faces.

    ''Interesting... 15 more, quite talented kids have joined huh?''

    Lyrian thought to himself. ''You wouldn''t get transferred or referred here with such ease without being special, that''s for sure,'' He also looked around, ''I couldn''t care less though. If I have to beat them up, then that''s what I''ll do.''

    He smirked.

    ''Actually, I hope that is the case. I can''t wait to try out my power on actually powerful targets.''

    He had fought many beasts so far and had trained a ton on BF as well, but it had been a while since he was challenged even slightly.

    In fact, Draco must have been his previous toughest human fight. For beasts, Lyrian had encountered a Lizardman chieftain and nearly lost to it, since it was an Elder creature.

    Still, it wasn''t extremely challenging. If he fought it now, he could easily defeat it. The same went with Draco.

    "Speaking of strength..." Lyrian began to say as the students conversed amongst themselves.

    "Alten... I told you to get strong at the start of these three months," As soon as Lyrian said this, Alten knew where he was going.

    Alten remembered that day three months ago when they all met up and spoke for the whole night.

    "Alten, I want you to be mypanion even in the future when I rule the world. I can''t have any weakrades, however." Lyrian said back then, drunk in conversation.

    "Of course! You don''t even have to say that. I will be so strong that your jaw will drop to the floor when you next see me, believe it!" Alten had enthusiastically eximed.

    At the present time, Lyrian finished his words, "So did you do it? Did you be as strong as you said you were going to?"

    Alten smiled wide, "Well... we would have to test it out." He scratched his head.

    Many kids noticed this conversation, but before it could grow out, Rerth interjected.

    "Alright! That''s enough talking." He shouted, as a hush quickly fell over the crowd.

    "Now, I will begin exining the rules, so keep your ears open. If you make me repeat myself, It will cost five of your nose hairs each word, so don''t daydream my words away!"

    As soon as he said this, even theziest of students quickly straightened their posture and stared at him.

    That was the scariest punishment they had ever been threatened with by a teacher. Too risky to take their chances with it.

    "The Deployment Exam this year will be... Forbidden Relic Retrieval!"

    Confused noises sounded amongst the students as they took their guesses at what the exam was going to be like.

    "You all will enter Orion''s Graveyard, and retrieve his final relic, said to be buried there at his time of death. Some consider it an inheritance of sorts, and others have more dark theories. However, what is true is that no one truly knows."

    As soon as the students heard this, a surprised murmur spread around.

    "What!? Orion''s Graveyard? Isn''t that the ce where many adventurers have gone and nevere back!?"

    "Yeah... I''ve heard of it recently as well. It''s an anomaly that''s been recently discovered."

    Rerth was happy to hear this, "Correct! And it''s so recent, in fact, that no one has been able to explore it fully yet. That''s where you bratse into y. This isn''t an organized practice like the Venus Lizardman Dungeon. This is a fresh expedition, a real mission. It will bepleted by each and every one of you, and is for the sake of the new world."

    Many were mesmerized by his words. This indeed wasn''t a practice. Orion was known to be a very powerful magus back in the day.

    He was respected for his kind nature, and how he helped in the Ear War all the way back then to aid humanity.

    His grave had just recently been discovered, and now, they were going to be sent to explore it for the first time.

    They were being given a hardcore and high-rank mission, so it wasn''t a small deal at all.

    "Many wish to know what is in his grave, and many have spected that his most powerful relic is there, which he was prized for his entire life; TheScar''s Cloak!"

    The crowd of students burst out into a slight cheer as they heard this. The Scar''s Cloak was a legendary armor that Orion used to aid him in the most difficult of battles. To attain it would be like finding a true goldmine all to yourself.

    "Apart from the scary location, it might sound jolly to you all. But now, I''ll tell you why this exam is truly a test for you..." Rerth smirked.

    At this moment, Lyrian''s eyes looked to glow as he imagined this cloak in his mind.

    ''This Orion guy seems to be the real deal. That cloak must be no less than first grade then...'' There was no doubt about it... ''I must get it.''

 Chapter 310 A Lot Of Pressure

    Chapter 310 A Lot Of Pressure

    The taller male teacher who was smiling stepped forward, "Everyone, quiet down. Sir Rerth will now announce the most important part of this exam."

    All the students quickly finished their conversations and listened intently to what Rerth had to say.

    "This exam is serious," he said in a very stern tone. "The academy will not interfere with this grave whatsoever, so all of you will have to face your own consequences. We know not what challenges this graveyard holds, that is up to you to figure out and ovee."

    As he spoke, everyone began to get more serious. They began to understand the severity of this exam.

    "Small injuries, to maybe even death. That is what you all can expect... so take it seriously. If ites to that, then we will try our best to help, but we cannot guarantee anything. It is all in your hands, as the future stars of the world."

    Many let out long breaths. Rerth''s words weren''t light.

    "On top of that... the pressure of the three kingdoms is on your shoulders alone."

    ''This is that big of a deal?'' Lyrian mused as other kids had surprised expressions. Others, however, were stone-faced.

    "Everyone is going to be looking at how you do, and everyone is going to be curious about Orion''s grave. What secrets, inheritance, relics, and power did he leave behind? That great mage... what knowledge did he know? What did he want in his grave? Everyone wants to know, and it is up to you all to give them the answers!"

    Rerth yelled, finishing off his words. After a few seconds of silence, the crowd of students erupted into an exhrated roar.

    Those words from Rerth were enough to hype them up.

    "Hell yeah! Let''s conquer this damn ce and show the world what the students of Anaviotis can do!"

    "I will show Orion''s inheritance to everyone!"

    After this, Rerth exined some basic rules. In the end, he dismissed the students,

    "The exam will begin today at 5 pm. Make sure you are there... if you don''t show up, it will be immediately expulsion no matter who you are."

    Thatst line was clearly directed to the higher-status kids, who tended to ck off because of that.

    Lyrian looked around for a moment and noticed that not a single kid was leaving.

    "They seemed determined to stay here until the exam begins..." Lyrian grumbled as Leon and Alten nodded in agreement.

    "Then, let''s do some training," Lyrian smirked, "Alten, Leon... show me what you two got."

    Alten was a bit surprised, "What!?" Heughed.

    Leon smirked, retorting, "Sure."

    Most of the kids heard this, and couldn''t help but be interested. Seeing an MVP fight wasn''t a small deal.

    It was something that everyone wanted to witness to gauge their own strength.

    This meant that both Godfrey and Linus were also interested.

    "But, I won''t fight you two versus one," Leon said firmly, "Even if you can take us, I want a fair duel."

    "That''s fine by me. It''s not like we are in a time crunch anyway. Plus, that will allow me to see where you both are in terms of power better."

    Lyrian was interested in this, as he knew he was going to be teaming up with these two in the exam.

    ''I need them to be strong enough to help me. Even if they are my friends, I refuse to carry around dead weight.''

    The three made their way over to one of the arenas, as the crowd turned to look at them.

    Jackson was the first to follow them there. "I want to watch!" He looked thrilled.

    With his first move, others also began to gather around the arena. Before long, everyone had made their way there.

    Drake and Linus stood at the front of the groups. Drake crossed his arms and looked ahead with a smile on his face.

    Linus looked to the side nonchntly, seemingly thinking of something else.

    Alten and Lyrian hopped onto the tform and made their way to opposite sides.

    "Graze my shirt..." Lyrian said.

    Alten showed a curious expression, as Lyrian rified, "If you graze my shirt with your arrow, you will pass my test."

    "Ah... so you are actually giving me a test huh?" Alten joked back.

    As Lyrian said this, a few kids in the crowd couldn''t help but exim their disbelief.

    One kid let out augh. "He wants him to actuallynd a hit!? That is far too much to ask." He shook his head.

    "Alten is from my ss...st time I sparred with him over 3 months ago, he was way too weak."

    He paused, hesitant to utter his next words.

    "I wouldn''t be able to touch an MVP in my entire life, so to think he can... it''s an optimistic dream."

    Another kid teased, "Hey... maybe he''s grown stronger in these past months."

    "Even still..." This kid looked at Lyrian. He had heard the rumors of him beating Drake, but after all, those ims were deemed as only rumors by everyone.

    Still, who knew if it was true or not. Nheless, Lyrian was a scary individual.

    Most were in doubt. Lyrian looked at them and then back at Alten. "You hear them? They don''t think you can do it. What do you say?"

    At this moment, Lyrian was fully expecting Alten to joke and say that he couldn''t, but he would try.

    That''s what he was used to Alten saying... it was his personality. However, Lyrian stood corrected.

    "The chance I pass this... is 100%. I guarantee it, Lyrian. I will touch you with my golden arrow no matter what."

    As he said this, Lyrian got slightly excited. Alten''s words were convincing, and the fact that all the odds stood against him made it even more hype.

    "Are you sure you are fast enough?" Lyrian quipped.

    "Are you sure that speed is not the deciding factor in this duel?" Alten smirked back.

    ''What? Is speed not the deciding factor? Then what is?'' Lyrian was intrigued to see what Alten would pull out of his sleeve.

    "Get ready..." Leon said as the crowd held their breath, "Begin!"

 Chapter 311 Alten Versus Lyrian

    Chapter 311 Alten Versus Lyrian

    Alten lifted his longbow from his back, made of white steel, and held it in his arm.

    He took an arrow from his quiver and ced it on his arrowstring. Everyone looked on in anticipation as Lyrian didn''t make a move.

    Alten held the bow below him, channeling his mana into it with his own ability.

    Soon, the entire bow, along with the arrow, began to glow in a golden hue.

    This surprised some of the onlookers.

    "Surely... it isn''t Weapon Mana, is it?" A few kids behind Drake and Linus began to mutter amongst themselves.

    "That isn''t Weapon Mana, but almost there. It''s clear that this Alten kid inherited that ability from his family. It''s a family technique. If he actually had the ability to conjure Weapon Mana already, then he would be able to take Lyrian out in one shot."

    Drake said this as a few kids looked at him, surprised at his words. Even though he believed what he said, he still wasn''t fully sure.

    There was a part of him that kind of wanted to see Alten pull something big like this out of his pocket and actually pass Lyrian''s test.

    However, even to him, it didn''t seem like that was likely to happen.

    After it glowed golden, Alten lifted the bow and pointed it toward Lyrian. With a fierce look in his eyes, he pulled the arrow back on the string until his finger lined up with his ear and stared down the back of the arrow.

    The veins on his hand all popped out as he let the arrow go. Just as he did, however, he moved his hand slightly��as though in ident.

    The arrow moved forward but at thest moment, his aim deterred slightly, sending the arrow into the ground right behind Lyrian to the left.

    For a moment, there was a confused hush that fell over the crowd. Then, the entire group broke out intoughter.

    "Pahahaha!"

    "He actually missed!"

    "I thought he was at least good at archery!"

    Even Leon was surprised, his eyes widening up, "He made a mistake like that on Lyrian who wasn''t even moving? Was it an ident? Did he pull too hard? I find it hard to believe..."

    He couldn''t believe what he saw.

    Lyrian looked at the arrow with a serious expression. ''No... he wouldn''t make a mistake like this.'' Lyrian looked back up at Alten, whose face hadn''t changed.

    ''Just what is he nning? Missing on purpose like that.''

    Just then, Alten quickly loaded up several more arrows, shooting them at Lyrian with haste.

    These arrows actually came close, so Lyrian began jumping around to dodge them.

    "Finally! He''s doing something!"

    "That first shot must have been because he was nervous..."

    Lyrian noticed that Alten only shot the arrows at a distance of 3 feet away from each other.

    As he continued to shoot them, Lyrian jumped 4 feet away from each arrow, making sure he was never hit.

    As a red arrownded to his left, he moved four feet to the right. Just as his foot graced the ground, however, Alten uttered, "Combustion arrow."

    *BOOM*

    Lyrian''s eyes widened for a split second as he got serious, quickly darting across the arena.

    A wave of gasps rippled through the crowd as they saw this. A few even cheered for Alten.

    "Hm... good try. You almost got me there."

    Alten smirked on hearing this. After this, Alten continued shooting arrows and randombustion arrows at Lyrian, but they all were in vain.

    After a few minutes, even the crowd began to get bored.

    ''A little to the left... now to the right...'' Alten was musing this in his head for some reason during the entire fight, looking at Lyrian''s location.

    ''I can''t me him if this is his best effort. His strength has definitely grown. I have no doubt that he will be able to assist me in the exam, but he just won''t pass this test it seems, which isn''t a big deal.''

    Lyrian was ready to stop the match by now, as the crowd was done seeing Alten''s fruitless attempts, and so was he.

    Just then, Lyriannded in the very middle of the tform.

    "Now!" Alten finally shouted, throwing Lyrian off slightly.

    "What?"

    "Double arrow!" Alten said this but hadn''t shot an arrow, so it was confusing to hear.

    Just then, the first-ever golden arrow that Alten had shot at the beginning of the match propelled another arrow up in the opposite direction of where it was shot.

    It traveled toward Lyrian, who waspletely oblivious, at a quick speed.

    The crowd was astonished to see what they were seeing.

    The arrow got millimeters from Lyrian and touched the very surface of his clothing.

    This was enough to alert Lyrian of it, as he felt the vibration on his shirt and instantly dashed to the side to avoid the arrow.

    However, his shirt had a slight tear in it that was about the length of a pinky nail.

    Lyrian was bewildered at what just happened, as Alten grinned widely and put his bow on his back.

    "Hahaha! I did it!"

    "Don''t tell me... you were nning that all along?" Lyrian was almost at a loss for words.

    "Didn''t I tell you at the start? You shouldn''t have thought that speed was what determined this duel. It was intellect from the start."

    Alten proudly remarked, walking back into the surprised crowd with his chest puffed out.

    Leonughed in amusement after a few seconds of speechlessness himself. "Hah---hahaha. Wow... I didn''t expect that at all."

    Needless to say, the crowd was impressed with the boy. Their words from before sounded quite stupid now that they knew Alten had been nning his missed shot from the start.

    Even Drake and Linus were slightly surprised.

    ''Pretty dang smart of a move. That arrow was fast too... I''m not sure if I would have gotten only a shirt tear if I was Lyrian��in basic form, that is.'' Drake mused, impressed.

    ''Not bad...'' Linus thought to himself.

    ''Lyrian''s friend huh? He has some potential.'' Rerth was given a good impression as well.

    "I guess I''m up next," Leon said, hopping onto the tform.

 Chapter 312 Masvidal

    Chapter 312 Masvidal

    Most were still bbergasted from before. Alten had proven to be a formidable opponent, but the next kid fighting Lyrian was the real deal.

    Those who hadn''t paid too much attention before started to now. The entirety of Leon''s ss looked intently.

    Not only was everyone interested in looking at Lyrian battle, but Leon''s ss also knew that he was strong.

    As soon as Lyrian and Leon faced each other on either side of the tform, Leon noticed a face looking at him and became slightly surprised.

    The red-haired kid who looked at him wore a hefty crimson robe made of thick animal fur and the most luxurious of cloth.

    His head hair flowed down to his ears to create a middle part.

    It was a simple hairstyle, for someone whose face looked so disdainful.

    He crossed his arms as he stared at Leon. There were a fewckeys near him, whose faces bore the same expression.

    "What are you looking at? Peasant?" The red-haired kid arrogantly called Leon out in front of everyone.

    Many turned to look at him, slightly confused.

    As they saw who he was, people began to think to themselves,

    ''That''s Jalern Masdival, from the Masdival family.''

    ''He''s a high-status noble... why does he want to pick on Leon?''

    Drake even mused, ''One of the more prominent families in the three kingdoms. The Masdival''s areparable to the Sndra''s.''

    "You surprised why I''m looking at you fight?" Jalern eximed, his arms crossed and his stance quite wide.

    He had broad shoulders for his age and arge, muscly body��for a 10-year-old.

    Leon didn''t say anything, but what Jalern said was indeed what he wanted to know.

    "It''s so I can see you get beat up." Jalern slightly chuckled as the two other students beside him also grinned.

    "Yeah, wouldn''t that be a spectacle?" One taunted.

    The other one quipped, "It''s something I would definitely like to see... that''s for sure." His tone was quite malicious.

    Lyrian turned his head and looked at Leon, whose face was nonchnt, barely paying attention to Masdival''s words.

    "Has he been like this the entire time?" Lyrian stated nkly.

    Leon matched Lyrian''s gaze as he said, "Yeah... it''s quite annoying, but it''s not like that loser''s words would actually affect me."

    These words sent a very surprised and sudden reaction through the crowd.

    Many were taken aback. The very low-status kids even had their jaws agape in shock.

    They didn''t know the exact identity of Leon, but to call a member of the Masdival family a ''loser'' in public like this was like wishing death on his own family.

    That was the case for insulting or humiliating any big noble or royal.

    However, the Masvidal family was known for its especially cruel habits.

    Being a family as high ranking as the Masvidals, you had the power to choose what happened to your criminals.

    Some chose mercy, and others chose to make their mark on the world in a darker way.

    Even Jalern was surprised. He hadn''t heard anything like this from Leon during the entire school year.

    Well, he hadn''t really heard much from the non-noble peasant at all.

    However, he knew that Leon had rumors of being a mana-less runt, and also one that was born to a family that came from a poor background.

    He picked on him for amusement every day, but not directly. It was more so along with his friends from a distance.

    He hadn''t cared enough to actually engage with the peasant, but now, he was enraged enough to do so.

    His eyes widened, as he clenched his teeth immediately on hearing Leon call him a loser.

    As rips of red began appearing across his eyes, he eximed at once, "You dare insult me!?"

    Jalern''s eyes momentarily darted toward Drake and Linus. He wanted to see their reaction.

    They were the only royals here, and their response to this insult was most important here.

    Thankfully for him, neither Drake nor Linus seemed to care much. This meant that Jalern hadn''t been humiliated.

    Even so, he knew he needed to defend his honor, as he represented his family.

    More than that, he just didn''t want to be called a loser and let it slide. He never worked like that.

    At that moment, as everyone waited for Leon to reply, Lyrian suddenly burst intoughter.

    He held his stomach to control himself, "Hahaha! Good, good. I knew you weren''t the type of person to let words affect you. Let alone words from someone clearly weaker than you."

    Lyrian turned to look at Jalern at that moment. The expression on the boy''s face became even more fumed at that moment, as smoke nearly exited his ears.

    "Lyrian Theageld!" Masvidal suddenly roared, "I don''t care if you''re an MVP, I wil��"

    Before Jalern could finish, he was abruptly cut off by someone unexpected.

    "That''s enough yapping! I want to see this fight... get on with it already." Drake shouted, ending Jalern''s statement immediately.

    Jalern was spiteful but knew he had to withhold himself at that moment. Going against a royal''s words was punishable by death.

    ''That was close...'' Drake mused, looking at Lyrian, whose face had now turned into a more serious stare.

    ''That idiot was about to say something that he shouldn''t have said. If I hadn''t intervened, Lyrian would have been forced to fight Masvidal. Even if he is a high-status noble, this current Lyrian is different. His speed... demeanor. He''s changed from thest time I saw him.''

    Drake looked over to Linus, "I''m sure you''ve noticed it too, right?" Drake was sure that Linus knew exactly what he was talking about.

    Linus looked over at Drake after a few paused seconds, "Yes..." He said before turning around and walking away.

    "Not staying to watch the rest?" Drake retorted on seeing this.

    "I''ve seen what I''ve needed to... no point in wasting any more time here," Linus spoke behind his back as he exited the training grounds.

    Drake turned toward the fight, relieved that it was still on.

    "Anyways... let''s get started with this battle. Lyrian, Leon... begin your fight!" Alten announced at that moment

 Chapter 313 Lyrian Versus Leon

    Chapter 313 Lyrian Versus Leon

    Jalern was quite pissed, but he still wanted to see this fight take ce, so he calmed himself as much as he could. Many looked on in suspense as Lyrian unsheathed his de.

    "God... I know it''s not going to happen but," A kid in a red robe; Milton, from the Lizardman dungeon practice, began to say.

    He whispered to finish his statement, "I hope Lyrian gets his head smashed in." His voice had a hint of hatred spread across it.

    The kid next to him, Kaith, leaned in and whispered, "Maybe that was a bit too loud," He paused, as the two of them looked around to see if anyone heard Milton insulting an MVP, "But... I agree. That bastard robbed us of the entire practice. I hate his guts."

    Right now, including Milton and Kaith, there was a crowd of kids from both Rerth''s and Gator''s sses that had their qualms against Lyrian.

    Even Jiller was pissed since he expected some of the Riftstones that Lyrian acquired to go to him, but in the end, Jiller realized that the MVP was a selfish bastard.

    "Damn him... I even supported him through the entire practice," Jiller grumbled under his breath.

    His tone was serious and angry, but suddenly turned into a cry of sadness, "And he didn''t even give me one stone!" Tears began pouring out of his eyes.

    Just then, he donned a serious expression again, "I will get my revenge..."

    "This will be different from Alten. You are stronger than him, so you will have to do more than just graze me."

    Lyrian smirked as he spoke to Leon. The two began circling each other around the tform.

    Lyrian had his obsidian de in hand, and Leon rested his palm calmly on the hilt of his de.

    "No. This won''t be anything like Alten''s test. In fact, it won''t be a test at all."

    Lyrian was slightly taken aback by this, as was the crowd.

    "Oh?" He retorted, intrigued.

    "It will be a true duel. If you want to test whether I am worthy of being yourpanion, then do so with how close Ie to slitting your throat."

    Leon slightly smiled, but his piercing words were enough to send shivers up the backs of many students.

    The crowd was even more shocked to hear Leon say this to Lyrian.

    It made them wonder just how close his rtionship was with the MVP since Lyrian had a more excited reaction than they imagined.

    "Hahaha! That''s more like it! I expected no less from you, Leon!"

    "Then... let''s begin now," Leon said as he stopped walking.

    Lyrian also stopped, knowing what was going to happen next.

    Ever so slowly, Leon began to unsheath his de. The crowd grew with anticipation as the boy''s eyes began to burn in a brilliant white me of light.

    Finally, he held his sword to the side as his eyes gleamed in an illuminating, blinding hue.

    ''That light... it''s far more ruthless in energy than what it was like in the entrance exams. It seems Leon has grown significantly as well, but I don''t even know how.''

    Lyrian began to muse to himself.

    ''I know he trains his own martial sword art given to him by his family, and that he also has that unique power... but how does he get stronger?'' Lyrian had no clue of this.

    After a few seconds, Leon suddenly dashed forward at incredible speeds, appearing in front of Lyrian''s face before many could even notice him twitch.

    At that moment, Lyrian felt a fearsome energy in front of him.

    The speed was far greater than what he expected, so he was forced to Enhance his legs and quickly create some distance between himself and Leon.

    ''I''ve seen that face tear many bodies apart... but going against it myself is another story...'' He was impressed, ''What an amazing power.''

    He moved to the other side of the arena, but Leon didn''t let up, blitzing toward him at once.

    He shed his sword forward, "Iron Front," He said calmly as his sword followed hismands.

    The speed at which he attacked was so fierce and unreadable that Lyrian was thrown off by it.

    Time felt as though it slowed down as Leon''s de already made contact with his shirt.

    Lyrian looked down at his stomach with furrowed eyebrows of confusion and shock.

    All of the onlookers saw this and were astonished. Even Drake couldn''t help but squint his eyes and crunch his brows,pletely bewildered.

    Rerth widened his eyes, ''That Leon boy isn''t stopping his de... he will actually kill Lyrian at this rate!''

    He was surprised at Leon''s speed but was currently more worried about his potentially greatest student being wiped off the face of the.

    Lyrian felt a hint of shadow energy exude from him at that slowed moment in time, ''Damn it... my beasts are about to jump out to save me. I have to do something before that!''

    At that moment, he pumped a hefty amount of mana into his stomach and legs.

    As his feet neared a mere hair''s length from the ground, Leon''s de sliced into the firstyer of skin on his stomach, even though it was highly fortified with Enhance.

    As soon as his feet graced the ground, he disappeared from that spot at once.

    He used Enhance to hastily move out of the way. Everyone let out their breaths that they all had been holding at that moment, utterly amazed.

    "Haha... hahaha! Leonidas Serroa, was it? An interesting--no, a strong person, it seems! Just how many are going to show up?" Drake''s eyes widened in exhration as he saw this.

    Lyrian was also smiling, "A-amazing! I don''t know how you got so strong, but I don''t care! Let''s fight!"

    He knew that he could hold back less now that Leon had proved to be quite formidable.

    At that moment, they both lunged forward with swords in hand in the middle of the arena.

 Chapter 314 Fortification Versus Crane Sword Style

    Chapter 314 Fortification Versus Crane Sword Style

    *CLANG*

    Their swords shed in the middle, sending a powerful aftershock toward everyone.

    The wave of shock brushed against the hairs of the onlookers.

    Leon and Lyrian jumped backward for a moment, before lunging in once again.

    With fierce and quick movements, they began to unleash a barrage of sword attacks.

    Leon thrust his de forward, a machine of pure skill.

    Lyrian stepped to the side, shing toward Leon''s abdomen.

    Leon lifted one left up and spread both hands out like a bird, dodging Lyrian''s attack as his de flew toward Lyrian''s head.

    Lyrian jumped back but was pressured further with several strikes.

    Finally, with a slight parry of Leon''s de, he stepped forward, unleashing a powerful punch into Leon''s abdomen.

    The punch caused Leon''s feet to slide back over 5 feet against the ground, and he used his sword to stop himself.

    Without hesitation, the two stepped forward again, continuing their battle.

    It continued like this for a minute more. The two provided the crowd with a mesmerizing spectacle.

    After a minute of non-stop dueling, Lyrian decided that he would end the fight.

    He Enhanced his feet slightly more than before--dashing forward with concentration.

    His steps were quite precise, as he traveled next to Leon without him even noticing.

    However, at that moment, Leon sheathed his de and abruptly dashed across the arena. Lyrian was slightly thrown off by this and turned to face Leon again.

    "It seems you''re finally ying seriously now," Leon stated, quickly following up with, "Recently, I''ve unlocked my technique second form... I will show you what it means to be a swordsman. Fight intently, Lyrian."

    With this, Leon unsheathed his de once again, as Lyrian prepared himself.

    At once, Leon''s eyes burst into a white me. Lyrian became surprised to see that the luminescence of Leon''s eyes was now more than double as before.

    "If that''s the case... I''ll do something more too." Lyrian said, taking on a basic stance.

    He stood straight as he thought to himself, ''Throughout these months, I have used Panda Kung-fu, and have nearly perfected it.''

    [Panda Kung-Fu Mastery: 84.5%]

    ''Along with that, I''ve learned that each of the technique''s 5 forms have weapons suited to be used in that fighting art. For the sword, the best form-fitted is the... Crane.''

    Under his breath, Lyrian muttered, "Panda Kung-fu: Second Form: Crane."

    At once, Lyrian raised one leg, standing on the other. By now, Lyrian had mastered the bnce of the crane nearly perfectly.

    "I guess I''ll call this... Crane Sword Style."

    He moved his sword over his head, and his other arm in front of him.

    A few noticed this stance, surprised by it, as they had never seen it before. Others understood what it was almost immediately.

    ''The stance of the crane?'' Kaith, Drake, and a few others noticed.

    ''The tiger form is best with the spear, the monkey is best with the rod, the snake is the best with the scythe, the dragon is best with the nun-chucks... however, for the art of fighting with a one-handed de, a crane is the strongest.''

    "Second Form Of Ultimate Iron: Fortification."

    Leon uttered these words under his breath, as the two fighters faced off against each other.

    ...

    At once, the two blitzed toward each other with immense speed. As soon as they shed in the middle, Lyrian understood how much stronger Leon had be.

    This fortification form didn''t seem to increase his speed any, but his strength was undoubtedly greater.

    Using the elegant flow of the crane, Lyrian moved his de unpredictably and shed across the side of Leon''s shoulder with one swift movement.

    ''I see... his body is far stronger than before. That must be what this second form of his technique does.''

    Lyrian mused, seeing his de only cut through a thinyer of Leon''s skin.

    He didn''t intend to slice Leon''s arm clean off but was aiming for at least half an inch under the skin.

    Still, it seemed his evaluation of Leon''s defense from before was now thrown off the rails.

    Leon began to attack, unleashing several strikes in Lyrian''s direction.

    However, with the grace and speed of a crane, Lyrian swiftly moved to get right outside of the range of the attacks.

    Finally, Lyrian jumped back, spinning the air as hended--and then lunged back forward once again.

    He continued to spin in the air, and just as hended in front of Leon--who thrust forward--Lyrian moved to the side and behind his opponent.

    His de quickly went around Leon''s neck, as the fight came to a stop at once.

    After a few seconds of silence and shock from the crowd, Leon sheathed his de, and Lyrian assumed a normal stance.

    "Powerful... you have gotten far more powerful. I wasn''t even able to show the true capacity of my second form, because you defeated me in seconds."

    Leon said as Lyrian chuckled before speaking himself, "Hey... if it''s worth anything, you passed my test."

    "I told you before that there will be no test. This was a duel, one which I lost."

    "You did say that... but I still tested you." As they conversed, the silent crowd continued to bathe in their bewilderment.

    "Did I really just see that?"

    "It was too fast... I didn''t"

    "What even happened?"

    "Lyrian Theageld... what a monster."

    "Look at him smiling, as if he didn''t just destroy his opponent with ease."

    Finally, Drake even stepped forward, "Lyrian, what was that? You didn''t use that during our duel a while back. Did you just learn it recently?"

    Hearing about their duel, other students instantly became intrigued. Even Jalern perked his ears, realizing that he had forgotten about their duel.

    ''That''s right... they fought apparently. They were just rumors, but Drake just confirmed it. That means it really happened.''

    The students from Rerth''s and Gator''s sses already knew that it happened, but the other students had no clue. This was the case for all the first years as well.

    "Yeah... you could say it''s new," Lyrian replied, getting off stage.

    "Ah, I see... If you had used that during our battle-" Drake paused himself, looking around.

    "Never mind... we can talk about this another time."

    "Alright..."

    ''All I was going to say was that he was going to get a better chance... but that would only make things worse for his reputation, so there''s no point in me doing that. He isn''t a bad person, as far as I know.''

    With this, Drake also left the training grounds.

 Chapter 315 Assassination? Pfft

    Chapter 315 Assassination? Pfft

    Everyone who was tensed up during the fight now breathed sighs of relief.

    It was over now, and many began to do their own things.

    Some trained with each other here and there, and others spoke with each other as they waited for the exam to beginter in the day.

    "Boys... how about we go get some lunch?" Lyrian asked Alten and Leon.

    "You and your lunch... I don''t know how you aren''t morbidly obese by now." Alten joked as they began heading to the canteen.

    In front of them, they noticed a few figures entering the training grounds.

    "Jeez... and I thought I waste," Lyrian mumbled, as three students ran into the track.

    "Wait... isn''t that..." Alten seemed to remember one of them.

    "Oh... that''s also..." Lyrian also recognized one.

    "Oh my! Well, if it isn''t Lyrian Theageld and his friends." Geld, from the Fortune sector, suddenly called out.

    "Geld! Long time no see. What are you so busy with, anyways?"

    Alten retorted, excited to see the boy they had acquainted at the banquet.

    "Well, I have many things to do in the Fortune sector. Especially at this time of year when school starts, and when the deployment exams wane on everyone''s heads. We have to start preparing for them on the first day. Even now, that is why I, and the others here arete."

    Geld looked at the two other kids beside him, as one stepped forward.

    "All three of us are part of different sectors," Nevin spoke; he was the second kid that Lyrian and the other two recognized.

    "So, which sector is he from then?" Lyrian said, looking at the kid in the back. The kid wore a hood over his head and seemed shy.

    He had white hair and was shorter than most other ten-year-olds.

    "I''m Nol, Nol Gyren. I''m from the technology sector." The boy hesitantly spoke.

    "Ah... so the three prodigies of the sectors have gathered together, huh? Just how many more sectors even are there? And how many prodigies do they have!?" Alten confusedly joked.

    "Don''t worry, haha." Geld began to exim, "We are the only ones currently leading our sectors. After the deployment exam, however, there will be more undoubtedly. As for the sectors, there are 12 in total that run the entire academy."

    "Alright. Go talk to Rerth and hear his scolding, I have to go eat now," Lyrian stated, losing patience.

    "Ah!" Geld and Nevinughed, "We won''t take up too much of your time then. Have a good lunch." Geld eximed as he and his other two friends moved along.

    Lyrian soon arrived at the canteen with Leon and Alten, where they saw Linus, Drake, and a few other random kids hanging out.

    All those that liked eating, is what Lyrian guessed. They appeared to be higher-status nobles, though.

    As Lyrian feasted on his meal, Alten and Leon spoke with each other.

    "This is going to be an insane exam. I can''t wait for it." Alten eagerly said.

    "I''m more interested in what''s going to happen afterward. What even is the deployment?" Alten paused to think.

    "Hm... from what I''ve heard, we are sent out to different, random cities across the three kingdoms."

    "I understood that part, but what are we meant to do there? A mission?"

    "Yes, precisely, in fact. But, each of our missions will be different. I heard that if youplete your mission quickly, you will even be permitted to do whatever you like. Isn''t that exciting?"

    As the two continued speaking, Lyrian looked outside of the window into a grass field outside of the canteen quite far down.

    There, many students looked to be having a pic on this beautiful spring day.

    Near the school, Lyrian noticed Israthel. This wouldn''t have meant much alone, but there was also another figure there.

    "Huh... that''s interesting," Lyrian said, looking at Israthel speak to a boy that he had definitely seen before.

    "What was his name again? Roswil? He tried to assassinate me."

    "What!?" Alten suddenly retorted as Lyrian''s words cut through his conversation with Leon. Even Leon was surprised to hear this.

    "Did you just say that guy tried to assassinate you? Who is he, let me see."

    Leon also peered out the window, only to see Israthel.

    "Israthel? Seriously, Lyrian? What kind of man are you to beining about a boy whom you actually nearly killed." Leon didn''t sound impressed.

    "Not him, you idiot. The guy he''s talking to."

    "Ah." Leonically retorted.

    "And Israthel, who hates your guts, is speaking to him." Alten surmised, "I guess I know why you think that''s interesting."

    "Alten," Lyrian suddenly said.

    "Yeah?" Alten retorted, his two hands and nose smudged on the window.

    "First off, stop making it so obvious that we are looking at them."

    "Oh, shit!" Alten got slightly spooked, jerking up off the window.

    "And secondly... open it up. I want to hear what they are saying."

    "Wh-what? You can''t be serious? How in the hell am I even supposed to open a window as big as this? And plus, will you even be able to hear them? They are over 100 feet down there!"

    The window that Alten was referring to was about 15 by 15 feet long, one of manyrger and smaller windows ced within this wall.

    "If it can''t be opened, just burst through it." Leon casually gave his input.

    "Don''t be stupid! You fool!" Alten immediately eximed.

    "There''s atch at the top. Use that." Lyrian said as Alten looked up at the window.

    "Oh... I didn''t even notice that..." He jumped up and off the side of another wall, reaching thetch and pushing it down. He did so with thetch on the other side as well. As soon as he did, the window swung open to the side.

    Lyrian thought that this was obvious enough for Israthel and Roswil to notice, but realized that a few other windows were open as well.

    He imagined that they would think it was a normal thing--and they did exactly that.

    Now, using Smithing and also Enhancing his eardrums, Lyrian listened closely to Israthel''s words.

    "No! Don''t do it right before the exam. We don''t have much time left." Israthel said to his friend.

    ''Huh? What are they talking about... they aren''t first-year students, so why worry themselves with the deployment exam?'' Lyrian mused in slight confusion.

    "Fine... then I will have them get rid of that loser as soon as possible," Roswil said.

    "Good... I can''t wait until I see that little bastard''s head at my feet. It will be all worth it in the end."

    At this moment, Lyrian understood exactly what was going on down there. The two were speaking of... actually assassinating him.

    He didn''t know why they conspired, or how their teaming up came to be, but right now, it didn''t matter.

    Alten and Leon had also listened closely, as Alten quickly turned to Lyrian, "Did you hear that!? I didn''t think I would be able to, but even I heard those crazy words that Israthel just uttered--"

    Alten cut himself off, noticing that Lyrian was no longer in his seat.

    "Oh no..."

 Chapter 316 The Forbidden Sect

    Chapter 316 The Forbidden Sect

    Alten quickly jerked his head around to look out the window, only to see what he had worst expected.

    He saw Lyrian already 10 feet away from the window, having leaped out.

    Alten felt a doom ovee him at that moment, "Lyrian! What the hell!?" He eximed in astonishment.

    He had no clue what to do, but at that moment, Lyrian looked back at him and Leon and said, "Don''t follow me," and quickly fell down toward the ground.

    Alten quickly ran over to the open window that had a 3-foot wall railing beneath it now and stuck his head and torso out of it.

    He looked at Lyrian was already halfway down to the ground, before abruptly turning around to face Leon, "What the hell do we do!?"

    Leon sat calmly in his chair, putting his feet on the table, "You heard him. He wants us to stay here, so that''s what I''m doing."

    "Wh--!? But that''s two second-year students! And what trouble will he get into if he actually fights them!"

    As Alten shouted this, Leon paused for a moment, "That statement assumes two things. That he is firstly not strong enough to beat them, and secondly that he is not smart enough to understand the consequences."

    Alten was slightly taken aback by this revtion.

    "Still..." He began to speak in a more quiet tone, "If we are hispanions, then isn''t it our goal to help our teammate? To give inputs to his thinking? Three brains are better than one."

    Leon paused again, finding reason in Alten''s statement.

    "Hmm... you''re right, Alten. But... even I know how low stakes this is."

    Alten was surprised, "What? Low stakes? This is attacking two second-year students you''re talking about!"

    "Just listen... Lyrian clearly nned this to happen on the day of the exam, just because he knows that he won''t get inrge trouble since he won''t be here anyways to take the punishment,"

    Alten found this to be fair, but it still didn''t mean that Lyrian could safely defeat those two.

    "And on top of that... I know that Lyrian is capable of winning against them."

    "What? How can you be so sure?"

    "When I fought against him, even in my second form of Fortification, he defeated me with ease."

    "With ease? Sure, maybe without some trouble, but I wouldn''t say that was with ease..."

    "That''s where you''re wrong," Leon paused for a moment, "Lyrian... he''s a monster now. In the end, when he delivered the finishing attack, there was a different type of aura that exuded from him. It was fearsome, like a damn demon."

    Alten didn''t speak, intrigued with what Leon was talking about.

    "He is far, far stronger than before. I doubt he even used 20% of his power with me..."

    Alten was immediately shocked by this, "What!?" He initially eximed, and then realized what Leon was really saying, "What..." He said in a tone of disbelief.

    Finally, he turned back around and looked out the window, as Leon also peered out from his seat.

    As soon as Lyrian jumped out of the window, he continued listening to what Israthel and Roswil down there were saying.

    "But just know, that kid is seriously a monster. I don''t know how, but he even took down my men."

    "What!? The ck Petal Sect''s men!?"

    "Hey! Keep it down!" Roswil paused, as both of them looked around to see if anyone was watching. Unfortunately for them, they didn''t think to look upwards...

    "Don''t call them that! They are mere peasants. Scum of the earth." Roswil said with disdain.

    "Still... didn''t you say they were from there?" Israthel retorted.

    "Those men were the peasant ves of the small branches of the actual main branch sect. They weren''t actually a part of it..."

    "You lying bastard. You told me they were. No wonder they got defeated by him."

    "Be quiet, fool! Even if they aren''t a part of that sect, they should have still been enough to even take down an average second-year student."

    "Well... can you get more men from there?"

    As soon as Israthel whispered this, another voice suddenly sounded from the air.

    "More men from where?" Lyrian shouted,nding on the ground behind both of them with a fairly loud bang.

    As soon as hended, Roswil jumped back in surprise.

    "Ah!" He instinctively eximed.

    Israthel was equally as spooked, as a flustered expression donned his face.

    "What the fuck!? What are you doing here, runt!?"

    Israthel yelled this as both he and Roswil quickly backed up and made space between themselves and Lyrian.

    "Was he listening to everything?" Roswil said, very concerned.

    "So, what is it? The ck--"

    As Lyrian spoke, Israthel and Roswil both screamed, "STOP! DON''T SAY IT SO LOUD!"

    But, unfortunately for them, these screams only brought attention to Lyrian, who finished what he was saying.

    "--Petal Sect."

    The kids who paid attention to Lyrian immediately had shocked, concerned, and even scared looks on their faces. At once, they packed up their pic and left the area.

    "How odd... is this ck Petal--"

    "Please stop!"

    "--Sect really that big of a deal?"

    At that moment, Lyrian noticed one of the camera''s orbs always floating around the school suddenly turning toward him.

    "Shut your trap! Do not speak again, you fool!" As Roswil said this, Lyrian couldn''t help but smirk.

    He found the boy''s flustered reaction to beical.

    "That... sect, is forbidden. Even speaking of it will get you in trouble in this academy. Hell, even in the three kingdoms, you don''t want to speak about that sect. You are risking the lives of all three of us just talking about it."

    "Huh... how can a sect induce so much fear."

    "Have you really never heard of them!? Do you know how much mass murder theymitted in past decades? You have no idea the severity of what you''re talking about."

    "Yeah... except, I wasn''t talking about it, was I?" Lyrian cunningly quipped, walking toward the two.

    Roswil immediately straightened his posture and gulped as he heard this.

    "You... were talking about it," He emphasized the ''you'', "Both of you were talking about it, and I only asked a question. So, tell me, what is it?"

 Chapter 317 Spill The Beans

    Chapter 317 Spill The Beans

    At that moment, a sweat began to form over Israthel''s brow.

    Roswil was equally as worried, as he mused, ''He caught us talking about it... this is not good.''

    At that moment his eyes darted to the side, looking at the camera orb, ''If he makes us talk about this, we will be caught by the camera''s listening system.''

    He looked back at Lyrian with hatred behind his eyes, ''Damn it... how has this fucker caused so many mishaps to happen!? Not only did he dismantle my squad and nearly end my life by throwing me off a cliff, but now, he is even making me speak about that sect!''

    "Speak up! What were you saying?" Lyrian eximed loudly.

    "If you don''t say anything, then I will be forced to learn about it from the administrators. Of course, that means that I will have to exin your connection with what you are talking about, and how you used their men to try and assassinate me. Do you want this to happen?"

    At that moment Roswil jumped forward and raised his hand.

    "Stop!" He yelled, but while whispering at the same time.

    Looking over at the camera, and then back at Lyrian, he said, "Just stop talking about all of that right now..."

    ''Damn it all! He wasn''t supposed to be alive to reveal my secrets to the world right now, but he managed to ughter all of my men. I thought he wouldn''t figure out it was me, and I could take him out before he realized... but the bastard somehow caught on.''

    Roswil looked up to the sky, ''Where was he listening? Close by?''

    He saw multiple windows open in the air, but they were clearly too high up to be where Lyrian came from.

    ''From the lunch rooms? No... that''s insane. Sure, he may have been able to do it, but the chances are unlikely.''

    He looked around, ''Just where did hee from!? Is he even human?''

    No matter where he looked, nothing seemed usible. It really did seem like he appeared out of thin air.

    ''Gah! What do I do!?''

    "Alright... if you don''t want to talk, then I''m going to go report that you were the ones who tried to assassinate me using the ck Petal Sect."

    As soon as he said this, kids who were walking by on the sidewalk turned their heads in shock.

    "Did I just hear correctly?"

    "What are they talking about over there?"

    "Is that Theageld? The MVP?"

    "I don''t know, but I won''t ruin my school life by associating myself with it... I''m outta here!"

    At that moment, Israthel finally spoke, "Stop..." He said with a shadowed expression.

    "Just tell him already," Israthel said in a defeated tone.

    "What!? How could you say that!? Don''t you know the implicat--"

    Roswil was cut off, "Just think about it. Even if you don''t tell him, he knows. He even has proof now. Hell, even if he didn''t, there would be enough investigations on you by the damn kingdoms to reveal your secret, and possibly even many more. The safest option is to just tell him."

    Roswil was left speechless for a moment.

    "Huh? More secrets you say?" Lyrian said in a teasing but curious manner out of nowhere.

    ''Damn it! I have to tell him about this stupid sect before he forces me to give him more information on my other shady businesses. Argh!''

    "Fine! I''ll tell you. Juste over here to the side."

    Roswil began walking around the corner of arge square bush. However, Lyrian simply stood there, looking at Roswil with a smile on his face and slightly squinted eyes.

    Rowil quickly stomped back to where he was.

    "You don''t make themands around here. Now, tell me." Lyrian stated.

    Roswil looked around a few more times before reluctantly beginning to speak. Quietly, he eximed, "That sect--"

    "What sect?"

    "You!"

    *Sigh*

    "The B-ck Petal Sect... is an evil sect that has existed for thousands of years. They are big... known throughout the Mortal ins."

    After this, Roswil looked at Lyrian with an awkward expression for a few seconds.

    "What? Is that all?" Lyrian retorted, "I wanted to know how they evolved, and why they would work with someone like you. Give me more information."

    "Screw you, you bastard! I already told you about them!" Roswil eximed angrily.

    Lyrian looked to the side as if he spotted something, "Hey... I think I see a teacher over there!"

    He took a step toward the sidewalk, where the teacher was walking.

    "STOP!" Roswil eximed abruptly, flustered.

    After an angry sigh of exasperation, he continued.

    "They came into power massively a few hundred years after the Ear War. That''s when they did the mass extermination of people across the continent. No one knows why and barely anyone has an idea as to how. After that, they slowly lost power, and are now known as a forgotten and almost erased sect. However, their traces are left throughout the continent here and there."

    At that moment he seemed to remember something, "In fact, they have been reported to be more active in the Veridrake Kingdom very recently. In reality, those men who worked for me are only ves of a lower branch that I met a long time ago and employed temporarily. They have no other connection to the ck Petal Sect."

    Roswil finished off with a strict demeanor. "Hmm. The ck Petal Sect huh? Sounds interesting."

    Another awkward moment of silence mellowed between the three.

    Israthel looked toward Roswil, as they both slowly turned around and began walking away.

    "Woah, woah! Wait a second. Surely... you didn''t think I''d just let you go after this, right?" Lyrian retorted, shouting toward the two.

    They reluctantly turned around, as Roswil took out his de. "What do you want to do then? Take us both on? If you think you can, then try it..."

    Lyrian looked at the camera orb floating in the air, which was now closer than before.

    "Not here. Follow me."

 Chapter 318 Israthel & Roswil Versus Lyrian

    Chapter 318 Israthel & Roswil Versus Lyrian

    ''A little more and we should be far enough.'' Lyrian mused, looking around as he walked through the dense forest, making sure there were no signs of human life nearby.

    He had already made his way there with Roswil and Israthel.

    "Haha! This''ll be fun to see!" Alten suddenly eximed, having followed Lyrian.

    "We can''t interfere... but who''s to say we can''t observe?" Leon added.

    At that moment, Israthel leaned into Roswil''s shoulder, "We should be able to take him, right?"

    He whispered with a hint of fear in his tone.

    Roswil, who was walking confidently, turned to face him at once with a confused expression.

    "What? Of course, we can take him! Why are you acting scared? What''s the matter with you!"

    He yelled, prompting Israthel to duck his shoulders slightly, "Hey! Be quiet!" He whispered, looking toward Lyrian who was walking in front of them.

    Roswil also gazed forward, "Don''t tell me... you''re afraid of him?"

    Israthel immediately responded, not wasting any time, "O-of course not! Don''t even hint at such things!"

    Israthel paused, ring at Lyrian''s back with crunched brows, "The only thing I feel toward him is hatred," After this, he grumbled under his breath, "I''ll kill him... I swear it."

    Roswil turned his head slightly to look behind his shoulder, "I don''t know about them though... if they intervene, we might have some trouble on our hands."

    "They won''t," Israthel stated nkly as he continued to walk.

    Roswil looked at him with slightly confused eyes, "You can''t be so sure."

    "Well, atleast, that Leon kid won''t. He values chivalry or whatever."

    Roswil turned again to look at the two walking behind him and Israthel.

    "The swordsman?"

    "Yeah."

    "Good... that''s all that matters then. I heard he was pretty strong. If he doesn''t intervene, then this will be as easy as taking candy from a baby."

    Roswil grinned, rejoicing about his current predicament.

    ''I wanted to kill Theageld before he realized it was me who sent those assassins after him. I was almost done when he threatened to spill my secret, but instead, he decided to walk himself to his own grave. What luck I have attained!''

    He gazed at Lyrian, ''Even in a world where I can''t take him on by myself, I have Israthel, the Newbie Hunter, on my side.''

    At that moment Israthel said, "What about the archer?"

    "Him? He''s useless."

    "What? Are you sure?"

    "Yes... he''s far too weak to pose a threat to me. I can take him down with a single palm."

    They continued to walk for a few seconds after this.

    "Stop right there!"

    Lyrian called out abruptly, causing the two second-year students to halt.

    He turned around to face him, nodding to Leon and Alten as a signal for them to move out of the way.

    Leon and Alten both jumped into some trees, as Lyrian unsheathed his obsidian de.

    "I''ll make this quick." He said sternly, as Israthel stepped forward.

    "Enhance," Israthel uttered, as his body was slowly enveloped in a thin green mist.

    At that moment, he raised his fist in the air in front of him, and when he opened it, a metal rod suddenly appeared in his hand.

    It seemed toe out of the ring that he had on his middle finger and rapidly increased to the size of a normal rod.

    ''Another rod user. He seemed like one.'' Lyrian mused, clenching his jaw as his brows furrowed.

    "Make this quick? Boy... you don''t know what you''ve just gotten yourself into."

    Roswil also stepped forward. His body was shaking for some reason.

    As his body also glowed green, he took out his curved saber.

    "Oh... how I have been waiting for this day. It''s been more than three long months, and I can finally get revenge on you for what you did."

    Alten and Leon were slightly confused by this. They couldn''t see what Roswil was talking about.

    In fact, even Israthel didn''t have much of a clue.

    Then again, Roswil was fully clothed in a robe with a hood over his head.

    This meant that they couldn''t make any early assumptions.

    Luckily for them, Roswil was about to show them exactly what he was talking about.

    At that moment, Roswil took off his hood, and Israthel''s jaw dropped to the floor.

    "So... that''s why you''ve been wearing a hood over your head for this long?" He eximed in shock.

    Roswil''s hair was... of normal length for a boy his age.

    However! This was still a shock to Israthel, who had only known Roswil to have long hair in a ponytail.

    "Isn''t it a shame to have your hair cut in your family? Are you saying that Lyrian did this to you?" Israthel couldn''t believe what he was seeing.

    "That doesn''t matter now..." Roswil seemed to be teeming with anger.

    "What matters is that I murder this son of a bitch."

    At that moment, Lyrian suddenly broke out into augh.

    "Pahaha! I forgot I did that to you. How amazing!" He continued tough, "By the way, this new style suits you, so don''t be so mad."

    Thisment was enough to send Roswil over the tipping point.

    "You bastard!! Prepare to die!"

    Roswil rushed forward without hesitation, holding his de to his side as it glided through the air.

    "Last time you were only able to defeat me using that stupid pendant... but guess what?"

    Roswil yelled as he ran toward Lyrian.

    Lyrian waspletely engrossed in what Roswil had to say right now.

    "What if you don''t have it?" Roswil eximed as Lyrian looked down at his neck.

    "Huh?" Lyrian said, and at that very moment, his ne was snatched right off of his neck.

    "Keaaw!" A parrot eximed, flying into the air with Lyrian''s pendant.

    Leon immediately looked at Lyrian and nearly moved toward Risha, Roswil''s parrot, but Lyrian nodded his head side to side.

    He didn''t want any help during this fight. Instead, he said, "Nova,st time you failed in taking down that thing. Redeem yourself this time. Go get that stupid parrot."

    Instantly, Nova appeared from the trees, soaring toward the parrot at high speeds.

    Nova was now muchrger--about the size of a full-grown turkey.

    ''Just likest time, I failed to recognize the presence of that parrot. How interesting.'' Lyrian mused, as he stared at Roswil, who had nowe into attacking distance.

    ''Killing him will only bring me trouble. However, I can do something even worse than that. The Panda Kung-Fu Martial Art has one hidden power that unlocks only after achieving near full mastery of its Dragon form. It''s called the Palm Of The Dragon, which destroys one''s inner magic core.''

 Chapter 319 Palm Of The Dragon

    Chapter 319 Palm Of The Dragon

    Roswil lunged forward with his de and shed at Lyrian''s neck. However, his attack was swiftly parried.

    Lyrian stepped to the side after deflecting Roswil''s blow, causing the second-year to stumble forward.

    Gathering himself quickly, Roswil turned around to face Lyrian again.

    ''He''s far faster thanst time. But, I''ve grown in strength as well...''

    Roswil regained his confidence and lunged in once again--only to have his de pushed to a stop by Lyrian''s sword.

    Roswil clenched his teeth, pushing his sword into Lyrian''s with all of his might. His hands shook at his own pressure, as his face contorted into one that showed a lot of effort--sweating slightly.

    Lyrian, on the other hand, counteracted that push with an unshakable push of his own. His expression was calm--not even a single bead of sweat on his forehead.

    "Damn!" Roswil eximed, stepping to the side and pulling back his de.

    As Lyrian began to back away, Roswil thrust his sword toward his opponent''s stomach. His footsteps as he approached closer were careful and precise, yet Lyrian still easily dodged his attack.

    "Your sword skill is undoubtedly better than mine, but you are just too slow." Lyrian teased, dodging from side to side.

    Roswil continued driving forward with a barrage of thrusts and shes, but all of his efforts went down the drain.

    Finally, Lyrian took onerge leap back and sheathed his de.

    Roswil furrowed his brow as he stood up straight, "Don''t mess with me, you bastard!" He roared in an angry burst. "Unsheath your de at once!"

    Lyrian answered without hesitation, "I don''t need my de to defeat you. Don''t worry, if you think I''m giving up... you are sorely mistaken."

    "Arrogant cunt! I''ll make you eat those words!"

    Roswil dashed forward once again. At that moment, Lyrian closed his eyes.

    ''He dare shut his eyes in the middle of a battle!? What kind of fool does he take me for? He probably thinks I''m going to stop, but screw that!''

    At that moment, a twisted smile came onto his face, ''I''m not like other nobles. I don''t care about being a good person. It was his mistake to close his eyes. Now, I can kill him without worry.''

    Lyrian, on the other hand, used Smithing mode to gain absolute concentration at that moment. When he first understood the Panda Kung-Fu Martial Art, there was a hidden technique that he had a hazy memory of.

    Eventually, that memory became unlocked after he mastered the martial arts to 80%. The Palm Of The Dragon. A powerful technique that directly attacked one''s core with your spiritual energy.

    If your energy was stronger than your opponent''s, the attack would burst through and destroy your opponent''s core. This was the case for all spiritual energy attacks. It was a ruthless technique, but also quite useful at times.

    Lyrian activated his Dragon form, forming a wide stance with his legs.

    He opened his eyes and saw Roswil mere feet from him. However, time itself felt as though it had slowed down as Lyrian performed his movements.

    First, he raised his hands in the air and thenbined them as they came by the side of his waist.

    They now looked like the maw of a dragon, and after keeping them at his side, Lyrian suddenly took onerge step forward.

    As soon as he did, Roswil''s de came less than a foot from piercing through his head. However, at that exact moment, he also forcefully pushed his hands forward, opening both of them up to form opposite-facing palms.

    "Palm Of The Dragon," Lyrian said under his breath.

    On saying this, both of his palms mmed into Roswil''s stomach with an immense force that drove all the air in the boy''s lungs out. His eyes immediately rolled back into his head as all the oing force of Lyrian''s spiritual energy surged forth and rampaged into Roswil''s core.

    In that split second, Roswil''s core burst into a thousand pieces as he was sent flying into a nearby tree with two giant palm indents in his stomach.

    Lyrian''s palms had torn through the noble''s clothing, and he left a steaming hot mark.

    After taking a deep breath in, Lyrian returned to his normal stage and faced Israthel.

    At that moment, he looked up at the sky, hearing a screeching bird noise.

    "Kea--creee!!" Nova held Risha by the nape of the neck, shaking his head side to side as eventually, he ripped a chunk off of the parrot.

    As soon as that happened, Risha let go of the pendant, and Nova trailed it immediately.

    Nova caught the pendant in mid-air and quickly dove down toward Lyrian--dropping it in his hands.

    At that moment, Israthel''s whole body was shaking. And now, even he was forced to admit it... ''He''s... terrifying.'' He breathed heavily as he mused to himself, ''I-I need to get out of here!'' He began to take a few steps back.

    No matter how hard he tried, he couldn''t control his body. It was as if all of the hatred that he once had for the boy in front of him had disappeared. Now, all that existed was an overwhelming, horrifying feeling of doom that constantly loomed over him like a mountain.

    It was like a prey forgetting its anger at the predator, and instead simply focusing on running away to save its life.

    "Where are you going? Don''t you want a shot as well?" Lyrian eximed at that moment. "Yo-you... destroyed his core," Israthel said in a broken whisper that was shaking.

    The idea of this alone freaked him out as well. There wasn''t any way he was going to fight the demon that stood in front of him.

    At that moment, Israthel slowly reached into his coat pocket and grabbed a few small white marbles. After a short pause, Lyrian began to dash forward. Just then, Israthel abruptly threw the beads onto the floor. A giant explosion erupted from where Israthel stood, quickly enveloping that entire part of the forest.

    After the dust cleared, there was no Israthel to be seen. Alten jumped out from the trees, "What the hell? I thought that only happened in movies. How silly."

    "Che!" Lyrianughed, "Whatever... anyways, what time is it? We should return for the exam..."

 Chapter 320 Preparing For The Deployment Exam

    Chapter 320 Preparing For The Deployment Exam

    "Good idea... the exam will probably start soon," Leon retorted on hearing Lyrian''s suggestion.

    He turned around without hesitation, as did Lyrian.

    "Hey... guys..." Alten, however, didn''t begin walking immediately.

    The two turned to face him as he awkwardly pointed at Roswil''s unconscious body slumped out beneath a tree.

    "What should we do about him?" Alten asked, as Lyrian quickly replied.

    "Don''t worry about him. He isn''t dead; I can still hear his heartbeat. Let''s just hope he lives."

    "Oh... alright. By the way, the move you did on him. It was a spiritual energy attack, right? Those are dangerous, but also quite hard toe across. How did you learn it in the first ce?"

    Alten jogged to where Leon and Lyrian were, as all three began making their way back to campus.

    "Oh, that? Well, as you know, a magician never reveals his secrets."

    Lyrian remembered hearing this a long time ago...

    "What?" Alten said in confusion, not knowing what Lyrian was saying or if he was referencing something.

    "Nevermind... I''m just saying that it''s a secret," Lyrian came back with this as he smiled.

    ***

    A few hourster, Roswil awoke from his unconscious state.

    He felt a horrible paine in waves that radiated through his entire body starting at his abdomen and immediately called out in pain.

    "Argh!"

    Then, memories of what happened slowly began toe back to him.

    As he realized his final moments, his eyes widened in shock.

    "Th-that attack..."

    He seemed dazed and stunned, at aplete loss for words.

    He forgot about the pain he was feeling right now as he slowly reached toward his stomach.

    He ced his hand on his abdomen as he identally gasped in horror.

    "No... no, this can''t be."

    The realization of what happened struck him like a semi-truck. He couldn''t believe it, nor could he fathom what had happened to him.

    A horrible despair overpowered his mind, but in the midst of that, he couldn''t go on without confirming that his core was actually shattered.

    He slowly raised his hand in the air, knowing deep down that his core had been destroyed.

    Still, there was some sort of false hope in his heart. He wanted something to cling onto, something that gave him a will to live.

    Because, right now, he felt that he would be slipping away second after second.

    As tears began trickling down his eyes, Roswil whispered under his breath, "Enhance."

    As soon as he said this and tried to activate the spell, he felt an excruciating pain swell up from his abdomen and instantly assaulted his entire body.

    "Arrgh!" He cried--his hand dropping back down limply.

    At that moment, the boy broke down into tears. His mental state was destroyed. His life was torn apart.

    "GAA-ARGH!"

    The boy''s screams echoed through the forest, as birds flew away from nearby trees.

    ***

    Lyrian and his gang soon returned to the canteen, where they finished their talk as they waited for the deployment exam to begin.

    They were excited to begin but also knew that this would be thest time they would see each other in a long time...

    By now, a bunch of first-years from the training grounds had shown up.

    Glis sat at a table near Lyrian''s, while Jackson, Geld, and Nevin joined his table for talking.

    "Do you have any idea what it''s going to be like? The deployment?" Nevin asked curiously.

    No one said anything for a moment, and Geld was the first to break the ice on the question.

    "I don''t know for sure... but I know that it''s going to take a while."

    Before Geld could say anything, Jackson chimed in, "How long are we talking?"

    "I don''t know..." Geld retorted, pausing to think, "However, by the end of it, our names will definitely be known throughout the academy."

    Geld said this in all seriousness, and after a short while of silence, Alten suddenly burst out into augh.

    "Hah! No way, man. What are you talking about? Known throughout the academy?"

    Geld quickly retorted, "I''m serious. I believe that every single one of us has the potential for their name to be greatly spread."

    On hearing this, Leon seemed to be especially intrigued. Leaning forward, he said, "How so?"

    Geld was happy to answer, being the knowledge basin among the group.

    "Well... it''s amon thing for this exam to entuate the name of students. Some sleeping phoenixes even gain aplishments so mighty through their mission that they are known throughout the three kingdoms. It''s not a small deal whatsoever."

    "What? Are you serious?" Leon asked with furrowed brows.

    He almost couldn''t believe what he was hearing. More than anything, he wanted to spread his name through strength.

    To have this opportunity to do so was very important to him.

    "If that''s the case... then I will take this exam more seriously." Leon surmised.

    "Yes, I am very sure. The MVPs of past years havepleted this feat, of being known throughout the kingdoms."

    After a short pause, Lyrian replied, "When you say known... what type of status will I gain when I am known throughout the kingdoms? What will I be known of, exactly."

    He had a straight face.

    Alten and Leon couldn''t help but smirk as they heard him. Geld was slightly taken aback by Lyrian''s confidence, as were the others, but he didn''t hesitate to reply.

    "Well... that of course depends on what you aplish while on your deployment mission. However... most times, you are known as a bud of sorts. A sleeping dragon, that was potential in the eyes of important people."

    Alten chimed in, "What about in the eyes of non-important people?"

    "Well...

    you are already highly regarded in the eyes of the normal person. If you gain the type of status that I speak of... you will be respected as if you are a very high noble--that I can say without any doubt."

    At that moment, the bell rang in school, even though sses were over.

    "Huh... I guess that''s our cue." Lyrian said, standing up as he looked at the clock.

    It read 5:00 PM.

 Chapter 321 The Deployment Exam Begins!

    Chapter 321 The Deployment Exam Begins!

    Those at the table stood up with Lyrian. By that time, many of the students in the canteen had begun leaving.

    "We won''t see each other for a while... so, I suppose a parting promise will be appropriate, right?" Geld said, addressing everyone. Eyes darted around, as Lyrian spoke amid the silence.

    "No... not now. We still have an exam we have to ace. Afterward, we will say our goodbyes." He smiled, as everyone nodded in agreement, "Let''s get back now."

    And with that, they shortly arrived at the training grounds once again. After everyone lined up perfectly to form a human box, Rerth stepped forward from his line of teachers.

    "Follow me! We are heading to the transportation terminal, or whatever you wanna call it..." He began walking toward the entrance of the building, as the three other teachers walked with him.

    The students didn''t wait and followed along as well. After arriving at the teleportation station after a short walk, Rerth and the other teachers went up the small flight of stairs.

    After they got onto the transportation tform, they faced the students.

    "You must understand howrge this exam is! Many eyes are looking at you! There is no one in this world taking such an exam right now, but you!" He began to yell, as several camera orbs began entering therge room and covering all corners.

    ''Is it being broadcasted?'' Lyrian mused, and as if Rerth read his mind, he immediately eximed, "This exam will be broadcast far and wide for all to see! Of course, your main viewers will be those of the three kingdoms! Put on a show for them!"

    These words lit an exhrating fire of ambition within the heart of every student. As they took in big, confident breaths, they prepared to take on this exam with all their might.

    "Remember, you will all be working together to find the inheritance left by the great magus: Orion, and will conquer it for the world to see! Once you pass, you will be deployed out into the world the very next day!"

    Rerth paused, allowing this to settle in for many students.

    "Now... I may have missed a bunch of shit that I had to say, but who gives a crap!? Are you ready for this exam!"

    Rerth shouted into the crowd and was immediately replied to with a roar of excited and confident kids who couldn''t wait to start.

    "Then so be it! Get on here, all of you!"

    With this, Rerth and the other teachers stepped down, and the students took their spots. The teachers looked at them all with smiles, all except for Gator. Rerth smiled wide along with the other two teachers, proud of what he was seeing.

    After this, Rerth turned his head to the side, snapping his fingers once at the person behind the stall to the left.

    As soon as they saw this signal, they activated something in their workstation. The floor beneath Lyrian and the others suddenly began to reverberate. The ring around them on the floor gleamed in a bright blue color for only a moment before...

    *ZAP*

    Lyrian felt as though he had only blinked, but when he reopened his eyes, everything in his vision waspletely different.

    Instead of the inside of the transportation room, he looked at an underground room of sorts.

    The walls were made of smoothed-down stone, which was still slightly bumpy and had some rough curved spots in it.

    The room was about 250 by 250 feet in size and housed all of the students in the middle.

    A few stone pirs also existed in the room, making it look even more man-made than before.

    As students looked around in awe, they noticed several smaller pathways jutting out on all sides of the room. They were only able to see this thanks to the amber crystals and Manathryll shards which were spread around on the ceiling and on the walls.

    "Oh? Manathyrll?"

    Lyrian immediately took out another spear that he had and began chipping away at the ore.

    Other students looked at him slightly confused before they moved on and observed the room some more.

    Outside of the exam, there were quite literally hundreds of millions of people chiming into the exam. It was as if they were watching television or something. This exam was giant��an international event.

    As they eagerly watched the exam begin, they were just as confused as the students in the exam, when they saw Lyrian attacking the Manathryll as his first action.

    Back in Anaviotis, a fair amount of teachers sat down in the examination room, along with other examiners.

    Julius, Rerth, and Granweid purposefully sat together. Beside them was Edward��an acquaintance of Julius'' who was a fellow teacher, and also Jall''s Sndra.

    Rerth couldn''t help but break out into augh as he saw Lyrian. Julius and Granweid smirked as well.

    "What a weird kid! Hahaha! I see him going far in life... really far."

    Rerth''s eyes seemed to be glowing as he stared at his mana orb. Julius peered over at him, ''So... he sees it as huh? The new age.''

    There was no doubt about it. Rerth could see it far and well, and the look in his eyes said it all.

    Returning to the exam, Alten walked over to Lyrian and began to speak, "Hey, don''t you think we should get going here?" Alten looked around, slightly hesitant to do anything weird.

    He knew there were a bunch of hidden ''cameras'' or whatever everywhere.

    "We are being watched by everyone... you know. Plus, don''t you wanna get to that room first?"

    Lyrian grabbed the piece of Manathryll and swiftly stored it. After the three months, his storage was a good bit higher now, since he had used up a solid chunk of his elixirs and potions.

    Still, he imagined there were enough tost him a while longer.

    "Huh? There''s no need to rush. All we have to do is find that inheritance, right?"

 Chapter 322 Dead End

    Chapter 322 Dead End

    "No need to rush right," Leon said, walking toward the two.

    Alten turned to face him.

    "Like Lyrian implied, rushing isn''t going to help us in this situation. The unknown must always be approached with caution, not with impatience."

    Alten nodded, and then replied, "Hah! Since when did you be so smart!"

    Leon seemed to get slightly ticked off by this, as his expression remained the same, but his eyebrow twitched.

    After a few seconds, he said, "Are you trying to say I''m not smart or something?" In a low tone.

    "Woah woah! Calm down there. Don''t unleash your anger on me." Alten put his hands up.

    "But, I suppose you''re right," He looked around at the other students.

    Most were already exiting the main room, having the idea that rushing was the best.

    "It''s not like we arepeting to see who can get to the final room the fastest. This isn''t a race, but an exam."

    After Alten said this, Lyrian retorted, "Exactly. But the circumstances make it feel like a race, huh?"

    He walked back to them as he continued, "This is a graveyard, one that holds a treasure. Be it an inheritance, or a pile of gold left behind by some pirate. It''s still valuable,"

    He paused, as the other two listened intently,

    "Whenever there is anything valuable involved, you have to assume that there is a risk also involved with it. Life isn''t so easy that things like thate to you for free, just because you rush to them. This applies to nature, and it sure as hell applies to the intelligent mind."

    Alten was slightly taken aback by how much Lyrian''s words made sense.

    "God damn... alright then. I''m listening to you, man." Heughed.

    "Alright... let''s go now," Lyrian said, walking toward one of the pathways.

    He saw that a few students still stayed in the center for some reason.

    As he and the other two made their way to a path, they looked at these students.

    "Are they nning to just stay there?" Alten muttered, looking at the students slowly surveying each and every inch of the room.

    Without batting an eye, Lyrian moved forward while saying, "Now, those are the students that are a bit too patient. They are the ones who won''t get anywhere in life because they take everything to the extreme, but in the opposite direction."

    "Hah! Good one!" A voice suddenly sounded from behind the three, as Geld joined them from afar.

    The three turned to look at him as he politely asked, "Oh, is it alright if I join you three? I don''t have a team of my own."

    Lyrian was quick to answer, "Sure! We will need a bit of an encyclopedia on our team."

    Geldughed as he heard this. Just then, another set of footsteps walked forward behind him.

    "Looks like it was a good call to not say our departing words back then huh? Almost all of us have met up so soon in the exam. Oh, mind if I join you guys?"

    Alten smirked to hear this, as Lyrian retorted, "No problem."

    Finally, another voice also sounded, this time from behind Jackson.

    "I''ll be going this way." Spoke Jalern, the red-headed noble.

    With his two friends, he made his way behind Lyrian and his group.

    "Huh? Are you sure? There are at least 15 other paths you can go in." Geld replied on hearing Jalern.

    Masvidal and his goons didn''t move as they got behind Lyrian''s group, "Yeah, no. I said I''m going this way, so don''t question my decision."

    "Jeez... alright fine." Geld turned around, not willing to deal with the rude attitude any longer.

    "If you''re going to be behind us, don''t slow us down," Lyrian eximed out of nowhere.

    Jalern furrowed his brows at that moment, as one of his two goons donned a confused expression.

    "Huh? What does that even mean? How can we even slow them down from behind?"

    The other acquaintance of Jalerns replied, "I don''t know... I think he''s just trying to insult us."

    In truth, even Alten had no clue what Lyrian meant.

    ''Huh? What does that mean? Slow down from behind?'' He mused inwardly, ''Well, whatever it means, I better keep my mouth shut.''

    Jalern seemed to clench his teeth in anger but then calmed down after a slightly long breath.

    "Just walk." He retorted quietly, surprising Lyrian--who thought the noble was going to burst out into a fiery rage.

    "Huh... alright. So be it."

    He turned around, beginning to walk into the path. This corridor was about 15 feet high and wide enough to house several people--about 20 feet in width.

    It was lit up mostly by amber crystals but asionally showed a few Manathryll ores here and there.

    Of course, all of these were swiftly snatched up by Lyrian. He wasn''t going to waste an opportunity to make some free money.

    Especially not with the colorful, high-grade stuff that he was seeing currently in thisbyrinth or whatever it was.

    It was a bit awkward walking with Jalern and his two friends right behind them, but Lyrian''s group got used to it after a short while.

    Before long, they came to what seemed like a dead end.

    A wall that looked just like the other three walls covered the path.

    After that, there was nothing. The students were left slightly bewildered, as Lyrian stepped forward and observed the wall closely.

    "There is clearly nothing to look at..." One of Jalern''spanions--who had his hair slicked to the side--said, walking up right next to Lyrian and looking at the wall as well.

    Lyrian didn''t reply, as all the others began also looking at the wall for a few seconds.

    Finally, the secondpanion of Jalern, a slightly chubbier boy, took a step back.

    "This is retarded! Stop gazing at a nk wall, damn it!" He said to Lyrian, who was the first to do so.

    "Just admit you made the wrong decision to take us down this path."

    At that moment, Lyrian turned around, "Shut up, fatty."

    "Wh-what?" Jalern''s friend was bbergasted, and Alten nearly burst out into a loudugh--but managed to contain himself.

    "Look at the amber crystals. Theye up right to the edge of this wall blocking the path. If it really was a dead end, then the crystals wouldn''te so close, as there would be nothing to light up."

    The fatty didn''t know what to say, speechless from what he heard a second ago.

    "On top of that, this wall has a slightly lighter tint than the other walls." Lyrian turned to face the wall blocking the path.

    "It''s almost as though it hasn''t had as much time out in the air like this, so it isn''t as dirty. On top of even that,

    He paused, cing the side of his head against this wall as he peered at the edges of it--where it connected to the other wall.

    "It doesn''t mold into the other wall at all. There is a very short gap in between. That means that it is moveable and that something is behind it."

    The fatty was taken aback by all of this. Neither he, Jalern, nor the other kid apart of his team could utter a word.

    "My... what keen observations. You arepletely right, Lord Lyrian. I admire your ability to recognize such small details." Geld eximed in amazement.

    (AUTHOR NOTE: Got a lotta crap going on rn so chapter posting schedule might be a little wobbly in terms of time for the following days. Don''t worry though, chapters will still be posted, even if not at reset.

    On a side note, this Deployment Exam won''t be stretched out.)

 Chapter 323 Traps Of The Graveyard

    Chapter 323 Traps Of The Graveyard

    Jackson was equally impressed, as he eximed, "The way you can discern all of that is indeed astonishing. I didn''t notice even half the things that you said,"

    He paused, as everyone looked at him, "But, how are we supposed to use that information? There doesn''t look to be any clues about how to open up this ''moving'' wall."

    Lyrian didn''t hesitate to answer, "Most likely, there is a way to open it. It wouldn''t be like this if there wasn''t that way,"

    He began moving his head, looking for anything that looked out of ce near the dead-end wall.

    His teammates did the same, "But... who''s to say we have to do it the correct way? As long as we get to Orion''s inheritance, anyway should work."

    As he said this, he raised his hand and tightened it. As soon as it began to glow green, the others stepped back.

    "That''s some fair reasoning if I''ve ever heard it," Leon eximed.

    "Hahaha." Geld chuckled, amused.

    "Shock..."

    Lyrian prepared to unleash his fist,

    "Fist!"

    At that same moment, Alten uttered, "Hey guys... I think I found something."

    Alten was standing next to what looked like a small pebble on the ground.

    Except, it looked different in color and texture ever so slightlypared to every other stone.

    The normal person wouldn''t have been able to recognize this, but Alten''s eyesight was extremely potent.

    Not only had he trained from a young age for archery, but also because of his innate talented gics for it.

    He stepped on the pebble without second-guessing, as Lyrian''s fist hurled toward the wall.

    The pebble clicked into the ground as if it were a button. As soon as he pressed it, the wall in front of Lyrian suddenly slid in one direction.

    In mere milliseconds, it disappeared from sight, slipping into one side of the wall.

    However, Lyrian''s fist didn''t stop.

    The force of his attack burst forward on the other side of the wall, plowing through several skeleton figures standing on the other side.

    5, 10, and then 15... the group of students were shocked as they saw the aftershock of Lyrian''s Shock Fist rummage through the skeletons.

    Lyrian noticed the creatures and immediately called out, "Get ready to fight!" In a stern tone.

    As everyone prepared their weapons, Leon unsheathed his de.

    In one moment, he darted forward, leaving a white streak behind him from his eyes.

    "Iron Blitz." He grumbled under his breath, slicing through every single skeleton in the passageway in mere seconds.

    He traveled forward for almost 25 meters, destroying 30 more skeletons after Lyrian''s initial 15.

    In the end, he exhaled a deep breath and calmly sheathed his sword.

    Jackson, Geld, and Jalern''spanions were slightly shocked to see this.

    Alten and Lyrian on the other hand were used to Leon''s fighting style before, and Jalern simply didn''t seem to care.

    He disliked Leon, so he wasn''t going to give the boy any sort of impressed reaction.

    "A skeleton trap huh..." Lyrian walked forward, kneeling beside one of the undead creatures.

    ''Their OP''s were no higher than 5... but, why would Orion ce a trap like this in his own graveyard?'' Lyrian mused, slightly confused.

    "Hah! That was awesome, Leon!" Alten eximed, running over to Leon before raising his palm for a high five.

    Leon reluctantly high-fived the boy as he walked back to where Lyrian and the others were.

    Lyrian stood up, "Interesting... well, let''s move on. No point in wasting much more time here. The beasts are dealt with."

    The group nodded in agreement as they continued.

    Of course, their current aplishments were seen by many on their home screens.

    At home, most people looked through a MOD to view local news, world events, games, big hunts, and other important things.

    A MOD was short for Magic Orb Disy. It was the Zaryn equivalent of a TV on Earth.

    It was a fair-sized orb--about asrge as a basketball--which could show multiple different screens at once.

    Lyrian''s group was advancing fast, but many others weren''t any farther back.

    Currently, the hopes of the people are high. The students looked to be dominating this seemingly easy exam.

    In fact, some even doubted if it was enough to even test the students for the real world...

    Lyrian and the group continued to travel as they faced a few more groups of skeletonster down the path.

    They were killed easily, and Lyrian didn''t forget to gather his Manathryll here and there.

    Along with that, they even faced some traps along the way.

    By stepping on a nearly invisible thread, chunks of stone opened up on the walls to reveal loaded crossbows.

    Before anyone could barely react, the crossbows would go off and fire magically charged arrows that were powerful enough to pierce through many metals.

    They were also quick, so dodging them wasn''t too easy--especially not for Jalern''s friends.

    In fact, the fat one even got grazed by an arrow and was forced to tie a piece of his robe around the wound to stop the bleeding.

    Lyrian noticed a small magic circle on each of the crossbows as they shot light up.

    ''Those must have been the magic arrays put into the weapons to have them fire when someone stepped on the string...'' He mused, continuing forward.

    They were also met with spike pit traps. Alten noticed pebbles simr to the one that opened the first dead-end door on the floor and decided to step on it again.

    "Last time this was helpful." He said, stomping on the pebble.

    As soon as he did, however, the floor beneath him opened up out of nowhere as the ground slid out from underneath.

    It revealed a cluster of tall and sharp metal spikes, which looked to be coated in some sort of purple liquid.

    "Poison!"

    Alten screamed, quickly taking out his bow.

    As he began to fall toward the spikes, he noticed Lyrian and Leon begin to move toward him to help.

    ''I can''t have them saving me all the damn time! Not now!'' He mused, "Explosive arrow!"

    *BOOM*

 Chapter 324 Undead Hounds

    Chapter 324 Undead Hounds

    An explosion that was half the size of a car went off below Alten.

    The force of the st was enough to push the other students back, as Alten was thrown out of harm''s way.

    The spikes underneath were damaged well, but only slightly. They would still easily pierce through Alten if given the chance.

    Alten quickly rose to his feet, panting slightly.

    "Holy shit... that was close." He said, sheathing his bow back on his back.

    "Good job." Lyrian pushed him on the back, as Alten turned toward him and nodded.

    ''Haha! I saved myself!'' He inwardly mused, feeling proud of this aplishment.

    ''No more foolish crap. I will be extra safe from now on.''

    They moved on not too long after this, leaving the trap behind. The walk extended for hours, as they met a few skeleton groups along the way.

    At times the crew took breaks, snaking on some food items that they might have prepared beforehand.

    Lyrian didn''t really feel like stopping but was forced to do so due to some of the others.

    "I feel like we''ve taken the longest possible way to that damn inheritance." The fat friend of Jalern''s, now known by Lyrian as Kaspov, eximed as he heavily breathed.

    Sitting on the ground, the boy had an exhausted and paining look on his face.

    Lyrian didn''t say anything, simply gazing toward the path that extended onward.

    He and Leon were the only two standing. Apart from them, everyone enjoyed the small break.

    "Alright! That''s 15 minutes. Up, everyone!" Lyrian eximed, looking at his bracelet.

    The fat kid, Kaspov, and the other acquaintance of Jalern''s, Fraser, got up with exasperated sighs.

    Jackson, Geld, and Alten weren''t too happy to stand up either, but they knew that they shouldn''tin.

    After all, they were the ones who were falling behind more so than the leader, who was Lyrian.

    If they didn''t listen to him, it would be the equivalent of slowing him down.

    After they began to walk again, they soon came across an erged part of the pathway.

    The amber crystals disappeared and only reappeared very far along the path over 500 meters away.

    In the middle was a space where only pitch-ck darkness existed.

    Not too far off in this darkness, specks of glowing red dots littered the path.

    As Lyrian saw this, he approached with caution, as did everyone else.

    With arge me lit on his fingertip, Lyrian arrived right in front of the red spots.

    Just then, one of the eyes jerked forward, quickly revealing a bony creature of some kind.

    Upon closer inspection, the creature looked to be a dog or wolf but waspletely undead.

    It was skeletonized. As soon as the first one was discovered, dozens more began popping out from behind.

    Before long, the group of students was covered by these beasts amid the darkness.

    ''Scan... it seems they all have an average OP of 7. Not much stronger than the skeletons, but with this many of them, it will be a slight problem.''

    Lyrian mused as he retrieved a few items from his storage ring.

    He grabbed a few handfuls of Manathryll and began chucking them out toward all directions.

    The beasts backed up slightly as they saw the pieces of rock fly towards them.

    Before long, however, all of the beasts were lit up wlessly.

    "Prepare to fight..." Lyrian said calmly, as at that moment, the ''Undead Hounds'' lunged in at once.

    Their coordination was quick as they attacked one person in a group.

    Their bites were fierce, enough to rip off a chunk of skin with a simple chomp.

    In mere moments, everyone was fighting these wolves, holding them back with their respective weapons.

    As they continued to fight them, they seemed to continuously appear.

    Even after five minutes of struggle, they simply didn''t seem to end.

    ''These Undead Hounds aren''t wolves, but real dogs. Wild dogs, that have gained in size and strength.''

    Lyrian said to himself as he continued staring at some which continued racing over to him.

    They lunged forward and attempted to bite and w, but were easily eviscerated by a single punch.

    Still, Lyrian found it difficult to go all out, as he had to watch out for everyone else.

    "Everyone! Run back into the light behind us!" He suddenly called out, being the first to begin running.

    Others had no choice but to follow suit, as Lyrian made his way through the thick bunch of wolves that had already formed behind them.

    "What the hell is this!? Are you telling us to run away!" Kaspov eximed in confusion as he ran.

    "Just shut up and listen to him! He hasn''t been wrong about anything yet, has he!?" Geld eximed to the fatty, slightly annoyed by his demeanor.

    Altenughed slightly as he heard this from the rich noble, not expecting such a reaction.

    Finally, they all made it back to the amber-lit portion of the path as Lyrian abruptly turned around.

    "Leon, Alten! You know what to do, right!?"

    Lyrian said, holding up his fist as it suddenly set aze.

    Alten turned around with determination, aiming his bow toward the wolves that quickly stormed toward them.

    Leon didn''t say a word and ced his hand on the hilt of

    his de, ready to attack.

    The others stayed back, not knowing what was going to happen next.

    Finally, Lyrian took in a deep breath, ''With all the wolves on one side, I don''t have to worry about anyone else getting injured.''

    "Not now!" He yelled as Alten and Leon prepared themselves to attack.

    Alten ced two arrows on his string, as Leon gripped his hilt tightly.

    ''Throughout these three months, I barely got the chance to go to the library, and I also didn''t learn much about actual magic spells in Gradweids ss...''

    He paused, allowing the hounds to run closer. "On my signal..." He said out loud, as Leon and Alten itched to unleash their assault.

    ''However, I did manage to learn two magic spells during this break. One of them is...''

    "Now!" Lyrian suddenly broke his train of thought and shouted this.

    "me Wheel!"

 Chapter 325 Flame Wheel

    Chapter 325 me Wheel

    Alten released his arrows, as they suddenly burst into mes mid-air.

    The two arrows spun in the air in a DNA spiral, creating a vortex of me that pierced down the center of the skeleton hounds.

    Leon unsheathed his de at once as he released a series of wind tycoons toward the wolves using his sheer strength and sword skill.

    These small tycoons lifted the hounds into the air as their bones got dismembered and thrown around.

    Finally, Lyrian unleashed his attack, driving his hand forward.

    As soon as he did this, a small spiral of fire generated slightly behind him.

    Then, that fire spun at an incredible speed as it propelled forward, gaining in size at the same time.

    By the time it was a few feet in front of them, the giant wheel of fire that fit perfectly in the passage was 3 feet in thickness.

    It rushed forward, mowing down all of the wheels as it moved side to side as if it was curving in direction.

    It almost seemed to have a mind of its own, as it tore through the hounds.

    It moved so fast that in a mere 10 seconds, it had made it to the other side of the wolves, and now even returned to finish them all off!

    By the time it got back to Lyrian, the wheel of fire simmered down to a small spiral and disappeared.

    The hundreds of hounds within the passage were wiped out at once.

    ''That took more mana than I anticipated... usually, I canunch over 10 of those before running out of mana, but if they are that strong, they will probably finish my mana by the third wheel. It''s extremely effective for clearing outrge crowds.''

    Safe to say, everyone else was shocked by what they just saw.

    Alten, Geld, and Jackson''s jaws were on the floor. In fact, Fraser and Kaspov couldn''t help but have their mouths hung wide open.

    As they gazed at the path in front of them, they couldn''t believe their eyes.

    Then, their gaze turned to Lyrian, who calmly began walking forward.

    "C''mon! Let''s not stand around." He shouted, turning back around and marching forward.

    Jalern didn''t want to show his current shock, but even he couldn''t stop his eyes from widening.

    ''That me Wheel... it was unlike anything I have ever seen. Not only did ite back, it even moved in curves as if it had a life of its own! Not to mention the sheer power of it!''

    The boy paused, staring at Lyrian''s back as he walked, ''Just... just how strong is this kid. I thought he was just some peasant. A nobody. Are the rumors of him beating Drake actually true? Is he actually a Phoenix in the rubble?''

    He began to question, perplexed by his experience, ''No... it can''t be true. No matter how strong he seems to be, he wouldn''t be able to beat Drake. It''s simply impossible. Not even in a million years. That me Wheel was powerful... but it''s nothingpared to what I''ve seen from Godfrey Drake. That guy is a whole other monster.''

    After walking for a bit, they arrived at where Lyrian had thrown the shards of Manathryll.

    Quickly, he swept everything off the floor before moving.

    Just because he used the ore didn''t mean he wouldn''t retake it. That would be foolish ording to his philosophy.

    Soon, the dark part of the pathway ended as it returned to normal size for a few more minutes, before another dead end showed itself.

    This dead end, however, waspletely unlike the first one.

    It was inside of a fairlyrge room that opened up, and the dead end was simply a giant door.

    The door reminded Lyrian of the doors of the Magma Dweller king''s castle--at least, in terms of size.

    They were made of hard steel and had many nuts and bolts in them to fortify their durability.

    Immediately upon entering this room, the first thing Lyrian did was ce his hand on the door.

    "It''s extremely durable. I feel a slight tingle in my fingers just by touching it." He said, imagining that just how tough the door was.

    "A slight tingle?" Leon questioned, cing his own hand on the door.

    "Huh... I suppose you''re right. This thing is so dense that it leaves your fingers in a slight tingle. It''s probably some sort of magic we don''t understand."

    "Slight tingle?" Alten was confused about what the two were talking about and ced his hand on the door as well.

    "I do feel it... but it''s obviously not because of the denseness of it. How could that possibly cause a tingling sensation?"

    Lyrian found this to be quite logical, "I guess that''s true. My bad." He inly stated, recognizing his error.

    "Wow... I thought you were more confident in your answer from your arrogance." Leon said, disappointed in Lyrian.

    "But, do you know why that is? What could cause this if not the denseness of the door?" Lyrian questioned, as a few seconds of silence sounded.

    Jackson stepped forward, "It could be an array." He guessed, taking a hard look at the door.

    "An array?" Lyrian and the other two questioned.

    "Yes, I believe that Jackson here is actuallypletely right. There must be some sort of protective array that gives this door the illusion of being that durable and dense. I''m not saying it isn''t, but this array must increase its durability by leaps and bounds."

    Geld eximed, adding his own two cents.

    "An array of durability... I guess that''s to make sure

    no one can enter through brute force huh?"

    Lyrian mused out loud, tightening his fist. He cocked it back just slightly before unleashing it.

    The fistnded cleanly on the wall and sent a vibration through the entire thing.

    However, Lyrian could tell that there was no way his strength alone would be enough to open the door.

    "Hey... how about we take a look at this giant map here. That might help." Alten said, standing next to a pedestal holding... a giant map.

 Chapter 326 Map Of The Graveyard

    Chapter 326 Map Of The Graveyard

    "What th- I didn''t even notice that," Jackson said as he turned around.

    Leon and the others seemed to have the same reaction.

    Geld walked to where Alten was and took a look at this pedestal.

    The pedestal wasrge, nearly half the size of a car.

    It was t on top and revealed what looked to be ayout of the entire graveyard.

    Theyout was in a circr form on the pedestal, but it was cut into four pieces and scattered inconsistently.

    "Hmm... it seems that we have to somehow figure our way through thisbyrinth with the help of this map. Except, we also have to decipher it."

    Geld said, scratching his head as he stared at the map. All he could see was hundreds of lines carved into the stone.

    They went in every direction and symbols of different beasts and whatnot were thinly spread around.

    Lyrian walked over to the pedestal and took a look at himself.

    "We came from here." He ced his finger on the pedestal where the starting room looked to be.

    It was a slightlyrger carved-out square than most of the rest.

    "We walked through here..." He began moving his finger along a line, describing what happened as he went.

    "We took this turn here, this was where the pit trap was, and this was where we fought those Undead Hounds,"

    Everyone listened to his words as they followed his finger in their path.

    "That''s weird..." Alten chimed in, taking a look at where they fought the hounds.

    "Look right there... the symbol next to the hounds is a big flower. It makes no sense. Why would a flower be there, when in reality, it was a bunch of deadly hounds?"

    Everyone nodded, agreeing to Alten''s discovery.

    "Well, as we already know from the various trapped ces around; this graveyard is not something that Orion wanted to be easily explored. That flower symbol was most likely ced there as a trick to get people into a dangerous area."

    Geld replied, thinking that this was a very logical answer.

    "That makes a lot of sense, but does that mean that all the symbols ced here are wrong? Opposite to what they actually are?" Jackson added with a hint of worry.

    "What can we really trust in this map then?" Alten was now hesitant.

    Lyrian continued moving his finger to where they currently were.

    "Even if the symbols are mismatched, we should be right here at this current moment."

    His finger ended at a room with the symbol of a map next to it.

    ''The wolves had the symbol of flowers, but this room with a map has the symbol of a map. That means that some symbols are true, and not just a trick it seems...''

    Lyrian mused, slightly confused with this realization.

    ''Just what is the true motive of these tricks?''

    "Hey! Look at what it says is on the other side of the door!" Alten ced his finger down on the spot he was talking about.

    There was a symbol of a skeleton with two bones going across it, simr to a pirate''s g.

    However, in this context, it meant certain death.

    "This graveyard is clearly trying to kill us. If we go there, then we would simply be foolish." Kaspov eximed, crossing his arms.

    "No, what if it''s another trick? What if they are simply trying to make us think it''s a dangerous area, but in reality, it''s a ce with treasure. After all, the symbols of this graveyard are opposite to what they really are. We''ve already discovered that right?" Geld eximed in retortion.

    "No... not quite. Look at this symbol right here." Lyrian pointed to the map symbol next to where they were.

    He didn''t even need to say anything for everyone to understand.

    Geld understood almost immediately. "Ah... you''re right. I didn''t notice it because it seemed so normal, but if the map room has a map symbol, then we can not assume that all symbols are opposite to each other."

    "It''s not like we have a choice right now. Let''s just go in there." Lyrian said, taking a closer look at the map.

    "How in the world are we supposed to open that door though?" Alten retorted, lost.

    "There must be a way. A door always has an entrance, if you try hard enough." Lyrian answered, continuing to stare at the map.

    At that moment, Lyrian noticed a faint engraving on the side of the room they were currently in.

    "It''s blurry, and almost covered up, but there''s something here."

    He pointed, as everyone took a look.

    No one knew what it was exactly, but there was indeed something there.

    A different sort of stonepared to the average stone marking the nothingness of the graveyard.

    "Start looking for clues in the room. It''s connected to this room, so it must be here somewhere." Lyrian suddenly said, taking everyone aback slightly.

    However, they didn''t hesitate too much to ept his orders.

    All except for Jalern began to look for anything out of ce that could lead to more information.

    They wanted to find that missing piece of the map. After a while of investigating, however, everyonees closer and closer to a loss.

    ''There truly seems to be nothing abnormal in the room...'' Geld mused, perplexed about what he and the team should do next.

    ''It feels like we are not moving anywhere. Like we are going in circles.'' He looked over to the pedestal across from where he was.

    ''It''s an insane ce, this graveyard. But, I''d expect no less from Orion the great himself. It feels like whenever you think something is going to be one way, it''s going to be apletely other way from what you originally thought...''

    As soon as he said these words in his head, Geld felt himselfing to a slow realization.

    ''Other way... wait a second,'' He felt as though he had a sudden epiphany, ''That''s right. We shouldn''t be doing the obvious right now. If this clue is going to be anywhere, it''s not going to be in the least obvious ce, but the most obvious! However, looking for the least obvious would actually be the most obvious thing we could do!''

 Chapter 327 Deciphering The Map

    Chapter 327 Deciphering The Map

    Geld abruptly walked over to the pedestal, ''The most obvious ce to look, which would actually be the least obvious due to that very reason, would be right here on this pedestal.''

    Now, looking at the entire pedestal with a different set of eyes, ones that looked extensively for clues, Geld almost instantly found something out of ce.

    Upon closer inspection, he discovered a series of small, intricate symbols carved on the different edges of therge stone structure.

    There were four symbols, and they were ced adjacent to the four moving parts of the scattered pieces of the map.

    ''It''s almost like the two correspond...'' Geld mused, as he continued to investigate these symbols.

    "Everyone! I found something worth looking at!" Geld said as soon as he confirmed that these symbols weren''t useless.

    They all walked over, and Geld exined what he understood from the symbols.

    How they possibly rted to the four scattered parts of the map, and how they were possibly coded for something that they could decipher.

    "It''s clear to see that none of these symbols are letters," Lyrian said, taking a look at them.

    "They are actual symbols that mean something. Like this one, it shows a v shape going through a circle." He eximed, pointing to one.

    "A v shape? Could that be a sword? Maybe a spear?" Leon chimed in, as that made sense to him.

    "What could the circle be?" Alten questioned, but no one coulde up with anything too obvious.

    "Well, whatever they are, I think we can be sure that once we find out the true meaning behind these four symbols, we can understand the missing map piece, and unlock this hidden passage to the side that leads to that room with the skeleton death symbol on it," Lyrian said, as everyone nodded in agreement.

    Now, they were fixed on what their goal was.

    To decipher these symbols, and open up that hidden passage.

    The process of solving these symbols wasn''t easy, and actually arduous instead.

    However, after a while of going at it nonstop, they began to quicken their rate of progress.

    Finally, they came to a conclusion in the end.

    "The V going into the circle symbol means a sword piercing an eye." Just like this, Geld announced the meaning of the four symbols.

    "The horizontal and vertical lines represent the cutting of hair." He paused, allowing everyone to follow along.

    They all confirmed his words, making sure there were no mistakes and everything lined up perfectly.

    "The triangle and square represent a throne, and finally, the two circles represent infinity."

    After this, a few seconds of awkward silence ensued.

    After all this hard work... no one knew what do to next.

    *Click*

    Out of nowhere, patches of stone opened up on various sides of the wall but suddenly unleashed a barrage of arrows toward the students.

    This was so sudden that not everyone was able to avoid them this time.

    Both Jackson and Kaspov were grazed quite badly.

    Kaspov cried out in pain, as Jackson clutched the side of his arm with a sizable chunk taken out of his arm.

    Lyrian quickly rushed over and took a look at the arm of the boy that was splurting out blood like a water fountain.

    "Here, quickly, drink this." Lyrian pulled out a healing elixir and handed it to Jackson.

    Jackson quickly drank it, as Lyrian mused, ''He helped me in the entrance exam in this way, so I have to repay the favor.''

    Back then, when Lyrian had almost fully run out of energy, Jackson used his power to heal Lyrian.

    However, Lyrian remembered how Jackson went into an almost critical state due to mana exhaustion.

    For that reason, Lyrian wasn''t going to hesitate to help the boy.

    After drinking it, Jackson eximed in gratitude, "Thank you! I wouldn''t have been able to heal my arm fast enough by myself. You''re a lifesaver."

    Kaspov then eximed, "Give me one too damn it! Hurry up, you fucking moron! My leg is about to fall off!"

    He screamed in a flustered rage, in excruciating pain as he clutched his leg that had an arrowing piercing right through it.

    Lyrian stood up and faced the boy, "No. Deal with it yourself." He said coldly.

    "What!? Are you insane!? Why did you give it to him then!"

    Lyrian didn''t hesitate to answer, "There are a multitude of reasons. None of which you fit the criteria of. Jackson is my friend. I have been waiting to repay the favor he granted me in the entrance exam. And finally, he is currently in my group for this exam."

    "Group!? We are in the same group, you fool!"

    "Just because we are traveling together doesn''t mean we are in the same group. You three said it yourselves at the start. We are not in a group, we are simply going the same way. If you want help, ask your own leader."

    Lyrian looked up at Jalern, who stared back with furrowed brows.

    After a few seconds of the fat boy continuing to scream in pain, Jalern took a potion out of his robe and threw it down forcefully onto the face of Kaspov.

    For a second, the ss broke and cut deep into the boy''s skin, but in the very next second, everything on the boy''s body healed instantly, and the arrow was pulled out of his leg.

    Kaspov immediately stood up, nearly retaliating against his leader, Jalern, who had turned around by now.

    Before he could, however, Fraser quickly covered his mouth and held him back.

    "What the hell are you thinking!?" He whispered loudly into Kaspov''s ear, throwing him to the ground suddenly.

    As hended on his rear with a thud, Kaspov''s anger disappeared.

    He breathed a few deep breaths, calming himself down.

    "The reason why that just happened... was it because we gave the wrong answer?" Jackson eximed, standing up.

    No one spoke for a few seconds, but Lyrian broke the silence with, "You are right. But... I now know the answer."

 Chapter 328 Mysterious Casket

    Chapter 328 Mysterious Casket

    Only a second after Lyrian, Alten said, "I think I know it as well," Before backing up slightly.

    Lyrian turned around, "If you think you know it... let''s do it and finish the puzzle."

    Alten nodded, and as everyone stared at him, he put an arrow on his bowstring.

    He stretched it only slightly, beforeunching the arrow forward.

    It hit the center of the circle map, and as soon as it did, a golden energy traveled through the carved lines in the stone.

    The once dull map lit up with a golden essence as the arrow fell to the floor and the four separate pieces moved around.

    Finally, one chunk out of the four got surrounded by the yellow energy and moved to the top left.

    All the others were still in their lopsided, odd arrangements. But this one was now in its correct position.

    It just so happened to be that this part of the map was also the part that they were currently in right now.

    "Perfect!" Alten eximed in excitement as he ran over to the pedestal.

    "The V represented an arrow, and the circle represented the map. It was quite obvious from the start." Lyrian said as Geld followed up.

    "That''s right. An arrow, which has been getting fired at us constantly, and which has already attacked us once in this room. That, and the specifically circr shape of the map should have given away the clue."

    Jackson also added, "What about the three other parts of the map though? What do we do about those?"

    Lyrian took a look and answered, "It seems... that is not our responsibility."

    As he said this, the others also took a look at the map.

    "We came from this side, and have unlocked this part of the puzzle. Now, it is up to the others to unlock the next parts. Our job in the construction of the map is over. All we have to do now is reach the middle of the graveyard, which all paths lead to. Right here."

    He pointed to the southeast corner of their part of the circle, where the center was.

    At that moment, the golden aura also poured out into the map into that blurry area of stone, revealing what it truly was.

    Another box of golden formed, signifying another room. Just then, the stone to the left of the room opened up to form a passage.

    "It worked out quite easily," Alten said, smirking at the open passageway.

    "Easily? Who knows how lucky we got. If we got that wrong too many times, there may have been far more dangerous traps and punishmentsid out for us." Lyrian said as everyone made their way toward the passage.

    Before leaving, Lyrian took onest nce at the room in case he forgot anything or didn''t notice something that he should have.

    In the end, he was mostly satisfied and turned to follow the students into the passage.

    The passage was slightly smaller than the long one they traveled through to get to the map room.

    However, it was short, since it turned toward the left once, and then again��simply going past the wall of stone that the door was blocking.

    They entered the next room with ease and quickly noticed the iron door on the other side.

    As soon as they stepped in, the door abruptly opened. It seemed that their footsteps triggered a spell for it to unlock.

    They could see the previous room again and had easy ess to the map.

    Right in front of this door, which was to the left of the passage, there was a series of pirs moving forward.

    The room was rectangr and elongated forward from where this door stood.

    In length, it stretched over 100 feet, but in width��from where the passage ended and where the opposite wall was, it was barely 30 feet.

    After walking to the iron door, they all began walking forward.

    The pirs were each spaced about 15 feet apart themselves, leaving a few feet on their outside.

    Some pirs were cracked, which showed just how old the ce was.

    Finally, they made it to the end of the room where a series of t and long stairs led to arge casket at the very top.

    The casket wasid horizontally from where Lyrian and the others stood and was closed shut.

    Before Lyrian, who was leading the group, could ascend the flight of stairs up to the casket tform, Alten clutched his hand and held him back.

    "Wait! There might be traps ahead."

    Lyrian didn''t utter a word, as Alten continued, "And... what if that''s actually the body of Orion."

    Leon retorted, "So what? Is he a threat to us even on his death bed?"

    Alten paused, not knowing how to articte his words for a second.

    "No... but this just doesn''t feel right. Why would his body be in this random room, inside of a dusty and old casket��instead of in the center, where treasure and inheritance are said to be?"

    "Hmm... you''re right. That does make little sense."

    After Lyrian agreed, Alten didn''t really know what suggestion to give.

    "Good job on noticing that. For now, how about everyone stay back here, and only I go to check out the casket."

    "Wait! What if there''s a trap though?" Alten retorted, slightly worried.

    "If there is a trap, then me going alone would still be the best option, rather than all of us going. Plus, I will be able to avoid any traps... at least, more so than anyone else here."

    This exnation was unbeatable. There wasn''t anything Alten could say in retaliation, so he decided to agree with Lyrian.

    As everyone backed up, Jalern eximed, "I will only do this once. Count this as a favor," As he backed up with the students.

    "A favor? Pfft." Geld teased under his breath, but Jalern still managed to hear it.

    "What did you say!?" The boy began to taunt, as Lyrian blocked out all of that noise and focused on the task ahead of him.

    He calmly walked up to the casket and slowly lifted it. It opened with a loud creak before falling back on its hinges.

    Insidey a mummified body covered in a cloth wrap, where barely even a single inch of skin was shown.

    The cloth was brown and dirty, and the eyes shown in between the fabric were closed.

    At that moment, Lyrian noticed the dead figure holding something with both hands on top of its stomach.

    It was a wand with several gems and valuable stones encrusted into it.

    ''Hmm... Scan.''

    ��������Item Scan��������

    Name: Orions Grandeur Wand

    Description: The wand of Orion The Great; a powerful magus of ancient. This wand is quite powerful but mostly depends on the strength of the user. Its value exceeds many luxurious items of this time.

    ��������������������������

    At that moment, a smirk appeared on Lyrian''s face.

 Chapter 329 Orion’s Wand

    Chapter 329 Orion��s Wand

    "A casket huh? It looks like a real grave." Jackson looked around as he spoke.

    Alten added, "Yeah... if the deceased body of Orion is actually in that casket, that means that the inheritance must be in the center. But... why would his body be ced far away?"

    Geld surmised an answer for this, "Actually, thinking about it, I probably would choose to have my real grave be ced away from everything else as well."

    As he said this, everyone looked at him with slight confusion and curiosity.

    Those expressions pushed Geld toe up with an exnation.

    "Well... if I had a grave where I put my inheritance, I would want my body to be ced somewhere far away from all the extravagance that my inheritance would exude. I would want it somewhere calm, quiet, and empty. Somewhere that nothing distracted its presence,"

    He paused, taking a look around, "Somewhere like here."

    "Ah..." Alten eximed, "I see... now that I think about it, you''re right."

    "Hey, what''s up with this inheritance thing anyways?" Jackson suddenly inquired, seemingly confused, "Aren''t we taught that it''s wrong to take from the deceased?"

    In response to this, Alten added, "I heard you get cursed or something if you steal from the dead."

    After a second, Leon chimed into the conversation, seeing no one had an answer.

    "An inheritance isn''t stealing from the dead, but rather, continuing the only thing that once gave them life. As long as that inheritance is seen, touched, or used in any way, carried on through generations, the life of the original person whom that inheritance came from is not dead, nor forgotten."

    After he said this, everyone was slightly taken aback by the profoundness of his speech.

    Leon stared forward with a stern expression, which was his usual face.

    Alten looked at him, wondering, ''I wonder what his life was like before the exam, for him to have such insight. After all, he isn''t a noble or even a normal plebeian. I heard his family was very poor.''

    At that moment, Leon was looking at Lyrian''s back. On the other side, Lyrian had a smirk on his face, and his eyes seemed to glow as he looked at the gem-encrusted wand right below him.

    Without hesitation, his hand reached inside of the casket and neared the wand that was tightly clutched in the hands of Orion.

    Just then, Julius, who was watching his orb with furrowed brows, clenched his fist.

    Before he said anything, Jalls eximed, "Surely... he wouldn''t grab it right?"

    Right now, Rerth had a serious expression on his face, while Granweid was simply blown away.

    "Orion''s Grandeur Wand... we thought it was lost in history, alongside his death. But, it''s really there. It''s real!" He couldn''t contain his excitement.

    "It''s a powerful wand alright... but Lyrian is foolish to try and take it from his hands," Rerth eximed, crossing his arms.

    Everyone looked at him.

    "Orion is no fool. If something of his is not located at the ce of his inheritance, it''s clear to assume that he wouldn''t want it to be taken."

    Examiners nodded, as Julius added, "Not just that, but the fact that Orion purposefully ced the wand inside of his casket, clutched in his hands... that alone should be enough for anyone to understand that it is not to be taken. It was amon thing back in those days to not steal from the dead, and Orion likely assumed that such tradition would be passed down."

    Jalls added, "Indeed, it has been passed down. However... it seems Lyrian has not learned of this tradition."

    Julius'' face contorted slightly with a mixture of concern, and seriousness.

    "Such a great magician wouldn''t allow something so great to be stolen without permission. I am sure that there is an immense punishment for attempting to steal it. This has to be Orion''s will..."

    As he said this, the other examiners in the room stared at their orbs with slightly concerned faces.

    Along with them, those watching at home were also very curious about what was going to happen.

    Theageld, one of the three MVPs of Anaviotis, had already impressed them with his skills so far.

    However, what would happen now that he was to steal from the dead? Now that he was to steal from Orion The Great.

    Unbeknownst to all of this, Lyrian''s hand grabbed the hilt of the wand, as he slightly tugged on it.

    However, the old fingers of the magus didn''t let go. Using some more strength, but still acting delicately, Lyrian tugged on it once again.

    This time, the wand became slightly released from the clutches of Orion''s fingers, as a thick purple essence oozed out from his fingers.

    At that moment, his entire body oozed this essence out slightly from the inside of the cloth.

    The eyes of the magus flew open, slightly startling Lyrian, as the purple liquid quickly climbed up from the wand up Lyrian''s hand and entered his eyes.

    This happened so fast that Lyrian had no time to react. In seconds, his eyes turned into a deep purple color, as his bodypletely froze.

    Lyrian felt as though not even a second had passed by, but his eyes gleamed open in apletely different realm than where he was before.

    Everything around him was dark, stretching on for infinity.

    Lyrian turned around multiple times at once, slightly stumbling as he tried to grasp his surroundings.

    "Where the hell--?"

    He grumbled under his breath, not understanding what was happening.

    At that moment, he felt a forceful wind brush against his face. The wind was strong enough to push him back slightly.

    This cool yet fierce wind

    attacked once again from behind, and then from the left, then the right.

    As it assaulted him, Lyrian suddenly heard a grumble above him.

    It was a loud, and enormous grumble that seemed to shake the entire realm he was in.

    Suddenly, the sound of thunder boomed through the darkness!

    Lyrian''s eardrums shook with the thunder''s storming rattle as his head jerked up to face the sky.

    There, he saw a ferocious thunderstorm with dark grey clouds moving inside of what looked like a tycoon��it resembled a storm hurricane.

    Large and fast droplets of rain began to fall, as the ferocious cumulonimbus clouds began unleashing strikes of lightning toward the ground.

    Before he knew it, Lyrian was trapped in the middle of this maelstrom of tempest.

    Finally, in the climax of his struggle, a voice boomed throughout the realm.

    "And forsaken, and a mind corrupted!"

 Chapter 330 A Sinners Testament; The Long Awaited Successor

    Chapter 330 A Sinners Testament; The Long Awaited Sessor

    Other students in the casket room looked at Lyrian as they spoke with each other. To them, Lyrian seemed to simply be frozen there. Standing over the casket. They couldn''t see what he was doing, so they were forced to be patient and wait.

    Lyrian, however, was in apletely different world right now. The loud voice that he just heard threw him off guard. Asshes of wind whipped at his skin, he turned to try and locate where the voice came from in this giant storm.

    "Who are you? Where am I!" Lyrian suddenly shouted into the sky, as the voice replied.

    "Centuries past, and yet virtue has been lost. My wish was not to harm you, but you havemitted a grave sin!"

    Lyrian was confused, "A grave sin!? What are you talking about!" He had no clue what the voice was saying. He didn''t even know if it was addressing him at this point, since it was talking in such an oddnguage.

    "Robbery of the dead! Thieving a grave! There is no such disrespect, that the dead can attain!"

    "What?" Lyrian said under his breath, sounding genuinely confused. "That is a sin?" He looked down and questioned himself, before turning his head back up toward the sky where the voice sounded from. "That is why you are so angry!? Because I stole from your deceased corpse?" Lyrian yelled into the sky these words which any normal person would say are disrespectful.

    "Fool!" The voice boomed back. This one word was far louder than even the others. Back to the normal tone, the voice continued, "You dare disrespec--" As the voice spoke, Lyrian yelled out, "That body is no longer yours!"

    "What nonsense do you spout!?"

    "To greed over what is already lost is nothing but ignorant avarice!"

    "Ack--" The voice couldn''t get a single syble out.

    "Orion The Great!" Lyrian yelled out before musing to himself, ''I don''t know what this is, but I must get out of this situation in any way possible. If this is a set punishment for those who stole from his grave, then it most likely is something very dangerous.''

    "You must not know it, but your grand name has been passed down through generations to be legendary!"

    "Why say such words when you have already attempted to defile my grave, sinner!"

    "You may think that I have tried to defile your grave, but in reality, all I have tried to do was continue your legacy!"

    "What?"

    "It is no different than your inheritance! I--"

    "Of course, it is different than my inheritance!" Orion''s voice cut Lyrian off abruptly, "The most valuable item which I have held in my grave is not to be taken!"

    "But why not!? You say it is your most valuable item, but after your passing, is it not only a valuable item with no owner?"

    "More foolishness!"

    "Listen to what I have to say!"

    After this, there stretched a moment of short silence, where Lyrian understood that his words were making some sense. Otherwise, Orion would not have let him continue. He hadn''t convinced the magus at all, but at least he knew he was making some sort of dent.

    "If I leave your wand in the hands of your past body, your hands will one day be dirt! If I leave this day without your wand in my hands, then that wand will be taken by bandits, who will strip it from your body, not as Orion''s Grandeur Wand, but as a powerful, valuable wand with no owner."

    Lyrian paused, as Orion''s voice still didn''t say a word. "That wand will no longer hold any merit, apart from its value. That wand will no longer hold the trials and tribtions that it went through with you. It will only be a stick with gems!"

    "Hold your tongue, boy!"

    ''Damn... a bit too much. I''ll tone it down.''

    "All I want to say is that I knew what sin I wasmitting in your eyes before attempting to take your wand. However, I only want to take it, so that others don''t. So that it doesn''t fall into bad hands, and so that its legend is preserved..."

    Finally, Lyrian finished with, "What do you think?" He paused, allowing his words to settle in, "That if I leave your wand here today, it will stay with you until the end of time!?"

    "Of course not! Fool!" Orion''s voice answered back to this direct challenge.

    "Then tell me, what will happen!"

    "My wand will one day..." Orion paused, as if in thought, "Be picked up by a sessor. One that can continue my legacy! That is its fate!"

    "Then why not let me be that sessor!"

    "What!?"

    "Ie from good wishes! I want to preserve your legacy!"

    "That is not what I want in a sessor! What I want is--"

    Before he could speak, Lyrian interjected to make himself sound better, and not as though he was just copying Orion''s words.

    "Peace!" Lyrian yelled, stopping Orion''s words. From the book of Ephiras Varant that he had read, he knew that Varant wanted peace between the two continents��The Mortal ins��And thend of the elves, which Lyrian remembered was Eden something. Orion was an acquaintance of Varant, so Lyrian knew that, at the very most political level, they would want the same things.

    "I know that you want peace between the two continents. Although right now, there are whispers of war spreading throughout thend."

    Lyrian lied but knew he had to do so in order to get what he wanted in this situation.

    "What!? We stopped that war long ago!"

    "It has been centuries from then! Why do you think it is now that your grave has been discovered!"

    Orion said naught. After another pause, Lyrian shouted, "Allow me to be the sessor of your wand, great magus! I will use it efficiently, to carry your name, to fulfill its duty, and to establish peace between the two continents!"

    Although it felt like a long time had passed for Lyrian, it wasn''t at all the same in the outside world.

    For others, the several minutes that Lyrian felt he spent in Orion''s void was less than a few seconds.

    Still, even this much was enough for some to begin getting a little concerned.

    "Hey... he''s been there for over 20 seconds now. Don''t you think we should do something?" Jackson mused out loud, staring at the back of Lyrian.

    "No... let him take however long he decides. If this truly is Orion''s grave, there must be a reason he''s taking so long."

    Leon replied with a calm tone.

    Inside the void, Orion waspletely quiet, as if in deep thought.

    "I don''t have much longer."

    Orion suddenly eximed as Lyrian furrowed his brows.

    "What do you mean? Aren''t you already deceased, great one?"

    ...

    "Yes, but even the dead have their time limits in the realm of mortals."

    "I see..."

    "When I was dying, I created this graveyard for myself,"

    At that moment, Lyrian felt as though he was suddenly transported to another ce.

    He was floating, above what looked to be a giant quarry in the ground.

    Above him was a bright blue sky, and in the quarry were several men who looked like mages--working hard to create the graveyard that he was inside of today.

    "I was extremely sick... or else, I would have created the damn thing by myself."

    Orion seemed to let out a disappointed chuckle as he said this.

    At this same time, it was almost as if the camera angle Lyrian was viewing shifted to show Orion on a wheelchair to the side.

    He sat in front of a group of several mages, looking over the quarry where the graveyard was built.

    Then, Lyrian was forced into Orion''s body and viewed the quarry through his own eyes.

    His eyes widened in shock as heprehended the scale of the graveyard''s creation. Every path, yet uncovered by stone, was visible from above. Without hesitation, Lyrian marked their current location and meticulously plotted the path his group had to take to reach the center.

    The graveyard, still unfinished in some parts, revealed itself to Lyrian. The vivid image in his mind allowed him to strategize and n their journey through the maze-like structure. It was a unique insight into the mind of the legendary warrior and the intricacies of the graveyard he had envisioned.

    Orion''s words hung in the void, leaving Lyrian intrigued and curious. Inside the mysterious space, Lyrian felt a connection with the great warrior as he continued to speak.

    Orion, still looking over the construction of his own grave, continued with a sense of nostalgia in his voice. "I cast a spell here a long ago, where I should stay in spirit form, locked into this realm."

    Lyrian, puzzled, asked, "Locked in spirit form? So you purposefully trapped yourself here?"

    Orion sighed, "Yes, but even in death, I am bound by certain rules. I can not stay here forever. I knew this, yet still went along with it."

    "Is it because of what you said? To find a sessor?"

    "Precisely that. Boy, I''ve lived a life that can not be fathomed by the normal mind. It would take a century just to exin it all. I do not want to let it go to waste."

    Lyrian didn''t say anything, allowing the magus to continue.

    "However, my time is nearly up now, and this is the first time that anyone hase too far in this grave. And from what I understand, it is thest time. So, I must give you my wand, whether I like it or not."

    Still, Lyrian said naught. It appeared his not speaking was working quite well.

    "Lyrian Theageld,"

    ''Wait... how did he know my name.''

    "Even though you are demonic in nature, for some odd reason... I shall bestow upon you my Grandeur Wand."

 Chapter 331 Holder Of Orions Grandeur Wand

    Chapter 331 Holder Of Orion''s Grandeur Wand

    Orion''s words felt as though they stabbed into his heart as they said this.

    ''This boy... I don''t know what it is about him. He seems trustworthy but also has a part of them that ispletely iprehensible. Just what type of man will he grow up to be?''

    Orion mused to himself, bewildered. Orion couldn''t help but wonder about Lyrian''s future self, as that would be the person who took care of his wand.

    On the other hand, Lyrian was more concerned with; ''Demon nature? What does he mean by that?''

    He paused, wondering why Orion would say something like that. Then, he thought; ''Maybe because Cerberus is within my being somewhere? Wherever my skills are stored within my body.''

    He chalked it up to be this, as he had no other exnation. Lyrian almost felt Orion''s confusion at that moment. The magus clearly wasn''t very confident with his decision.

    So, he decided to try and make up for that. "I swear to not let you down, Orion. I will keep my oath and keep the peace between the two continents."

    Lyrian spoke with chivalry and confidence behind his voice, making him seem more trustworthy. With this, Orion didn''t hesitate much longer before epting his decision fully.

    "I trust you to do so. You are now my sessor, Lyrian Theageld." As soon as Orion''s voice finished speaking, Lyrian felt an unfamiliar feeling make its way through his body. He felt as though something was making its ce within his soul.

    "But, I am not a fool whose words are all his merit carries. If you prove to be dishonest when the time calls, and when war breaks, then you will once again face my judgment."

    Without a second wasted, Lyrian solemnly replied, "I shall be ready for that day."

    "...Good luck, young one. You are mysterious but promising." As the echo of these words calmed down and faded away, so did the presence of the great magus they came from. And just like that, the scenery around Lyrian dissipated into the void.

    From the void, he instantly regained consciousness and was transported back to his body on Zaryn. He felt a chill climb up his spine, raising his hair. Gripping the wand, he tugged it for the final time, releasing it of its clutch and lifting it in the air.

    He turned around, as the group of students behind him gasped in awe. Those watching this exciting moment were also astonished to see what looked to be an ancient weapon that they were all familiar with.

    Figures, whether they be important, or not important whatsoever, were shocked at this discovery. The examiners were also excited, as a wide smile stretched across Julius'' face.

    "Hah! It seems like whatever Orion had put up as punishment, Lyrian got through it!" Rerth also eximed with a wide grin, "A promising kid, that one! He''s my student, by the way!"

    "Orion''s Grandeur Wand! He actually retrieved it! Surely, it''s not a duplicate right?" Granweid couldn''t help but exim in slight disbelief.

    "No... if the real thing is going to be located anywhere in the Mortal ins, it''s going to be there. He actually did it. This kid from the outskirts of Yaltas is proving to be a formidable entity." Jalls imed with excitement teeming under his voice.

    Back in the graveyard, the students burst into cheers as they saw the wand. They were equally as surprised as the examiners, and also in slight disbelief.

    Alten, Geld, and Jackson rushed up to Lyrian without hesitation, taking a better look at the weapon. "I can''t believe it!" Jackson eximed. "Did you actually find such a thing!?" Alten yelled.

    "This... it''s worth a fortune!" Geld eagerly spoke, his eyes almost turning into gold as he stared at the wand.

    As soon as he heard this, Lyrian whipped the wand away from the air and stored it inside his storage ring. "I won''t sell, or give away such a thing. It wasn''t easy to get it." Lyrian said sternly.

    "What? Not sell it?" Geld seemed disappointed. "A wasted opportunity... if it were me!" He cried.

    "Was it that hard to retrieve?" Alten asked, slightly confused. From his standpoint, all Lyrian had done was stand there.

    "Something must have happened, right, Lyrian?" Leon questioned from afar, as everyone in front of Lyrian turned to face him. Lyrian gave him a nod, as Kaspov blurted quickly turned to Jalern, and leaned into his shoulder.

    "Isn''t this good enough, lord? A treasure so valuable that it could catch the eye of some very big fish." He whispered so quietly that it threw Lyrian off, who was listening from the start.

    ''Some sort of noise cancetion magic?'' Lyrian mused, staring at Jalern and his group. "Not yet." Jalern replied in the same silent way, looking around, "We need to find an opportunity where we are safe to ambush them. I''m afraid, if we fight them right now, we will get decimated."

    Kaspov leaned back--disappointment etched across his face. "I can probably take on Lyrian, and you two might be able to finish off Leon, but the others will be a problem," Jalern eximed, as Kaspov and Fraser nodded.

    "What are you guys talking about so quietly over there," Lyrian stated toward Jalern and his group, who were 10 feet behind even Leon, who hadn''t walked up the stairs either.

    They all turned their heads to face the group as Jalern stepped forward with a serious expression. "What I tell mypanions is my own business. Are you trying to challenge me or something? Do you want a fight on your hands?"

    Jalern eximed with confidence oozing from his tone. ''No matter who he is, or how strong he is, he won''t want to fight me. Even if he thinks he can beat me, no one in their right mind would want to waste time in this exam with a fight. It would only make them weaker.'' Jalern mused with a smirk, ''This is perfect. He won''t try to fight me, and it will only make me look stronger.''

    However, at that moment--to the dismay of Leon and Alten, who knew Lyrian the most--Lyrian eximed, "Huh?" He tilted his head to the side with a pissed-off expression.

 Chapter 332 The Waiting Room

    Chapter 332 The Waiting Room

    ''That fool...'' Leon scoffed, looking back at Jalern, ''He probably thinks he''s some bigshot, and that Lyrian won''t want to fight him. He doesn''t know what kind of fool Lyrian is... I wouldn''t be surprised if he even challenged an emperor.''

    Alten was thinking the same, ''Oh god! Does that idiot really think Lyrian will back off from a direct threat!? He doesn''t know the extent of Lyrian''s arrogance!''

    At that moment, Jalern furrowed his brows. He lost his smirk, as he confusedly stared at Lyrian''s irritated expression.

    ''What? What is that reaction? Does he actually want a fight right now? Is he that stupid?''

    A few seconds of awkward silence passed, as Lyrian and Jalern stared at each other.

    Finally, Lyrian broke the silence, "Meh... anyways. Let''s get moving." His annoyed tone disappeared as he calmly walked down the stairs.

    At that moment, both Leon and Alten''s jaws dropped to the floor.

    Even Leon, who was trying to keep a calmer demeanor, couldn''t help but be utterly astonished at that reaction.

    As Lyrian walked past him, he stared at him, just to make sure he was seeing right.

    Jalern broke out into augh, "Hahaha! That''s right. Don''t be foolish... peasant."

    Lyrian didn''t react to that at all either, sending Alten into a world of bewilderment.

    ''What in the hell!? Why is Lyrian acting like that? Has hepletely changed from before!?'' He couldn''t help but think.

    Lyrian on the other hand walked down the stairs, musing to himself, ''Not now... I''ll save that fight for when we get to that room.''

    He emphasized the word ''that'' in his thoughts as he continued, ''That way, all the world can see at once when I beat the shit out of this pathetic fool.''

    As a reader, I know what you are thinking. What room is Lyrian talking about here?

    Well, when he was inside Orion''s old body, seeing the graveyard be built from a first-person point of view, Lyrian had seen a certain room.

    This room was built in a way where its purpose was obvious to anyone who looked at it.

    For now, Lyrian would ignore Jalern, until this room arrived.

    Thankfully, from what he remembered, they weren''t too far away.

    In fact, Lyrian and his group had taken the shortest path there was.

    ''I guess we got lucky.'' Lyrian mused as he walked around the pirs and back toward the end of the room.

    "Follow me. There should be a hidden passage over here." He called out to everyone.

    They were slightly surprised that he knew of the passage, and quickly followed him.

    At that moment, those watching the exam from home exhaled their breath.

    It felt as though they had been holding it the entire time while watching what just unfolded.

    Some were excited to see a fight between a high noble from the Masvidal family, and an MVP who held Orion''s Grandeur wand.

    Others were worried since they imagined the safety of both students would be in grave danger had they decided to fight.

    Examiners in the academy also breathed a sigh of relief but for varied reasons.

    "Wow... that could have been bad. A fight between two powerful students? It would have been a mess."

    Jalls eximed in relief, as Rerth and Julius looked over at him, and then to themselves.

    They both knew they were thinking the same thing, and that was, ''It was a good thing that Lyrian didn''t decide to fight Jalern... since the academy might have lost a high-ranking noble...''

    Walking past the pirs, Lyrian came across a hidden passage underneath the coffin, where the body of Orion was located.

    It was a cramped space, but he and everyone else made it through okay.

    After walking down a small flight of stairs, they walked into another passageway that was just as wide as the one they first stepped in at the beginning of the exam.

    Soon enough, the group came across what looked to be another dead end.

    This time, a map atop another pedestal was again located in the room.

    "Do we have toplete another puzzle?" Jackson questioned, walking up to the pedestal.

    Before anyone could speak, Lyrian sat down on a bench made of stone near the wall and replied, "Nope. Our job for now is finished."

    Hearing this, everyone turned to face him in slight confusion.

    "What are you talking about, ''our job is finished'', how are you sure of that?" Alten questioned, slightly confused about where Lyrian wasing from.

    "Look around. It should be obvious that this is a waiting room."

    "A waiting room? Why would a waiting room be in a deadly ce like this..."

    Alten quieted down as he surveyed the room and actually found that it did resemble a ce designed to rest.

    There was a small reservoir of water in one corner, a bed made of stone in another, and a few small benches ced against the walls.

    Still, it wasn''t enough to be certain. There was another metal door in this room as well.

    "Why is there another map here then? Are you sure we aren''t supposed to attempt another puzzle?" Geld questioned, cing his hand on the map.

    Oddly enough, the part of the map that was lit up with the golden aura from before was still lit up.

    Even though it was a different map, it followed the exact pattern of thest one.

    ''It will look kind of suspicious if I just say the right answers outright... but it shouldn''t matter too much at this point.''

    Lyrian mused before speaking.

    "Well, from what I''ve seen, It looks like each major group from the entrance exam will have to finish their part of the graveyard, and arrive at their very own waiting rooms."

    Lyrian said, as the others slowly listened more.

    "As you have probably surmised by now, there are four waiting rooms and one main room in the center."

    Before he could say anymore, Geld eximed, "There are four waiting rooms, because there are four parts of the map."

    "Exactly."

    Lyrian retorted, as Alten added, "And once all four parts of the map arepleted, then all the waiting room doors will open up, and all four groups gathered up will enter the final room at once."

    Lyrian smirked slightly on hearing this, "Exactly."

 Chapter 333 The Final Group

    Chapter 333 The Final Group

    "And that also exins why this map is lit up, just like thest one. It''s showing us how many parts have beenpleted, and when the final one will be." Jackson finally eximed.

    "You are correct," Lyrian answered.

    At that moment, Geld broke out into a slight chuckle, "My god... just how smart can a human being be! I can not believe you figured all of that out in such a short time!"

    Hearing this, Jalern also mused, ''He is indeed smart, I have to give him that. Even I wasn''t thinking so deeply into it.''

    Lyrian simply smirked, breathing a deep sigh, "Haa~"

    ''I guess attempting to steal Orion''s wand was a blessing in disguise after all.'' He cheekily mused.

    ''Still, I now have to maintain peace between the two continents. It''s not a small task.'' He thought to himself in a now more serious tone.

    ''I lied and said there were whispers of war spreading, but thankfully, that isn''t true. Orion said that there will be something waiting for me if that momentes though... I must prepare myself for it.''

    Finally, he thought, ''But... who knows if such an event will actually ur. For now, I will just concentrate on passing this exam.''

    "Hey, but surely, we aren''t the only ones that are going to be in this waiting room, right?"

    Jackson questioned, counting how many people there were in the group.

    "There are only eight people here and nearly fifty in total. If there are 4 waiting rooms, shouldn''t there at least be over 11 people in each?"

    Lyrian paused for a moment before replying, "Well... that depends on the size of the groups, and also on whether the groups can make it here or not."

    "Ah..." Jackson retorted.

    "Make it here? It wasn''t so hard. I''m sure most if not all the students will be able to get here." Alten eximed abruptly.

    "Didn''t you almost die in that pit trap?" Kaspov suddenly called out.

    Alten turned toward him, "Huh? At least I saved myself... didn''t you almost die in that crossbow trap, and needed your leader''s help to be saved?"

    Kaspov was both taken aback and offended by thisment.

    Usually, no one ever dared to talk back to him, especially when he was around Jalern.

    But recently, it seemed everyone wasn''t hesitating to insult him.

    "Damn it! Do you want to die or something!?" Kaspov eximed in frustration.

    At that moment, a few footsteps could be heard echoing across the room.

    The footsteps sounded from a distance. Lyrian turned his head to look toward the path where the steps came from, as he said in the midst of the silence,

    "Alten... we had it far easier than everyone else. I mean, just look how much faster the students in this part of the map have already all gathered in the waiting room."

    As he heard this, Alten eximed, "So those are thest group of students in this part huh..."

    Lyrian''s exnation sounded valid, but he really knew that this part of the graveyard was easier than the rest because of the memory of the graveyard he had.

    ''I don''t know if it was because it led to Orion''s real grave, but this part was far easier than the rest. Still, that probably won''t matter as soon as these doors open.''

    Lyrian looked at the metal door, ''Once all the groups reach the center...''

    Before he could finish his thoughts, he saw a group of students walk into the room.

    It was only three students, and Lyrian recognized only one of them.

    The one at the front was a boy who wore a decorated blue and white robe.

    He had long hair and a calm expression.

    Another boy who was behind him was the boy that Lyrian recognized.

    ''Jiller...''

    Lyrian mused, switching his gaze to the boy beside Jiller.

    This boy wore white knight''s armor, but his helmet was in his hands--revealing his bright face.

    The boy had slightly long, flowing blonde hair, blue eyes, and a bit more of a feminine face than normal.

    "Well, howdy! Look what we have here!" This boy in knight''s armor suddenly eximed in a girlish chirp.

    ''Hm?'' Lyrian mused--confused, just like the rest of those in the room.

    The three stopped, as everyone already in the room stared at the figure dressed in knights armor.

    "Well... this isn''t new. You''re all right to assume that I''m a girl, but I get the confusion." The bo--girl dressed in knight armor eximed.

    "Lyrian! We meet again!" Jiller suddenly called out, stomping forward near Lyrian.

    ''Huh? I thought he was angry at me back then...'' Lyrian mused, looking at the approaching boy.

    "Listen! Let''s forget our pasts and forge new futures, shall we?" Jiller eximed with a bright smile.

    ''Looks like he doesn''t hold grudges...''

    "Cillion! I wondered when I would see you in this exam!" Jalern suddenly eximed on seeing the calm-faced boy at the front of the group of three kids.

    "Oh... Masvidal!" The blue and white-robed kid addressed as ''Cillion'' smiled as he acknowledged Jalern.

    "How are you, friend?"

    The two shook hands in their air, as Alten mused, ''Oh god... a friend of that idiot is definitely going to be trouble.''

    In the next moments, Jalern and his group exined to Cillion and his friend who was the knight, Bret what was going on so far.

    About how the map and the waiting room worked.

    Jiller began yapping to Lyrian but was quickly cut off and told to shut up.

    Instead, he began yapping away to Jackson and the others.

    Lyrianughed at their suffering before suddenly, the map on the pedestal gleamed brightly.

    *Shing*

    It caught everyone''s attention, as they saw that another part of the map waspleted.

    Now, the map resembled a half circle, as the top half had beenpleted.

    "Jeez... just how long is this going to take? One more took that long..." Altenined.

    "Only our path is far easier than the others... after one, there should be moreing quickly."

    *Shing*

    Another part of the map gleamed brightly in the golden aura, and before anyone could react...

    *Shing*

 Chapter 334 Battle Arena

    Chapter 334 Battle Arena

    At that moment, Lyrian stood up and looked at the map. Every path was covered in the golden aura, and the circle wasplete.

    At that moment, the golden aura from the map began traveling through different lines and cracks in the walls.

    It protruded out, slowly climbing toward the iron door at the end of the room.

    Everyone stared at it as it finally made contact with the door on all sides.

    *Click*

    Everyone waited in anticipation.

    *Woosh!*

    The door flew open,

    *Bang*

    mming against the other side of the wall. The force of all four doors on all four sides of the center room sent gusts of wind inside.

    This wind went to every other door, allowing each group to feel the other group''s presence from their opened door.

    Lyrian, being closest to the door, began walking forward into the center room. Just then, Jalern tried to brush past him.

    "Get out of the way, peasant. The leader will go first."

    He said as he looked back at Lyrian for a split second.

    Just then, he felt something in front of his shin that stopped his right foot from moving.

    Due to this, he tripped forward and nearly fell face-t onto the floor.

    Before he did, however, the boy managed to catch himself with his hands.

    Lyrian smirked as he walked past the high noble, leading his group as they followed him.

    Leon, who had tripped Jalern, walked beside him, as everyone else quickly followed suit.

    As they made their way into the circr room in the center, he saw three other groups make their way out into the center.

    This center room was veryrge, and it was a t ce with smooth, tiled stone flooring.

    However, in the very middle was a slightly elevated circr tform. It was just big enough for a fight, stretching 25 by 25 feet.

    Each one of the other three groups was led by a student walking at the front.

    Lyrian''s was of course led by him.

    To his direct right was a group led by Linus, and to his left, was a group led by Drake.

    Directly in front of him, however, was a group led by someone unexpected. It was none other than Glis Sndra.

    ''Huh... she does seem stronger than before.'' Lyrian mused, slightly surprised by her sudden appearance.

    "Would you look at that! We''ve all met in the middle!" Drake announced, being the first to step forward.

    "I wonder what we have to do in this room!" Godfrey spoke sarcastically, walking next to the tform in the middle.

    Most had already surmised what was next after seeing theyout of the room.

    It was going to be a fight in the center.

    That''s what all the information in the room was pointing towards.

    Lyrian surveyed the room once more and understood that his assumption from what he saw in his void vision was correct.

    ''There''s no doubt about it. This room is meant for us to fight.'' He also stepped forward.

    He noticed two thick lines in the ground surrounding the tform.

    The lines then stretched forward toward another passageway.

    Upon entering the room, everyone saw this passage.

    It especially caught their attention because of what they could see inside. Inside, it was a dark room filled with various artifacts.

    Talismans, weapons, armor, gems, jewels.

    All of various colors and sizes. They dimly lit the dark room, sitting on their own stands.

    It was clear to see from the empty doorway.

    ''In the vision, I had seen this room built the same way.

    It was clear that there was going to be a series of fights here.

    That is precisely why I chose to let Jalern''s words go.''

    Lyrian turned his head past his shoulder to look at Jalern. The boy was ring at him with an Israthel-like rage.

    ''That fool needs to learn his lesson in front of the whole world.''

    Lyrian looked around, knowing there were invisible viewpoints that the outside world was looking at the exam from.

    ''Now that all the students are gathered in one ce, all the cameras are here as well. It''s the ideal ce for what a spoiled brat like Jalern deserves.''

    At that moment, a kid made his way out of Glis'' group and walked toward the empty doorway.

    "Huh... screw fighting. Didn''t Rerth say that this exam isn''t about individuals passing or failing? Let''s just im this treasure all for ourselves. You guys aren''t seeing outside of the box."

    The kid eximed, as a few immediately seemed to agree with him.

    After all, his words didn''t soundpletely foolish. In fact, there was some truth there.

    At that moment, he looked away from the other groups, faced forward, and took a step.

    At that moment, Lyrian furrowed his brows.

    ''Foolish kid... does he think that this room, the waiting rooms, and the arena in the middle, are all created just for fun? Of course, you wouldn''t be able to enter the final room like that with such ease.''

    He mused as the kid''s foot graced the ground inside of the doorway.

    As soon as it made contact with the ground, a series of purple ruins on each stone in the group lit up.

    Out of nowhere, the kid was thrown back as if he were a swatted fly. He mmed into the ceiling above the arena, before falling down right in the middle of it.

    A few crumbles of stone and dust also fell along with him.

    As hey motionless on the ground, those who agreed with him before stepped deeper into their groups.

    The boy''s eyes had rolled back into his dead, and he was fizzing a slightly bloody foam from the mouth.

    It was clear to see that the force from whatever defensive barrier that assaulted him had damaged his lungs and other internal organs heavily.

    A few students felt shivers run up their backs.

    At that moment, Lyrian stepped forward and jumped onto the tform.

    "Judging by the size of the arena, it''s clear that we have to fight one one-on-one, and the person deemed as the winner will get to enter the final room by himself."

    These words cut through the crowd, as the attention of the room was instantly drawn to him. Drake couldn''t help but smirk on hearing Lyrian.

    "So... let''s start this battle royale." Lyrian faced all of the students with a confident and excited smile.

 Chapter 335 The Battles Begin

    Chapter 335 The Battles Begin

    After what he said, the crowd of students had a mixed reaction. Many confidently stepped forward, wanting all those artifacts for themselves.

    Others didn''t seem to care, and finally, most actually took a step back. They had some pride in themselves but also knew their boundaries.

    Trying to go against an MVP wasn''t a foolish endeavor. Some were just too weak, and others feared punishment if they fought a high-status noble.

    "Wait a second... let me get this straight." Masvidal''s blue-robed friend, Cillion, stepped forward. He spoke with a slightly confused tone in his voice. All the eyes darted to him, as Lyrian also turned to face him.

    "I don''t think I''m hearing this right, because if I am, then you''re telling me that you are challenging everyone in this arena right now?" Cillion sounded bewildered.

    "Yeah... that''s exactly what I''m doing." Lyrian confidently retorted.

    "Pah!" Cillion suddenly scoffed, looking around at the faces of the other students. ''Surely... everyone sees the lunacy of this just like me, right?''

    He mused to himself as he smirked. However, most of what he saw were just in expressions staring back at him.

    Even Drake, one of the royals present at that moment, looked at him without any emotion on his face.

    ''What? How are they not surprised at what this fool is saying.'' Cillian had already gotten a bad impression of Lyrian by what Masvidal had exined to MVP to be like to him.

    ''Fine...'' Cillion mused, stepping forward.

    "To challenge royals and many high-ranking nobles such as myself... you are in over your head. Clearly, you are just an arrogant fool who doesn''t care about death."

    Cillion spoke harshly, making his way to the stage.

    "I don''t know who you think you are, but I''ll show you that life isn''t that easy. You can''t juste up and challenge everyone, and think you will beat them all."

    As Cillion made his way to the arena, everyone was silent. Drake looked up at Lyrian who was in the tform and crossed his hands.

    "Hey... although I don''t really agree with Cillion over here, challenging everyone isn''t fun..." Drake said as Lyrian turned toward him.

    Cillion furrowed his brows at that moment, ''He doesn''t agree with me!? What is he talking about? Is there something I''m missing here?''

    "I was thinking more of a tournament, what do you say about that?" Drake eximed, and Lyrian didn''t hesitate to answer.

    "I thought of that too, but why divide the fun? This way, I can beat everyone, and also do it in the least time." Lyrian said with a smirk.

    "Huh..." Drake pushed the bottom of his lip out with his tongue.

    Stepping back he said, "We''ll see about beating everyone... for now, just try and beat this guy. He isn''t too weak."

    As Drake said this, many were surprised. They didn''t expect him to actually allow such a thing to happen.

    Now, those who were shocked looked at Lyrian. They weren''t just shocked that the battle of everyone versus Lyrian was actually happening, but also of how easily Drake allowed it.

    It was almost as if... it wasn''t even the royal''s say in the matter.

    ''Lyrian... who really is this guy? He''s speaking to Drake so casually, and even seems to have a higher say than the lord.''

    A few kids began to think to themselves in slight disbelief.

    ''Even if he is an MVP... can he talk to Drake like that?''

    Cillion jumped onto the stage, as Lyrian stepped back to the opposite side.

    ''Perfect... I''ll end this exam off with a bang, and show everyone who is the strongest student in Anaviotis. More than that, I can test out my powers on everyone.''

    Lyrian grinned slightly, as Cillion unsheathed his straight de.

    "You need a humbling." The high noble eximed.

    "No, I''d say you need one. But, you are way too ignorant to know what I''m talking about." Lyrian retorted quickly, slightly confusing Cillion.

    "Don''t talk nonsense. Take out your de!" Cillion eximed as the anticipation in the room grew.

    Outside of the exam, many were also waiting at the edge of their seat to see these battles take ce. Julius eximed, "Orion... that crude old bastard. He made this graveyard in such a way that it forced those who entered it to fight..."

    "I can''t help but apud him for it. Haha!" Rerth eximed, happy with the oue of the exam. Clearly, he was excited to see the fights, as was everyone else.

    In the midst of the excitement, Lyrian said, "No."

    Cillion''s eyebrows immediately raised in surprise as he heard this. "What did you say?" He retorted without hesitation. The crowd was also taken aback.

    To refuse to even unsheathe your sword against another swordsman was one of the greatest forms of disrespect.

    "Fine... do as you wish. You truly are too arrogant." Cillion firmed his stance as he gripped the hilt of his sword tightly.

    "No... you are just so weak that you don''t even deserve to grace the presence of my de." Lyrian said with a smirk.

    On hearing this, Cillion clenched his teeth in slight anger, lunging forward at once with his de. Cillion closed the distance between him and Lyrian in a mere second, but Lyrian was already out of harm''s way by the time he got here.

    The two had now switched ces, as Lyrian was where Cillion started from. "Woah! The match hasn''t even started, buddy!" Lyrian shouted, as Cillion slowly turned back around.

    "The match started when you refused to draw your sword."

    He dashed forward once again, as Lyrian closed his eyes. Time felt as though it slowed down, as Lyrian activated Smithing, and concentrated on activating his Panda Kung-Fu.

    "Panda Kung-Fu; Third Form: Monkey." He whispered under his breath, quickly kneeling down to assume the monkey''s stance.

    At that moment, Cillion''s sword brushed past his hair, nearly slicing his head off.

    However, his ducking down was enough to dodge the attack by chance, sending a wave of astonished gasps through the crowd.

    ''The form... of the unpredictable.'' Lyrian mused as his eyelids flew open.

    He swiped his leg across the floor, catching his opponent off guard.

    Cillion swiftly stumbled over his leg, falling face t on the ground at that instant.

 Chapter 336 The Most Unpredictable; Monkey

    Chapter 336 The Most Unpredictable; Monkey

    As soon as Cillionnded on his face, a gasp rippled through the crowd.

    ''On his face...'' A few kids began to think, getting secondhand embarrassment from this moment. ''What a way to be embarrassed.''

    Even Jalern was feeling this, ''How humiliating... but, when did Cillion get so weak?''

    Lyrian assumed his monkey stance once again.

    His left leg stretched back, sitting his knee on the ground.

    His right leg was in front of him, as he rested his foot on the floor.

    His arms followed a free pattern but stayed stagnant in front of himself as though he were a mantis.

    Now, Lyrian''s aura began to change from before.

    No longer was he a student of Anaviotis... in fact, he wasn''t even a human anymore.

    Just from his concentrated eyes, many could already tell that Lyrian was apletely different creature.

    ''A monkey. He has fully adopted the presence of that creature.'' Linus said to himself as he stared at Lyrian.

    He didn''t feel any sort of way about it but did find it interesting nheless.

    He had never seen such a martial art before that copied the stances of different animals.

    Drake had a different reaction. Although slightly, he was outright impressed.

    ''First a crane, and now a monkey? Haha! Did he live in the forest all these three months?'' He joked to himself.

    ''Still... it''s impressive. And, it''s almost scary how he can replicate the presence of a monkey so urately.''

    Glis also noticed him turn into a monkey and understood the skill needed to do that.

    Still, he had yet to prove his power, so it didn''t mean much.

    Cillion slowly rose to his feet, feeling the humiliation of a thousand eyes staring at him.

    As he made it to his feet, he realized that there were far, far more than a thousand eyes on him right now.

    ''That''s right... the three kingdoms are watching this, aren''t they.'' His resolve suddenly hardened, as he gripped his sword.

    "I will not be humiliated like this!" He abruptly yelled as he held his de by his head and pushed his legs into the ground to lunge forward.

    As he got halfway across the arena, Lyrian''s body suddenly changed. Now, in Lyrian''s ce was an orange monkey.

    Cillion furrowed his brows in confusion but didn''t let it hinder his movements.

    He thrust his sword forward, "You''re dead!" He eximed, aiming to pierce through his opponent''s stomach.

    Cillion''s de neared the monkey''s abdomen, yet the monkey looked to be in a daze.

    The monkey didn''t move at all,pletely throwing Cillion off.

    ''Where''s he gonna move!? What is he doing! Damn it!'' The crowd looked in anticipation as a single hair of the monkey''s stomach was cut by the tip of Cillion''s de.

    As soon as the hair began to float in the air, the monkey disappeared from his spot.

    Cillion widened his eyes, swiftly turning around.

    "You think I''d fall for such easy switchovers!?" He yelled, turning his sword to face his back.

    However, there was nothing behind him. "You came back around!?" Cillion attempted to turn again, but before he could, the monkey hardened his fist and mmed it into Cillion''s back.

    All of the breath in Cillion''s lungs was forcefully driven out as Cillion was thrown forward.

    He felt as though his heart was stuck in his air canals, making it nearly impossible for him to breathe.

    The crowd was astonished at what they just saw.

    ''Surely�� that didn''t just happen?'' Masvidal thought to himself in utter confusion.

    ''How did�� what?'' Other students began to think.

    ''Is that how the monkey works?'' Drake mused.

    Even Alten and Leon were confused, ''What did I just see?''

    Finally, Masvidal recalled what he saw to make sure he wasn''t going crazy.

    ''Cillion lunged forward, and that fool Lyrian didn''t make any movements. He was the perfect target. Yet�� for some reason, just as Cillion''s de reached an inch from that fool''s torso, he turned around? He missed on purpose, and was saying something? That''s when Lyrian stood and attacked him.''

    Everyone else had seen this exact scenario of events. In reality, Lyrian had not moved at all.

    But, his presence was so unpredictable that it defied thews of reality itself, for Cillion.

    Although he sat still, Cillion felt the monkey wanting to move in every which direction.

    He couldn''t imagine what direction that was, but in the end, his own imagination tricked him into thinking the monkey moved.

    In an unpredictable turn of events, Lyrian had made only one move, and that was the clenched fist to Cillion''s back.

    Lyrian assumed his human form once again, "How boring�� I wanted to actually try the monkey out." He muttered under his breath.

    Walking toward Cillion, he gave him a soft kick to throw him off the arena.

    The boy''s body was still flung off, as he skidded to a sudden stop against the wall of the room.

    Lyrian returned to the center of the room and eximed, "Next!"

    Cilliony there, barely conscious, as reality came back to him.

    He slowly understood that Lyrian hadn''t moved from his spot from the beginning, but could still not believe that it was true.

    "I... I cut one of the hairs. Right before he disappeared, my de definitely cut one of the hairs on his stomach."

    He quietly spoke to himself in utter disbelief, knowing that he had indeed cut one hair.

    A kid standing next to him heard this and eximed in slight confusion, "Hairs? He has clothes on... what do you mean you cut one of the hairs on his stomach?"

    Cillion''s eyes widened in even more disbelief at that moment. ''So... it seems even that was in my imagination.''

    With this, his eyes finally closed as his body shut down. He was going to need a long rest after such an attack.

    "Oi! For defeating my friend in such a way, I''ll fight you." Bret, the armor-wearing boy-girl, stepped forward.

 Chapter 337 Daring Words

    Chapter 337 Daring Words

    A few intrigued sounds came from the crowd as Bret jumped onto the fighting tform.

    Lyrian didn''t say a single word to her. As the battle began, he instantly dashed forward and thrust his palm into her stomach.

    At once she was thrown off the tform. She was knocked unconscious just like her friend, with smoke exiting her mouth. The heat of Lyrian''s palm was also enough to cause an indent in her armor.

    His palm attack wasn''t a skill, but amon fighting move used in Kung Fu. It wasn''t Panda Kung Fu, as he was still in his normal form.

    This victory was sudden, but also not very surprising. The crowd already understood the extent of Lyrian''s strength by now. Before, he seemed like a challenger. Not just to the MVPs, as he was one himself, but also to high nobles and such.

    Now, however, he seemed like a person who only the MVPs could defeat. Still, many arrogant, ambitious, or confident people stepped up to the te.

    Kaspov was first, and he was defeated simrly to those before him. Then was another high noble who wanted to see if he could im some fame by taking Lyrian down. However, he also posed no threat. One after another, Lyrian decimated his challengers.

    The crowd''s excitement for each fight dwindled as Lyrian revealed himself more and more each time to be the obvious winner.

    During all this, Lyrian was simply having fun. This was exactly how he wanted to go out. After 10 total high nobles and other students were knocked out of the tform, no other randoms decided to test their luck.

    Lyrian looked around after defeating histest opponent, with not a single bead of sweat on his forehead. His breathing was calm as if he just woke up from a slumber.

    "Nice job! Lyrian!" Alten eximed from his group. He was happy to see that Lyrian wasn''t evening close to losing.

    Lyrian then looked at Leon. At first, Leon didn''t say anything. ''What? Does he expect me topliment him like Alten?'' Leon mused as Lyrian smirked at him.

    "Fine... I don''t expect you to lose, so don''t disappoint me." Lyrian quickly replied, "No need to worry about that. It looks like this isn''t going to be much of a challenge." With these words, a shoulder suddenly brushed past Leon.

    "That''s enough!" Masvidal angrily eximed. Leon stared at him from behind with a slightly irritated expression but understood that Lyrian would probably want to fight him.

    ''I don''t want to intervene here.'' He mused, taking a step back from the situation and calming himself. ''From what happened at the coffin room, Lyrian most likely wants to fight Masvidal here. He knew of this ce... somehow.''

    "To me, the piss ants you''ve fought are nothing but pathetic maggots. But to you, they are no less than gods." Jalern began to exim, as he slowly walked around the tform.

    Most eyes in the crowd followed him. Along with that, so did Lyrian''s eyes, which were now on a more serious expression.

    "That is precisely why, when you defeated them, their reputations have now gone down the drain. Hell, their lives might have even been ruined, since you were the one that beat them."

    Jalern smiled, speaking loudly.

    "It is no different to a beggar defeating a lord," Jalern suddenly stopped and faced the crowd.

    "That lord''s reputation would be ruined!"

    As he finished his words, Lyrian didn''t waste a second in retorting, "The reputation he gained from the strength of his noble family?"

    A short moment of silence and slight confusion surrounded the room, as Jalern turned around.

    He was slightly confused at the question, as it seemed obvious. With slight hesitation, he replied, "Yes... precisely tha--" He was abruptly cut off before he could finish.

    "The strength of his noble family! Did you all hear that?" Lyrian addressed the confused crowd, his tone slightly sarcastic and joking.

    At this moment, Drake smirked. ''That fool... is he really going to do that right now?'' Alten''s face contorted with horror as he mused, ''In front of the whole world!? That''s dangerous!''

    Just then, Lyrian continued, "What makes a noble family, a noble family? The ability to conjure mana? All that is, is just strength, right? Strength is everything, and nothing prevails over such an overwhelming force... right?"

    These words sounded logical to the crowd, and also to Jalern. Yet, he couldn''t help but feel the sarcastic tone behind them.

    Confused, he replied, "Don''t try to confuse me. What you are saying is true, but--"

    Once again, he was cut off.

    "So if strength is what makes a noble; if strength is what makes one greater than the other..."

    Lyrian smirked at this moment, as even Linus furrowed his brows slightly in disbelief.

    ''Despite what he believes... to say these following words on the world stage. Is it not foolish?''

    Back in Anaviotis, almost all the examiners knew what Lyrian''s next words were going to be.

    "That fool... he will let his ego get the best of him," Rerth eximed, slightly upset in his tone.

    Others shared the same discontent, but Julius seemed to be smiling. They all looked at him as he slightly chuckled.

    "What the hell are youughing at?" Rerth emphasized the ''you''.

    This drew even more attention to Julius, as he eximed, "How long has it been since such an interesting figure has graced this world."

    "Interesting figure?" Jalls eximed in slight confusion.

    "His next words. Who would say his next words?" Julius questioned for a moment, but before he could continue, Rerth cut in.

    "A drunkard on the streets?"

    "Exactly! But why it is so interesting, is because Lyrian is as sessful as any student would want to be. Even right now, he is facing the entire world with a smile as he speaks."

    Julius pulled it back together.

    "But isn''t it dangerous?"

    "Is he not being foolish?"

    Other examiners in the room questioned.

    "A foolish and dangerous choice. Who knows if he is doing it on purpose, or if it is fate leading his life to be so exhrating."

    Julius mused out loud, seemingly excited.

    "So you view this as exhrating, huh?" Rerth questioned, returning his attention to his orb.

    At that moment, Lyrian finally finished his statement.

    "If strength is what makes one greater than the other... then��"

 Chapter 338 Who Is Superior?

    Chapter 338 Who Is Superior?

    At this moment, Alten took a step forward.

    ''I have to stop him. For his own good.''

    He firmed that in his mind as he clenched his teeth.

    However, he was suddenly stopped.

    He felt a hand tug on his shoulder.

    Upon looking back, he saw that it was Leon.

    "What are you doing? I must stop him from doing that. Do you know how many people he will offend?"

    Alten tried to reason with Leon in a whisper, "I know that you hate nobles as well, but this is taking it too far."

    Leon replied instantly, "This isn''t about me. I think... this is what Lyrian wants to do." He whispered.

    "Well of course it''s what he wants to do! He''s doing it right now!"

    "No... what I mean is, I think he already thought of the downsides to this if he were to say it. It is best to trust his judgment."

    Alten hadn''t thought of it that way yet.

    He took a step back, both physically but also mentally.

    "I guess... you''re right."

    Although hesitant, he decided to not do anything.

    Just then, Lyrian said his final words in his statement, which everyone seemed to be waiting for.

    "If strength is what makes one greater than the other... then that means that the beggar that you used in your example, is far greater than the lord."

    "What?"

    Masvidal squinted his eyes, and slightly tilted his head, as he walked closer.

    "You said it yourself. Strength is what makes one greater than the other, what makes one a noble. Therefore, the beggar who defeats the lord is superior to the lord, and therefore, I, am superior to you."

    Lyrian stared at Jalern as he said this with confident eyes.

    As soon as he said this, a hush instantly fell over the crowd.

    It was almost as though they needed time to process what he just said.

    Not many non-noble, normal citizens would call out nobles and fight back against the hierarchy.

    Those who did were normally failures in life, who didn''t have anything to lose anymore.

    But here, Lyrian spoke with such conviction, reasoning, and confidence, that his words were almost believable for some reason.

    Most times, the students in this room were ustomed toughing such words off, but on such a stage, his words didn''t feel like jokes to beughed at.

    His words actually held merit, as he was an MVP.

    The entire audience, watching from thefort of their homes, felt the same disbelief.

    "That kid... what is he saying so suddenly?"

    "It''s as if he''s practically trying to piss off every power in the three kingdoms."

    "Does he want to be on a hit list?"

    People began to question from across the kingdoms.

    "The hierarchy... he''s publically shaming the system that the three kingdoms and even more are run on."

    "Hahaha! I can''t tell if he''s retarded, or just really cool!"

    At that moment, Lyrian mused to himself, ''Huh... now that I''ve said that, I''ll have to look out for myself some more. I''ll be out in the real world soon too, but... that will make my journey more fun.''

    He smirked, "That''s right! I, a peasant, am superior to you, and every other noble that I can crush under my foot inbat! Why? Because being a noble means jack shit!"

    As soon as he said this, the crowd gasped in astonishment.

    Drake chuckled under his breath as he nodded his dead left to right, ''He''s just having fun with it now it seems...''

    "You''ve gone too far! Peasant! I won''t have you disgrace the system that has brought you up and that has run the entire three kingdoms!"

    Jalern suddenly jumped onto the stage.

    His expression was enraged. He immediately unsheathed the spear on his back and mmed it into the floor next to him.

    The spear was tall, with a ck body and a silver-colored head.

    Rotating across it was a red dragon shape, simrly colored with his own clothes.

    The sh erupted with the sharp ring of unsheathed steel as Jalern Masvidal lunged at Lyrian Theageld, spear slicing through the air with lethal precision.

    Lyrian, however, moved with the fluid grace of a shadow, effortlessly sidestepping every strike as if he could predict Jalern''s every move.

    Jalern, frustration etched across his face, increased the intensity of his assault, but Lyrian continued to dance around the attacks.

    The audience, caught in the cadence of the battle, watched in awe as the peasant outmaneuvered the noble with an uncanny ease.

    As Jalern''s spear found only air, doubt began to creep into his eyes. "How... how are you dodging every move?" he grunted between thrusts.

    Lyrian, his movements a blur, replied with a smirk, "When you''re as slow as you, it''s easy."

    The air in the arena shifted, a subtle energy emanating from Lyrian.

    His spiritual aura enveloped him, an unseen force that sent shivers down Jalern''s spine.

    A flicker of fear crossed Jalern''s face, but he dismissed it, pressing on with renewed determination.

    Lyrian seized the moment.

    With a lightning-quick kick, he swept Jalern''s legs out from under him.

    The noble crashed to the ground, the impact resonating through the arena.

    Lyrian wasted no time, his foot pressing down on Jalern''s chest, pinning him to the cold stage floor.

    Jalern, gasping for breath, struggled beneath Lyrian''s weight. "You think this makes you superior?" he spat, a defiant glint in his eyes.

    Lyrian leaned in, his voice low and menacing. "It''s not just about strength. It''s about knowing when to yield." He shifted his weight, pressing harder on Jalern''s chest.

    Jalern winced, the pain evident on his face. "You-- you think this is enough to make me give up!?" he grumbled through gritted teeth.

    Lyrian smiled, unleashing his spiritual aura only toward Masvidal.

    This aura was thick, and full of bloodlust.

    Jalern''s mind was overwhelmed at once, and his head felt like he was going to explode from taking it all in from such a short distance.

    "W-wait!" He screamed, but Lyrian didn''t let up.

    At that moment, Jalern felt his entire body begin to crumble. As if his bones were breaking from the inside, and his skin was being boiled in magma.

    The pain was so abrupt that he couldn''t hold it in any longer,

    "ARRGH!" He screamed in excruciating pain.

    "STOP! I GIVE UP! I GIVE UP!" His voice broke and cracked as he begged for mercy.

    Yet... Lyrian didn''t stop.

    That was when Jalern caught a glimpse of Lyrian''s devilish eyes once more.

    ''Superior...'' Jalern was barely able to muse.

    "YOU ARE SUPERIOR! PLEASE! MAKE IT STOP!"

    The crowd, silent witnesses to the spectacle, erupted into a mix of gasps and murmurs.

    Lyrian, victorious, stepped back, releasing Jalern from his grip.

    The noble, with his entire body released from a hellish pain,y there almost motionless.

    Only his chest heaved up and down, panting with shock and trauma.

    Lyrian, undeterred, addressed the crowd. "Strength is not bound by titles or bloodlines. It''s forged in the crucible of battle. Remember that."

    With those words echoing in the arena, Lyrian left Jalern, the defeated noble, amidst the resounding cheers and whispers of a revolution sparked by words and actions.

 Chapter 339 A Defiant, Yet Interesting Figure

    Chapter 339 A Defiant, Yet Interesting Figure

    The crowd of students was left stunned.

    Jaws dropped to the floor, and hairs erected.

    Stronger students were both impressed as they were surprised.

    Examiners found Lyrian''s statement to be both sphemous, but also incredible.

    Juliusughed wholeheartedly as Lyrian finished his battle.

    "Hahaha! What an amusing youngd! I can''t wait to witness him once he grows of age."

    Granweid and Rerth couldn''t help but smile, and Jalls had a troubled expression on his face.

    With that, Edward, who sat next to Julius, nearly fainted.

    His body went limp with disbelief.

    "Wow, are you that surprised with what he said?" Julius questioned in slight confusion, as Edward fell onto his shoulder.

    Almost breaking out into tears, Edward replied, "Not just that... the amount of paperwork and notes sent in by noble families due to his actions that I will have to go through now will haunt me for the rest of my life!" He cried in agony.

    Julius couldn''t help butugh at this.

    ''It''s true... there will be plenty of nobles who will have Lyrian on their foe list after such words. If he wasn''t an MVP of Anaviotis, there''s no doubt in my mind that he would be captured and punished immediately as soon as he stepped out into the real world.''

    Julius paused, taking in a breath.

    ''In fact, I don''t think that is fully off the table now either. Still, I''m sure Lyrian will be able to deal with it. I just hope this was nned.''

    As Julius spoke about these nobles, in real life, he wasn''t wrong about their reaction.

    This exam was big. Many high noble families also watched curiously to see the potential stars, magus, and high-ranking officials of the future.

    "That peasant! He dares disrespect the history of nobility like this! Why aren''t they expelling him from the exam for being so inappropriate!"

    A noble in his mid-fifties yelled from his seat, his face red from anger.

    He grabbed onto the hand-hold of his seat as he gripped it tightly.

    "I''d kill that bastard right now if I had the chance!"

    He eximed, as his mistress quickly grabbed his arm to try and calm him.

    "Lord! Please do not let your emotions take over! Find some calm." She worriedly eximed.

    However, the noble aggressively swatted his hand, throwing the youngdy onto the ground.

    "Get off of me, whore! This is not the time or ce for you!"

    He looked over to another servant in the room with him, "Get her out of here,"

    He paused, as the guard quickly rushed over and detained the young woman.

    "And have her executed!" The noble finished, as the guard quickly retorted.

    "Yes sir!" The guard forcibly grabbed the youngdy and took her out of the room.

    "No lord! Please forgive me!" The mistress screamed for mercy, "Lord! Lor--" She was suddenly punched across the face by the guard, knocking her unconscious.

    "Don''t make it worse for yourself, whore. You are getting only death, not torture."

    He continued dragging her out as he mused to himself, ''What that brat said was right. These bastards shouldn''t have authority over others. They take the lives of others on a whim, just because of their inability to control their anger...''

    He suddenly gritted his teeth, as his brows furrowed, "I hope that kid bes something who gives these fucks what they all deserve." He grumbled under his breath.

    Other nobles across the three kingdoms had simr reactions. Although some were more mellow, most hated Lyrian''s guts.

    Still, the boy was protected by none other than Anaviotis.

    It was more than just a prodigious academy. A powerhouse of politics and magic; Anaviotis held the power of a small kingdom.

    To take it down, two of the kingdoms would undoubtedly have to team up.

    That was not even a debate. So, for a noble to try and go against them, no matter how high their rank, was simply foolish.

    "Even though I can''t... oh how I wish I could tear that son of a bitch''s head off!"

    A middle-aged noble with spiky red hair suddenly eximed, clenching his fist.

    Beside him was a kid who appeared to be his son, who also had spiky red hair.

    ''Lyrian... you actually made it far.'' Cedric mused to himself as he stared at the orb in front of him.

    ''Maybe things would have turned out differently... if I didn''t go against you when fighting for the Pheon''s golden core.''

    He thought about that split-second decision that he made, and couldn''t help but regret it.

    He looked at his father and mused, ''I was just like him before... but now, I could care less about nobility. It takes more than that to be a good person. To be a strong person. Lyrian showed me that. I want to thank him one day.''

    In the same vige, another noble stared at the orb within his grand and luxurious living room.

    He sat with a calm and collected demeanor, not letting his emotions get the best of him.

    Nheless, his face rested on one of his palms. He seemed unimpressed.

    As he clenched his jaw, Braakan mused, ''Tsk tsk tsk... it seems he hasn''t changed a bit...''

    He paused for a moment and felt an odd feeling creep within him.

    ...

    ''Have... I made a mistake?''

    Not far off, in the same vige as well, two more people stared at an orb within their humble living area.

    With eager expressions, and teary eyes, a wife and a husband looked at their most endeared child.

    Rosa tried to contain her tears of joy upon seeing her child excel like this in a ce where she prayed every day wouldn''t kill him.

    Grasus also couldn''t help but have moist eyes as heforted his wife.

    "Lyrian... I wish I could tell you how proud I am of you right now." Heughed at the same time as he cried.

    "Pahaha! The brats grown to be strong it seems!"

    Another persony behind the two, on an extended bed.

    This person looked old and sickly but had a smile on his face.

    "Tell ''em, kid. Tell ''em." He smiled proudly, before breaking out into a loud cough.

    ''He''s an interesting brat. I don''t know where he learned to be so moving with his words, but he will grow up to be a leading figure. I can feel it in my old and rotting bones.''

    Brrs mused to himself as he coughed, not able to keep his eyes away from the orb.

 Chapter 340 Lyrian Versus Drake II; Battle Of The Beasts

    Chapter 340 Lyrian Versus Drake II; Battle Of The Beasts

    As the atmosphere calmed itself, Lyrian gave Jalern''s limp body a kick.

    The high noble was sent flying off the tform, as Lyrian turned to face the crowd once again.

    However, at that moment, he suddenly felt a warm, familiar feeling within his body.

    This slightly threw him off, as he couldn''t exactly describe it.

    ''What this? It''s almost as though... someone is thinking of me. Someone dear to me.''

    He furrowed his brows, slightly confused. However, he quickly shrugged it off and moved on.

    "Who is next?" He eximed to the crowd, finding himself looking at Sndra.

    She was one of the four leaders of the four waiting room groups, after all.

    So, it was only befitting that she fought him next.

    She was also the next strongest person in the room that Lyrian could see.

    As soon as they made eye contact, Glis stepped forward.

    "Don''t think of me as some pawn that you can step over!" She yelled from afar with her arms crossed.

    "Are you willing to challenge me?" Lyrian directly stated.

    Another hush fell over the crowd as all eyes turned to the girl.

    "I..." Glis paused, slightly feeling the pressure of the moment.

    "I know I can beat you, but I''ll spare you for today."

    She quickly turned her head to the side and closed her eyes, "Hmph!"

    Lyrian smiled slightly, "I guess not..."

    Although her words said the opposite, everyone knew why she didn''t want to fight him.

    Lyrian was proving more and more to be a beast. A monster. A damn devil even.

    No one wanted to fight him at this point, and that''s when someone who had been waiting for this moment stepped up to the te.

    Both Linus and Drake took a step forward toward the tform.

    The heads of everyone in the crowd quickly turned toward them, in slight shock.

    They were apart from each other but moved at the same time.

    They also looked at each other in slight surprise, noticing that they decided to move at the same time.

    "You go first," Drake said, taking a step back.

    "No. I want the ants to be cleared before I y the wasp." Linus calmly eximed, also taking a step back.

    An impressed sound quietly reverberated through the crowd as he said this.

    "Fine by me. I''ll take down the wasp before anyone else can get a shot at him." Drake smirked, jumping onto the tform.

    Linus didn''t react whatsoever, simply staring at the arena where Lyrian and Drake were now facing each other.

    This moment was quite exhrating, and even a bit scary.

    As the two MVPs faced each other down, the aura in the room waspletely different from when Lyrian fought Masvidal and all the others.

    It was a different type of feeling now, a different atmosphere. A pretty damn scary one at that.

    It was clear that both opponents understood and even somewhat respected each other''s powers.

    This was going to be a real fight... which made it even more exciting.

    "ording to Linus'' words, If you agree I''m a wasp, then you are an ant. However powerful an ant may be, you still aren''t beating a wasp."

    Lyrian quipped with a smirk.

    "Whatever I may be, I''ll--"

    Drake was suddenly cut off.

    "I will be the one to beat your ass," Lyrian said, taking Drake''s words right out of his mouth.

    "Hah! Alright... let''s see you try," Drake eximed, as he nced at Lyrian''s Jade pendant.

    "Oh, are you worried about this?" Lyrian said, lifting the pendant.

    "Don''t worry about it. I won''t use it here." He snapped the pendant off of his neck and stored it inside his ring."

    Drake was slightly taken aback, ''I''d expect him to not use it, but at least keep it on as a precaution. Is he that confident that he will defeat me?'' He mused in slight surprise.

    To the crowd, this came acrosspletely differently.

    None of them knew that Lyrian had attempted to use his pendant when fighting Drakest time.

    So, all that seemed to happen here was Lyrian being extra cocky.

    It wasn''t a good thing to be cocky, but here, as long as Lyrian didn''t lose, whatever he did was good.

    No one could question him, and no one could really go against him.

    He had proven himself today.

    Still... going against Godfrey Drake was another story.

    ''No matter how strong he is with high nobles, an Imperial Royal is another story. They are of the strongest family in entire kingdoms, full of hundreds of millions of people. Each generation is stronger than thest nowadays, so Drake is no joke.''

    A few kids began to think to themselves.

    Most of the mental votes about the winner of this fight were still on Drake.

    After all, even though Lyrian had proven himself here today, Drake had been proving himself since he was born.

    He was always on the world stage, unlike Lyrian, who only got a small taste of it now.

    "Well then, shall we begin?" Lyrian eximed with a smirk.

    Drake answered back with a grin, "Hell yeah."

    The arena crackled with tension as Lyrian and Drake faced each other, two titans ready for an epic sh.

    Their eyes locked, a silent agreement that words couldn''t convey��the anticipation was palpable.

    Lyrian unsheathed his obsidian de, a glint of anticipation in his eyes.

    A whisper of surprise rippled through the crowd as he did.

    For the first time, they saw the de that he was refusing to unsheath.

    Drake equipped his dragon w and empowered it with mana, "Art Of The Emerald Dragon: True ws."

    He flexed it, each movement a testament to the formidable strength he wielded.

    "Art Of The Emerald Dragon: True Eyes."

    As he said this, his eyes flew open with a powerful green aura now outlining them.

    The initial exchanges were a blur, a dance of des and ws, a symphony of metal meeting dragon power.

    Sparks flew as they tested each other''s limits, a delicate bnce hanging in the air.

    "You''re more skilled than before," Drake remarked, a smirk ying on his lips.

    Lyrian retorted. "Let''s see if you can keep up."

    The dance continued, neither giving an inch. Each strike and parry was met with a counter, a relentless exchange that kept the crowd on the edge of their seats.

    Then, Drake''s eyes glowed with an intense dragon fire.

    His dragon w ignited, mes dancing along its edges, amplifying the power within.

    "This is where it gets interesting," Drake dered, lunging at Lyrian with newfound vigor.

    Lyrian, feeling the surge of power, met Drake''s assault head-on.

    The sh resonated through the arena, a disy of raw strength and skill.

    But as the battle unfolded, it became apparent that Drake had pushed Lyrian to the limit--at least, to the eyes of the crowd.

    "Emerald Dragon; Reensroth, bestow upon me your divine strength, so that I may prosper,"

    Godfrey closed his eyes for a split second, as they suddenly flew open.

    In a moment of revtion, Drake unleashed a devastating move, a culmination of his dragon eye and w powers.

    "Dra-tal first formation!"

    In an instant, vines of green aura grew out from his True Dragon Eyes and True Dragon ws, making their way to his back.

    Suddenly, a pair ofrge and powerful green wings sprouted from his back. With this, his power increased by leaps and bounds.

    He swiped his w, sending three powerful des of fire toward Lyrian.

    Lyrian blocked the attack with his de. The sheer force threatened to overwhelm Lyrian, pushing him to the edge.

    With lightning reflexes, Lyrian retreated, dodging the brunt of the attack.

    But the shockwaves reverberated through the arena, leaving an indelible mark on the spectators.

    As the dust settled, Lyrian stood firm, his obsidian de gleaming in the aftermath.

    A defiant smile yed on his lips, a silent deration that he was far from defeated.

    "You''re not the only one with tricks, Royal," Lyrian dered, a glint of determination in his eyes.

    In a surge of energy, Lyrian eximed, "Panda Kung-Fu Third Form: Monkey."

    The arena trembled as his power reached new heights, a fusion of martial prowess and mystical energy.

    Lyrian''s aura nowpletely shifted from before.

    The sh resumed, but this time, it was Lyrian who took the lead. His movements were a blur, his obsidian de a streak of darkness in the air.

    Drake, caught off guard by Lyrian''s newfound strength, slightly struggled to keep pace.

    ''So this is what he thinks I''m worth? Third form?'' Drake mused in surprise, disappointed.

    The crowd watched in disbelief as Lyrian overwhelmed the Royal, a peasant proving to be an unstoppable force.

    The shockwaves of this battle echoed far beyond the arena, reaching the corners of the entire graveyard.

    "If you think that the third form of your technique is what I''m worth, try defeating this!

    As soon as he shouted this, his arms and body grew even more. His wings stretched out, expanding in size.

    Starting from his palms, scales began to cover his hands all the way up to his shoulder, and then his chest.

    Two small horns grew from his head, as his canines stuck out and his pupils formed into slits.

    "Dra-tal! Second formation!"

 Chapter 341 The Final Beast Showdown

    Chapter 341 The Final Beast Showdown

    The crowd held their breath in awe and amazement as Drake''s newfound body blitzed forward with incredible speed.

    He shed away at Lyrian, whose presence and being hadpletely morphed into a monkey.

    Lyrian wielded his sword and body in the most unpredictable way possible, but not on purpose.

    His mind simply yed tricks and had fun in the battle.

    That was why the monkey was the most unpredictable because its fighting style went against the very concept of a fight.

    ''The reason why the monkey is so unpredictable is because fights are about seriousness,'' Lyrian mused to himself in the heat of the moment.

    ''Fights are where matters get dealt with, and harmes to another. But, the monkey''s fighting style is not serious at all. It ispletely opposite, and that is why it is superior in many cases. Because it''s not expected.''

    Understanding this wholly, Lyrian''s body moved to the left.

    Drake followed through, summoning himself where Lyrian''s crafty feet were going tond next.

    His face was ferocious, as though he wanted to tear his opponent limb from limb.

    At that moment, Lyrian''s torso dropped backward, and to the right--opposite of where he was about to step.

    This was enough momentum for his body to change course, as he used his hands to move to the side of the Dra-tal, Drake.

    Before he evennded, Lyrian ced his de into his mouth using his feet.

    He then pushed himself off the ground using his hands and aimed to slice open Drake''s abdomen using the de in his mouth!

    It was a spectacle to behold for all those watching.

    Drake of course didn''t expect such a thing, but wasn''t going to go down so easily.

    He moved his ws in front of the de to block its path.

    However, since Lyrian had powered his neck especially more with Enhance, Drake''s w spell was destroyed.

    Lyrian''s de slipped through Drake''s metal w weapons and surged right for his abdomen.

    No matter how fast or strong, Drake could do nothing here. He wasn''t ever in a situation where he trained for such a random move.

    The obsidian de dug into his skin, which was partially covered in dark-green scales.

    Although the durable exterior provided some defense, over two inches'' worth of meat was still sliced through.

    Before going in anymore, Drake attempted to swipe at Lyrian''s head, but Lyrian swiftly dropped his sword from his mouth and evaded the attack whilst in mid-air.

    "Bad move dropping your weapon!" Drake eximed, gunning for it with his hands.

    His hands were still far away from the sword since he just extended his ws to swipe at Lyrian.

    But, he saw that Lyrian''s hands were far more distant than his.

    ''He got cocky! Without his sword, this will be a piece of cak--'' Drake was suddenly cut off in shock.

    At that moment, Lyrian used both of his legs to clutch onto his de, as the crowd gasped in astonishment.

    ''Wow... I actually thought that Lyrian made a crucial mistake there.'' Glis couldn''t help but muse to herself.

    Lyrian quickly pulled the de to himself as he jumped back a few times, returning the sword to his hand.

    Drake was now furious as he grabbed the side of his stomach that was profusely bleeding.

    "Damn monkey..." He eximed, frustrated more so at himself than anyone else.

    "You''re actually strong. Very strong." He nced at Linus, and then back at Lyrian.

    After a pant, he eximed, "And this is only your third form..." He muttered under his breath.

    "Don''t worry... out of my five forms, only one is altogether superior to the rest. The other four are situational. They are weaker and stronger in some cases."

    Lyrian felt the need to say this, as he didn''t want Drake to be discouraged.

    ''I wouldn''t want to fight someone who lost their will. On top of that, It''s the truth.'' He mused to himself.

    "What? Is that pity? I don''t need your kind little words." Drake eximed, swiping his two ws in the air.

    "Let''s just end this, damn it! I''m going all out, so don''t hold back!"

    Drake''s roar echoed through the room, as scales suddenly grew over his gashed stomach.

    The bleeding stopped at once, as his eyes glinted in the light.

    ''Don''t hold back he says... in truth, I actually have been holding back.''

    Lyrian began to think to himself, as a smile suddenly formed on his face.

    ''I didn''t know my strength had increased by this amount. Fighting below my potential was only an experiment that I imagined would fail, but even up till now, I haven''t needed to use over 75% of the Enhance capability that I have. On top of that, I have yet to use the Dragon form.''

    "Fine! Let''s end this!" Lyrian retorted back, taking in a deep breath.

    Onlookers were in utter astonishment. Lyrian had performed far better than they could have ever imagined.

    Examiners were pissing their pants about the subject.

    Nobles were nearly driven to vomit from the overload of shock.

    And most of all, citizens were goddamn amused!

    "Hahahaha!" Julius burst out into augh.

    "Ha...hahaha!" Rerth followed him.

    "Kahahaha!" Granweid did the same.

    The three had a bawl of satisfiedughter.

    To Edward and Jalls, who were both super shocked right now, the three looked kind of foolish.

    ''I guess they had a favorite from the start...''

    ''Jeez... and to think, they tell us to not have bias when ites to students.''

    The two gave the jolly three a condescending look.

    At that moment, Julius suddenly stoppedughing and red at Edward and Jalls with a serious expression.

    "I know what you two are thinking..."

    This alone was enough for them to quickly straighten their backs and curl their mouths up.

    "Don''t tell me you want to get fired?"

    "No sir!"

    "No lord!"

    ...

    At that moment, Lyrian imbued his body with more mana and dashed forward into the middle of the arena.

    Drake didn''t hesitate to do the same as he saw Lyrian move.

    "This..."

    Drake grumbled under his breath.

    Lyrian was thinking the same thing.

    "Will,"

    He said as the two of them spoke at the same time, saying the exact same words,

    "Be the final sh!"

 Chapter 342 Victorious

    Chapter 342 Victorious

    The atmosphere burned with anticipation as Lyrian and Drake closed the distance between themselves.

    Both of their eyes held unwavering determination, sure to win the fight in their own respects.

    Lyrian, his body now pulsating with mana, moved with a grace that belied the raw power within.

    His eyes were focused and intense.

    Drake''s scales gleaming and ws at the ready, met Lyrian''s gaze with fierce determination.

    As the two collided in the center of the arena, the impact reverberated through the space.

    The sh of their powers created a shockwave that rippled outward, leaving onlookers on the edge of their seats.

    Lyrian''s de met Drake''s ws in a symphony of steel, each strike echoing with the intensity of their respective enhancements.

    Sparks flew as the two forces collided, creating a dazzling disy that held the audience captive.

    The intensity of the battle left no room for distractions.

    The examiners, now fully engaged, watched with a mixture of awe and scrutiny.

    Nobles, who had initially struggled to contain their shock, found themselves drawn into the gripping spectacle.

    The arena''s atmosphere reached a crescendo, the anticipation building to a climax.

    In the midst of the swirling sh, Lyrian decided that this fight was now at its end.

    With a sudden surge of energy, he unleashed a move that caught even Drake off guard.

    As Drake attempted a powerful strike, Lyrian, tapping into the unexplored depths of his Enhance capabilities, executed a seamlessbination of speed and precision.

    He evaded Drake''s attack with fluid grace, leaving the Dra-tal momentarily vulnerable.

    In that split second, Lyrian''s body glowed with a radiant green aura, and his eyes gleamed with a furious intensity.

    With a lightning-quick maneuver, he closed the distance between them, moving like a blur.

    Drake, still recovering from the missed strike, found himself unable to react in time.

    Lyrian''s hand, now imbued with greater Enhanced power, shed his obsidian de through the air with unparalleled speed.

    The de connected with Drake''s side, cutting through scales and flesh with an almost otherworldly efficiency.

    The audience, examiners, and nobles watched in stunned silence as Lyrian''s decisive move unfolded.

    The arena, once filled with the sh of steel, fell into a momentary hush.

    Drake, his eyes widening in realization, staggered backward, a mix of shock and defeat etched across his face.

    The wound inflicted by Lyrian''s enhanced strike was deeper and more decisive than any previous exchange.

    A collective gasp swept through the spectators as the magnitude of Lyrian''s victory became apparent.

    The once-fierce Dra-tal, Price of Veridrake, now visibly weakened, struggled to maintain hisposure.

    Lyrian, his de now resheathed, stood before Drake with a mixture of relief and respect.

    The battle had been fierce, a test of strength, strategy, and the unexplored facets of their abilities.

    At that moment, Drake''s body returned to normal as he quickly lost all strength in his limbs and fell to his knees.

    His eyes opened wide with disbelief as he stared at the ground.

    "There''s no way... this can''t be happening." He grumbled under his breath.

    The silence in the room was so crystal clear that you could hear a pin drop.

    No one knew what to say, including the Royal.

    ''In the end, he became an entirely different being. His speed... it was as if he was another person.'' Drake mused, still unable toprehend what just happened.

    Lyrian stared at Drake for a few seconds and then decided to walk over to him.

    The entire world watching from all facets of reality looked on as he extended a hand to Drake.

    "Good fight," Lyrian said, as Drake slowly lifted his head up.

    If the room was quiet before, it was beyond quiet now.

    No one knew what would happen. How would Drake take the punishment?

    ''When he lost against me, Drake threw a fit and stomped away from our stage.''

    Linus mused, not able to help but think of theirst real bout.

    Drake sighed and epted Lyrian''s proposal. He grasped Lyrian''s hand, returning to his feet.

    At that moment, the entire crowd of students cheered in celebration.

    This moment of acknowledgment was worthy of respect.

    They were excited, satisfied, confused, perplexed, happy, sad, angry, and all the rest, but couldn''t help but admit through their cheer that the battle they just witnessed was one worth apuding.

    "It had to be like this," Lyrian said, looking into Drake''s eyes.

    "Don''t worry, you bastard." Drake gripped Lyrian''s hand tightly, leaning forward with a daring smile.

    "Just watch what happens after the deployment. I''lle back and smack you silly." He grinned widely.

    Lyrian couldn''t help but grip Drake''s hand back and smile as well, "I''ll see you try... and fail."

    The two paused for a moment, as Drake suddenly coughed up blood from his mouth.

    At that moment, his eyes rolled back into his head and he fell to the side like a dummy.

    Lyrian was quick to catch him, as a few students from the crowd came and took him in.

    As they began giving him some health potions, Lyrian assumed the center of the stage once again.

    ''Damn... I used more mana than I wanted. I still have another opponent to beat.''

    He mused, staring at Linus.

    "Next."

    Lyrian wasn''t letting any time eclipse. Although most viewers hadn''t even fully realized his victory over Drake, Lyrian didn''t hesitate to move on.

    *Click click click*

    Brakaan''s nail clicked against his armrest as he stared at his orb.

    He clenched his jaw at that moment.

    "What,"

    He paused, taking in a deep breath.

    "What the hell just happened?" His face contorted with a mixture of disbelief and even a hint of sadness as he sat up and faced the sky.

    "HE DEFEATED A PRINCE!?" Brakaan roared,pletely breaking his calm demeanor.

    At that moment his wife rushed into the room, shocked by what she just heard.

    "Lord! Please calm down!" She eximed, running over to face the orb.

    ***

    Far distant from thisnd, in an entirely different kingdom, two eyes with green eyshes opened within the darkness.

    They revealed a pair of bright green eyes, that illuminated the pitch ck around them.

    "Godfrey..."

 Chapter 343 Lyrian Versus Linus

    Chapter 343 Lyrian Versus Linus

    Back in the exam, everyone''s shock stirred to a slight calm. Though they were still taken aback, they had topose themselves for what they knew was going to happen next.

    Linus jumped onto the stage, not hesitating for one bit. His expression was unrelentingly calm, as he spoke, "You''ve had your fun. It''s time for the finaly now, where the bull is trampled."

    These words caused an aura of awe within the room. Lyrian smirked, "I''m no bull," He paused, "But I''m sure even you know that by now."

    "Enough of the useless words. Get ready Theageld." Linus gracefully took his wand out from his waist belt. He held it by his side, as Lyrian also unsheathed his de.

    ''If I know anything, Linus will be just as tough, if not even more tough, than Drake.'' Lyrian mused to himself. ''Back in the banquet, the two fought for the prized cultivation technique. The one who won it in the end was... Linus. I don''t know why it was him--must have been something in the background that urred--but his cultivation was superior to Drakes, that''s for sure. I am sure Drake''s cultivation technique was almost up to par, but there is no doubt in my mind that Linus'' made him stronger.''

    At that moment, Linus waved his wand carefully in the air. "Lunar Calendar," he whispered under his breath, as a luminescent yellow sphere that turned on its axis materialized in front of him.

    Lyrian recognized it to be the same move that Linus had used against Godfrey during their duel in the banquet. The sphere had several white lines checkering across it. This made it seem as though it was made of squares, like an borate puzzle piece.

    Linus slowly began moving his wand left, as the sphere jerked to the left for hundreds of turns at once. This went small gusts of wind waving through the air, and everyone could feel it brush against their faces. In the end, it abruptly stopped as Linus'' wand also stopped moving.

    "For you, I''ll go... 20," Linus muttered under his breath, as a single square on the sphere gleamed brighter than the rest. The square floated up and out of the sphere, causing it to disperse into light. At that moment, the square entered Linus'' body, invigorating him in a slightly yellow light. His eyes widened, as a serious furrow donned his face.

    Lyrian wasn''t going to let the boy appear too strong either, however. ''I went up to 85% Enhancement with Drake. For Linus, I''ll start with 90%.'' As he mused this, he closed his eyes for a split second and entered the mode of Smithing. His body soon burst into a fiery green aura.

    ''Enhance again? Why does he keep using such a basic magic spell? Even though it does appear strong, there is a reason that these types of spells are abandoned by greater mages... it''s because there are better, more powerful alternatives.'' Linus thought to himself as he watched Lyrian prepare.

    ''Still... I''ll let him prepare. Not because he let me, but because I don''t see a need to attack him while he''s unprepared. That would only make me seem desperate, and weaker. I know I can defeat with fair effort, so there is no reason for me to cheat.'' Whilst Linus thought to himself, so did Lyrian, ''For Linus, I think the snake will be most effective.''

    "Panda Kung-Fu; Fourth Formation: Snake." He took in a big breath, and as soon as he exhaled, it felt as though his previous human self left along with his breath. He had shed off his previous self, and now unlocked a new being in this arena; the serpent.

    The snake''s specialty was simple, as in real life--vicious attack! Lyrian''s eyes flew open, as he targeted his spiritual aura naturally toward his opponent. This caused Lyrian to be transformed into a giant, coiled-up green viper in the eyes of Linus.

    Linus'' eyes widened ever so slightly, ''Impressive... so this is what Drake saw. I must say, his ability to mimic an animal''s presence so close that he transforms into them in aura is incredible. However... that isn''t good enough. Not even close. After all... it''s just a snake.''

    "Prepare to lose," Linus eximed.

    "Come at me," Lyrian said back with utmost determination.

    At that moment, Linus moved forward at incredible speed, seemingly teleporting in front of Lyrian. Lyrian didn''t make a single move, simply blocking his body with his hands, one of which held his de.

    Linus disappeared from his front and appeared behind him. He thrust his wand forward into Lyrian''s back with force, but at that very moment, Lyrian''s body twisted back. His de thrust behind him as his body turns fully around on his feet. The de, powered by his entire body, instead threatened to pierce Linus.

    ''Fast!'' Linus eximed, inwardly having to back off. As he appeared on the other side of the arena, a bead of sweat formed on his forehead. ''What the hell was that!? His speed was far too much, even faster than when he fought Drake.''

    "Lunar Calendar, day 22, 23, 24... 25," the prince tapped his chest each time he added another number to the Lunar day. As he did, another square seemed to appear in the air and enter his body. ''I shouldn''t have underestimated him this much it seems.''

    He tried to move forward once again, this time even faster than before. However, Lyrian remained totally calm. He simply waited for his prey toe near with utmost concentration.

    Linus neared him and unleashed a series of wand shes, each releasing powerful des of light. However, Lyrian was quick to evade all of them, as he swiftly moved forward in a zig-zag pattern. Linus'' head turned left, then right, as Lyrian appeared to be moved all over the ce. He backed up as Lyrian stepped closer, not knowing where Lyrian was going to strike from.

    Lyrian stopped for a moment, and that''s when Linus eximed, "Fine... let me not y around then. Lunar Calendar, day 26!"

 Chapter 344 I Won

    Chapter 344 I Won

    At that moment, another square entered Linus'' body.

    His skin instantly gleamed white, erasing all hints of the golden aura from before.

    Even his clothes turnedpletely white, as he dashed forward.

    He shed his wand at Lyrian again, but this time, the waves of light energy thatunched out were far more dense.

    Lyrian could feel them cutting through the atmosphere as they moved as if they were over a thousand pounds each!

    ''He used gravitational magic on them.'' He mused, finding it slightly difficult to dodge them.

    Linus was far faster than before, so as he tried to back up, Linus quickly caught up with him.

    At that moment, Lyrian decided to change his style.

    He stepped back far and uncoiled his hands.

    A snake had two modes of attack, one that was coil and bite... and the other that was investigate and lunge.

    Lyrian had been performing the coil and bite method, but now, he was going with thetter option.

    He waved his two hands in front of himself as he lunged his legs slightly.

    His hands moved freely like waves in the ocean, and as soon as Linus'' wand even very much graced them, he swatted the wand away with a simple touch.

    The strength in his fingers seemed immense, as Linus'' entire body was thrown off bnce by it.

    At that moment, Lyrian lunged forward and threw several powerful kicks toward the royal.

    He spun his body around, as Linus swiftly backed away.

    Lyrian twirled and flipped in the air, unleashing several quicks in a matter of seconds.

    His final one, a cleaver that he brought down from the ground, was too close to avoid.

    Even Linus wasn''t able to dodge it, and neither were his hands close enough to block.

    Lyrian''s kick connected for only a split second, and in that second Linus felt a devastating force make his entire body nearly copse from the pressure.

    It was as if a mountain had suddenly fallen onto his shoulder. He gasped identally, as he managed to slightly wave his wand.

    At that moment, Lyrian''s kick no longer bore any strength.

    In fact, he weighed as light as a feather, as Linus swiftly moved away at that point.

    He then filled his lungs with air before blowing hard toward the lightweight Lyrian.

    Lyrian was blown across the room as though he were dust.

    He quickly pointed his hands toward the opposite direction of his fight and unleashed a st of me.

    This was enough to propel his body back into the arena, as he fell to the floor.

    His weight was now back, but Lyrian decided to kick it up a notch.

    ''What an annoying fight... I''ll just end this.'' He mused, Enhancing his body to its maximum capacity.

    He felt a new power surge through his limbs as he locked eyes with Linus.

    Linus moved his wand downward, a signature key that he was using heavy gravitational magic.

    Lyrian felt a heap of gravity push down on him, as the crowd questioned how he handle it.

    However, the room broke out into astonished gasps as they saw Lyrian not even move an inch from the force.

    Instead, he dashed forward so quick that not even Linus could react.

    Lyrian Enhanced his left hand heavily, with his right hand holding his de,

    "Shock Fist!"

    *BANG*

    A burst of hair exited through the back of Linus'' body as he wheezed out all the air left in his lungs.

    He found it impossible to breathe, and even let go of his wand at that moment.

    His body was lifted into the air by Lyrian''s fist, and his eyes had rolled into his head.

    As the crowd hushed in shock, however, Linus'' eyes quickly regained their light.

    He hadn''t even realized that he lost consciousness, as he mused, ''I can''t lose this...''

    Gritting his teeth, he said, "Lunar Calendar... day 27!"

    ''This is the most I can go right now... in truth, it will heavily injure my body. But I must win!''

    At that moment, a square quickly entered Linus'' chest as a burst of energy flew out of him.

    This even forced Lyrian back, as Linus now burned with the white aura around him.

    As his wand flew back into his hand, Linus moved forward with incredible speed.

    Lyrian didn''t hesitate to do the same, as the two met in the middle for a magnificently enormous sh.

    *BOOM*

    The entire room shook as they continued to exchange several serious blows.

    ''Incredible... he''spletely equal to me now.'' Lyrian mused, ''But... this is not his own power. Each time he attacks, his skin is cracking from the spiritual aura. He is sacrificing his body for this. If that''s the end, I''ll end it even sooner.''

    Lyrian dashed back once, and as hended he closed his eyes for a split second.

    "Final Formation; Dragon!"

    As soon as his feetnded, his eyes flew open in an ember ze.

    He moved forward with lightning speed, blitzing Linus as he unleashed a series of shes into the Royal''s skin.

    It was over 50 minor cuts in under one second.

    This force was enough tounch Linus off the arena like a rag doll, as he mmed into the wall and lost consciousness.

    He fell to the floor as his body returned to normal, except he bled profusely from all sides of the front of his body.

    A group of kids quickly went to medicate him as Lyrian heaved an exasperated sigh.

    He sheathed his de, exiting the dragon form.

    ''Jeez... that''s quite overpowered.'' He mused, impressed with his dragon form.

    ''But, I didn''t want to go all out here. Even though I had some more tricks up my sleeve, this was arguably my strongest. Dragon form with 100% Enhance active... Linus was much stronger than I had imagined.''

    At that moment, Lyrian felt a drowsiness take over his body.

    His limbs became slightly limp, as he fell to one knee.

    The already stunned gasped once more as they saw this, but Lyrian wasn''t going to fall.

    ''Others may have given into the temptation to fall to their knees, but I won''t. That''s the easy way out.''

    He thought to himself, slowly pushing himself back to his feet.

    He faced the crowd with a smile on his face, "I won," he paused for only a moment.

    Lyrian felt overwhelmed with joy at that moment, so much so that he couldn''t contain his excitement any longer and burst into a wholeheartedugh.

    "Hahahaha!"

 Chapter 345 Impact

    Chapter 345 Impact

    The examiners were at a loss for words. Never had they expected Lyrian Theageld out of all to be the one to win this battle.

    "It just doesn''t make sense." One said, denying to believe it.

    He faced the orb with furrowed brows and a confused expression.

    "I know... hees as a nonnoble." Another examiner added.

    "No... not just that, but the boy doesn''t evene from the kingdom. Hees from the outskirts. From day one, he was mysterious."

    The entire day had been a doozy for them.

    Some examiners, however, grinned in celebration and joy.

    "I wish to see where he goes in the future."

    "An interestingd."

    These included the likes of Julius, Rerth, and Granweid.

    Jalls, however, seemed a bit more out of wack. As if he was irritated or discouraged by something.

    He bit the inside of his lip as he looked at the orb, as if nervous or ufortable.

    Julius noticed this, ''He must be upset that Glis didn''t even try...'' He mused, looking at Lyrian through the orb.

    ''But you can''t me her. Lyrian showcased today that he is on another levelpared to other students. Hell... I don''t even know if what he showed today was his full potential. Now, even I want to duel him.''

    Julius'' eyes lit up slightly as he thought of this possibility.

    At that moment, Rerth suddenly eximed, "You want to test him yourself don''t you?" He spoke out loud, but rhetorically to himself.

    "I don''t know how he gained power that quickly, even with the cultivation technique he has." Granweid couldn''t help but exim in surprise.

    Just like the examiners, those watching their orbs at home had simr mixed reactions.

    As soon as Lyrian defeated Linus, and dered himself to be the winner, Brakaan clenched his fist in anger.

    His wife couldn''t help but be infuriated as well.

    "Eliminate... I''ll have to eliminate him in some way." Brakaan mused to himself, "Before he can be any stronger, I''ll crush him like a bug."

    Near Brakaan''s abode, Galvian Greystone, father of Cedric Greystone, was close to throwing a temper tantrum.

    "What!? What is this absurdity!" He couldn''t fathom Lyrian winning.

    Cedric, however, couldn''t help but smile.

    ''Good job Lyrian.'' He mused inwardly, proud of Lyrian''s aplishment.

    Other onlookers grinned wide.

    Grasus and Brr''s Theageld celebrated in joy.

    Grasus stood up, two hands high in the air to show just how ecstatic he was right now.

    Brrsughed joyfully, as Rosa couldn''t help but break down into tears of joy.

    Her heart was divided. On one side, she was happy for her son and what he had achieved, but on the other side, she missed him dearly.

    It had been months since shest saw him face to face, and it ached her heart each time she thought of when he first left.

    ''You''re doing amazing, my love... but please return soon. I don''t know how much longer I can go without seeing your face.'' She thought to herself endearingly, cing her hand on her heart.

    All in all, Lyrian Theageld had undoubtedly left a mark on the three kingdoms after this.

    Whether it be shock, joy, or even anger, Lyrian had impacted almost every person within Yaltas, Yuun, and Veridrake.

    Returning to the exam, Lyrian noticed a golden aura begin to emanate from the arena he stood on.

    ''It''s the same stuff that covered the map,'' He thought, already having an idea as to what was going to happen next.

    Everyone looked in awe as the golden aura filled the marking around the arena, and stretched toward the passageway to the treasure room.

    As soon as it reached that passage, it climbed up and surrounded the doorway.

    As soon as itpleted its journey around it, the golden aura from the arena reached up from the floor and enveloped Lyrian in a thinyer.

    After looking at his hands, Lyrian promptly hopped off the arena and walked over to the passage.

    As he walked, he chugged a few potions to heal himself from his fights. Mostly, he needed to regain his mana quickly.

    Everyone decided to follow him until he made it inside the passage, where they all stopped and looked.

    ''This golden aura makes me eligible to cross I suppose...'' Lyrian mused, as he walked through the passage without any trouble.

    His feet still lit up with purple inscriptions on the ground, but no force propelled him back like the first kid who attempted to cross the passage.

    "Hey!" Drake walked forward, calling out to Lyrian.

    Lyrian turned and saw Drake, who was still clutching his now bandaged side.

    With a smirk, Drake eximed, "I don''t know how many items you can carry back, but get something good for me."

    Lyrian scoffed at his request, ''Shameless,'' He mused, ''But I wouldn''t hesitate to do the same.''

    He swiftly answered, "Why would I help my own rival? Didn''t you say you were going to get revenge on me?"

    Lyrian turned around and continued walking forward, as Drake retorted, "Bastard..." With a slight smirk.

    After only one second of pause, the entire crowd of students erupted into a loud and obnoxious choir of people asking for things for themselves.

    "Hey! Let me get something!"

    "Please! I''m not your rival!"

    "Can I please get something? Anything!? It doesn''t even have to be good, in fact, it can be the worst thing in there!"

    Thisst kid was none other than Jiller...

    As soon as Lyrian passed through the passage, all sound from the outside was suddenly erased.

    "Oh... how fortunate. My ears nearly started bleeding." He teased, getting a first look at everything inside.

    The room stretched about 50 feet forward but stretched sideways a good bit longer.

    He noticed blocks of stone the size ofrge chairs ced 5 feet apart from each other.

    On top of these pedestal-like blocks were different treasures mounted atop.

    All of the items gleamed with various colored auras, giving dim lighting to the dark room.

    Lyrian''s eyes quickly began to Scan the area, as a smile slowly formed on his face.

    ''All of this... is mine?''

 Chapter 346 Scars Cloak

    Chapter 346 Scar''s Cloak

    Excited, he walked over to a pedestal with a golden pendant on it.

    "Scan."

    ��������Item Scan��������

    Name: Horus'' Locket

    Description: A valuable locket once owned by Horus. This item allows the holder to fly at high speeds for limited periods.

    ��������������������������

    ''Not amazing, but I''ll take it.'' He didn''t care too much about this item, as he had an incredible array of options thaty before him.

    Without hesitation, he moved to the next item.

    ��������Item Scan��������

    Name: Peta Wand

    Description: A valuable wand that allows one to summon a random animal at will. This wand does not require any mana and is limited to animals existing within the Mortal ins. It also has an animal strength capacity.

    ��������������������������

    ''Peta? What in the world is that? Anyways, I''ll also take this,'' He attempted to grab the wand from its pedestal, but for some reason, a transparent, purple barrier blocked his hand from essing it.

    ''Damn it... my worst nightmare. It seems I can only take one item from here. But, just to be sure, Gear, Scan this barrier.''

    [Sure]

    ��������Item Scan��������

    Name: Purple Barrier

    Description: A magic spell that acts as a powerful barrier. As long as you are covered in Golden Energy, you can not carry more than one item from this room.

    ��������������������������

    ''Ah... seems Orion was indeed smart. You can''t enter this room without being covered in the golden stuff, so you are forced to abide by this rule.''

    Although he was slightly discouraged by this news, it wasn''t too big of a deal for him.

    ''Can''t lose anything you never had,'' He mused, returning Horus'' Locket as he mused, ''For now, that is... My n is to take over this entire. I can''t do that without everything inside of it being my property.''

    After this, he spent some time taking a look at every single item.

    In the end, he came to categorize everything into three categories.

    He called it, ''Trash, Good, and Best,'' In his own words.

    ''Seems the items from the left side of the room are mostly trash. The stuff in the middle is a good tier, and the stuff on the right is the best category.''

    He looked around the room once more, seemingly confused.

    ''But... it''s not here. The forbidden relic that this entire exam is based on... the Scar Cloak. That''s the thing I was most excited about. Although the wand that I got is most likely even stronger, this cloak is no joke. I have a respectable weapon, but I was looking forward to having some good armor as well.''

    He thought to himself, slightly disappointed.

    He especially wanted some good armor before entering the normal world.

    ''On top of that, if we don''t return with the Scar Cloak... we will all fail the exam. That is the criteria which this exam is based on...''

    He continued looking around, ''I checked the right side of the room several times, and yet, haven''t been able to find it even once. How odd.''

    At that moment, he decided to check every item once again.

    He started from the right side, as that was where the best stuff was, and descended down, getting worse and worse in product.

    ''Could it be that, just like the Grandeur Wand, the Scar Cloak is also found somewhere else, other than the final room?''

    He began to worry, finishing the best tier items and moving on to the good tier items.

    Finally, he arrived at the end of the worst tier items, the trash tier.

    Still, he couldn''t find a single thing that resembled what he imagined the Scar Cloak to be.

    ''There are also a bunch of items that have no names in the trash section, which doesn''t help. But, they look to be useless items anyway.''

    He stood in front of the left side of the room, cing his hands on his waist as he took a good look at the items.

    This was the only ce that he hadn''t done a thorough search, since the Scar Cloak''s chance of being there was the lowest.

    ''The only thing that even slightly resembles a clock is this thing at the end.'' He walked toward what looked to be arge floating ck cloth.

    It was made of a slightly thick wool material but didn''t glow in any sort of way or stand out like other stuff.

    It also had a giant tear going across the middle of it.

    On top of all of that, it was one of the items that had no name or description when Scanning it.

    ''Hmm... maybe you are the thing I''m looking for.'' Lyrian mused, emphasizing the ''are'' in his head.

    He picked up the cloth and ced it over his body like how a cloak would be worn.

    At that moment, the cloth suddenly changed in shape, covering Lyrian''s 10-year-old body perfectly in the shape of a real cloak.

    ''Hm?''

    At that moment, Lyrian suddenly felt an odd, unexinable aura around him.

    ''Did I Scan this correctly?'' He mused, taking the cloak off and cing it on the ground.

    At once, the cloak returned to itsrge square cloth shape.

    ''Scan.''

    ��������Item Scan��������

    Name: D-193

    Description: --

    ��������������������������

    ''How odd...'' Lyrian ced it back onto his body to see if it would change shape once again.

    And again, it turned into a cloak that perfectly fit his body.

    ''Maybe now that it actually looks like a cloak, the Scan will read something different? Scan.''

    Lyrian attempted to Scan it again. At this point, he didn''t really have any other choice.

    He wanted to pass this exam and also wanted that cloak.

    Nothing else was as close as this rag to being the Scar Cloak, so at this point, he was desperate.

    However, his face lit up as soon as the Scan panel appeared in front of his face again.

    ��������Item Scan��������

    Name: Scar''s Cloak

    Description: A powerful and extremely valuable cloak, owned by many legendary figures. This cloak has a multitude of powers, from shape-shifting to great defense capabilities; to even allowing the user to disappear along with it. This cloak can also be used as a weapon due to its shape-shifting abilities.

    ��������������������������

 Chapter 347 Grand Surprise

    Chapter 347 Grand Surprise

    "Nice." He said with a satisfied smirk, turning around as he picked the ck cloth back up.

    He looked around the room onest time as he spoke in a low voice, "Looks like its abilities are pretty good, but there are definitely other stuff in here that rival it."

    His eyes darted across several different artifacts, weapons, and other trinkets.

    ''Still, none better than this.'' He mused as he threw the cloak onto his body.

    It morphed to cover his body again, and he was covered head to toe in a hooded ck cloak.

    He took off the hood for now and began making his way out of the room.

    As he began to walk out of the passage back into the center room, everyone saw that he was empty-handed.

    He only carried one item. This was very disappointing to those who had wished to get something.

    But, they also saw what Lyrian was wearing.

    Although it looked pathetic, what he was wearing had to be the Scar Cloak.

    Although some students wanted Lyrian to walk out with a handful of items, every student wanted him to at least walk out with the cloak.

    The cloak was their ticket to passing this exam once and for all.

    Lyrian stepped out of the passage, and the golden aura left his body.

    It melted back into the ground, and all the golden aura in the entire dungeon disappeared at once.

    ''The golden aura left... that probably means we can''t redo this ever again. After one item is taken, it seems that it is for this graveyard.''

    Lyrian mused as everyone looked at him with awe.

    ''Unless, of course, someone strong enoughes here and loots this graveyardpletely.''

    He turned back around and faced the treasure room with a look of seriousness, with furrowed brows.

    ''If all of this falls into the wrong hands, that can''t be good for the three kingdoms. There is stuff in there that Orion likely collected during his entire lifetime.''

    "Lyrian! Did you get it? The Scar Cloak!" Alten jumped in front of Lyrian as he loudly spoke.

    "Yeah. We can head out now, this exam is passed for everyone here." Lyrian replied, giving everyone a chance to sigh a breath of relief.

    Now that he had said it and confirmed it, the reality of them passing felt more real.

    It didn''t take long before groups began to exit the room. Before they did, however, a kid jumped onto the fighting tform.

    It was none other than Geld, who addressed the crowd with enthusiasm, "Everyone, please care to hear my words!"

    As he spoke, everyone stopped walking and turned to face him.

    "We havee a long way, every single one of us!" He started off by saying this and paused, greeting everyone with a smile.

    "In the future, I hope you all good luck, and wish we can remainpanions through the hardship of our collective journey of this exam and more!"

    With this, emotions began to swell up for some, who had worked hard to get here.

    The expectations of their loved ones, and the goals they had set for themselves; it felt like it all melded together here in this moment.

    Lyrian and the others faced Geld with a smile on their faces as he spoke.

    "If you do not know me, my name is Geld Worth! As you probably know, my family is the head of the Golden Worth Fortune Association. In the future, I hope that whenever you all be great, we can help each other in our aspirations and that we can keep in contact further, until the end of this deployment and more!"

    Geld finished his speech, and many got excited to hear this.

    "Sure! It would be an honor to work with the great Golden Worth business!"

    "Really? That would be amazing!"

    People eximed since this wasn''t some small deal.

    Even nobles respected the Golden Worth Fortune Association since it was one of the biggest merchant businesses in all three kingdoms.

    Geld hopped back off of the stage and rejoined his group, as Alten and Jackson congratted him.

    Even Lyrian eximed, "Not bad Geld, not bad." While smirking.

    After this speech, everyone slowly exited the graveyard and returned to the starting point.

    The injured were picked up and taken. The happy rejoiced, and the angry stopped their rage for this moment of relief.

    They grouped up in the beginning room as the examiners reacted in joy.

    "Well, that was an easy job. I thought being an examiner was hard or something." Rerth smugly spoke.

    Old examiners who had been doing this job for decades looked at Rerth with annoying expressions.

    Julius couldn''t help but reply, "Well, why do you think we chose you for this specific exam?" He teased.

    Now, Rerth was the one with the annoyed expression, "Alright you bastard... whatever!"

    At that moment Granweid eximed, "Aren''t we going to pull them out now?"

    "No... let them wait." Julius replied, "They should bathe at that moment a little longer before they truly celebrate."

    After a few minutes, the students noticed a blue circle form on the ground.

    It was the same transportation circle as the one in the teleportation station in the academy.

    They stood up from where they were, preparing themselves to teleport.

    In a measly millisecond, their surroundings changed once again.

    However, it wasn''t even close to what they were expecting.

    Instead of teleporting back to the teleportation room, as was normal, they found themselves looking around clueless.

    They seemed to be in a giant coliseum or arena of sorts.

    Beneath them was white smooth stone, and around them were seated thousands of people in the seat stands.

    They cheered in celebration as the examinees appeared.

    These people were fathers and mothers, aunts and uncles. They were friends and some foes.

    They were siblings and cousins, grandparents, and great-grandparents.

    Companions, nobles, acquaintances, and peers.

    Many had gathered there today to celebrate the conquest and victory of their loved ones.

    Sitting at the top booths surrounding the stadium were high nobles and non-imperial royals.

    Non-imperial royals were those who had close connections to true royalty but were the second head or cousins in rtion.

    Finally, in the biggest booth right in the middle, existed threerge thrones overlooking the colleseium.

    "The kings?" Lyrian mused as he saw this, excitement swelling up within him.

 Chapter 348 Representatives Of The Crowns

    Chapter 348 Representatives Of The Crowns

    The students didn''t really know what to do. Theyughed in a little shock, happily surprised.

    At that moment, an empty booth at the top of the stadium filled up with people.

    The examiners of the test appeared within, using some sort of teleportation magic.

    Jalls lowered his wand, clearly the one who teleported them.

    From his spot up top, Julius stood and walked to the railing of the booth.

    He was the figurehead of Anaviotis. The vice principal, and the powerful magus who garnered respect among even royals.

    With a smile, he addressed the crowd, "How about it, folks! Are you all proud to see your next generation of magnificent mages gathered here today!?"

    He spoke with enthusiasm and confidence, exalting his voice to every corner of the stadium using voice enhancement magic.

    The crowd suddenly abrupted into cheers once again.

    "And students!" He now bestowed his presence to those down below him.

    They all looked to face him, as he spoke with charisma and order.

    "Feel proud! Future pioneers of our nations! You havepleted your final Exam for the first grade of Anaviotis!"

    Lyrian was slightly surprised to hear this. "Final test?" He said in a low tone, "I thought we would have an end-of-the-year exam, but if not, then does that mean that this deployment will stretch on until the next year?"

    As he said this, Alten, who stood next to him, eximed, "Really? If that''s true... I wonder what kind of horrible deployment we will be put through!" He cried in slight horror.

    At that moment, Julius continued.

    "Victorious mages! I urge you to understand who has gathered here today to witness your greatness!"

    The students looked around as they heard this.

    "Not only important figures of our kingdoms but even three representatives of the three crowns!"

    His hands gestured towards the three thrones ced in the biggest booth.

    "Only representatives huh? That makes sense... the three kings themselves wouldn''te just for this." Lyrian said with slight disappointment.

    He had wanted to see the kings, as they were likely the strongest people he would ever see.

    For some reason, that gave him a sense of exhration, and he didn''t know why.

    Maybe it was because he wanted to see the challenge thaty in front of him, but he wasn''t sure as of now.

    At that moment, Lyrian looked at the three currently empty thrones.

    As he continued to stare at it, along with therge crowd, he couldn''t help but notice many eyes moving over to face him instead.

    It felt a little awkward, as this was much more than normal.

    But then, he remembered why this was the case.

    Only hours prior, he had shown all the three kingdoms that he was the strongest student that the first year of Anaviotis students held!

    He was the prodigy, the phoenix in the rubble.

    Many looked at him with awe and wonder, imagining just who was this young genius.

    Finally, three figures slowly materialized in the thrones.

    On the first throne, ced to the right, was none other than Yesan.

    He faced the crowd with a smile behind his ivory feather and deeply squinted eyes.

    "The Chairman Of Yaltas! Yesan Hellespont!" Julius proimed loudly.

    Many gasped in awe as he appeared, and they continued to do so with each of the other figures.

    Next to appear was a person on the left, a middle-aged man dressed in a ck robe, with hints of golden crescent moons adorned all throughout his clothing.

    "Supreme Commander Of The Imperial Yuun Army! As Daia!"

    He had a chiseled jawline with a slight stubble, and a serious, stern face.

    His gaze was dominating, and that alone verified his immense strength.

    His stature was not little by any means. Muscles poked out of his robe, and his posture was nearly wless.

    Finally, the figure who appeared in the middle was an older man with a long beard. His eyes were surrounded by light scales, and despite his age, his developed body was adorned in a green, reptile-scaled knight''s armor.

    He wasn''t as tall or muscr as As, but he did not represent the average old man.

    His gaze exalted wisdom, along with power.

    "And finally, Supreme Hand Of The King Of Veridrake! Drafos Pendragon!"

    As the audience and the crowd of students around Lyrian cheered, he couldn''t help butugh.

    "These people... they are insanely powerful!" He was blown away by their sheer presence.

    There was no way he could go on without trying to figure out their power.

    ''Scan,'' He said in his mind.

    [Error! The target''s power level is too high to scan]

    [Increasing your mastery of the Scan skill will enable you to scan individuals with higher power levels]

    ''Wow... when''s thest time that has shown up? When I first Scanned Brakaan?'' Lyrian mused, slightly surprised.

    Then again, thinking about it, there would have been no way for him to get an urate gauge on these people.

    They were of another species of powerpletelypared to him.

    However, this made him curious to Scan some others for their power.

    ''This is thest time that I''ll probably see them in a while... so I might as well. Scan. Scan. Scan!''

    Several panels appeared in his mind.

    First, he tried Julius.

    [Error! The target''s power level is too high to scan]

    [Increasing your mastery of the Scan skill will enable you to scan individuals with higher power levels]

    ''That''s too bad...''

    Then, he tried Rerth.

    [Error! The target''s power level is too high to scan]

    [Increasing your mastery of the Scan skill will enable you to scan individuals with higher power levels]

    ''What? Even that old man?'' He was slightly surprised with this one.

    Finally, he decided to try Granweid, who sat next to Rerth.

    ��������Scan��������

    Name: Granweid Phovos

    Species: Human

    Bloodline: Phovos Family

    Age: 33

    Overall Power (OP): 30

    Health: 305/305

    Stamina: 301/301

    Strength: 300

    Agility: 315

    Defense: 295

    Rank: Central Ascension Rank

    MP: 800/800

    ����������������������

    ''Holy fuck...''

 Chapter 349 Learning About The Deployment

    Chapter 349 Learning About The Deployment

    ''Central Ascenion Rank? What is that? The next rank after the Genesis Layers?'' Lyrian mused curiously, highly impressed by what he was seeing.

    ''So that means that the others are even higher than this huh...'' He paused, switching to thinking, ''From what it looks like, I can read about double my strength in terms of stats. But... that''s not really a thing. Even someone with 10 stat points higher than another can decimate that person as if they are twice as strong. Granweid is far stronger than double my strength...''

    With this, Julius addressed the crowd of students once again, "Students, you will now be exined of your deployment. Are you already!" He shouted with a smile.

    The students erupted into valiant cheers. They couldn''t wait to learn about this.

    Just as Julius was about to continue speaking, Lyrian couldn''t help but notice the eyes of the three on the throne observing him as well.

    ''I''ll have to make a name for myself during this deployment.'' he mused, as Julius finally continued.

    "You only have this night to prepare, and tomorrow, you will all be sent on your own journies outside of this academy."

    A low grumble of slightly impressed noises sounded from the students. Some ''oh''s and ''ah''s.

    "You won''t just be going a few cities away but will be sent to different ces across the three kingdoms. But do not think it will be random. No... understand that we have specifically chosen these tasks for you based on criteria that we havee up with on our own."

    The surprised groans became slightly louder. The crowd in the stands also reacted a bit this time, as this was the first time they had heard about the details of this deployment as well.

    "As your Hunting ss teacher must have already exined, you will be performing a select mission in this new city. However, you will only learn about this mission during your travel over there. Until then, you have no way to prepare, so... do everything to prepare in the meantime."

    He paused, as the students understood what wasing next. The thing that they had all been waiting for.

    Just how long was this deployment going to be?

    "This deployment willst... until the start of your second grade in Anaviotis. That''s right, you will spend several monthspleting your allotted mission."

    As Julius said this, an astonished and amused gasp waved through the crowd in the stands.

    The students had a simrly stunned reaction. Although Lyrian and a few others had already thought of this to be a possibility, it wasn''t quite as gripping.

    Still, now that Lyrian understood that it wasn''t just a theory, he was slightly taken aback by it.

    ''That long away from the mana alcove? That won''t be great.'' He said, slightly disappointed.

    "However!" Julius suddenly eximed at that moment, "If you manage to finish your mission before you have to return... you are free to do what you like! Roam the kingdom, go on quests, and far more awaits you. Or, you could just spend your time in bath houses. It''s all up to you!" He said with a smile on his face, as though he had read Lyrian''s mind.

    ''Oh? Then that''s perfect! I''m sure I can find something even better than a mana alcove out there in the real world. Right now, in this academy, I don''t have the best resources to grow in power. I imagine that the inner academy will have those aspects. However, this deployment itself is like a resource for me.''

    Lyrian thought to himself, much more hopeful now.

    "Although I make it sound as though you can just waste around, that is not entirely true. To show your status as a student of Anaviotis, you must serve each city that you reside in."

    Julius'' tone suddenly turned more serious and sterner.

    "Understand that you are not random students. You are deemed as high nobility in the eyes of normal citizens. As cadets of Anaviotis, Academy of Magia, you mustplete hunting quests at the local Adventurer''s guild."

    The students replied with a collective, "Yes!" As Julius finished his speech.

    This was it... what they needed to know had been given to them.

    All that was left now was to return and prepare for the big day tomorrow.

    Before they left, however, Julius eximed, "You all are finished here today. But, before you leave, let''s pledge our loyalty to this grand academy!"

    A cheer resounded from the crowd and from the students, as they all stood up.

    They did this only onrge special asions, such as the entrance ceremony and such.

    So, they already knew what to do. Each one of them ced their hands on their hearts and straightened their posture.

    At that moment, Julius began to proim,

    "We, as a body of curiosity, interest, prestige, and power, are all beads thrung onto a single thread, a thread of magia. The origin, ending, and all of fate resides within the glory of mana, all of which we shall uphold."

    By the end of his pledge, every single person except for the higher noble officials and representatives of the throne had joined in.

    After a short pause, Julius spoke again, "Power!"

    The crowd roared back instantly with pride, "Power!"

    Without any waste of time, a flutter of cheer and apuse reverberated through the crowd of this stadium.

    As the kids were led out by a teacher, leaving to a standing ovation, nobles, and other important figures also began to exit the coliseum building.

    The representatives of the crowns still sat where they were, however.

    Yesan turned to face the other two slightly, "What do you think of that boy? He defeated Silvus, you know?"

    As was the first to say, "I do not respect a termite because he crushed an ant. He has yet to prove anything." He said with a harsh and stern tone.

    Drafos was next to speak, "He is interesting, to say the least."

    At that instant, a figure suddenly appeared behind all three of them.

    "What are you all chatting about up here? Anything fun, or boring as usual?" Julius eximed, walking toward the thrones with a yful smirk on his face.

 Chapter 350 Current Power

    Chapter 350 Current Power

    "Julius? You brat... what are you doing up here with the superiors?" Drafos addressed the young spirited man.

    "Don''t try to boss me around old man, I could still kick your ass at any time."

    "Are you sure about that?" Drafos suddenly turned past his shoulder, ring at Julius with a hint of his spiritual energy shot toward the Vice Principal.

    "Woah! Calm down there great Hand! I''m not trying to start a war here!" Julius joked, as Yesan faced the leaving crowd and eximed,

    "That boy... you once called him a Phoenix in the rubble, no? I''m surprised that you had such an insight so early on. It seems you were right in the end."

    Julius quipped in reply, "You''re surprised? What is that supposed to mean? Of course, I could tell that! Do you take me for a weakling?" He joked.

    "A Pheonix? I would hardly consider him a bird, let alone a creature like that." As eximed, almost scoffing.

    "A Phoenix ey?" Drafos mused out loud, "The Phoenix of Yaltas, the easternmost Kingdom within the tribunal."

    Julius stepped in front of the three of them with a proud smile on his face, "Phoenix Of The East... I wonder how he will perform in this deployment. His mission is not an easy one."

    Soon, Lyrian made it to his dorm room for what he knew would be the final time that year.

    Before he entered, however, he spoke with Alten and Leon for a bit.

    "We will meet again tomorrow before they probably teleport us to our destinations. Then, we will say our final goodbyes." Alten eximed, looking at his two best friends.

    "I''m going to miss you guys... damn it." His eyes seemed to moisten a little as he quickly wiped them. "I didn''t want to get emotional... but this kind of sucks."

    "Don''t worry, Alten." Lyrian suddenly ced his hand on Alten''s shoulder, as the boy raised his head and faced Lyrian. "I will miss you and Leon too." He said, which slightly took both Leon and Alten aback.

    "Are you sure you are still the same Lyrian that we know?" Leon joked as Alten chuckled while continuing to wipe his tears.

    Then, both Lyrian and Alten turned to face Leon. In an awkward moment of silence, Leon quickly retorted, "What? Well, of course I won''t miss you guys. That''s for the weak!" He replied in a slight fluster.

    "When we meet again, just make sure you two are still strong. No... get far stronger than you are now, and I''ll be happy."

    Lyrian and Alten bothughed on hearing this, ''He doesn''t want to admit that he will miss us, but he still wants us to grow stronger.'' Lyrian mused inwardly.

    "Of course, and you better do so as well." Lyrian retorted as Alten nodded.

    After that, a short moment of silence took ce between the three.

    For that time, not a single second of it felt awkward or out of ce.

    They didn''t need to talk, only think for a few seconds in quiet.

    "Until next time," Lyrian said, as Alten and Leon nodded.

    The three departed, entering their own rooms.

    Lyrian entered his to find his roommate waiting for him.

    On top of his head was Nova, who had been waiting for his master''s return.

    As soon as Lyrian took a foot inside, Nova quickly flew towards him.

    Lyrian expected a warm wee but instead was met with a pile drive straight into his stomach.

    This bird wasn''t too weak either, so he actually felt it take some air out of his lungs.

    "Oof!" He eximed as Nova returned to his shoulder.

    "You silly bird! What do you think you''re doing!?" Lyrian yelled at the Pheon, but at that moment, his roommate answered for Nova.

    "You left it for an entire day! Of course, it would be mad! Don''t you know how Spirit Pets work? They are linked to your spirit. If they are separated from you for too long, they highly dislike it. Only trained pets can do so without any trouble."

    The boy seemed to care a lot about not just Nova, but Spirit Pets in general.

    "Anyways." His roommate suddenly fell onto his bed, "I saw you in that exam. Although you are a peasant with no noble background, you aren''t too wea--" The boy cut himself off, imagining Lyrian not listening to him anymore as that was what always happened.

    He quickly sat up and faced forward once again.

    This time, however, he was surprised to find Lyrian still there, listening to what he was saying.

    For some reason, a smile tugged on his lips, and he couldn''t help but feel a sort of slight joy.

    "R-right..." He stammered, "As I was sayin--" This time, he was cut off by Lyrian, who eximed,

    "That''s great and all, but I have to prepare more for this deployment. I''ll talk to youter if possible." He said, taking off his shoes before hopping into his BF module.

    Kyro, Lyrian''s roommate, was left speechless. "That... stupid bastard! How dare he!"

    As soon as Lyrian stepped into the BF module, he entered the solo sandbox game mode.

    "It''s been a while since I''ve essed my creations in real battle. I also haven''t seen my skill masterpieces for a while. Let''s see just how powerful you four have gotten...e out!"

    At that moment, four giant figures appeared before

    him.

    Each stood with a menacing aura, representing utter strength and ferocity.

    He couldn''t help but smile proudly.

    "Gear, tell me the status'' of each one." He said, looking at his creations.

    ��������Status��������

    Name: Tao

    Species: Duskwing Phoenix

    Age: ~1

    Overall Power (OP): 20

    Health: 201/201

    Stamina: 208/208

    Strength: 206

    Agility: 245

    Defense: 198

    Rank: Normal

    ����������������������

    ��������Status��������

    Name: Garmr

    Species: Obsidian Wolf

    Age: ~1

    Overall Power (OP): 19

    Health: 190/190

    Stamina: 191/191

    Strength: 200

    Agility: 196

    Defense: 192

    Rank: Normal

    ����������������������

    ��������Status��������

    Name: Zuuc

    Species: Generational Hobgoblin

    Age: ~1

    Overall Power (OP): 18

    Health: 180/180

    Stamina: 185/185

    Strength: 190

    Agility: 194

    Defense: 192

    Rank: Normal

    ����������������������

    ��������Status��������

    Name: Panixu

    Species: Bnce Panda

    Age: ~1

    Overall Power (OP): 23

    Health: 230/230

    Stamina: 235/235

    Strength: 231

    Agility: 224

    Defense: 242

    Rank: Normal

    ����������������������

    ��������Abilities��������

    Creature-link (Mastery 6%)

    Reap (Mastery 10%)

    Skill Convergence (Mastery 3%)

    Enhance (Mastery 85%)

    Shock Fist (Mastery 75%)

    Swordskill (Mastery 10%)

    Shadow (Mastery 15%)

    Shadow Puppet (Mastery 10%)

    me Wheel (Mastery 5%)

    Palm Of The Dragon (Mastery 10%)

    ???

    ������������������������

 Chapter 351 New Strongest Creature II

    Chapter 351 New Strongest Creature II

    "Not bad..." Lyrian mused as he stared at his ability mastery panel, "But I''ve almost fully mastered Enhance. It''s great and all, but I''m going to soon need something better than it."

    He looked at the other skills that he had, knowing that he could merge some of them.

    ��������Abilities��������

    Creature-link (Mastery 6%)

    Reap (Mastery 10%)

    Skill Convergence (Mastery 3%)

    Enhance (Mastery 85%)

    Shock Fist (Mastery 75%)

    Swordskill (Mastery 10%)

    Shadow (Mastery 15%)

    Shadow Puppet (Mastery 10%)

    me Wheel (Mastery 5%)

    Hydro sh (Mastery 5%)

    Palm Of The Dragon (Mastery 10%)

    ������������������������

    "Palm Of The Dragon is not a magia spell, so I probably won''t be able to merge it with anything else." He surmised, as Gear quickly followed up.

    [Correct]

    "That leaves Shock Fist, Shadow Puppet, and me Wheel... and the one that I have used the least, Hydro sh. That''s the one that I learned alongside me Wheel."

    He thought about it for a moment and decided that it wasn''t the right time tobine his spells.

    "Right now, these four seem okay on their own. I don''t see howbining them would really benefit me. Still, I''ll have to be on the lookout for more magic spells."

    He put this panel away and faced his creatures for the first time in quite a while.

    Although he had been with them for these three months, he hadn''t confronted them with his gaze in a while.

    "Before we leave for this deployment, let''s have a match to once again decide who is the strongest amongst you." He said with a smirk on his face.

    "Zuuc, Garmr, and Tao; you three already know what''s going to happen. Panixu--"

    Lyrian was suddenly cut off, "Tell me, master!" Panixu excitedly eximed.

    "R-right..." Lyrian eximed, ''I forgot how rowdy he was. I should talk with my creatures more often...''

    "You will be fighting in a super match against all the others. It will be thest one to stay standing who will win the match. Do not be lethal, but do what you must to win. Is that clear, all of you!"

    Lyrian addressed each of his creatures, as they eximed in approval.

    Lyrian took a step back, as the creations positioned themselves in fighting stations.

    "Go!" He shouted, ''I wonder if Panixu''s overall strength will be enough to topple Tao''s speed... After all, Panixu''s speed stat is unusually bad.''

    At that moment, the beast lunged forward in one quick swoop.

    Lyrian found it almost impossible to see what was going on in front of him.

    These beasts were no longer close to his power level. They were on another stratosphere.

    As they all shed with each other in the middle, Lyrian could feel the ruthless aura exuding off of them deep in his bones.

    Seeing such a powerful battle would be enough to send shivers up the spines of many--but this only caused Lyrian to be more excited.

    All of these beasts were his to control.

    Garmr and Zuuc faced off against each other. Although Zuuc''s elder form proved to be quite tough, Garmr quickly mowed through him with his increased strength.

    ''For some reason, Garmr is far stronger than even the likes of the Generational Bear and Hobgoblin Shaman. It''s absurd to think that a Direwolf mixed with an Obsidian Serpent can lead to such power... but Garm was no ordinary wolf. He was white, unlike the others, a special breed of sorts...''

    Zuuc was thrown onto the floor with a forceful tug, as Garmr moved on to face the other two.

    He returned to his normal green body as he picked himself back up. Although he was disappointed with his performance, he remembered Lyrian''s words from the past.

    It was enough to make him shrug it off quickly. Instead, he walked over to Lyrian and knelt down on one knee.

    ''Oh? Has he gotten more mature?'' Lyrian mused as he saw this.

    "I''m sorry master, I wasn''t strong enough." Zuuc faced the ground as he spoke.

    Lyrian didn''t waste a second on replying, "You are just as strong as I want you to be, so don''t worry, warrior. In the ranks of the strongest, you still give a valiant fight, so think of what you can do in the ranks of the normal."

    With this, Zuuc smiled with exhration, he looked up to face Lyrian, "Yes, master! I could crush every normal or semi-strong bastard there is!" He roared before breaking out into a roughugh.

    ''Eh... maybe not so mature. But, at least he takes the losses better now.''

    Lyrian faced the others as Zuuc entered his shadow.

    Garmr attempted to cut in between the other two, but their sheer speed and ferocity forced him to be thrown around.

    In one powerful lunge, he grabbed onto one of Tao''s wings at that moment.

    This was actually surprising to Lyrian, who hadn''t expected Garmr to get that far.

    However, Tao quickly fluttered his other wing, escaping the wolf''s clutch.

    With one fell swoop from the air, Garmr was thrown across the sandbox like a mere cub.

    After skidding to a stop, he also entered Lyrian''s shadow.

    Now, the only ones left were Panixu and Tao.

    Panixu walked forward, positing his hand in front of Tao, "Panda Kung-Fu: Second Form: Crane!"

    ''Oh, that''s right... these Bnce Pandas are born with the knowledge of Panda Kung-Fu. They are the sole originators of that martial art.'' Lyrian thought to himself as he saw this.

    Tao flew up into the air, preparing to dive back down at extreme speed.

    The Dusk

    wing Pheon was a different being now; Lyrian found it hard to keep track of him even when normally moving.

    This blitz was going to happen in less than one second, and Lyrian was mostly concerned with whether he could catch it or not.

    As Panixu prepared to face off against Tao, the bird suddenly pped his wings and dove down.

    In mere moments, it appeared right in front of Panixu but was abruptly stopped.

    His momentum halted in ce as he was caught by the panda in mid-air.

    Performing a body-shifting maneuver, Panixu took the eleration of Tao''s body and used that momentum to m him into the ground.

    And just like that Panixu stood victorious over the other three.

    "Wow... even though it''s barely been a few months, his master over the martial arts is near perfect if not actually perfect. Raw speed can not do that muchpared to wless counter technique."

    Lyrian walked forward, "Panixu, you are now the strongest. The new General of the army."

 Chapter 352 Sudden Deployment: The Adventure Begins!

    Chapter 352 Sudden Deployment: The Adventure Begins!

    "Haha! I have done it! The great Panixu strikes again!" The panda chuckled in joy.

    ''Where the hell did he get this personality?'' Lyrian confusedly mused, "Anyways... that''s enough of this." He said as Panixu entered his shadow.

    Now, he had gathered himself together and did what he needed to do to be neat for this deployment.

    "I suppose before I exit the BF though, I should make a n." He said, beginning to think. "But, then again, I can''t really make a n without knowing anything. Right now doesn''t seem like a good time then. Still, a basic route will be nice."

    After a short pause to organize his thoughts, he said to himself, "I''ll take on this deployment in a calm way. But, I want to finish my mission as soon as possible so that I can have as much time to train. I just hope I won''t be tied down for the long run..."

    After this, there was nothing else left to do. He exited the module and prepared himself for bed.

    Their exam had taken them a few hours, and by now, night had struck.

    The sky was overtaken by a pitch-ckplexion with glimmers of light here and there.

    The moon was prevalent, however. It shone across the academy, forcing arge ray of light through Lyrian''s window.

    "The moon is bright today... Anyway, I''ll have to say goodbye to them tomorrow first thing in the morning. After that, I''ll be off." Lyrian thought out loud, thinking about Alten and Leon.

    "Hey... you." Kyro, his roommate, spoke out of nowhere in an irritated low tone.

    "Yeah?" Lyrian eximed,

    "Why don''t you ever listen to what I say? I mean... it''s quite absurd." Kyro turned to face Lyrian.

    Lyrian''s eyes were still open, so he continued.

    "I mean seriously... does my voice make you fall asleep or something?"

    Lyrian didn''t reply for some reason, but his eyes were still open, so Kyro shrugged it off and continued.

    "Listen... I dislike weaklings, but I dislike people who ignore my great words nearly the same amount. Do you understand what I''m saying?"

    Again, Lyrian didn''t make a single sound.

    "Do you understand?" Kyro eximed again.

    Out of nowhere, Lyrian began to snore.

    Kyro paused, his expression turned nk as his right eyebrow twitched slightly.

    After a long pause, he screamed at the top of his lungs, "YOU FALL ASLEEP WITH YOUR EYES OPEN!? YOU BASTARD!"

    ***

    A few birds returned to the trees outside of Lyrian''s dorm window. They had left due to a sudden yell the night before...

    Along with them came a group of golden rays of sunlight. It was the break of dawn, and the sun was an orange--almost red sphere.

    It was so early that no early bird had even taken the worm yet... no early bird except for Nova, that is.

    At that moment, Nova suddenly chirped directly at Lyrian''s face with full vocal cord usage.

    It then gave the boy a nasty pluck right on his forehead.

    "Agh!" Lyrian awoke, utterly bewildered and flustered.

    After panting and looking around, Lyrian faced Nova, "You damn bird!"

    He attempted to grab it by its neck and m it down, but Nova quickly flew out of his bed and around the room.

    He stumbled and crashed over several things in the room as he chased Nova around.

    In the midst of that all, his door suddenly creaked open ever so slowly.

    Lyrian stopped on hearing this, facing the door.

    There, a concerned young man stared at Lyrian who was half naked with his shirt off and his roompletely messed up.

    "What do you want?" Lyrian eximed, still slightly pissed off.

    The young man politely spoke, "U-um... lord Theageld... I''m here to dismiss you for your deployment. Here''s the information." His voice attempted to slightly crack as he spoke.

    Clearly, he was extremely nervous. Sensing this, Lyrian calmed his tone down and walked to receive the scroll that the man was handing out.

    With furrowed brows, he read the scroll.

    ''I''m being dismissed now? That''s random...''

    "I know you think this is random," The young man suddenly began to say.

    Lyrian''s head rose to face him, slightly confused, ''Huh!? Did he read my mind just now?''

    "But, everyone has to leave at different, random times..." The young man said, looking away.

    ''Ah... must have just been a coincidence. I''m losing my mind right now... I need to get ready. Anyways--what''s this scroll say.''

    His eyes squinted as he read the small lettering on the scroll.

    Most of it was congratting bull crap, but at the very bottom was one paragraph that caused Lyrian''s arm hair''s to raise.

    It was the only important paragraph within the entire scroll, and it read, "You are to somehow arrive at the city of Bogolsworth within the Veridrake kingdom. A map will be provided to you via your wrist bracelet. You have 10 hours to get there, or else you automatically fail this mission. Good luck."

    "Huh!?" Lyrian eximed, as a ding suddenly sounded from his bracelet.

    "Arrive at Bogolsworth, Veridrake. Distance: 5184 miles."

    Lyrian nearly fainted on seeing this message.

    "5-5184!? miles!? No carriage ornd creature can travel that fast!" He yelled in disbelief as the young man retorted.

    "Lord... no carriage or mount stores are open right now either. It will at least be a few more hours until the first one sets up shop."

    Lyrian suddenly looked at him with an annoyed expression, "Are you trying to add to the pain? Get out of here! Shoo!"

    Lyrian swatted the young man away, as he quickly bowed slightly and jogged along his merry way.

    Lyrian looked at him as he left, "Crazy guy..." He shook his head from side to side.

    "But... how the hell am I going to get there!?"

    At that moment, Lyrian paused all his other thoughts and began getting ready.

    After ten minutes or so, he put on his Scar Cloak, a pair of baggy trousers, and a normal tunic. With his shoes and belt of items ready, he exited the academy.

    As soon as he left the academy gates, he ran as fast as he could atop the rooftops of buildings beforejumping out into the forest.

    Before he couldnd, however, a giant bird--the size of a helicopter--materialized beneath him.

    "Let''s go, Tao! With your speed, you should be able to get there in almost half the time!" Lyrian excitedly shouted, as Tao quickly blitzed through the air--disappearing from sight.

    -------------------------

    And that concludes the second volume of this novel (Anaviotis Academy Arc: The Beginning). The next volume will be where Lyrian finally gets to explore and journey through the world, and where his real adventure begins. I know you have all been waiting for this moment for a while, and so have I. Thank you all for reading thus far, and I hope you enjoy what I have nned for you in the uing chapters. Again, I want to show appreciation to everyone who has ever supported this book through golden tickets, power stones, and more, even if you just read this book and added it to your library. This is only the beginning...

 Chapter 353 Veridrake Kingdom

    Chapter 353 Veridrake Kingdom

    Above a vast field of prairie grass and scarce daisies darted a blurred figure.

    As Lyrian looked down at the ins below him, he noticed creatures that he had still yet to see.

    They weren''t very strong, but they were unique in their own rights. There existed many species of these animals that grazed the fields.

    He looked back up, facing forward. Looking at his map, it marked that he was still over 2000 miles away from Hogolsworth.

    "I wonder what my mission will be. I thought I would have received it before the deployment, but it seems I''ll have to figure that out on my own."

    By now, Lyrian had crossed the many miles of dense forest. He hade across variousnds, like bamboo forests, canopy jungles, mountain ranges, and also tter ins.

    Although it seemed niche, being able to move so far without actual restraint felt amazing for him, who hadn''t let himself rx so much like this in a while.

    It was like he had a bit more freedom, being able to see and witness many things and beings that he had previously never even thought of.

    It was enough to bring a light smile to his face.

    But, this was hardly anything. He was even more excited about grand cities and more. He had only really been in the outskirts of his kingdom his entire life.

    He didn''t know what it was like to live a normal life inside of the kingdom, and even though Veridrake was a differentnd, he imagined it would still be an amazing experience.

    But, his concern was not how amazing the experience would be. "My mission is most important." He sternly said to himself, continuing his path.

    A bit more than an hour passed, and Lyrian began to see something different in the distance.

    So far, he hade across nothing but nature and wilderness. Now, however, he thought he saw a manmade wall.

    It stood out from everything else like a sore thumb, even from tens of miles away.

    As he approached about 5 miles from the kingdom, thend around him began to change in biome.

    Enormous trees stretching over 500 feet that were as thick as a school bus extended from the ground.

    They weren''t thickly scattered, but enough to force Tao to swerve left and right to avoid them.

    These trees were about 100 feet away from each other, and in the heart of them all soon arrived the kingdom of Veridrake.

    Concealed within a titanic barrier made of what seemed to be a wall of mountain stone, a grand empire revealed itself.

    From so high up, what Lyrian saw was barely even one-tenth of the kingdom. Buildings seemed so small, but also very tightly packed together.

    Lights glimmered from below, and the architecture looked vastly different from Yaltas cities.

    Although Lyrian hadn''t been inside the walls of his kingdom, he imagined the cities to be simr to the inner city of Illstria.

    Although Veridrake looked different, he couldn''t tell unless he was closer.

    They tried to fly above therge, slightly rounded, wall of stone, but a forceful barrier stopped Tao in his tracks.

    The barrier resounded with mana, as a light blue energy rippled through the impact spot.

    "Not so easy it seems. But, at least this will make things lessplicated." He thought to himself, flying Tao down to the ground.

    As he neared the ground, Lyrian noticed an entrance gate in the wall of stone.

    ''There will be guards...'' He thought warily, ''Tao,nd a bit far away.'' He said in his mind, as Tao followed his orders.

    Landing behind a tree a few hundred feet away, Lyrian departed from Tao and said, ''Shadow,'' to make the bird disappear.

    He wanted toy a bit low until he knew what his mission was.

    Without hesitation, he approached the wall, and as he did, he noticed how dark the ground was around him.

    It wasn''t pitch ck, but it was like there was a constant shade wherever he walked--the kingdom was also like this.

    The canopy of therge trees made it so that even in the noon of day, there was always a slight shade on top of the kingdom.

    As he neared the wall entrance gate, he noticed quite a long line of people waiting to enter.

    These people were most likely merchants, soldiers, adventurers, visitors, and more.

    Just before joining the line, he put the hood of his cloak over his head.

    ''A random kid trying to enter alone would raise eyebrows.'' He mused as he did so.

    With his face covered, he joined the line. A few in front of him turned, slightly puzzled with this tall midget behind them, but quickly shrugged it off.

    Looking at the front of the line, Lyrian saw a couple guards wearing Veridrake''s dragon emblem at the entrance.

    They seemed to be checking identification or something before letting people in.

    ''Hm? What am I showing here?'' Lyrian mused, confused. He looked at his bracelet, and it still said that the ce he needed to go was 4 miles into the kingdom.

    That meant that it would be of no help here pretty much.

    He looked around to see if there was anywhere that he could get a token to enter, but couldn''t find a thing.

    At that moment, one of the guards yelled to a middle-ageddy, "Scram, whore! You need the minimum 20 silver fee to enter, you understand!?"

    Out of nowhere, the guard gave the woman a backhanded p, throwing her out of line.

    The others in line seemed to hesitantly hand over the 20 silver as they entered.

    ''20 silvers too? That''s damn expensive.'' Lyrian eximed inwardly, quite taken aback.

    As the line shortened, it soon came his turn to show ID. He

    stepped up to the guards--another trail of people, carts, trolleys, beast mounts, and groups behind him.

    "Identification or note of approval?" The guard roughly spoke, sounding indifferent.

    His expression looked annoyed as he reached his hand forward.

    At that moment, Lyrian thought, ''Note of approval? Would that be this?'' And pulled out the scroll that the boy had given him that morning.

    The guard, slightly skeptical, took the scroll and opened it up.

    A few in the crowd curiously observed this as well, having never seen it before.

    A scroll was usually for important news, so seeing it here was out of ce.

    The other guard also peeked over, and Lyrian saw how both of their faces immediately turned blue.

    Their eyes widened as their lips swooped to the bottom of their face.

    After a long pause, their eyes slowly moved to look at Lyrian, and then back at the scroll, and then back at Lyrian again--quickly this time.

    "It''s the real deal." The other guard whispered as the one holding Lyrian''s scroll gave it back to him.

    Lyrian received the scroll and readied to take out the 20 silvers when the guard suddenly stomped one foot on the ground and raised his right hand to his face, saluting with a straight back.

    He faced the sky as he shouted, "Lord! You may enter!"

    The other guard also assumed the same stance, as Lyrian confusedly said, "The 20 silvers?"

    At that moment, the guard in front of him paused for a moment before replying, ''I... IM DEAD! He has already caught on to the fact that I''m scamming all these people and is now sarcastically asking me such a silly question. Of course he caught on, he''s from Anaviotis after all! I should have been more careful today on all days! Damn it all!''

 Chapter 354 Equal Retaliation (CHAPTER 355)

    Chapter 354 Equal Retaliation (CHAPTER 355)

    IMPORTANT: THIS CHAPTER WAS PUBLISHED ON THE WRONG VOLUME. IT IS THE CHAPTER AFTER (Rocks Adventurer''s Tavern).

    -

    By now, the entire room of people was staring at this couple.

    Lyrian''s attention was also caught by them.Before long, many people began to murmur among themselves about the dramatic couple.

    "Oh yeah!? Was it a mistake when you agreed to meet him!?" The young man yelled as the girl tried to interject him here, but he forcefully continued, "How about when he tried to kiss you!? Was it still a mistake when you kissed him back!?"

    The young woman was speechless for a second, and the young man didn''t let up, "Was it a fucking mistake when he put his thing inside you, you damn whore!"

    He clearly couldn''t control his rage. Lyrian nearly broke into augh as he heard this, but managed to contain himself just beforehand.

    However, this didn''t stop a few others fromughing. Apart from them, however, the entire tavern was silent in shock.

    "Guys! Please stop!" The young man who was sitting down suddenly stood up, trying to calm the argument down by stepping in, "Dandrew, you are getting too angry. You might end up hurting someone." He said to the young man across the table whose fists were called up in rage.

    "What the hell did you say?" Dandrew eximed, grabbing the other young man by his cor out of nowhere. "You don''t know me, fucker! Don''t pretend like you do! You slept with my woman, damn it!"

    Before the young man could reply, the young woman stepped forward, grabbing onto Dandrew''s arm.

    "Hey! You let go of him, you monster!" She screamed, tugging on his arm.

    Dandrew clearly ignored her, pulling his fist back before throwing it at the boy in his arms.

    A loud crunch resounded through the tavern as blood splurted from the other young man''s nose.

    The youngdy was pushed back, falling down to her seat.

    At that moment, the other young man replied by mming his head against Dandrew''s face, crushing his nose as well.

    "Don''t think I won''t retaliate, bastard!" The other young man yelled as the two got into a giant brawl across the tavern.

    They neared where Lyrian was, knocking over tables and chairs as people stood up and got out of the way of their dogfight.

    Lyrian cringed slightly as they neared closer and closer to him.

    ''Come on... don''te over here.'' Heined, not wanting to deal with having to move for the two fools.

    Just then, the two jumped on top of a round table only about ten feet away from Lyrian as the people sitting there quickly stood up and walked back.

    They began hurling punches at each other, and Dandrew finally threw one that caused the other young man to fall back unconscious.

    After falling back, however, the weight of the young man caused the table to flip in that direction.

    Dandrew stumbled back as the table fell, falling backward near Lyrian''s feet.

    The girl stole a look at the other young man and quickly began walking toward where Dandrew was.

    The dazzled Dandrew, not knowing where he was himself, quickly attempted to grab onto something near him to stand up.

    At first, he gripped a few handfuls of air, and then, he suddenly gripped a piece of paper and pulled it, tearing it right in half.

    This piece of paper... was Lyrian''s letter of approval.

    Lyrian''s eyes slightly widened at that moment, as the entire bar now looked at him.

    The guy standing next to him in the red armor also stared at him.

    ''There''s no way... he actually just tore my only proof of who I am here. Without it, I might as well have already failed this mission.''

    Lyrian clenched his fist at that moment, anger swelling up within him.

    "You stupid bastard... you just had to go and do something even more retarded." Lyrian said in a low tone, abruptly kicking the young man in the back.

    He was propelled across the bar instantly, crashing into several more chairs and tables.

    The entire bar, once a cacophony ofughter and chatter, now fell into stunned silence.

    All eyes were fixed on Lyrian with a mixture of confusion and shock, no longer just focused on the trio of clowns.

    The youngdy, having reached the spot Dandrew once upied, voiced her satisfaction, "Good! That''s what that fool deserves!"

    Her voice echoed through the hushed bar. "I''m getting the hell out of here; he can deal with all of this himself!"

    Before she could make her escape, she approached Lyrian, who still seethed with anger.

    "By the way, thank you for that--" she began, but her words were abruptly cut off.

    Out of nowhere, a stinging sensation red on her left cheek.

    Lyrian, unable to contain his fury, had delivered a hefty p, sending her sprawling across the bar until she slid to an undignified stop.

    A collective gasp swept through the onlookers.

    Both Dandrew and hispanion were now unconscious, courtesy of Lyrian''s actions.

    "Damn fool..." Lyrian eximed, feeling that the girl deserved the p just as much as the guy.

    A few from the crowd, however, seemed to have a different reaction than just silent noises of astonishment.

    Instead of that, theyughed out loud on seeing Lyrian p the shit out of the girl.

    One of these was the armored young man standing next to Lyrian.

    "Kahahaha!" He held his belly as heughed, and others seemed to be morefortable to chuckle as well after him.

    "I haven''t seen something as hrious as that in a while!" He eximed, calming himself as he reached down and grabbed the torn half of Lyrian''s scroll from the ground.

    Lyrian''s eyes tracked the young man as he picked the paper up and handed it back to Lyrian.

    Lyrian took the scroll from him, as the young man leaned in and whispered into his ear, "Lord Theageld, I have seen all the proof that I need. Rest assured, that piece of paper is no longer necessary."

 Chapter 355 Rocks Adventurer’s Tavern (CHAPTER 354)

    <h4>Chapter 355 Rocks Adventurer''s Tavern (CHAPTER 354)</h4>

    IMPORTANT: THIS CHAPTER IS THE PREVIOUS TO (Equal Retaliation).

    However, the guard didn''t give up, abruptly falling down onto Lyrian''s feet.

    "Lord! Please forgive this fool for his crimes! My superiors cannot know about this! I should have never underestimated your intelligence! Please, I beg of you! I have a family, please have mercy."

    He grabbed tightly onto Lyrian''s feet as he cried. The other guard didn''t move an inch, but his eyes lowered to look at his friend, ''A stupid attempt... the representative of Anaviotis has already clearly caught on to our act. I rue the day I ever made friendship with this fool!'' Tears nearly trickled down his face.

    "Oh? Yeah," Lyrian said, ''Huh... I guess it was easier to get in than I thought. These people were scamming others huh... I couldn''t care less about that right now. I need to quickly get to my mission spot.''

    "You''re forgiven, now move aside," he said out of nowhere.

    "NO LORD! PLEASE RECONSIDER!" The soldier cried, gripping his feet with all his strength.

    Onlookers were bewildered by what they were currently seeing. They were utterly puzzled as to who this alluring figure in the old-looking cloak was.

    "Wait... what?" The guard said, realizing that Lyrian had just forgiven him. He stood up, facing the hooded student with his hands sped together, "You forgive me? Are you telling the truth?"

    "Yes, now get out of my way. I don''t have time to be staying here." Lyrian used a more authoritative tone, realizing his status here.

    "Y-yes! Yes lord!" The guard quickly moved aside as Lyrian began walking forward.

    "Haha..." The guard felt his body go limp, "Hahaha..." He began tough in a daze, having his life suddenly saved.

    "Whohoo!" He and the other guard began to celebrate as Lyrian made his way past the open gateway and into the kingdom. Through the middle, he had to pass across the barrier from before, but this time was allowed to do so without being stopped.

    As soon as he stepped inside, Lyrian verified that the architecture of the buildings was indeed very different. He began following his map forward into the bustling street thaty ahead of him as he noticed the buildings. Many looked like nothing more than giant rocks with windows and doors in them. Other buildings had sloped roofs and square foundations, and some others were round.

    All these institutions were packed together densely, and as he entered farther into this street, all around him were markets and street vendors. In the distance, skyscrapers rose up beautifully. This was far better than what he could have ever imagined.

    With each person passing by him, he could sense their very bodynguage was different from what he was used to.

    Before long, Lyrian finally arrived at where the map said was his final destination. It was a building that looked like a sharp-edged, sloped rock. However, it had many windows and an entrance at the front.

    As people passed by him, Lyrian stopped in the middle of the street and read what was above this entrance door. A sign that read, "Rocks Adventurer''s Tavern" was disyed big and eye-catching.

    ''Huh... I guess this is the ce.'' Although he was still confused as to what his mission was, he entered the front door.

    As soon as he took a step inside, he was met with an interior that was vastlyrger than what he had expected. Drunkenughter sounded in the distance, the warm smell and feel of booze swam in the air, and bustling conversations muffled everything else.

    ''I guess the bar table is where I should go for information,'' he mused inwardly, beginning to walk there as a few curious eyes gazed at him.

    He took out his letter of approval, holding it in his hand just in case. The bartender, who was currently wiping ss clean with his white rag, also gazed at the boy, slightly intrigued himself.

    At that moment, however, he noticed a few listing posters on a bulleted wall to the left which caught his attention. He remembered seeing something simr to this in the Adventurers Guild building a while back when he went for his Magia Affinity testing. There, he began to check out some of the listings. However, he was quickly disappointed with what he saw.

    "y 15 goblins in Moist Creek. Reward: 5 Silver. Description: You must head to the---" He didn''t care to read any more of that one and moved to the next.

    At that moment, a young man who seemed to be in his early twenties stepped next to him a few feet away. He was donned in red knight''s clothing, seemingly gazing at the listings along with Lyrian.

    At that moment, the sound of ss cracking reverberated through the building, as most of the sound ofughter and conversation stopped.

    Everyone faced one corner of the room where a young man, who was no older than the age of 19, abruptly stood up--pushing his table back. More sses slipped and fell from there as he did this.

    "You cheating bitch! Why did you wait for this long to tell me that you were sleeping with him this entire time!"

    He yelled at the top of his lungs, neck veins popping, at a young female and another male sitting next to her--no older than the young man who was yelling.

    The young woman rose up from her seat, "What the hell is wrong with you!? I already told you that It was a mistake, there is no reason for you to make such a scene!"

    Before the young man could even respond, the youngdy eximed, "See, this is why it''s hard even being with someone like you! You take things to the extreme and let anger overtake you!"

    "What the hell did you say bitch!? Don''t try to make it seem like this is my fault damn it! I am mad because of you, it''s all your fault!"

    "No one is at fault here!" The young woman screamed back, "I said it was a mistake!"

 Chapter 356 Von Haven Family

    Chapter 356 Von Haven Family

    At this moment, the young man whom Dandrew had knocked out before stood up.

    He ced his palm against his head, wincing in pain, before stumbling out with a limp.

    A few seconds after the door shut behind him, a pair of guys took Dandrew''s unconscious body and heaved it out of the door as well.

    As they dusted their hands, smoking their cigars, the door shut behind them.

    At once, the entire bar broke out into another peal ofughter, as the mood switched right back to what it was from before.

    ''I guess that happens often around here...'' Lyrian mused, turning to face the young man in front of him once again.

    "Who are you? How do you know my name?"

    The young man promptly introduced himself but didn''t whisper.

    As he smiled, he eximed, "I am Hyst Von Haven, son of Oben Von Haven, and rightful heir to my family head." He said it loud and clear so everyone could hear.

    Lyrian didn''t speak, as the man still hadn''t answered either of his questions fully.

    ''Ah... he wants a proper introduction. Befitting, I suppose.'' Hyst mused, noticing Lyrian''s silence and quickly adding, "My family reigns over Hogolsworth as the Feudal Lords of the city. We are also Lord over Oystanbal, Crenshaw, and Poisnant--three cities that are connected to Hogolsworth."

    Lyrian was happy with this answer, but Hyst continued, "As humbly as possible, we are very high-status nobles, far-linked family of the great Drake bloodline. Although, Von Haven is alike to 100th cousins..."

    "I see, but you still haven''t answered my second question."

    "How do I know your name? Well, how about youe with me, Lord. It will be easier to understand that way..." Hyst eximed, gesturing with both hands towards the door.

    Lyrian was slightly hesitant to trust the man but decided to do so anyway. After all, he wasn''t so strong that Lyrian couldn''t defeat him in battle. If worst came to worst, he would definitelye out victorious...

    After the two left the establishment, some in the tavern were left a bit speechless.

    "Did lord Hyst just call that hooded guy lord as well? Who the heck was he anyway?" One guy said before taking a swig of his beer.

    "I got no clue Blub... maybe you could figure it out if you had more brain in your head than booze."

    The entire tavern suddenly broke out intoughter. Blub, his expression irritated, turned to the bartender--and owner.

    "Oi Kavenough! I''m sure you know ''em! Who is he? You upper cunt''s always knows what''s going on!"

    The bartender--a slightly older man who was in his mid-sixties, with a beer belly and a messy apron--replied back swiftly, "Who the hell do you think you are to boss me around? You wanna get kicked out again!?"

    "Fine man! You don''t gotta be so uptight!" Blub replied, returning to his drink.

    Continuing to clean the beer ss, Kavenough thought inwardly, ''So that''s him huh? The representative sent from Anaviotis? I heard we might have gotten Lyrian Theageld toe.'' A slightly somber expression suddenly grimaced over the man''s face, as he slightly gritted his teeth.

    ''I hope so... if it''s him, then this all will be over far quicker.''

    ***

    Outside, Lyrian walked beside Hyst as they spoke about the current situation.

    Hyst spoke about his family first, and as Lyrian arrived at their magnificent mansion, he soon saw each and every one of them.

    Hyst initially mentioned his favorite butler, Sebastion. As they arrived at the front door of the gated abode, Lyrian saw how this butler perfectly fit Hyst''s previous description.

    A man in his mid-70s who had the body of a 25-year-old. A tailored ck suit donning a perfectly postured body. Although Sebastion wasn''t very tall or extremely muscr, he was far more fit than what his white beard and scalp hair led on.

    "Young lord," Sebastion slightly bowed with one hand on his stomach, greeting Hyst, "Lord." He also bowed to Lyrian, who walked behind Hyst inside of the mansion.

    With a single nce, Lyrian could tell how powerful Sebastion was. Clearly, this house was not of weaklings. Even the butlers were trained inbat.

    Once they entered, Lyrian was taken to the top floor--a meeting room that had manyrge windows, making for a bright conversation.

    Here Lyrian met with Hyst''s entire family. Apart from Hyst''s father, who sat behind the main desk, the rest of his family sat on arge couch to the side.

    They all stared at him as he entered,

    and Hyst was quick to step forward and introduce Lyrian.

    "Everyone!" He announced, "Father, mother, sisters, grandfather, grandmother, uncle, aunt, I want you to meet the representative sent to help us from Anaviotis,"

    He faced each one of his family members as he addressed them, pausing at the very end.

    With all eyes piercing into him curiously, Lyrian took off his hood and revealed his face.

    He wasn''t expecting the following reaction, which was of gasps and gaping mouths.

    Finally, Hyst finished his introduction, "Lyrian Theageld."

    This confirmed it for the whole family.

    "Lyrian Theageld? Is it really him?" Hyst''s sister, 13 in age, couldn''t help but whisper to her older brother, 17 in age. She almost had an eager tone as she spoke.

    "Yeah... I mean, look at him. He''s clearly the kid from the deployment exam."

    As the teenager said this, his mother quickly reprimanded, "Hey! Be respectful!" He pushed her hand against his thigh.

    "It''s nice to meet you all," Lyrian stated, as Hyst''s father rose from his seat.

    "Likewise... it is a pleasure to have you here, Lord Lyrian."

    After this, Lyrian spent an hour or so learning all about his mission--why he was deployed there in the first ce.

    "As for your mission... we do not exactly know it either." Hyst''s father began with this, as he began slowly walking around the room.

    "You see, ever since the year prior, more and more dangerous urrences have been taking ce around these parts. Near Hogolsworth--close to the walls protecting the kingdom, that is."

    Lyrian gazed at Hyst''s father, who continued roaming the room as he spoke.

    ''Is he that nervous?'' Lyrian mused, ''Well, whatever it is, I can''t waste time. I''ll figure this mission out andplete it quickly.''

    "What dangerous urrences, can you be more specific?"

    "Mostly," Hyst''s father turned to face Lyrian, "It is person disappearances. They have been happening more and more frequently each time, and we fear the worst..."

    Hyst''s father''s expression turned quite grim as he said this.

    "The worst?" Lyrian eximed, curious about what he was talking about.

 Chapter 357 Mission

    Chapter 357 Mission

    "I... would like to refrain from speaking about that until we have further knowledge on the subject," Hyst''s father suddenly eximed, turning away once again.

    ''What? How does he expect me to help him in this situation if he won''t even tell me everything I need to know.''

    "I know how that may sound, but just need you to trust me. To even ount for that horrible possibility in this situation is wishing for the worst. Instead, I will tell you the actual relevant information that will help you the most."

    "Alright," Lyrian firmly stated, temporarily shrugging off that fact, "Who is it that''s being kidnapped that it''s such a big deal?"

    The entire family was slightly taken aback to hear this.

    "I-im sorry, If I came off in a way that made it sound like we only called you because people important to us have gone missing, then that''s not it at all," Hyst''s father eximed. "We care about both the civilians and more important persons equally, you see."

    "Then, who was it? The ones that have gone missing? A few civilians?" Lyrian asked, thinking, ''If it was just a few unimportant peasants, they wouldn''t have called for Anaviotis to assist them.''

    Hyst''s father hesitantly replied, "Although it looks bad on our part... in this case, the people reported missing are indeed higher status. They are some of the most prominent students with the most potential in our Dra-Kara Magia Academy. Evidently, theye from noble households."

    ''I knew it...'' Lyrian said to himself, "How many were taken? Do we have more information on this?"

    "Y-yes," Hyst''s father eximed, continuing.

    He went on to say how the kids were reported missing only outside of the kingdom, while on hunts and other adventures.

    There were 5 reported missing in total, and all of them were linked because they disappeared around the same time.

    Along with that, however, some viges nearby--outside of the walls of the kingdom--were getting piged slightly as well in the night.

    Smaller cities and viges bore no immediate help.

    There were also unregistered citizens getting captured from these viges, but the number was unspecified, as Hyst''s father admitted that they hadn''t gone into detail in their investigation of it all yet.

    But, Lyrian surmised that it was because they couldn''t care to spend their materials investigating peasants living outside the walls, and instead put it all into the 5 missing noble kids.

    At the end of it all, Lyrian understood his job. It was to find out why they were missing, bring them back, and to also end these disappearances and attacks once and for all.

    At the end of their discussion, Hyst''s father proposed Lyrian a ce to stay, "Please, feel free to stay in the main guest room. Nissa will show you the way there."

    He gestured to a maid who stood near the exit of the room.

    Lyrian looked at her, and then looked back at Hyst''s father, who humbly spoke, "Feel free to use this home as your own."

    Along with that, his wife politely eximed, "We know youe from... a more humble background, so don''t be worried to ask us for anything."

    After a short pause, Lyrian eximed, "That''s fine. I''ll be staying alone somewhere else."

    "Oh..." Hyst''s father sounded a bit disappointed, "But, please. Everything here is of the best quality in the entire city! I urge you to stay."

    "No... that is alright. It''s not because I don''t want to stay here, but I know I''ll be able to work and think better alone." Lyrian replied before standing up and walking out of the room.

    They stared at him as he put on his hood and exited.

    What Lyrian said was true, but there was also another reason for him not wanting to stay there.

    ''If they don''t want to reveal their secrets to me, then that means they don''t trust me for some reason. Staying in a home like that would only cause disaster for me. I''ll stay alone... everything will be better that way.''

    He thought this to himself as he exited the mansion.

    Seconds after Lyrian left, Hyst''s father dropped onto the couch.

    "I... am a damn failure." He eximed, utterly disappointed.

    "All I had to do was sound trustworthy... kind... at least like a normal damn human being! Instead, I made him think we only valued nobles, and that we didn''t give a shit about our more unfortunate citizens."

    He spoke with eyes void of emotion, staring nkly into the wall.

    "No, Father! It isn''t like that at all though!" The 17-year-old teenager eximed, as his father looked at him, "No matter what anyone thinks, the fact of the matter is that you have tried your best to help everyone, and the stress of it all has been almost killing you at this point. You have worked harder than anyone to solve this thing, so you shouldn''t me yourself right now."

    "Oh, you fool!" His father suddenly eximed, "Who cares what I''ve done and how hard I''ve worked! No matter what anyone thinks? Is that what you said!? You ignorant boy! When will you learn that you need others in life! If that boy decides to not help us, this

    whole city might fall, and then maybe even the kingdom next!"

    The father shouted, veins nearly popping out of his forehead.

    "Calm down, father." Hyst quickly came to his side, waving his hand to provide his father some cool brushes of wind.

    "Although what V says is undoubtedly stupid, he isn''t wrong when he says that you are stressing too much over this. You need to let yourself rx some more..." Hyst said, a tinge of worry in his tone.

    "Mother... the thing you said at the end." Hyst suddenly turned toward his mother--a serious expression donning his face, "It was absurdly foolish."

    "Hey... don''t talk to your mother like that." Hyst''s father eximed,ying back on the sofa with his eyes closed.

    "No." Hyst retorted, "You handled it wrong. That is true, no matter which way I say it, politely, or rudely. Right now, I feel like saying it rudely, because that is not how you talk to people. You may have just made him double as angry with us as he was before, do you understand that?"

    His mother couldn''t say anything back for a while, "I-I was just trying to be nice."

    "The boy has climbed, using his own two hands, a mountain so tall that we can''t even see the damn summit from where we stand!" Hyst suddenly eximed, his tone surprisingly loud.

    His father opened his eyes to look at him, slightly surprised by how loud he was.

    Hyst finished his sentence, "Do you think he would want your pity now?"

 Chapter 358 Identity Revealed

    Chapter 358 Identity Revealed

    As he said this, his grandmother interjected, "Honey... we get how you feel, but--"

    She was suddenly cut off, "No, you don''t, grandmother. Orua has been missing for six months. I''ve known her since I was five years of age... you don''t understand how I feel, not being able to talk to her for so long."

    His grandmother couldn''t say anything back.

    "Damn it... he has gone from a normal civilian, who many would consider a peasant, to the most well-respected student of the great Anaviotis, at least in terms of strength. What in the world would he think of your pity?"

    At that moment, Hyst''s father spoke up, "That''s enough, Hyst! Mind your tone, boy! That is your mother you''re speaking to."

    At that moment, Hyst abruptly turned and walked out of the room, "Feelings are hurt far less than lives. I just hope she is alive till today."

    He spoke as he walked out...

    Hyst''s father turned to his wife, "You truly are a brazen woman... I should have looked past your beauty when marrying you, maybe I would have found the imbecile within."

    He eximed, also walking out, as his father chuckled in the corner.

    "Ah... what an interesting group of people that havee from my own balls." He spoke.

    "Don''t be so rash, Lord Jiva! My children are here!" Hyst''s mom eximed,closing the ears of the two next to her.

    As the grandfather also got up to leave, he teased, "Oh trust me, they''ve heard of the concept by now. Especially the old one. You can''t shelter them from the world forever... soon they will bite you in the ass because of that very reason."

    He eximed as he exited the room with a chuckle.

    ***

    "I''ll have to revisit their houseter on for more information, but right now I should do immediately important stuff. Number one on that list is... eating some damn food."

    Lyrian''s stomach grumbled as he made his way back to the Rocks Adventurer''s Tavern.

    As he entered it again, he took a second to note just how big it really was inside. He hadn''t really noticed before as other things were on his mind.

    ''It''s a tavern, so there must also be rooms avable for rent. Before that though, I''ll eat.''

    As he sat down on one of the empty tables, a waiter soon arrived to him--walking hastily around the busy establishment.

    "What would you like to have... uh, sir?" The waiter hesitated slightly, as Lyrian still had his hood on.

    "Give me a bunch of the best you have," Lyrian stated, his voice squeaker than a normal person''s.

    ''Is it a woman?'' The waiter mused as he heard Lyrian''s voice.

    Lyrian also mused, ''Damn... it seems having this hood on at all times will be quite the hassle.''

    At that moment, he looked out of the window as the waiter left his table.

    He saw from the corner of his eye a ratherrge building, one that looked oddly simr to the adventurers guild building in Illstria.

    To his surprise, the sign on the entrance was also one very simr to what he remembered.

    The building stood tall, adorned with intricate carvings at the entrance that depicted mythical creatures and heroes from legends.

    An emblem at the entrance marked a sword crossing a shimmering wand, symbolizing the unification of physicalbat and magical prowess.

    There was no doubt about it... that was the adventurers guild.

    At that moment, Lyrian took off his hood, "Good thing I found it." He murmured under his breath. "I have to join it here if I want to pass this mission, and for that, my identity will have to be revealed. So, while in normal daylight, I suppose it won''t be that big of a deal to reveal my identity."

    He faced the tavern once again, looking away from the window, as gaped mouths and astonished, puzzled faces made contact with his.

    Half were shocked at seeing his face, and the other half were still trying to figure out whether it was really him or not.

    ''It will be a bit of a drag to deal with this crap, but hopefully I''ll get used to it. If I don''t want extra attention, I can wear the hood at any time...'' He justified it to himself, as the waiter returned with a single food item in his hand.

    It was a ce of rice with vegetable soup on the side.

    The waiter ced the food down on the table, a bewildered look on his face.

    "Th-Theageld?" He eximed, but Lyrian wasn''t paying attention to that.

    Instead, he looked at the food, "What the hell is this?" His brows furrowed, as his stomach grumbled.

    "Oh... I didn''t think you would eat that much as your stature was quite short."

    "What? Go grab me some real food!"

    Lyrian wanted to insult the man but withheld himself. He didn''t want to be too emotional, ording to Ephiras Varant''s teachings.

    Still, he couldn''t help but have his merits thrown off course when he was hungry or annoyed.

    Soon enough, the waiter arrived back at his table with a trolley full of the most delicious, wholesome foods.

    Lyrian could smell it as it came from the kitchen.

    The savory, rich vor of the fried chicken. The wafting fresh aroma of the baked bread. The alluring smell of the meat soup, and more awaited him.

    As he got his food, Lyrian didn''t waste any time in beginning to chow down.

    As a result of this, many, those that could notice him from where they sat that is, stared at him eat.

    So did a group of sketchy-looking men, who sat a few tables away from him.

    As they looked at him, they joked amongst themselves.

    "Who cares if he''s from Anaviotis, he clearly hasn''t learned jack shit about the real word. Fucking peasant..."

    Oneughed, as another eximed slightly louder, "Yeah... he''s just a kid anyways. A kid that probably got too lucky to be where he''s at. What the fuck does he need so much respect for?"

    Another one added, even louder this time--enough for many around them to hear, "I respect only strength. If that little shit can beat me, I will cut my balls off and be a eunuch!"

    At that moment, Lyrian stopped chewing.

    "The vor has suddenly disappeared." He mumbled under his breath.

 Chapter 359 Goons

    Chapter 359 Goons

    Lyrian wasn''t afraid to look at the men who were yapping away at the other table.

    As soon as he did, they noticed him.

    "Oh look! Looks like Mr. Big Shot got mad! Too bad he''s a damn kid and can''t do shit!" One of the menughed with their feet on the table.

    This man, having pointy blonde hair and a red bandana, sat to the left.

    To the right was a fatter man who eximed, "No need to apologize, man, everyone''s gotta know when they don''t have the power tomand people around like they are used to!"

    There were two more in this group that stayed silent for a little while longer as many in the tavern began to get worried.

    A few people decided to ignore what was going on. They knew that this band was a disorderly one that liked causing havoc wherever they went.

    At that moment, one out of the leftover two that hadn''t spoken yet barked, "Look at him, he''s still fucking staring. Maybe I''ll go teach him a lesson." A man with a chiseled jawline and long, slicked-back ck hair stood up.

    With a cocky smirk on his face, he began walking toward Lyrian''s table.

    Lyrian gripped his fork in slight anger, but before he did anything, he contained himself and looked around the tavern.

    ''There are some who are scared... but most are smiling.'' He understood as he saw the tavern mostly filled with light chuckles.

    He looked at the bartender, and even he was smiling slightly.

    ''If that''s the case, then it won''t be too big of a deal when I teach these bums a lesson.''

    Just as the man with ck hair took a few steps forward, Lyrian stood up from his seat and also began walking straight to him.

    His steps were confident and everyone felt at ease.

    As the goons from the table began tough at this, the guy walked toward Lyrian and scoffed, ''Is this kid serious right now? I couldn''t care less if he was from Anaviotis. I came from the streets of poverty myself... I don''t know much about some prestigious academy, but I raised myself to be strong enough to not lose to some brat.''

    As he neared Lyrian, he thought to himself, ''I''ll give him a good p to make him learn his lesson of stepping up to an adult.''

    They came 6 feet away from each other when the man reached back with his hand to p Lyrian.

    As his hand flew forward, Lyrian jumped up and kicked the man in the side of the jaw.

    The man''s head violently whipped to the side, and his body shortly followed.

    With several vertebrates dislocated, he was sent flying across the room.

    Suddenly, the goons that wereughing only a second prior no longer had smiles on their faces.

    Instead, serious expressions appeared, as they all abruptly stood up.

    Before any of them could say anything, Lyrian eximed, "Who was it?"

    The one who hadn''t spoken as of yet out of the four furrowed his brows.

    Judging from how he let the others talk while he leaned back, Lyrian imagined him to be the leader.

    "Who was what?" This guy, who had a set of leather armor on, eximed with slight wariness in his voice.

    The blonde and fat men to his sides huffed with anger as Lyrian responded, "Who was the one who said they would cut their balls off and be a eunuch if I defeated them? They have to live up to their challenge."

    He smirked, as the tavern broke out into hystericalughter.

    Many found what he said to be hrious, but the three in front of him were not a part of that group.

    "Worm!" The spiky blonde-haired one yelled, shaking with anger, "Don''t let one guy make you over your own head!"

    "Ah... so you''re the one?" Lyrian began walking towards this man, who stood with fists clenched and teeth gritted.

    "You trying to tell me to not be overconfident is hriously ironic. But, I don''t expect anything else. People like you, who are failures in life, never see their own faults. When they do, it''s only in projections of their ws on other people."

    The blonde man shook his head, puzzled as to what Lyrian was talking about.

    Lyrian saw this and said, "You don''t understand what I''m saying either... fucking retard."

    At that moment Lyrian sprinted forward, hurling a punch into the man''s stomach.

    In one impact a burst of hot air flew out from the man''s lower back. As his lungs shriveled, his body suspended in the air for a few seconds before falling down like a rag doll.

    The other two didn''t wait around any longer, reaching for their weapons as they lunged forward.

    Before the fat man, the leather-armor-wearing leader went first.

    With his dagger in hand, he attempted to drive it down onto Lyrian''s head, but Lyrian instantly propelled it back using nothing more than a flick of his fingernail.

    The man''s dagger was thrown over his head as he stumbled back.

    Seeing this, Lyrian looked over at the fatty, who took in onerge gulp as he stepped back.

    At that moment, Lyrian suddenly looked down at the body of the blonde, "Oh shit... I forgot to turn him into a eunuch." As he said this, another wave ofughter rippled through the room.

    The leather-haired man gritted, his teeth, ''He''s fucking strong... but he should never look away from a fight.''

    At that moment, he pulled something out from his back pocket that was concealed in ck cloth.

    He lunged forward with malicious eyes, aiming for the head of Lyrian who was still turned toward the ground.

    As it neared, however, Lyrian noticed a powerful energy near his face.

    He looked at the rag concealing something in front of his face--a feeling of actual fear slightly entering him.

    At once, he Enhanced his hand slightly and pulled his obsidian de out to block the attack.

    That''s when the cloth covering the object ripped open slightly, revealing something within.

    The man pulled his hand back so fast that Lyrian barely caught a glimpse of what it was, but it looked to exude some sort of dark purple, almost ck aura.

 Chapter 360 Adventurers Guild

    Chapter 360 Adventurer''s Guild

    Lyrian was slightly taken aback, as the leather armor-wearing man leaped away from him.

    Without hesitation, he sprinted out of the tavern, shoulder mming his way through the door and undoing a few hinges in his exit.

    "Tsk! What the hell was that for!? Stupid bastard." The bartender eximed

    , rolling his eyes in annoyance.

    ''What in the hell was that? Why did it feel so powerful? So dangerous?'' Lyrian looked at the open door, as did everyone else--with slight surprise and awe.

    He then turned his attention back to the fat man in front of him.

    At that moment, a few drops suddenly fell from the man''s pants--creating a small puddle on the ground.

    As the fat man followed Lyrian''s eyes, the boy looked down at the puddle, and then back at the fat man with a disgusted expression.

    "Are you serious!?" The bartender screamed, seeing the puddle on the ground. "You better clean that!"

    As he said this, Lyrian sheathed his de and gave the fat man a blistering p.

    The man was instantly thrown across the tavern--a steaming hot, red indent left on his cheek.

    "No! Now whos going to clean this mess, god damn it!" The bartender cried, running over to where the puddle was.

    "Damn it all!" He yelled toward the sky.

    At that moment, Blub, who wasughing at the bartender''s situation, eximed, "Hahaha! Why do you care anyway old man? You usually don''t give two shits when the ce gets ransacked."

    At that moment, the bar owner slowly turned to face Blub. "I usually don''t care because I make the fools who made the ce a mess clean up, but right now they don''t exist, as good ol'' MVP over there decided to knock them all cleanout. They won''t be awake for days."

    As he said this eyes slightly squinted--inspecing Blub a little closer.

    Blud continued to drink his booze, as those around his table broke out into augh, knowing exactly what the bartender was going to say next.

    "But now that I think about it... you should do the job just fine."

    "Wait... what?" Blub confusedly retorted.

    Lyrian returned to his table, but his appetite was still ruined from what just happened.

    ''I want to find out what that was... and use it for myself.'' Lyrian mused, thinking about the thing with dark energy that the goon sneak attacked him with.

    ''Now that my appetite is ruined...'' He looked out the window again, ''I guess I''ll check out how I can join the Adventurer''s Guild. I need to do quests while I am here, and I can also investigate at the same time, so it''s a win-win situation.''

    Before he left, he saw the waitering to his table and ced a single gold coin down. With that, he promptly exited the tavern.

    The waiter arrived at his table and his eyes widened slightly when he saw the gold coin.

    He picked it up, examining it in the air with an eyebrow raised. "What the heck? A gold coin for a few tes of food?"

    A few astonished noises reverberated around him, as the bar owner smiled, "Oh... that will help a little bit with repairs."

    The waiter, his eyes shadowed, swiftly put the coin in his pocket, "Unfortunately for you... I believe that was a tip, which I will humbly ept."

    The bar owner''s brow twitched as he heard this, "Huh? Do you wanna die, bastard?"

    Lyrian walked along the main street for a bit longer, moving toward therge adventurers guild building.

    As he walked, he made sure to put his hood up.

    ''No point in showing myself in public. I don''t want to have people flocking around me like some sort of celebrity.''

    With that, he arrived at the entrance of the guild building and stepped through the front door. As soon as he did, the hood came off.

    ''Everyone will eventually know that the hooded figure around here is me anyways...'' He mused onest time, walking into the giant establishment.

    Simr to the one in Illstria, this ce was huge. In fact, it might have even been considerablyrger than the one he knew.

    However, there didn''t seem to be a bar in this ce. But, that made sense, as the Rocks Adventurer''s Tavern most likely was the alternative to that.

    Seeing a bunch of filled counter booths, Lyrian joined the one with the shortest line.

    As he did, a bunch of eyes quickly began to follow his every movement.

    He soon arrived at the front of the line, where a young woman greeted him across the counter.

    "Wee to--" She paused, her face contorting to slight shock as she saw Lyrian''s face.

    "T-to the Adventurer''s Guild... How may I assist you?" She said in a much slower tone, trying to figure out of she was seeing correctly.

    "I want to join the Adventurer''s Guild," Lyrian stated nkly, as people from other lines also noticed him.

    "Woah... Isn''t that Lyrian Theageld? From Anaviotis?" A young teenager whispered to his mother.

    "Yeah... I wonder what he''s doing here." She murmured back.

    "Look! It''s the MVP!"

    "A student from Anaviotis..."

    "J-join the Adventurer''s Guild... of course! Uh..." The young woman behind the counter quickly began writing some things down on the paperwork at her table.

    After hurriedly writing something down, she handed over the piece of paper to Lyrian.

    She seemed flustered as Lyrian took the paper from her, "The testing room is the farthest one to your left... near the stairs leading to the second floor... please let me know if you have um, any additional questions!"

    Lyrian promptly walked towards the door she was talking about.

    Just as he arrived there and reached for the door handle, a familiar face made his way down the stairs.

    "Lord Lyrian!" Hyst eximed, walking down with a bright smile, "nning to take the Entrance Test huh? Mind if I join you? I want to see your abilities first hand, you see."

 Chapter 361 Adventurer Test

    Chapter 361 Adventurer Test

    "Hyst?" Lyrian said, noticing the young man, "Sure, you can join me."

    Hyst grinned on hearing this, quickly tailing behind Lyrian.

    Before Lyrian opened the door, he questioned, "What were you doing upstairs?" to try and get to know theyout of these Adventurer''s buildings a bit more.

    "Oh, that?" Hyst nervouslyughed, closing his eyes and scratching the back of his head, ''I can''t let him know that I was waiting for him here this entire time... gottae up with an excuse.''

    "I had some... business to attend to with some higher-ups in the guild, about the disappearances, you know?" This was the best he could muster in such a short time.

    ''Huh...'' Lyrian was a bit skeptical but asked, "What did they say?"

    "Oh..." Hyst paused again, looking to the side for a split second to think. ''Wow... he''s really serious about this mission. I didn''t think this far.''

    "Nothing much, just normal stuff. No new information, ya'' know?"

    Lyrian didn''t reply, simply nodding as he turned toward the door. ''An obvious lie. Again, they hide things from me. Sketchy family...'' He said, turning the handle.

    As soon as he did, he was met with a fairlyrge waiting room.

    It was bright, as the far side--opposite from the door--was made purely out of big and clear windows.

    From these red the sun''s brightness--arge ss dome where the tests were held. It oddly resembled the Hunting License dome from Anaviotis.

    The waiting room was a good bit bigger though, with seats to the side.

    A single worker was standing next to the entrance to the dome, and he also looked like an adventurer, seeing as how he had some light armor on and a sword by his waist.

    Instead of sitting on the seats, half of the people inside pushed against the window, as Lyrian remembered they also did the same in Anaviotis.

    The other half sat to the side, nervously awaiting their turn.

    Lyrian turned to them, and unbeknownst to him, his slight nce exuded just enough energy--prompting all of the down-lookers to face up at him.

    As soon as their eyes met his, they grew wider. The mouths of a few gaped a bit, as eyebrows raised and furrowed.

    Without any dy, whispers immediately began to murmur.

    Out of nowhere, a voice called out, "Yo! I''ll take your test slip." The adventurer standing next to the dome entrance shouted.

    "Oh? What the heck..." He muttered to himself on seeing Lyrian.

    "Where do I know you?" He asked as a few people near the window turned to look at what he was talking about.

    Immediately, they became stunned. One even eximed, "Where do you know him!? Rothis, this is why you should look at big events and not live under a damn rock! That''s Lyrian Theageld, from the Anaviotis Deployment Exam!"

    "Oh... right." The man in histe twenties eximed, facing Lyrian with a serious gaze as he was handed the test slip.

    "Hey... mind if I get an autograph? My wife will love this." A sly smirk suddenly donned his face, with squinted eyes and blinking brows.

    "Uh... sure?" Lyrian eximed, unfamiliar with such a question.

    It seemed this question was like a crack in the dam because as soon as Rothis asked this, the floodgates broke open and a flurry of people surrounded Lyrian to ask for his autograph as well.

    "Can I please have one as well?"

    "Hey, me too!"

    "Give me one my leg!"

    "On my arm!"

    Suddenly, a woman ran forward and broke open her buttoned shirt that was covering her chest, "Please, give me one right here!" She eximed, shing the 10-year-old...

    "Wh--!? Stop, everyone!" Lyrian abruptly shouted, hushing the entire room, "I''m only giving one to this guy since he asked first. Everyone else, piss off."

    He said, looking at everyone one by one as they disappointedly backed off.

    Rothis, however, eagerly tore the bottom of Lyrian''s test slip off, where there was no writing, and handed it over to him along with a pen.

    "You just carry a pen around with you?" Hystically said, slightly surprised.

    "Uh, no, buddy. I summoned it out of my ass." Rothis eximed back sarcastically, as a few people nearby cracked up at his joke.

    "Alright..." Hyst unenthusiastically retorted, looking to the side.

    Lyrian signed the paper and handed it back to Rothis, as he quickly took it and stored it.

    "You''re 24th in line. Sorry man, I can''t break the rules even if it''s for celebrities." Rothis sounded genuinely apologetic.

    "No need, I can wait. I''m not a celebrity anyways..." Lyrian said, calmly walking to the window.

    Everyone quickly made way as he and Hyst walked a few feet away from the ss and stared inside.

    They gazed at Lyrian with awe, seemingly forgetting about the test going on inside.

    Inside, Lyrian noticed that a girl was fighting the exact same type of dummy from the Hunting Exam of Anaviotis.

    He was thrown off, thinking, ''Are they the same or something?''

    It wouldn''t be too big of a deal if they were since he had beaten it without much trouble even when he was considerably weaker, but it was odd that Anaviotis would be using something that is also used by normal people.

    Soon enough, one by one the testees failed and passed, the line shortening in about an hour total.

    By now, the sun was dimming down, and lights of purple and red color were shining from somewhere outside of the dome on all sides.

    Lyrian found this to be a little odd but shrugged it off as decoration.

    Finally, Rothis eximed, "Lyrian Theageld, you''re up next." and opened the door for him.

    Currently, the entire waiting room was packed to the brim with curious faces. Even Rothis had never seen such a filled waiting room.

    Why was this? Well, it was obvious... it was to see Lyrian Theageld take on this challenge, of course.

    Be it haters or lovers, all wanted to see his power firsthand. Hyst was amongst the most excited.

    As he smiled in excitement, he mused, ''Are you strong enough to actuallyplete this mission, Theageld?''

 Chapter 362 Way Too Easy

    Chapter 362 Way Too Easy

    Lyrian walked inside of the dome calmly, cing one hand on the hilt of his de.

    He faced the wooden dummy in the center of the dome, as he stopped there.

    Rothis shut the door at the moment, as Lyrian''s eyes darted up to the stands around the walls of the dome for a split second.

    It was empty at that time, but a couple people were standing at the very top, looking down at him.

    A hulking man with heavy iron armor, and a petitedy wearing tight purple clothes made of leather.

    They both seemed to converse among themselves as they viewed the tests.

    At that moment, they looked at Rothis as the hulking man nodded. Rothis nodded back with a slight smirk.

    "Begin!" He eximed, as the eyes of the dummy immediately lit up.

    A thin yellow aura surrounded it, causing its posture to straighten.

    "Who are you?" The dummy suddenly questioned.

    "Lyrian Theageld." Lyrian nkly stated.

    "What do you wish to aplish by joining the Adventurers Guild?" The dummy spoke again.

    "I want to do quests and investigate disappearances." His description was as minimal as possible.

    "What is your weapon of choice and preferred style ofbat?"

    "So many damn questions... just begin already."

    "Fine..."

    With that, the dummy suddenly began to expand in size.

    The crowd of people behind the ss screen looked on in awe as the dummy continued to grow.

    After ten seconds, it was 20 feet tall in height, towering over the small Lyrian.

    "I hope that''s your limit for your sake." Lyrian joked as the dummy reached its hands out.

    Two long swords made of wood slowly materialized in its palms, as Lyrian cracked his fingers to prepare himself.

    Without hesitation, the dummy lunged forward. In seconds it came ten feet away from Lyrian and swung both of its six-foot-long des in an X formation.

    At that moment, Lyrian''s eyes widened in shock... "Huh? That''s it?" He eximed, lightly stepping to the side to avoid the blow.

    An X mark was left on the ground where he previously stood, as the dummy retracted its swords and went back to its normal position.

    "I see... this exam isn''t the same as Anaviotis'' at all. It''s far, far less challenging."

    The dummy moved again, dashing toward Lyrian as it unleashed a barrage of swings.

    Lyrian simply moved backward at the same speed as the dummy, not allowing a single hit to grace him.

    With an uninterested expression, he reached down and grabbed some dust from the ground while still continuing to move.

    Rothis and everyone else looked at him with awe and shock.

    "That''s the max-level dummy, and he''s not even phased. Not bad." Rothis smirked.

    The others were far more shocked, "Bro! I failed to level 5! That''s level 20!"

    "You got to level five!? That''s at least passing! I got only to level 2!"

    ...

    With a bit of water magic, Lyrian condensed the dry dust in his hand into a wet ball of dirt.

    After pinching it a bit to make it harder, he ced it on the tip of his middle finger and flicked it at the wooden giant.

    The bullet of mud sped toward the dummy, shooting right into its chest.

    The dummy was instantly thrown back as if a 20-foot sledgehammer had just mmed into it with full force.

    It was sent flying across the dome, skidding into several flips as it let go of the swords and finally slid to a stop.

    Lyrian scoffed, ceasing to move. "Way easier than the one from Anaviotis... and here I thought I was going to get an opportunity to re-gauge my strength.

    The two figures standing atop the stands had their brows extended high, and their eyes widened in shock.

    Rothis was also slightly speechless, as his bottom lip curled down to show that he was impressed.

    The tall, hulking man in the stands eximed, "The bastard is too strong. I find it hard to believe."

    The woman next to him said, "I am of the same impression... but, if we think about that, that is the same kid who defeated Lord Godfrey... can we really expect any less of him?"

    The man paused, "Hmm... no, you''re right. To think even slightly lowly of him is to indirectly insult His greatness." He was referring to Godfrey, the Imperial Prince of Veridrake.

    "G-god damn it you pass you strong son of a bitch!" Rothis eximed, unable to contain hisugh.

    "Ahh~ I don''t know how human beings can be so strong, especially at such a young age. Screw my life." He cursed as Lyrian reentered the waiting room.

    "Congra--" Rothis tried to say but was swiftly cut off.

    "Congrattions, Lord Lyrian!" Hyst suddenly butted in, eager to see Lyrian.

    ''He''s far stronger than what I could have ever imagined. I wish I could actually see some of his strength though. Not only did he not use magic, he didn''t even use his weapon or a martial art.'' He was highly intrigued, as was everyone else.

    Rothis then added, "Never in my five years of doing this job have I seen anyone pass that exam so easily..."

    "Woah there, Rothis! Are you sure about that?" Hyst''s younger brother suddenly walked into the room, speaking loudly.

    "I didn''t see what happened, but you said the same thing to me if I remember correctly. Aren''t you just sweet-talking," The teenager turned to Lyrian, "Him?" He finished.

    "Oh... Kepler," Rothis said, but before he could continue, the boy cut him off.

    "That''s lord Kepler to you..." He said with slight disdain.

    "Uh... right. Lord Kepler, you did pretty well, but Lyrian here outshined you by at least 15000 suns if I do say so myself."

    "R-really?" Kepler seemed to have a hard time grasping that concept.

    "Yeah... you''re trashpared to him, bum," Hyst added, as a few people identally broke out intoughter.

    Kepler immediately red at these people, making them instantly don straight faces.

    "I see... I heard some gossip about him doing this test and wanted to see what themotion was about. Seems I was a bit toote." Kepler said, swiftly turning around.

    "I have other ces to be anyways." He said, as Hyst quickly interjected.

    "Other ces to be? At Red Light time? You little runt... don''t tell me you''re wasting time in the Red Light District again..."

    "What? I never said I was going there, and even If I did, I can do what I want!" The young man retorted, "First it was wasting money, now wasting time. How much do I have to waste to have you stop whining!"

    After he barked this, Hyst paused, "Brat... is that the correct tone to talk to me?" He said in an oddly stern manner.

    Seeing his older brother''s furious gaze, Kepler quickly straightened his posture and gulped.

    "Uh... no. Sorry brother." He replied, ''Damn it! What''s gotten into him!? He gets pissed off so easilytely.''

    "Go home. If I hear that you aren''t home by 10 PM from Sebastion, you''re done for, you hear me?" Hyst ordered.

    "Yeah yeah... I will don''t worry." Kepler said as he left.

    Afterward, Lyrian spoke, "Damn... what a headache."

 Chapter 363 Bronze Rank

    Chapter 363 Bronze Rank

    Those who heard Lyrian say this looked slightly worried and clearly didn''t want tough.

    They had never heard anyone but the Von Haven family directly insult the boy like this. They didn''t really know how to react.

    At that moment, Hyst lightly chuckled, "Hah! You can say that again!" He said loudly, as the others finally donned small smiles and grins on their faces.

    "Oh, by the way, what time did you say it was now? Red Light time?" Lyrian questioned, remembering he saw red and purple lights outside of the dome walls.

    "Yeah. Close by here is the Red Light District. A more advanced part of town, both structurally... and physically. People close to the Red Light District, such as those living in Hogolsworth, have long adopted the red and purple lights at night that youmonly see there. It''s normal now, but I remember when I was a little kid that it wasn''t."

    "I see... so this ce, the Red Light District, if it follows the concept of those copying it out here in nearby cities, then it is only functional during nighttime, right?"

    Rothis was quick to answer for Hyst, "Hehe... yeah man. That''s exactly right." She rubbed his hands together, seemingly thinking lewd thoughts with a slight blush.

    "Rothis... do you want me to tell your wife about this?" Hyst inly spoke.

    "Wha-!?" Rothis immediately straightened up, "No! Don''t! I was only a joke!"

    As Hystughed, Lyrian exited the room. He had a basic n in mind moving forward with this mission, and that was to explore.

    ''A ce that only runs at night huh... that''s a good enough reason for me to look at itter down the line.'' He mused, arriving at the booths at the back of the main building room.

    There, the same youngdy from before called him over, "Lord Theageld! You passed the exam, right?"

    Lyrian paused, walking over to her slightly puzzled, "Yeah... I did. Isn''t that all I have to do to be an adventurer?" He asked.

    "Yes, you are right about that, but now that you are an adventurer, you need an adventurer rank, you see."

    "Ah... alright."

    "Mmhm. I have already prepared one for you here," The youngdy said, reaching out a thin rectangr te that was brown. "You will be starting off at the Bronze rank."

    "I see..." Lyrian picked the te up and equipped it on his left pec. The te had "BRONZE" In all capitals imprinted on it.

    "You may ess any quests that are ranked Bronze, up to Silver. If you want to choose a higher-ranked quest, however, I''m afraid you will have to schedule a meeting with higher-ups of the guild. They aren''t the most free people, so I''d rmend you start slowly bypleting low-rank quests first."

    "Alright, thank you." Lyrian politely said before beginning to leave.

    "Of course!" The youngdy eximed back, exhaling an exasperated sigh right afterward.

    "Wow... a student of Anaviotis!" She eximed, excited to even talk to someone of that social stature.

    Hyst rejoined Lyrian as they stepped out of the door. Just as they did, however, many quickly exited alongside them.

    "Lord Theageld!" A kid no older than Lyrian eximed, running in front of him, "Please teach me how to get stronger!" The kid looked to have basic clothes on, dirt smeared on his face.

    Lyrian took a quick but deep look at the boy and said, "Train hard and try your best to be better than others."

    The kid was taken aback, frozen in ce with a smile on his face as Lyrian moved forward.

    At that moment a man with a notepad quickly wrote down what Lyrian said, a proud smile on his face, "A great quote indeed."

    Many abruptly blocked Lyrian''s path, but before they could corner him, Lyrian quickly lifted his hood and walked forward into the crowd.

    In seconds he had disappeared, but Hyst made sure to follow him as best as he could through the town.

    Out of nowhere, Lyrian looked back at Hyst and waved for a split second, slightly confusing the young man.

    As soon as Lyrian stopped waving, he disappeared into thin air out of nowhere, as Hyst halted in ce, utterly bewildered.

    Those behind him also stopped, looking around to see where the young lord had gone.

    Lyrian had used the disappearing ability of the Scar Cloak, allowing him and the cloak topletely vanish from sight.

    ''A perfect tool for a situation like this.'' He mused, steadily returning to the Rocks Adventurer''s Tavern.

    As he entered, he allowed himself to reappear. Seeing this baffled a few onlookers, whose food fell out from their gaped mouths.

    Lyrian walked straight up to Kavenough, asking, "I want to stay a few nights, would that be possible?"

    The bar owner happily retorted, "Of course! The price is--" Before Kavenough could reply, a voice from another table interjected.

    "Hey! Don''t trust him! The one-night stay fee is only two silvers! If he says any more you know he''s lying!" Blub suddenly eximed as those at his tableughed.

    Kavenough shook in anger, clenching his fist as he eximed, "You fool! Shut your fat trap! Do you really think I would try to scam a student of Anaviotis!?"

    "Hey... once a scammer, always a scammer," Blub replied with charisma, as he too chuckled.

    "Ugh--ignore those fools, lord Theageld. But, he is telling the truth. It is two silvers for a night. How long do you wish to stay?"

    Inwardly, Kavenough mused, ''Damn those bastards. I could have gotten a pretty penny if they had kept their mouths shut. Tsk... I should ban them from

    this tavern.''

    "A month. I''ll pay for a month''s worth of nights for now."

    "Alright, that will be 60 silver." As Kavenough finished saying this, Lyrian had already put down a golden coin on the table.

    The bartender looked down at this, and then back at Lyrian, "A tip?" He quipped with a smile.

    "What? No. Give me 40 silver back. I don''t want to count 60 silvers." Lyrian quickly replied as Blub''s table broke out intoughter once again.

    Kavenough''s brow twitched at the sight of them, "Right... my apologies." He eximed as he gave Lyrian his change.

    And with that, Lyrian was led to his room upstairs in the tavern.

 Chapter 364 Choosing A Quest

    Chapter 364 Choosing A Quest

    Lyrian followed Kavenough upstairs, where he was shown to a room. The bar owner opened the door and handed the key to Lyrian before leaving.

    Lyrian entered, taking a first look at the room. As soon as he stepped foot inside, what he could see was a 15 by 15 foot room.

    It had one window, a small bed, and a table with a small chair. He walked into a doorway inside the room to find a bathroom with nothing more than a shower, toilet, and sink.

    After this, he went and fell onto the bed, arms and feet sprawled out.

    He sighed, "Perfect. I don''t need anything more than this."

    With that, he opened the window and quickly fell asleep. The next day he awoke nearly the same way that he always awoke...

    Nova chirped at his face once again, and after sessfully capturing the bird, he let him go with some scolding.

    Lyrian readied up and exited his room, heading straight for the Adventurer''s Guild building.

    As he made it out into the streets, Nova flew up into the sky, quickly disappearing somewhere up there.

    Lyrian knew he could trust Nova to be around him at all times but to also explore as he saw fit.

    The Pheon would onlye back when it was time to sleep, and this was why Lyrian kept his window open at night.

    "Soon he won''t be fitting through windows..." Lyrian murmured under his breath as he entered the Adventurer''s Guild.

    Inside, he took a look at some of the quests on the pin board.

    Those who were already inside during this early hour stared at him with awe.

    It was like spotting a myth in the flesh since Lyrian''s name had already spread like wildfire in the city just overnight.

    Lyrian looked unimpressed looking at the quests. All of the Bronze-ranked quests werepletely useless.

    ''I wanted some sort of small hunting quest where I could go and investigate some of the outer viges at the same time. But... all that there is here is stupid quests that are more like chores...''

    He looked at the Silver-ranked quests and saw that starting from Silver, it seemed the quests began allowing you to fight.

    But, it was only weak creatures like Goblins and Slimes, along with some Tree Lizards in the mix.

    ''Tree Lizards huh... must be a native species.'' Lyrian mused, sensing some presence moving toward him at that moment.

    He slightly turned his head past his shoulder to look who was behind him and saw a group of adventurers.

    "Rothis?" Lyrian spoke, seeing the guy who got his autograph from yesterday.

    "Yo yo! What''s up, man! Looking at quests?" Rothis excitedly eximed, shooting some finger guns at the kid.

    Behind him were two other figures, the ones Lyrian had already spotted during his Adventurer Test.

    Right now, Rothis wore light brown-colored armor. His build was average, and he was about six feet in height.

    The big guy behind him, however, easily towered over him. From this close, Lyrian estimated that he was at least 7 feet tall, with arms asrge as his torso and feet rivaling that of a Garr''s.

    He wore a full, hefty armor made of stainless iron, while the woman next to him wore atex-looking suit, with a bun of ck hair that was slicked back and reached down past her waist.

    Before Lyrian could say anything, therge guy walked forward and reached his hand out.

    "Lord Theageld, it is a pleasure to meet you. I hear you''re an acquaintance of Prince Godfrey."

    Lyrian shook the man''s hand, "You''d be sort of correct in assuming that."

    The big guy chuckled, "Sort of eh? Well, that''s good enough for me then. The names'' Solvir, by the way; Solvir Heartlend"

    Lyrian nodded, as Rothis spoke, "The girl who''s looking away is Cylline Sofield."

    Lyrian looked at the woman, who was indeed not looking at the conversation and instead seemed to be distracted by something else outside.

    "Don''t worry, she''s not a talkative one is all." Rothis covered for her.

    "So... what do you want?" Lyrian quickly questioned, slightly stunning Rothis.

    "Oh well, we just wanted to see what you were looking at."

    Lyrian seemed a bit skeptical, "You sure that''s all?"

    "No... well, we also wanted to join you in a quest, you see. It would be fun to have you alongside us... or us alongside you, I guess." Rothis eximed with slight nervousness.

    "Huh..." Lyrian said out loud, musing, ''With them, maybe I can even do higher-ranked quests,'' He paused, taking a look at their rank tes.

    ''All three are tinum ranked... if I join them, I should be able to do the Gold ranked missions at least, since that''s what I want to do. If I do tinum-ranked missions, I won''t be able to spend time investigating the outer viges.''

    After he considered this, Lyrian retorted, "If I do quests with you guys, can I do quests that are higher ranking difficulty?"

    On hearing this, Rothis'' face lit up, "Oh yeah, of course! We got that sorted." Rothis sounded a bit too convincing.

    "You sure?"

    "Dude... we work here man. Of course, we are sure."

    "Alright then, I''ll let you guys join me, but that means I''ll pick the quest."

    Rothis and Solvir spoke in unison on hearing this, "No problem, go for it."

    Lyrian turned around, having already seen what mission he wanted to do.

    At that moment, however, he saw one that was even better. It wasn''t Gold, but it was perfect since it included the saving of an outer vige.

    "This one right here." He took the quest paper off of the board.

    It read;

    "tinum Ranked Quest: Otinka vige is being constantly raided by Orcs. Find their hideout and wipe them outpletely to save this vige. Reward: 20 Gold Coins."

    "A tinum-ranked quest?" Rothis eximed with slight worry as he scratched the back of his head.

    He and Solvir looked at each other with nervous expressions, facing Lyrian again,

    "I''m sorry man, but we would get wiped out if we did a mission like that."

 Chapter 365 Otinka Village

    Chapter 365 Otinka Vige

    "What? But aren''t you guys all tinum ranked?" Lyrian said, slightly taken aback.

    "Haha... yeah, but quests don''t work that way, man. For a tinum-ranked quest, there need to be 10 tinum-ranked adventurers, but maybe 5 depending on how skilled they are. We are quite skilled, but our full squad isn''t here, so there are only 3 of us. Even with you, I doubt we would reach the strength of 10 or so tinum Ranked adventurers."

    Before moving on, Lyrian was slightly intrigued to hear that Rothis'' group had more members, "Oh, your full squad isn''t here?" He asked.

    "No, 2 of our members have gone for an exploring mission that''s currently being hidden from the public. Although... we have a clue as to what it''s for."

    Lyrian didn''t speak, encouraging Rothis to continue.

    "Haha... well, I probably shouldn''t say this, but everyone knows of what''s been happening around these partstely. The disappearances and small attacks. It''s obvious that this ''hidden quest'' is really just to investigate that."

    "I see..." Lyrian murmured, rolling the quest paper up.

    Solvir was slightly surprised to see this, "Wait... don''t tell me, you are actually choosing that quest?"

    Rothis added, following behind Lyrian who was already walking to the booths, "Hey... I don''t want to undery your power, but surely, you don''t expect us 4 to actuallyplete this quest, right? Hell, it''s not even your run-of-the-mill tinum quest, it''s with Orcs... an unspecified amount of them too. They are like the grandfathers of Hobgoblins... we can''t possibly take on an entire n by ourselves!"

    As Rothis continued to yap, Lyrian walked over and submitted the quest to one of the workers behind the table.

    Seeing Lyrian, and also Rothis and his crew behind the boy, the worker quickly gave a small token to Lyrian.

    "This is your quest token. It requires one chip from us once you pass it for you to be able to cash in your reward." The young man behind the counter politely said, as Lyrian turned around and began to exit the building.

    "Lord Lyrian... hey, lord Lyrian!" Rothis eximed as he and his group hurried to follow behind him.

    A few minutester, the three sat in a carriage, riding slowly to the outskirts vige of Otinka.

    Rothis, who was sitting opposite Lyrian, hesitantly eximed, "Oh god... what did I do to deserve a death like this." He cried.

    Lyrian nced at Solvir, who didn''t say anything, simply looking forward with a determined expression while gritting his teeth.

    Lyrian then switched his gaze to Cylline, whose face wasn''t any less serious.

    "Che." He scoffed slightly. Clearly, these adventurers were genuinely worried about what was going to happen.

    ''They probably feel like they are being forced to march to their demises right now, and can''t do anything to retaliate.'' He mused, smirking to himself.

    "Even if it were me alone," Lyrian said abruptly, as everyone looked at him, including the carriage driver.

    "I could do this mission with ease. So don''t worry so much and lighten up."

    The carriage driverughed at this, re-engaging himself in driving.

    No one said anything after this for a short while, but the mood seemed to be lifted a bit.

    ''It sounds overconfident... but for some reason, it instills some bravery in me as well.'' Rothis mused and looked at Lyrian''s stoic expression.

    ''Nothing... he doesn''t feel any pressure whatsoever. No worry, stress, anxiety... it''s like he''s a god... or robot.'' He joked.

    Before long, the four arrived at their destination. The carriage driver stopped, chewing his fern stem as he opened the back doors of the cart.

    "You''re all set. And uh... good luck on the fight with the Orcs, MVP. Hopefully, your grand tale doesn''t end here." Heughed, "Khe!"

    As Lyrian exited with the rest of them, he retorted, "Old man, If I lose to some orcs, I''ll pass down my life''s fortune to you." He too smirked, as the carriage driver ceased to do so.

    "Yeah yeah... whatever." He said, shaking his and continuing to chew his fern.

    Lyrian led the other three into the Otinka vige, which was a fair-sized old town with a wooden wall surrounding it.

    Lyrian looked around and saw that even though the entrance of the vige was in the biome of the giant, far-spaced trees, it also connected to a forest on the other side.

    The forest cut off therger trees. Lyrian could see arge mountain in the distance within that forest, so he knew that it wasn''t just some small splotch ofnd.

    They entered through the wooden gates, while viger guards looked down on them from the wall tops.

    Lyrian shed the quest token to them, as they swiftly nodded and epted the adventurers in.

    The four walked through the seemingly empty vige for a few minutes, not seeing a single breath of life.

    It truly seemed like a ghost town apart from those first guards, and there were also a few houses that were torn down for some reason.

    Finally, as they reached the center of the vige, they began to hear some chatter.

    Soon enough, they came across a massive crowd of vigers huddled up near in town square.

    An old man speaking to the vigers looked up as he saw Lyrian and the others.

    Without hesitation, he quickly walked through the crowd and neared Lyrian.

    As the crowd looked at him, he stood in front of Lyrian and took the boy''s right hand, sping it with both of his.

    The old man''s hands were wrinkly, but as smooth as you could imagine.

    "Adventurers... have you epted our quest?" He spoke in a deteriorating voice, eyes seemingly closed even though they were open.

    "We have been waiting very long for this day." The elder eximed.

    "Well yeah,

    you put quite the low price on such a big mission. No wonder no one epted it." Rothis spoke at that moment.

    "Whenever there is such mystery involved in a mission, the price must align to fit it," Solvir said solemnly.

    "My apologies, gentlemen. That was all the people of this poor vige could scrap together."

    Hearing this, Lyrian quickly replied, "Alright, so talk to us then. What do you want us to do, tell us in detail."

    "R-right! Let''s head to the vige chief''s quarters. We will talk there. Right this way..."

 Chapter 366 Blinded By Arrogance

    Chapter 366 Blinded By Arrogance

    Lyrian and the other three followed this old man into the vige even further, as the majority of the crowd followed them.

    While walking up the hill on which the vige was built, Lyrian noticed that most of the vigers looked poverty-stricken.

    Torn clothes and dirty faces were prominent in every single person that he seemed to look at.

    Before long, Lyrian and the others were led to a fairlyrge hut near the top of the hill.

    The old man pushed a door to the side and entered, gesturing for the adventurers toe in as well.

    After them came as many vigers as could fit. The rest stayed outside, wanting to get a look at or hear what was going on inside.

    As soon as Lyrian entered, he noticed a man who seemed slightly younger than the one that had brought them there sitting on top of an elevated dirt square.

    His eyes were closed, brows furrowed, and he maintained a cultivating lotus position.

    ''Is he cultivating?'' Lyrian mused as the old man who had led them there stepped forward,

    "This is my older brother, Outimbe." As soon as he said this, the old man which he was referring to on the dirt tform opened his eyes.

    ''Older brother huh? Looks far younger to me...'' Rothis mused, slightly surprised by this.

    Lyrian had the opposite reaction, ''If he cultivates, no wonder he will age slower. His vitality is most likely increased.'' He surmised.

    "Brother!" The first old man eximed, "These are the adventurers, they have received our call for help and havee to assist us." He said with a hopeful tone.

    Lyrian nced at him as he spoke, and then turned his attention to the Outimbe.

    "Kaio..." Outimbe spoke in a low tone, "Didn''t I already tell you to not put out any help quest fliers? How much did you pay for it..."

    "Paid? Well... we paid 2 gold coins to enlist the quest and 20 more as a reward." The first old man addressed as ''Kaio'', spoke timidly.

    Outimbe''s eyes widened with a mix of shock and anger, "You did what!?" He shouted, causing Kaio to wince slightly.

    Enraged, Outimbe stood up.

    "Damn it, Kaio! You truly want this poor vige to fall to ruin! Why would you waste all our money like that when I already told you that I am dealing with the Orc situation!?" Outimbe eximed, looking to the side.

    He murmured under his breath with worry, "Damn it! How are we going to financially recover from this!?"

    The crowd seemed even more worried now, with injured limbs, sorrowful faces, growling stomachs, and even hungrier children in their arms.

    Lyrian looked at them in this state and was slightly surprised that despite all of this, they kept their mouths shut.

    "Brother!" Kaio responded, "We needed help, you could not have done it by yourself!"

    "Done it by myself? Done what by myself!? Go ahead, tell me!" Outimbe eximed in a fit of rage.

    Lyrian could sense the tension in the air, as the crowd behind him was muddled in emotion.

    "Defeat the Orcs! You can''t defeat the Orcs by yourself--" Kaio was abruptly interrupted.

    "Of course I can! Fool! Why do you think I have been cultivating all this time! Didn''t I tell you that I have it under control!? Instead of trusting me, you go and waste all the money left in our vige. What kind of brother are you, huh?"

    Kaio stayed silent for a moment after hearing this, as Lyrian could sense gritting teeth and clenched fists in the crowd behind him.

    There were fathers amongst that crowd, those who wanted their children to sleep at night knowing that no Orc woulde and eat them alive.

    There were mothers, who wished for a full and content family once again.

    These people had put their trust in Lyrian and the others, giving up their fortunes.

    As silence made itselffortable within the hut, Outimbe''s angry pants calmed down.

    He walked over to Lyrian, who was in front of the other three adventurers and the crowd.

    "You all are not needed. This quest is canceled, you hear?"

    As soon as he said this in a slightly dismissive tone, Lyrian could feel the urge of the crowd to speak.

    ''They sacrificed their livelihood for their families, and yet this fool wants to throw it all away.'' Lyrian mused, slightly irritated with the old man in front of him.

    "Why are you leaving yet!? I said it''s canceled, did I not!? Scram already! And you all, back there. Get back to your homes damn it! Don''t you know we have to defend the Orc attacks tonight as well!?"

    At that moment, Lyrian spoke, "How silly..."

    "What? What did you just say, brat?" Outimbe dialed in, walking closer to Lyrian with furrowed brows.

    "No, great adventurer! Do not argue against my brother, he is of an uncontroble temper. He won''t hesitate to--" Kaio tried to speak, but was cut off by his brother again.

    "What did you say!?" He ignored his brother and shouted at Lyrian.

    "Don''t you find it silly as well, the irony of it?" Lyrian looked the man straight in the eyes.

    Outimbe''s entire body shook with anger, as the crowd behind Lyrian couldn''t believe what was happening.

    No one had ever gone against Outimbe''s wise words before.

    "Say another word..." Outimbe voiced his anger, ready to unleash his fury.

    "You probably think you are selfless, don''t you?" Lyrian questioned, throwing Outimbe off slightly, "Well sorry to break it to you, but I haven''t met a much more selfish bastard than you in a while."

    At that moment, Outimbe abruptly yelled, "That''s enough!" He reached back and attempted to p Lyrian in the face.

    However, with one millisecond of piercing bloodlust through Lyrian''s eyes, the old man froze in ce, his hand hovering in mid-air.

    Lyrian, dressed in his cloak, walked past Outimbe as he spoke.

    "Outimbe... why do you think these people have willingly given their own riches up? You don''t know, do you? It''s because, for them, no amount of riches in the world is worth more than seeing their families live in peace."

 Chapter 367 Unexpected Tears

    <h4>Chapter 367 Unexpected Tears</h4>

    Outimbe continued to remain still, like a deer stuck in headlights.

    The amount of gruesome intensity he felt in that one moment of Lyrian''s spiritual energy was enough to shut his system down into a stupor.

    However, the crowd felt as though their hearts let go of many mountains worth of weight as Lyrian''s words continued to flow within their ears.

    Not because they were words of rebellion, but because they ensured safety.

    "Deep within--if your delusion does notpletely rot your mind--you know that you cannot defeat those Orcs." As Lyrian said this, Outimbe finally broke out of his daze.

    This was important enough for him to shake his head and turn around, "Do not go there, boy! You do not know my capabiliti--" He tried to shout in anger but was cut off himself.

    "Stay silent, old man!" Lyrian said, sending a surge of bloodlust through his prative gaze.

    Once again, Outimbe gasped identally, feeling his lungs contract and block up.

    "You know that you cannot defeat those Orcs, yet you continue to lie to these people due to your own selfish arrogance. You would rather see these people die at the hands of these Orcs than admit your weakness." Lyrian spoke with ice-cold eyes.

    "T-that... is not true," Otimbe spoke slowly, his widened eyes facing the ground.

    Out of nowhere, his eyes began to moisten and turn red, "I care for these people... I care for them with all my heart." He turned to face them, "You all know that, right?"

    However, he was shocked to be met with enraged expressions. They weren''t just angry at him, but many disappointed, staring at him with disdain. Some, even disgusted at the sight of him.

    For Outimbe, this felt like a dagger had pierced straight through his heart.

    He looked down, unable to face these people. Finally, he looked at his own hands, "What... have I be?" He eximed, falling to his knees as streams of tears trickled down his face.

    Never had he seen such a side from these people, whom he cherished the most.

    ''Seems this was the rude awakening that he needed.'' Lyrian mused, ''I guess he''s less evil than I thought.''

    As Outimbe broke down into tears, the viger''s expressions seemed to mellow as well.

    Deep down, they all still cared for him.

    At this moment, all of the vigers, and also Outimbe himself; the entirety of them remembered memories of their past.

    Elders who were the same age as Outimbe remembered ying with him as kids.

    They remembered how brave and caring he always was, and the great ambitions he spoke of from a tender age.

    The adults of today''s age remember how kind of an adult he was when they were kids.

    He always used to y with them when no other adult seemed to care, and he never failed to be kind.

    Women remembered him as a gentleman, and men remembered him as a warrior.

    No one had seen the good side of the chief before, so they couldn''t outright hate him fully.

    However, Outimbe now felt as though the entire world was against him.

    "All I''ve done... it was for my vige, but in the end, I wanted to protect these people so much that I blinded even myself to that goal."

    Outimbe eximed, melting the hearts of those watching, as the crowd also began to tear up.

    Kaio, rivers of tears trickling down his face, joined his brother on one knee, cing a hand on his back.

    As the crowd sniffled, wiping the snot from these noses, Rothis'' too began to tear up.

    After sniffing a few times himself, he said, "Wow... what a beautiful story."

    His two other mates looked at him unimpressed as he suddenly eximed, "What!? It''s impactful, alright?"

    At that moment, a few from the crowd walked forward. As they did, so did more and more.

    As Outimbe arrived to his feet, he expected to be the victim of a flurry of mes and insults.

    ''I deserve what''sing to me, damn it! When it did all go wrong? All I wanted was to protect my people...'' He mused, but as he lifted his head, he was met with the warm embrace of the entire crowd.

    He was thrown aback at the start but quickly broke down into tears of happiness once again.

    As the entire crowd embraced in shared sorrows and joys, Lyrian scoffed.

    ''What the hell is going on here?'' He mused, ''This was not at all how I''d think it would go.''

    After a few seconds, he shouted out, "Alright, that''s enough slobbering and sobbing! Get serious, damn it!"

    With that, everyone quickly regained theirposure and returned to their previous stances.

    Outimbe turned to Lyrian, his face still red with emotion.

    "Young man... I am sorry for what I said before. You are right; I was foolish to think that I could take all of those Orcs on by myself. It ispletely my fault; I was blinded by a false ego and wanted to protect my vige, you see."

    He said as Lyrian looked at him indifferently.

    At that moment, Rothis eagerly questioned, "Does that mean the quest''s uncancelled!?"

    Outimbe looked back at them with a smile and said, "Haha... yes, the quest is back on the table. 22 gold coins are hardly worth the lives of my people."

    Solvir and Rothis both broke out into celebration as they heard this, "Woohoo!"

    The crowd also celebrated, excited to hear about the news.

    In the midst of all of this, however, Lyrian eximed, "The quest is back on?"

    The crowd was slightly taken aback, slowly quieting down as Lyrian said this. They were curious as to where he was going with his question.

    Before Outimbe could reply, Lyrian said, "No way. If the quest is off, the quest is off. We won''t bepleting it any longer."

    As soon as Lyrian said this, a tragic hush fell within the room, silencing even the most talkative of vigers.

 Chapter 368 Abnormal Orcs

    <h4>Chapter 368 Abnormal Orcs</h4>

    Everyone was speechless, along with even Outimbe.

    Amid the tense silence, Lyrian eximed, "We won''t bepleting the quest, since that means your vige will have to pay us 20 gold coins. To me, it seems like that would destroy the vige that the quest was created to save in the first ce. So... instead of the quest, we will kill those Orcs without any paperwork."

    As soon as Lyrian said this, he stepped down from the stone tform and began walking toward the exit of the hut.

    The crowd felt a feeling of immense relief wash over them. Not only because Lyrian told them his true motive behind his scary statement from before, but mostly because they were ensured to be protected.

    Lyrian neared the door as the crowd quickly made way for him.

    At this moment, Kaio spoke to Outimbe, "He doesn''t look it or seemingly even wants to show it, but that kid has a heart of gold, don''t you think?"

    Outimbe looked back at Lyrian, "Gold? His heart can''t possibly be described by such rubbish." He inhaled a deep breath.

    "I''ll be indebted to that man until the day I die." He solemnly swore.

    "Outimbe! Come outside!" Lyrian suddenly shouted as he walked out through the parting crowd that made way for him.

    As Outimbe jogged behind him, Rothis quickly questioned, "Hey! Where are you going!?"

    Lyrian retorted, "I''ll be back in a moment! It will be impossible to have a conversation here like this."

    With this, Lyrian waited until Outimbe had made it outside of the hut.

    As the chief did, Lyrian grabbed him by the back of his shirt and jumped up into the trees.

    "Ahhh!" Outimbe screamed, startled and shocked by the boy''s sudden action.

    The crowd gasped, and someughed. They hadn''t seen the manly chief yell like that since he was only a wee boy.

    Hopping from one tree to another, he quickly disappeared from sight, along with Outimbe.

    "Boy! Why do you pick me up like this!? I can jump through trees on my own, you know!?"

    Lyrian looked back at Outimbe as he continued moving, "It will be faster this way." He faced forward again, his expression determined.

    Outimbe gazed in astonishment, and even awe at the boy''s face.

    ''Who is this kid? He isn''t normal at all...''

    Rothisughed as he jogged out alongside Outimbe.

    Looking up at the trees he eximed, "That guy is on another level of insane!"

    Kaio followed Rothis and the other two adventurers outside, saying, "Ahh~ To be young... but then again, I wasn''t even that crazy even when I was young. Only really different types of people are like that... those who pave new paths, you see." He rhetorically spoke.

    "Huh? What the crap are you talking about old man?" Rothis teased.

    Lyrian soon arrived at a wide branch of a fairlyrge tree and sat the panting Outimbe down against the trunk.

    Kneeling down on one knee, he faced him. "So, tell me everything that you know."

    "Wh-what?" Outimbe suddenly felt as though he was being interrogated for a crime or something.

    "About the Orcs... what do you want me to do with them?"

    "Ah... right," Outimbe replied, gathering his thoughts before replying to the serious young man.

    "This vige has been getting attacked by these orcs as of recent. For the past month, they have slowly begun to attack more and more. Many times they even take kids and some young adults."

    ''What? The Orc''s are capturing people? I wouldn''t question them killing, hunting, and eating, but these beasts would have no reason to capture unless provoked by an outside source.'' Lyrian mused confusedly but decided to let Outimbe continue.

    "Keep in mind, young Lord... these Orc are not normal! Not by any stretch of the imagination. I have lived for a lot longer than you and can tell you that no Orc has ever captured someone in my presence. They are powerful as well... mysterious in number, and blessed with an abnormal strength. It so horrible that even thinking about it sends chills down my spine, as if their power is evil."

    ''Evil? What does that mean? How can power possibly be evil? Is it not just power? Such a thing shouldn''t be able to adhere to good and bad qualities on its own.''

    "They live close to here actually... a cave near the ground. Their leader is one of the Domain Alphas, but I have yet to see him."

    "Domain Alpha? What is that?" Lyrian questioned on hearing this new term.

    "Oh, right, you are new here so you must have never heard of such a term.?Well, you see, there are plots ofnd designated as domains that powerful creatures rule over. A territory of sorts. Each domain, which can stretch from 10 to 1000 square miles, has one Domain Alpha, whichmands ownership over it."

    "I see..." Lyrian said, thinking to himself, ''These weird orcs... perhaps their leader is what is causing this disturbance in the city. If so, taking him out willplete my mission.''

    Lyrian stood up, facing the forest, ''It is rare for such unintelligent creatures to hunt and kidnap people in the inner cities such as Hogolsworth without getting caught. However... if they can capture them for some reason out here, then there is no denying that they might have a way to do so within the walls as well.''

    "Alright, is there anyone else you want to tell me?" As Lyrian asked this, Outimbe looked to the side.

    He stammered a little, as though he didn''t want to speak, "Uh... well. No, that is all I suppose." The old man''s words drifted off.

    Lyrian furrowed his brows, slightly puzzled.

    At that moment, Outimbe murmured to himself under his breath, "I shouldn''t even hint at that possibility..."

    To Lyrian, this felt like what he heard from Hyst''s father when he first met the Von Haven family.

    "Alright then..."

    With this, Lyrian returned with Outimbe to the hut where the citizens of the vige were gathered around.

    As he did, he dropped off the old man and addressed his adventurer mates.

    "Let''s go hunt those Orcs now! I''ll tell you about the information that I learned from Outimbe on the way, just follow my lead!" He ordered.

    For some reason, this small kid''s words felt as though they came from a stern captain of sorts.

    Rothis couldn''t help but shout, "Yes sir"!

 Chapter 369 Orc Cavern

    <h4>Chapter 369 Orc Cavern</h4>

    After a ten-minute walk, Lyrian and the others soon reached a denser part of the forest.

    This plot ofnd was next to the mountain slope, which they were quickly nearing.

    The sun''s rays disappeared as they walked further in, darkness surrounding them.

    Their steps also became slightly muffled, as Lyrian finished up what he was saying to them on the way there.

    "And that is all the information that you need to hear. It''s also everything Outimbe told me," he said, breaking branches along his path as he walked forward.

    "I see... so these Orcs aren''t normal huh?" Solvir rhetorically asked.

    "Well, that exins why they are capturing people and not killing them on the spot. That''s odd... only odd Orc would do odd things like that," Rothis added.

    Cylline also spoke, "Not just random people, but kids and young adults. That may have to do with something."

    Lyrian replied to her, "Yes... it also corrtes with the disappearances in the city. They are young adults, are they not? Those in the academy? Same age as Hyst..."

    They all knew what Lyrian was trying to imply. It could have been that these Orcs were the ones causing therge disturbance in the city. Although it was unlikely, it made sense.

    Soon enough, they came across a looming cavern hole within the mountainside, where the forest ended.

    They stepped inside without any hesitation, as Cylline lit a fire in her fingertip, allowing for light to guide them all.

    They walked inside for a while longer, as the cave expanded its walls. It soon became very spacious, extending 50 feet in width and length.

    Cylline''s light was no longer needed, as amber crystals lit up the path.

    As of yet, they hadn''t seen anything unusual. However, when facing forward, all of them could feel an ominous feeling ahead.

    "This doesn''t feel good..." Rothis spoke in a low tone, "Fighting an unknown number of Orcs was already scary, but now we are going up against abnormally powerful ones." He crossed his heart with his finger, lifting it up toward the roof.

    "I just hope I survive to tell the tale." He said, as Solvir humorously added, "Yeah... me too. Hell, at this point, I''m more afraid of the Domain Alpha than the orcs. If I knew there was such a beast here, I would have never even stepped foot on that carriage, let alone entered this cavern."

    After taking a few more echoing footsteps, Cylline replied, "Geez... when will you boys be men?"

    Rothis didn''t hesitate to reply, "What!? Are you saying you aren''t afraid right now? Anyone would be."

    "No... of course I''m afraid." She looked at Lyrian, who was leading the three, "But we don''t have a choice right now."

    Solvir and Rothis also faced Lyrian, who spoke at that moment, "You have a choice. You can leave right now if you want. I only needed you three to get this quest, but at this point, I''m not evenpleting a damn quest..."

    ''More than anything, I want to investigate.'' Lyrian told himself.

    On hearing this, Rothis and the other two looked at each other.

    With resolve in their eyes, they faced forward once again, as Rothis proimed, "No! I''ve alreadye this far, I will trust you and enter here. I wouldn''t leave you to die like this... it is not bing of a man." He spoke with determination, as Solvir nodded in agreement.

    Lyrian smirked, "Oh... so you are a man then." He emphasized the ''are'' as he chuckled softly.

    Before anyone could reply, Lyrian suddenly halted, making the three behind him abruptly stop as well.

    "Those... are bones." He said, seeing a small pile of bones to the side of the cavern a few hundred feet in front of them.

    As they arrived at the bones, a flock of bats suddenly flew out from further in the cave.

    It startled Rothis and the other two, but they quickly shrugged it off.

    Lyrian, however, understood that something inside had changed.

    ''That bat wouldn''t move on their own. Something noticed our presence already, and I can''t even notice it. That means... it''s pretty damn strong.'' He mused, looking at the pile of remains beneath him.

    "Human bones. Small ones... they are of kids." He surmised, spending not even ten seconds looking at the pile before moving on.

    Rothis covered his nose as he walked past the bones, gagging slightly.

    "No matter how long I hunt, I can never get over human parts..." He admitted.

    Out of nowhere, loud and fast footsteps quickly echoed from the inside of the cave, increasing in sound.

    "They are approaching... get ready to fight." Lyrian calmly spoke, as the adventurers hurried to unsheath their weapons.

    Rothis took out a de wrapped in white cloth. Solvir wielded a massive battle axe with a red gem encrusted into it. And Cylline harnessed two double-edged des from her back, duel wielding it.

    From the inky darkness ahead, a group of orcs emerged, their muscr forms silhouetted against the dim glow of luminescent fungi clinging to the cavern walls.

    The flickering light yed tricks on the jagged edges of their armor, casting menacing shadows that danced across the rocky terrain.

    The orcs moved with an eerie unity, their heavy footsteps resonating like a war drum in the confined space.

    Their eyes glowed with a fierce intensity, fueled by the primal instincts of battle.

    Lyrian could see the glint of weapons, each orc armed with a lethalbination of swords, axes, and jagged war hammers.

    As the orcs closed in, Rothis and the others could feel the oppressive weight of their presence, the air thickening with their spiritual energy and also the anticipation of impending conflict.

    "Here theye..." Lyrian said, slightly taken aback by just how fearsome these creatures really were.

    At that moment, a smile yed on his lips, "Maybe I can have some fun here." He said, raising his hand in front of him.

    "me... Wheel!"

 Chapter 370 Hydro Slash

    <h4>Chapter 370 Hydro sh</h4>

    Lyrian pushed his hand forward, as a small spiral of me instantly materialized in front of him.

    His eyes glistened in the light of the incredibly fast-spinning fire as it suddenly shot forward--gaining in size, it propelled toward the horde of orcs.

    It reached over 20 feet in height, rampaging into the orcs like a tractor mowing down weeds.

    With an inferno of destruction, it incinerated through the middle of the Orc horde, leaving those to the sides dazed and confused.

    They quickly shrugged this off, continuing to storm toward Lyrian.

    However, that wasn''t all... after arriving 10 feet away from the end of the orcs, the me slowly curved its trajectory, turning around 180 degrees!

    It shot forward once again, tearing through another line of the over 50 orcs that dared to be in its way.

    As it returned to Lyrian''s feet, the wheel simmered to a small ember and disappeared in the wind with a tinge of smoke.

    The floor of burned corpses it left in its wake caused the singed orcs to trip and fall.

    Out of the 50, only 10 orcs, most still badly burned, made their way through to Lyrian and the others.

    Lyrian looked back at Rothis and the others and shouted, "I won''t make you threepletely useless. These ten are yours to y."

    As he said this, none of the three made a move. Their jaws were on the ground, all of them stunned with shock.

    They couldn''t believe what they had just seen. All three recognized the spell since Lyrian had used it in the deployment exam.

    However, mowing down wolves was far off from orcs. Orcs were powerful creatures with thick skin and much higher speed.

    Destroying through a horde like that was unheard of.

    "If you keep standing around, you won''t be present to fight!" Lyrian eximed, as Solvir quickly shook his head and prepared himself for battle.

    The other two also got into the zone, as Rothis ran toward the orcs with a sword in hand.

    Beside him was Cylline, who acted in the same way. She spun her des in the air as he neared one of the orcs.

    Jumping forward, she shed across the orc''srge body,nding on the other side gracefully.

    The orc, its chest and legs gashed, turned around with a grunt. It lunged forward, swinging its giant war hammer.

    Cylline was able to barely dodge it and go back in for the killing blow to the beast''s neck.

    Although taking on several orcs was fear-inducing, she had killed plenty of orcs in her time in one versus one scenarios.

    She had prejudged the strength and speed of the orc and understood that this was going to be the final attack.

    She aimed for the center of its neck, but right as her de scratched the orc''s green skin, it swiftly whipped its head back.

    Cylline''s de flew forward, causing her to be slightly tilted off bnce.

    Using this opportunity, the orc tossed its hammer to one hand and used the other to hurl a punch at the small human in front of it.

    Cylline gasped, taken aback by this orc''s abnormal fighting style and maneuverability.

    Before its punch couldnd, Solvir''s shield came in between. It pushed the hulking man back, but the orc''s attack was stopped on the spot.

    Cyllinended on the ground, gathering herself as she eximed, "Lyrian was right... these are far stronger than normal orcs."

    Solvir looked back at her for a second, "Yeah... I know. Even you should have been able to take care of one on your own."

    "Even me? What''s that supposed to mean?" Cylline retorted with a slightly defensive tone.

    At that moment, the orc attacked them again. Next to them, Rothis'' de sliced cleanly through an orc''s neck.

    It fell to its knees and then on the ground, as Rothis dug his sword into the ground and panted.

    "Beasts! They are way too strong, Lyrian!" Rothis eximed, "At this rate, we won''t be able to helpter on. All our strength will be used on these orcs!"

    Lyrian replied with aid-back tone, "That''s fine with me."

    Hearing this, Rothis and the others decided not to let up and fight as hard as possible.

    In a total of ten minutes, they had finally in the majority of the orcs, all except for one.

    However, all of them also couldn''t lift their weapons any longer. They were driven to a point of extreme exhaustion.

    The final orc, still kicking but slightly injured, rushed at Rothis who was closest.

    Rothis attempted to push his sword into the ground and stand, but the sword slipped on the ground, causing him to fall back down.

    The orc swung its axe, closing the distance toward Rothis'' torso.

    "Hydro sh!" Lyrianmanded at that moment, raising his hand.

    A rounded de of water materialized in front of him at that moment, shooting forward with extreme speed and uracy.

    It cut through the orc instantly, mming into the cave wall on the other side.

    The orc''s upper torso slid off and thunked on the ground, as Rothis rolled over on his back and panted in relief.

    Lyrian observed the adventurers and thought, ''I wanted to see what the extent of their strength was, but now I''m thinking that was a bad decision. They will probably take another ten minutes just to get ready to move again.''

    He tsked, reaching into his storage ring. He brought out a single stamina potion and sshed it evenly over each of the three lying on the ground.

    They felt slightly rejuvenated but were still panting a bit.

    "Get up! We have to continue!" Lyrian ordered, already beginning to walk.

    "W-wait! Was that an energy elixir? I don''t think it did jack!" Rothis came to his feet and eximed.

    "It clearly did something, since you''re standing right now." As Lyrian said this, the others found their way to their feet as well and began following behind him.

    Lyrian stared forward, ''That powerful aura is stilling from deeper within the cave. Those 50 orcs were nothing but antspared to what I''m sensing inside.''

 Chapter 371 Alpha Orc

    <h4>Chapter 371 Alpha Orc</h4>

    After walking for a little while longer, Rothis and the other two regained their stamina for the most part, but their bodies were still too tired to fight again.

    Soon after, Lyrian noticed some differences in the normal stone walls ahead of them.

    Instead of in stone,rge pirs of wood decorated the cavern.

    Soon enough, Lyrian saw troops of orcs nonchntly sleeping near the sides of the cave.

    They hugged their weapons as they snoozed, but Lyrian didn''t care to wake them up.

    First, he wanted to explore where that ominous energy wasing from.

    ''I''ll deal with the grubs after...''

    Before long, the more organized passage split into various forks, but the one in the middle still remained thergest.

    It was also where the dark energy wasing from, so Lyrian and the others continued straight.

    Before long, they came across a crowd of orcs with their backs turned over 500 feet away.

    As Lyrian approached them, with Rothis and the others behind him, the orcs slowly turned to face him.

    As he neared a few hundred more feet, the orcs still didn''t move, simply looking at them.

    Lyrian saw in front of the orcs was something else, a wooden structure that looked to be a seat on elevated stone.

    ''A throne? Yes... that must be the Domain Alpha''s throne. The one releasing all of this energy, I assume.'' Lyrian thought, with the dark energy now far more thick than before.

    As Lyrian arrived at where the orcs were, he noticed that they looked a bit bigger than the ones from before.

    They also wore better armor and had longer hair poking through their helmets.

    There were only about 15 of these orcs scarcely scattered in front of the throne, but none of them attacked Lyrian when he stopped just behind them.

    As soon as he stopped and stood there, a deep, guttural voice sounded from far down.

    "Ooooor Graa."

    As this dominant voice echoed out, the orcs slowly moved out of the way and made space for Lyrian and the others to move forward.

    Hesitantly, Lyrian led the way, walking past the orcs as they all stared at him and the more scared adventurers.

    Soon they made it in front of the crowd and Lyrian saw three orcs on top of an elevated area of cave floor.

    Two orcs that were white in color--unlike all of the other orcs--stood beside a white orc sitting on the giant wooden throne.

    The white orc in the middle differed even from those beside it, having crimson eyes and a ne made of small skulls.

    ''Human skulls...'' Lyrian mused, his brows furrowing. The ne had a jade in the middle of it, one that oozed a dark energy that was so condensed that Lyrian could feel it in the air.

    ''Not the orc... no, this energy ising from that pendant.'' Lyrian mused, slightly puzzled.

    ''Now that I think about it, it feels like the same energy that idiot from the bar used at me...'' He thought as the Domain Alpha stood up.

    As he did, the other orcs on the ground backed up a few dozen feet before dropping to one knee and bowing their heads.

    The two next to the Alpha also bowed to him, as his right hand reached forward.

    He abruptly moved his neck, cracking it once before returning it to normal and speaking, "Huumans... yoouue to ay me?" It said with a voice so scratchy that it sounded like it could rip a piece of paper apart.

    A hush fell over the cavern as Lyrian retorted, "That''s right."

    As soon as he said this, the quiet room suddenly burst into orcughter.

    It frightened Rothis and the others as Lyrian''s eyes slowly scanned the room.

    He faced the Alpha orc once again, who was now grinning at Lyrian''s words.

    "Myyy nameee... Og!" It spoke valiantly, as the other orcs wowed at their leader''s impressive name.

    Lyrian looked around slightly confused, ''Is that name so impressive?'' He mused.

    "Youuu namee?"

    Lyrian didn''t hesitate to reply, "Lyrian."

    After a short pause, the Alpha suddenly broke out into a peal of throatyughter, and the other orcs followed suit.

    "Lyy--rii--ann! Takes mee 10 yearrss justt too sssspeak ittt." The Alpha orc eximed as Lyrian raised a brow.

    ''Did it just crack a joke?'' He mused as Cylline and Solvir were equally as baffled. Rothis on the other hand found it a bit funny himself.

    "Thee weakk... theeyyy havveee looooooooong namees... the strong... theeey haaavee shoort, powwerrrfull namees."

    "Is that right?" Lyrian retorted as the Alpha turned to one of the white orcs beside it.

    "Youuu... your namee."

    The orc quickly replied, "Rooc!"

    The Alpha turned to the other orc beside it and asked the same question.

    It also didn''t hesitate to answer, "Uuug!"

    After this, the Alpha turned to the entire crowd and asked, "Yoouur Namees!"

    They all retorted at once their names with loud voices.

    "Grook!"

    "Haag!"

    "Braak"

    "Grag!"

    ''I see... so these underlings have 5 to 4-letter names. Those two white ones have 4 letter names, and this big one skips 3, and goes straight to having a 2 letter name.''

    At that moment, Lyrian decided to speak again, "My name... I lied when I said it was Lyrian."

    The orcs quieted down as the Alpha confusedly looked at Lyrian, "Ohh? Thenn... your namee?"

    "O." Lyrian retorted with a smirk on his face.

    As soon as he said this, all of the orcs suddenly eximed sounds of impression and awe.

    Even the Alpha raised its eyebrows, "Noo... it can nott beee.... for youu... nott strongerrr thann mee!" It shouted out of anger.

    "Are you sure about that? How about we test it out?"

    As soon as Lyrian finished saying this, the Alpha grunted, leaping up into the air andnding right in front of Lyrian with a loud thud.

    "Grrr..." He growled, lowering near Lyrian and getting right in front of his face before speaking, "Boo... weakling..."

    Lyrian immediately scoffed at this, but at that moment the dark energy from the beast''s pendant swam out, quickly enveloping him.

    At once he felt immense pressure bog down on his shoulders, causing him to widen his eyes in surprise.

    However... he wasn''t going to bow down to another creature--an inferior creature--so easily.

    "No... you bow, beast." Lyrian spoke with ice-cold eyes and piercing gaze, as the bloodlust of all his creatures suddenly erupted from his pupils.

 Chapter 372 To Rescue

    <h4>Chapter 372 To Rescue</h4>

    The Alpha Orc froze in ce as they felt an overwhelming feeling of doom suddenly wash over him.

    It stumbled back, feeling the horror of the most terrifying creature it had ever witnessed in front of it.

    It tripped over its own feet, dropping to its rear. The other orcs gasped in astonishment as they saw this.

    Never before had they seen their leader be brought down to such a sorry state.

    "K--kill..." The Alpha suddenly stammered, as one of the two white orcs stepped down and ran to him.

    "Killll themmm alll..." It managed to say, as the white orc nodded before turning to its counterpart.

    Lyrian looked around, expecting a full barrage from all of the orcs.

    However, he was surprised to see that the two white orcs quickly dashed out from the room where Lyrian and the adventurers hade in from.

    They pushed through other orcs, rushing out without wasting any time.

    Lyrian was puzzled by this for a moment but soon understood what the Alpha Orc had meant, ''Kill them all wasn''t directed toward us, but to others outside of this room. It''s the people they''ve captured...'' He surmised.

    He quickly turned around, running past the adventurers behind him and facing the exit--where they hade from--and also where the two white orcs had run off.

    ''I don''t know why he wants them dead, but figuring that out isn''t nearly as important.'' Lyrian mused, raising his hand toward the crowd of Orcs in front of him.

    "Rothis!" Lyrian shouted as a de of water began to materialize in front of his hand.

    "Yes!" Rothis retorted.

    "Solvir, Cylline! All three of you, go and stop those two orcs! I''ll take care of the ones here."

    As soon as he said this, the significantlyrger-than-normal de formed in front of his hand shot forward with quick velocity, "Hydro sh!"

    The orcs in the way were sliced in half instantly, allowing Rothis and the other two to quickly make their way through the crowd of orcs.

    "S-stopp themm! Noww!" The Alpha eximed hurriedly, but before the orcs could make a move Lyrian quickly moved to the end of the orcs.

    Unsheathing his de, he shed it in the air, "I''ll get done with you quick." He addressed the entire crowd of orcs as he spoke.

    Meanwhile, Rothis and the others quickly caught sight of the two white orcs.

    They also saw the adventurers, but couldn''t afford to stop running.

    They arrived at some of the many forks in the passage and entered one, as the adventurers quickly followed behind them.

    "Do we know why we are stopping these orcs!?" Rothis eximed in confusion, brandishing his de.

    "I don''t know, but I think I''m too tired to defeat them in battle," Solvir said, at the end of the three. The big man was bogged down by his sheer size and clunking armor.

    "Lyrian understood it even faster than me. These orcs were clearly ordered to kill the captives from the vige. We must stop them before they get the chance to do so." Cylline exined as the other two understood it, continuing, "I don''t believe any of us really have the strength to fight these orcs since they seem far stronger than their green counterparts, but... we have no other choice but to hold them off for now."

    As Cylline said this, they nearly caught up with the orcs, entering arge cavern room.

    It was mostly empty, but one side of the room was sectioned off with giant, long metal bars.

    Inside of this giant cell were over 20 people still alive, but severely malnourished and injured.

    Most of them were children ages 5-15, with the majority being over the age of 8.

    However, there were also a few adults in the mix.

    As the orcs entered, they winced and walked away from the cell bars as they trembled.

    The orcs attempted to quickly open the main entrance to the cell, but Cylline''s spinning double-edged de flew in to stop them.

    It ricocheted across the armors of both orcs, forcing them to have no option but to turn around and face the adventurers.

    Although they were panting, Rothis and the others faced the orcs.

    Seeing these human faces felt like a thousand suns worth of light to the children in the cages.

    As soon as they saw them, they ran up to the cell bars and began rattling them.

    "Please! Save us!"

    They cried, crying tears of desperation--tears streaming down their face--while also... smiling.

    Their smiles came from hope, something they had been deprived of for a very long time.

    Rothis nced at the kids for only a moment, but couldn''t look at them for long and immediately redirected his vision--clenching his fist.

    "Beasts..." He cursed at the orcs, gritting his teeth, "Cylline! Solvir!" As he shouted this, they both looked at them while still trying to catch their breaths.

    At this moment, the orcs began to run toward them with weapons in hand.

    "Let''s hunt these bastards!" Rothis proimed, as his friends roared in agreement, "YES!"

    At this moment, Lyrian had already sliced through each and every orc within the part of the cavern he was in--all except for the Alpha.

    Blood stained the walls, floor, and his entire body as he stood motionless in the middle of the pool of corpses.

    The Alpha Orc looked at this small boy with a fear that it had only felt once before.

    "You humans... are too scary." It said, still backing away as its voice slightly shook.

    "Us humans?" Lyrian questioned, "What do you mean by that? What other human has scared you like this? Tell me."

    ''That''s it right there... another human must be involved with this. That''s right... it would exin everything. Abnormal orcs who are both strong and kidnap children don''t just happen on their own in nature. There''s no doubt about it... the evil hands of humanity must have had something to do with this.''

 Chapter 373 Men In Black

    Chapter 373 Men In ck

    "I... cannn nott telll you," the Alpha Orc responded, its voice shaking slightly.

    Lyrian walked closer, tilting his head as he squinted his eyes, "What? Why not? You will tell me..."

    "N-no! I mustt nottt.... they will surely yy mee inn enddlesss paainnn."

    "y you? I''m already about to y you, so there isn''t any point in worrying about those humans that you speak of," Lyrian stated without any remorse.

    Hearing this, the orc grimaced, feeling the horrible emotion of death loom over it.

    Noticing this, Lyrian mused if he could use it to his advantage, "However..." He began to speak, "If you tell me, then I will let you live."

    The Alpha Orc''s eyes lit up as it heard this, but it was clearly still a bit skeptical to answer.

    Lyrian continued on noticing this, justifying his words, "Without your orc minions you will be useless, so there wouldn''t be any point in my wasting my time to take your life."

    This was clearly enough to make the orc fully convinced, seeing the ray of hope in this darkness.

    Although it was a beast, its intelligence was higher than that of a goblin or hobgoblin--so it could understand and experience relief.

    "So... tell me then. These humans, who are they?" Lyrian questioned, as the orc hesitantly looked at the dark purple crystal on its ne.

    "They... theyyy wereee offf theee bl--" The Alpha Orc''s voice suddenly stopped, turning into a horrible scream, "KREEAAWW!"

    Its screech echoed through the cave, as a dark purple aura surged out from the pendant and surrounded its entire body.

    The orc continued to scream, squirming in pain on the ground as its eyes nearly popped out of its sockets.

    "So that''s what he meant when he said they would torture him to death. I''m sure not even he fully understood what that meant himself since he was willing to try and give them away. But... he understands now."

    After a solid ten seconds of this excruciating pain, the orc finally found relief and began to pant.

    "Try again," Lyrian stated, but the orc quickly retorted.

    "Noo! Damnn youu!! I wwoulldd rattther dieee thannn expeerienncee thattt agaain!"

    "Fine then." Lyrian walked up to the orc, quickly grabbing a hold of the ne.

    The orc tried to move away at first but stopped at it and realized what Lyrian was doing.

    The orc looked at the ne, then at Lyrian with hope once again in its eyes.

    Lyrian tugged on the ne, and at once the same purple aura enveloped his body as an excruciating pain scorched his skin.

    The horrible pain seemed to travel through his veins and even his meridians, stretching them out temporarily in a pain that Lyrian had nearly forgotten.

    However, going through pain was one of Lyrian''s strong points. Compared to what he had gone through before, with the training he had purposefully put himself through--with the ascension to the 5th level of the Ancient Library of Anaviotis, and much, much more, this truly paled inparison.

    He regained hisposure, gritting his teeth as all the veins in his neck popped out.

    Enhancing his hand, he pulled the pendant hard, causing it to whip off the orc''s neck.

    The pain immediately subsided, and Lyrian stored the material in his storage ring.

    At that moment, he felt a sudden weakness wash over him. He hadn''t noticed this feeling before since he was busy dealing with the pain.

    "What is this? It feels like when I use too much mana..." Lyrian said, checking his stats.

    [MP: 300/429.5 (+50)]

    ''What?'' Lyrian''s eyes widened, ''I know for a fact that I haven''t used so much mana.'' He looked down at his hand.

    ''It absorbed that much of my mana in such a short time? How powerful... if that falls into the wrong hands...''

    He paused for a moment, thinking, ''But... if that falls into my hands.'' His eyes lit up slightly at the thought of it.

    But he quickly shrugged it off, recentering his attention to the matter at hand.

    "The precaution they put on you is gone. Speak, orc. Your words decide whether you live or die."

    The orc paused, taking a gulp before speaking, "Theeyy... weree offf kk clotthinng. Powweerrfulll menn, faceesss hiddenn... Theeyy perscrribeedd me thisss taasskk andd forrceedd meee to caapturee chilldreen withh a contractt sayyinng I wwoulld bee abble ttooo devourr manny. I wasss grannted extra powerr in returnn."

    "What did they want the kids for?"

    "That... I doo nott know."

    "Do you know anything elsee of importance?"

    "Whatt? Off immporrtanncee? Well... n--"

    The orc was cut off, its head sliced clean off of its neck.

    Lyrian shed his de in the air, ridding it of blood as he sheathed it.

    He hovered his hand over the Alpha Orc''s dead corpse, "Reap."

    At once the white soul exited the creature''s body and entered his chest.

    The orc quickly dissolved into dust, as Lyrian inherited the plethora of information that it held.

    "I guess that really was everything it knew," Lyrian said, not finding anything else of interest within his new memories.

    However... he did manage to see what these ''men in ck'' that the orc was talking about looked like.

    The memories were blurry in his mind for some reason, as if they were coated by something.

    He couldn''t exactly ascertain what they looked like, but the men looked to be wearing clothing that looked simr to a ninja''s attire.

    They also had a crest on the right side of their chest, but Lyrian couldn''t tell what it was through his memories alone.

    ''Stupid orc and it''s trash memory capabilities...'' He thought, turning around, "But now I know that there is most likely a group behind this."

    With that, he began running toward the exit. "I have to make it to Rothis and the others as soon as possible."

    [Already Fused Soul Storage: 4/8]

    [Unfused Soul Storage: 1/4]

    ��������Scan��������

    Name: Og

    Species: Orc

    Age: 46

    Overall Power (OP): 9 (11)

    Health: 95/95 (+15)

    Stamina: 93/93 (+15)

    Strength: 97 (+15)

    Agility: 93 (+15)

    Defense: 98 (+15)

    Rank: Genesis: Layer 2

    Special: This creature holds the [Title: Alpha]. All stats are increased.

    ����������������������

 Chapter 374 Free At Last

    Chapter 374 Free At Last

    "Please!"

    "Save us!"

    "Thank you for helping us!"

    "I want to see my family!"

    Hearing these screams was like torture for the adventurers who were still shing with the orcs.

    It wasn''t as easy as it sounded, however, since the orcs were quite literally overpowering them with rtive ease.

    However, they did not give up just because of that. In fact, it pushed them to fight even harder.

    As the orcs attacked, the three used their coordination and teamwork to block and parry the blows.

    They even asionally attacked here and there, but none had borne fruit as of yet.

    The orcs were on an entirely elevated caliber, having OP''s of 8.

    Rothis went in for an attack, but the orc he was attacking quickly swung its axe at the adventurer.

    Rothis attempted to parry the axe with his sword, but the sheer force of it was still enough to push him back quite far, pushing his body to the limit.

    As he knelt back and rested, Cylline dashed in and stopped the attacking at Rothis with her des.

    However, she was quickly thrown back as well, and that was when Solvir stepped in with his shield to defend both of his teammates.

    When he was tired, driven to his feet, Rothis stood once again, shing at the orcs once again.

    However, the beasts quickly drove them back--their onught ruthless.

    "We can''t do this much longe--" Cylline attempted to say, but was quickly cut off by Rothis.

    "Shut up!" He yelled, "We can do this! We must!"

    Cylline quickly looked at his expression as she heard this, seeing the determination in his eyes.

    ''He doesn''t want the kids to lose hope...'' She surmised, facing the orcs with a newfound resolve as well.

    Just like this, they continued to fight--the cries of the children driving them.

    At that moment, Solvir''s shield took a heavy blow from the hammer of one of the orcs, throwing him back.

    Without a second dy, the other orc hurled its axe with full force into Solvir''s shield, leaving a visible dent.

    The force of these attacks caused too much trauma to Solvir''s limbs, causing them to go limp from fatigue.

    He panted in exhaustion as he fell to his knees, wheezing with a red face.

    He had taken the brunt of most of the attacks, so he was on hisst legs.

    Rothis quickly looked back to check on his condition before returning his eyes to the orcs.

    "Without him..." He began to say but was cut short--having to defend a flurry of violent blows thrown at him.

    Without one of the three, their tagging-out strategy waspletely ruined.

    With both adventurers preupied with their own orcs, they were quickly mmed across the floor like bugs.

    Rothis skidded to a stop, attempting to stand, but as he did an axe swung down on him from above.

    He quickly dodged it, causing the axe to get stuck in the floor.

    Seeing this opportunity, Rothis used thest of his energy to run behind the orc and jump on its back.

    He held his sword above his head, thrusting it down into the neck of the beast.

    "DIEE!!" He screamed, sweat and spit flying off of him.

    The children held their breath on seeing this, anticipation causing them all to be speechless.

    As the de cut through an inch of the beast''s thick hide, it suddenly stopped.

    Rothis'' eyes rolled back into his head, as he fell off of the orc''s back before thumping onto the ground.

    His sword ttered on the floor, as the orc pulled his axe out from the ground.

    The kids felt their hearts sink into their chests as they saw this.

    Along with that, Cylline was on herst weapon as well--her other sword having been hurled across the room.

    At that moment, both orcs raised their weapons in the air, preparing to swing them down to finally demolish their opponents once and for all.

    Silence filled the room, as the children gasped in shock.

    Solvir stayed motionless, his eyes expanding as he attempted to yell--but nothing exited his throat.

    The axe and hammer swung down at immense speed, the strength of the hulking orcs driving them down fiercely as they let out a fearsome warcry.

    Just as the weapons came inches from hitting their targets, a sudden blur appeared in front of them at almost the same time.

    Passing one of the orcs, its weapon was thrown into the sky and a gaping hole was sted into its abdomen.

    The other orc was next, its hammer sliding across the ground as several shots tore through its chest, leaving 5plete holes.

    They both fell on their backs in unison, as Tao instantly returned to Lyrian''s shadow.

    ''They shouldn''t have been able to see that... hopefully.'' Lyrian mused, running into the room.

    "What--what the hell was that?!" Solvir eximed in shock, unable to believe what he had just seen.

    Cylline fell to her knees, at aplete mental loss on her ounts of the situation.

    Never before had the twoe so close to death, and never had they seen something so bewildering in their lifetimes.

    Lyrian ran over to the three adventurers, this time making sure to heal them properly.

    He gave tossed Cylline and Solvir full health and energy potions and poured both onto Rothis himself--seeing that he was unconscious.

    ''I want to conserve those, but it seems I have no choice right now.'' Lyrian mused, but he wasn''t too worried, as his supply was still more than half of what it originally was.

    The children were also hushed, traumatized by what they had just witnessed.

    Lyrian walked over to the cage and looked left and right to see if there was an entrance.

    He found that there wasn''t, and then pulled out his obsidian de before slicing through arge hole in the gaping metal cell.

    As he entered, the kids slowly walked over to him with confused and scared eyes.

    He exhaled, calmly patting them out of the cage.

    ''Why... would any organization want to do this? What is their n...''

 Chapter 375 A Heartfelt Reunion

    <h4>Chapter 375 A Heartfelt Reunion</h4>

    Lyrian mused these words with some empathy for the kids, but his thoughts were more derived from his curiosity about the mission.

    ''None the less... I''ve learned a lot from this quest.'' He was surprised just how much it rted to his mission.

    A few minutester, Rothis, Cylline, and Solvir all found themselves well recovered.

    As they spoke with Lyrian and each other, they walked with the kids back to the vige.

    Cylline and Solvir led the front, while Rothis and Lyrian stayed in the back. Rothis wanted to maintain this position as he was still worried for the safety of the children.

    They all soon arrived back in the vige, and the children were mostly silent the entire way.

    This was until they walked past the vige gates, of course. Seeing the hundreds of faces present to wee them, tears of joy immediately began to pour out from their eyes.

    They ran to their rtives and friends, embracing them tightly with joy.

    It was enough to melt a grown man''s heart, seeing all the reunions.

    Outimbe couldn''t help but tear up seeing all this.

    However, it wasn''t all justughter and joy. There were of course some parents in the back of the crowd whose hopeful eyes turned dull as they didn''t see their children return to their warm hands...

    Some didn''t make it back, which was the cruel reality of this situation.

    Those who did were most likely mentally traumatized for the rest of their lives.

    The very thought of it, and seeing the faces of the devastated parents in the back felt slightly upsetting for Lyrian.

    Call it what you want, but Lyrian didn''t like seeing this happen to people. He automatically rted it to him and his family.

    How would his mother feel if he was to not return back home? His father? These images came into his mind as he saw those sad faces in the crowd.

    ''More of a reason to solve this mission I guess...'' Lyrian mused, as Outimbe and Kaio walked to where he was.

    They wholeheartedly thanked him and the adventurers, gripping tightly to his hand.

    "A-about the payment..." Outimbe spoke, "I know you said to not pay you, but I feel we must for what you have done. I would feel horrible to send you without repaying for what you have done." He handed over a pouch that was seemingly full of gold.

    The adventurers didn''t speak as Lyrian looked at the pouch, and then back at Outimbe.

    "Old man, it seems you still haven''t learned your lesson. You may feel horrible to send us without reward, but I bet your vige would feel a lot worse if you did..."

    As Lyrian said this, Outimbe was taken aback. He had a moment of self-reflection once again, at a loss for words.

    Seeing this, Lyrian decided to step in, "Look... use this for the betterment of the vige."

    Lyrian took the pouch and opened it up, pouring a small pile of gold coins into it from his storage ring before returning it to Outimbe''s palm.

    Kaio and the adventurers gasped, seeing over 30 gold coins pour out from Lyrian''s ring.

    They were shocked at how much money he freely spent like that, but Outimbe was bewildered on another level--unable to even express his feelings of astonishment and gratitude.

    ''Money wise, I won''t run out for a very long time... I''ll give them at least that much to repair this town.'' Lyrian thought to himself, taking a step back and turning around.

    "L-lord!" Outimbe eximed as Lyrian and the adventurers began to leave Otinka vige.

    "Please! I can not ept this!"

    As Outimbe said this, Kaio himself pped him on the back of the head this time.

    "Fool! When will you learn your lesson! Just be grateful!" He said in an outburst, as Outimbe fell to his knees--curling into a ball before breaking down in a flurry of tears.

    "T-th--THANK YOU!!" He screamed at the top of his lungs after ten seconds, catching the attention of everyone in the vige as birds flew from nearby trees.

    Lyrian and the others were already quite far by this point. But as Lyrian heard those words, he couldn''t help but allow a light smirk to tug on his lips.

    ''Looks like he''s finally learned his lesson...''

    Soon, the four arrived back to Hogolsworth inside the walls of the kingdom.

    ''It was a waste of time and money to use that wagon...'' Lyrian mused, having been led by the adventurers.

    He saw thatpared to the slow horse, their running speed was far faster.

    However, he also noticed why the adventure had not wanted to take the running route, as they were panting by the time they returned.

    As soon as they entered the city, Lyrian went his separate way.

    "Hey! Where are you going? We haven''t reallypleted even a single quest..." Solvir shouted, but Lyrian wasn''t looking like he was going to turn around.

    "That''s enough for today. I have things to do." Lyrian shouted past his back, musing, ''It''s quitete now anyways... I want to take a thorough look at the dark purple crystal that I got.''

    He soon returned to his room in Rocks Adventurer''s Tavern,ying the crystal down on a table as he took a long look at it.

    It resembled Manathryll in shape but clearly emitted dark energy that seemed to suck the very light in the air around it.

    ''Light is a form of energy created by Mana, the source of all matter, so it makes sense why this thing would be absorbing it. It seems to absorb all sorts of mana...''

    "Scan."

    ��������Scan��������

    Name: Dark Ore

    Description: A mysterious element capable of absorbing all manners of Mana in its region. This ore has unknown origins and powers, but it does seem to be limited.

    ����������������������

    "Hm..." Lyrian said, hovering his storage ring on top of it again as it was quickly stored inside.

    "I can''t get any more information on that for now... but those men in ck that the Alpha Orc was talking about still intrigue me. I''ll talk to those Von Haven''s about it... maybe they know something."

 Chapter 376 Meeting (I) Dark Ore

    <h4>Chapter 376 Meeting (I) Dark Ore</h4>

    Only a few minutester, Lyrian arrived at the front gates of Hyst''s mansion.

    The ck gates slowly opened as a ck-suited woman who had a darkplexion noticed Lyrian and jerked to open them up.

    Lyrian walked inside, and as soon as he walked up the small flight of stairs and attempted to open the door--it swung wide open before his fingers could graze the door knob.

    Sebastion stood behind the door, looking at Lyrian with a nonchnt gaze, before bowing slightly and swiftly moving to the side to allow Lyrian inside.

    ''Man of a few words... good. That''s how I am.''

    As Lyrian walked inside, he wanted to go to the room where he met all the Von Havens the day prior but understood that they all might not be present today.

    So, before he went up there he paused and asked, "Sebastion, is Hyst''s father here today?"

    Sebastion replied without hesitation, "No, young master. However, his presence can be immediately requested upon your approval. The power is in your hands m''lord."

    "I see... then call every single member of the Von Haven family to the meeting room. Tell them to be urgent." Lyrian retorted, beginning to walk up the stairs to go exactly where he was talking about.

    This time, Sebastion paused for a split second before replying, "Yes... but a slight issue m''lord. I have no doubt that all those in this family will report to yourmand, but young master Kepler may have a problem with doing so. I say this not for certain, but you see, he has a history of... irresponsibility to keep it frank."

    "It''s fine... he''s useless anyways." Lyrian retorted, walking up the stairs and making his way to the meeting room.

    "Y-yes... m''lord." Sebastion slightly stammered, returning to his butler duties.

    On entering the room, Lyrian noticed that Hyst''s grandfather was already present in the room and was sipping a cup of steaming green tea on the couch.

    "Oh... you''re already here," Lyrian spoke, slightly surprised.

    "Well... when you''re throwing around rambunctious orders left right and center, I might as well adhere to them. You are the boss around here after all..." He took a sip of his tea.

    Lyrian didn''t know exactly what the old man meant by that, squinting his eyes slightly.

    He walked over to the windows behind the desk at the end of the room overlooking Hogolsworth, "Who are you here... close to the boss of this family?" Lyrian asked, wanting to know where the old man stood in the hierarchy, as that would tell how much information he knew about the mission.

    "Boss of the family?" The old man scoffed, "Hardly... they don''t take me for more than an old fart nowadays."

    Lyrian let out a softugh as he heard this.

    "But I''ll tell you this, young man. Back in my heyday, I was renowned as one of the greatest soldiers on the battlegrounds. Do you want to know what they called me when I was squadron leader of the Draconian Army?"

    ''Draconian army? Is that the equivalent of Yaltas'' Imperial army?'' Lyrian mused before replying, "Sure... what was your name?" He asked.

    "Rampager." The old man spoke, causing Lyrian''s eyes to widen slightly.

    From time in the academy, he realized that his own grandfather''s nickname was ''Rampager Of The East'', so this was surprising to hear.

    "Rampager Of The West was my name." The old man chuckled lightly, "My very sword was enough to slice down countless enemies on that dreadful field of war... I still remember those days as if they were only yesterday."

    "I see..." Lyrian retorted, ''Maybe he has a connection to my grandfather.''

    At that moment, Lyrian and the old man heard several footsteps approaching the room.

    Soon after, Hyst''s grandmother, mother, and sister walked into the room, sitting down on the couch.

    Lyrian was still waiting for the two main people that he wanted present for this meeting, and one of them appeared not long after.

    Hyst walked into the room, quickly greeting Lyrian with a formal bow, "Lord Lyrian! It is a pleasure to see you again!" He eximed excitedly, sitting down as well.

    Finally, Hyst''s father made his way into the room, alongside Sebastion who closed the door behind him.

    "Forgive me, Lord Lyrian. I was busy taking care of errands personally in the Adventurer''s Guild..." Hyst''s father said, breathing slightly heavier as he seemed to have rushed here.

    "No worries, please have a seat... and, sorry to make you all rush for a simple meeting. However, I want to solve this mission as soon as possible." Lyrian made his intentions clear.

    "No... not at all." Hyst''s father firmly stated, "We too want to solve it in godspeed... the more rushing the better. Do not apologize, please."

    With this, Sebastian spoke, "Indeed, lord Kepler seems to have not attended. I wholeheartedly apologize for this inconvenience, lord Lyrian."

    Lyrian nodded as Hyst''s father also found his way to his seat, and finally, Lyrian started off this meeting with a direct approach.

    "I''ll be straight. During my quest today in one of the outskirt viges, I was requested to--"

    Lyrian went on to exin the more important information and stakes of the mission and also what happened.

    About the abnormal orcs, capturing of children, and finally, he arrived at the dark ore crystal.

    He took it out from his storage ring and ced it on the table, as everyone inside took an inspecting gaze at it.

    As soon as Hyst''s father viewed it, his expression turned pale.

    Lyrian took time to exin the powers of the crystal, and then stated, "These crystals were apparently given to the orcs by ''Men in ck'' as the Alpha Orc said to me. Tell me now, do you have any clue who these men could be?"

    Hyst''s father stood up, a grimace on his face as he peered closer at the ore.

    "Unfortunately... it seems from your testimony that my earliest, most dreadful thoughts might have been true..."

 Chapter 377 Meeting (II) Black Petal Sect

    <h4>Chapter 377 Meeting (II) ck Petal Sect</h4>

    "I regret to say these following words which I dread, but it seems that there is no other option now. There is only one ''group'' that wears all ck, and has power over this very material," Hyst''s father eximed, staring at the Dark Ore.

    "Their name has been mostly restricted throughout the three kingdoms as taboo, but I must speak it here for I have no other choice."

    He paused, as Lyrian squinted his eyes slightly--feeling as though he had heard all of this before somewhere.

    "The ck Petal Sect." As soon as Hyst''s father said this, Lyrian''s eyes expanded and the women in the room gasped slightly.

    ''The ck Petal Sect? That''s what Israthel and that other kid spoke about just before the deployment exam...''

    "If I may, m''lord," Sebastion spoke up unexpectedly, as Hyst''s father''s gaze switched to him.

    "I know that this is out of ce," Sebastion said, but Hyst''s father quickly reinforced him.

    "No, go ahead. You have been serving this family for so long that you are practically a part of it now. Your opinion also matters. Please speak your mind..."

    With this, Sebastion spoke, "Although suspicions may arise of the ck Petal Sect, I do not believe it is wise to assume that it is that group who has caused this mishap so soon."

    As Sebastion paused, everyone quietly stared at him to continue. And he did just that.

    "The Dark Ore is a newer substance to this generation, but it is one lost to the ages. It existed in the past before and was held by far stronger and even more evil organizations. It likely fell into the wrong hands. About the ck attire... that could simply be a matter of coincidence."

    He paused for a moment longer before finishing his statement, "That is my two cents on the matter, but if more informationes out supporting that the perpetrators are indeed of that evil sect, then action should be taken immediately."

    Lyrian responded as Sebastion stopped speaking, "How would we take action? This ck Petal Sect seems quite mysterious... do we know where their headquarters are? Whether they are nearby or not? How do they work? Anything?"

    At that moment, Hyst''s Grandfather scoffed, "Che! As if! Those bastards were destroyed several years ago. Only now do their remnants want to show their teeth... No one knows where they operate from, but if they are back, then the fact is that they are definitely somewhere close."

    After this, Lyrian encouraged the family to inform him about what this ck Petal Sect exactly was.

    "It is a long history... but to keep it informative, I will tell you what I know to the best of my ability."

    Hyst''s father took in a deep breath before exining the sect.

    "After the Ear War of 511 years ago ended, it brought about peace across the continents. Finally, death for the innocent had stopped, but this wasn''t good news for all. Many still had hatred toward The Mortal ins for wanting to end this hatred-fueled war and decided to conspire against it. The ck Petal Sect itself existed far before the Ear War ever took ce, but it was nothing more than a measly organization. About 50 years after the Ear War, however, it became the stronghold for all evil warlords who wanted to destroy the Mortal ins and establish a new form of power to reengage in battle with the other continents."

    Hyst''s father paused, continuing as he walked through the room.

    Everyone looked at him with a feeling of uneasiness as he spoke.

    "They started off in the three kingdoms that were already closely allied: Yuun, Veridrake, and Yaltas. It took them mere decades to decimate the poption of these kingdoms, murdering over a billion citizens and causing mass havoc throughout the world as we knew it. However, before they could expand their dominion outside of the three kingdoms and to the rest of the Mortal ins, the great academies, sects, and powers teamed together to destroy them once and for all in a grand battle. This battle, however, is not spoken of in any textbook, nor discussed any longer. Neither is the ck Petal Sect. This is because the kingdoms decided to not shed any more light on such an evil organization, and kept it under the table. Of course, they couldn''t be hidden from those who had already experienced their wrath..."

    Hyst''s father finally turned to Lyrian, "And for now, that is all I know about them."

    "I see..." Lyrian looked over to Sebastion, "For now, Sebastion''s words make sense. I won''t rule the ck Petal Sect out just yet, but we''ll have to keep investigating until we find some trustworthy footing. That''s all I wanted to talk to you all today about."

    Lyrian said, fitting to leave.

    "Lord Lyrian!" Hyst suddenly eximed just as Lyrian was about to step out of the door.

    Lyrian turned to face Hyst, who was hiding his face for some reason--as if in embarrassment.

    "I know this is selfless of me to ask..." Hyst scratched the back of his head, "But... would you please investigate the Red Light District next?"

    "That ce? Well, I was going to do that soon... why can''t you explore it if you want to so bad."

    "Well, I guess I just suck at investigatingpared to you, since you found this much information on your first quest. I have tried doing my best investigating that area, but bore no fruit."

    After this, Lyrian fully turned around and asked, "Why is that ce a priority?"

    Hyst paused before replying, "First and foremost, recent child disappearances have been cited there as early as this week." He paused once again, getting a bit awkward, "And secondly... that was where Ist saw something very important to me, who has also disappeared."

    Hyst stared at Lyrian with eyes of genuineness, as Lyrian swiftly turned around.

    "I''ll see what I can do."

    "W-wait! B-but! If you are nning to go there tomorrow, just know that the Red Light District only opens during the nighttime..."

    Lyrian retorted, "Right." Before leaving.

    "Thank you! Thank you so much!" Hyst eximed in contentment.

 Chapter 378 Red Light District

    <h4>Chapter 378 Red Light District</h4>

    Lyrian exited the mansion soon after, quickly making his way back into the main city.

    He turned invisible to hide himself from the crowd as he slithered through it.

    While moving he thought to himself, ''It''s gettingte... but I still have a few more hours before I have to sleep.'' As he thought this to himself, he suddenly came across an alleyway that had more red lights than the normal streets on the other side of it.

    ''Hmm... I guess it wouldn''t hurt to explore that ce now.'' Lyrian thought, swiftly entering this alleyway.

    As soon as he got to the other side, he noticed another street with even more red and purple lights, and then even more after that.

    He hastily followed this path of lights, before finallying across a banner sprawled across two tall buildings above the street.

    "Red Light District" It read, as Lyrian looked forward and noticed the bustling street in front of him.

    There were no average food vendors to the side, and instead, there were small liquor shops and stores.

    Carnival games littered the streets, and pretty much every building he saw--which was lit up with lights--had balconies full of women dressed inrge kimonos.

    Their hair was tied up into a bun, and their faces were very pure inplexion.

    He entered, drunkards all around the streets were called from one building to another by the constant catcalling of the women on the balconies.

    Lyrian observed all this while continuing to move through the street.

    ''Where exactly do I begin?'' He mused, overwhelmed by the size of the district.

    ''I guess I should start off with thergest whore house this ce has to offer.'' He mused nonchntly, sneaking next to one of the carriages near him.

    "Are we going to Jade Spice Cove?"

    "I sure hope we do!"

    "What!? Of course not! Do you know how long that line is!? We would have to wait the whole night. Screw that, we are going to that ce right there."

    These voices conversed with each other as the carriage quickly led to a small building nearby.

    ''Jade Spice Cove huh... creative name I guess.''

    Just like this, he inspected a few more parked and moving carriages.

    Some he found simr drunk conversations, and in other ones he found some more rustling, tussling, and dancing perhaps? Maybe something more as well... but that''s rated far too high for a boy his age.

    Finally, he came across arger, more luxurious chariot that trotted down the street.

    With windows sorge, he decided to directly hop inside of this one.

    Inside, he found sitting on velvet seats a fat male and his group of 3 friends.

    The fat young man had a bright green robe and seemed to be some sort of high nobility, while his friends were more simply dressed.

    "Where are we headed to, boys!? The most luxurious ce in the Red Light District, that''s where!" The fatty shouted as heughed and took a swig of his drink.

    ''Well, I guess that answers my question...'' Lyrian mused, impressed at the convenience.

    "The Jade Spice Cove!"

    "Haha! Yes!"

    "We will get free ess due to your fame as well! How magnificent!"

    The other young men eximed in joy as the fat one retorted, "That''s right! For I am the one of the strongest of my generation! I am hailed across--" Before he could finish proiming his drunken thoughts about himself, his friends finished it for him.

    "Across Veridrake you are the strongest youth! You are Ounis Raten!" They all said at once.

    At that moment the fat boy called by the name ''Ounis'' turned to the carriage driver--donning a serious expression.

    "Oi, you peasant bastard. Start driving already!" He barked, as the old man driving the cart winced slightly before quickly whipping the horses forward.

    Lyrian exited the carriage and climbed onto its roof, ''I''d rather die than hear that useless talking any further...''

    Before long, the carriage arrived at arger building with several canopies of sloped and rigid roofs.

    ''First stop...'' Lyrian mused, hopping off of the carriage.

    The entrance of the building had a fairlyrge courtyard and a giant line stretching out of it.

    Lyrian, still invisible, walked straight past the line and toward the entrance.

    There was no door, but unfortunately, he couldn''t sneak in, as there were red curtains in the doorway that would move if he were to try.

    ''It''ll probably be a hassle to try and keep hidden while in there anyways...'' He mused, getting to the top of the line before revealing himself to the guard outside.

    The guard was arge, muscly man with a stern expression.

    Before Lyrian stepped up to him, another guy did so first.

    "Hey! Let me in man~~I wanna have fun~" He said in a drunken speech, wiggling around.

    The guard sized him up with a disgusted look on his face before suddenly grabbing him by the cor and throwing him out of the line.

    "We don''t serve nobodies... especially losers like you." He said in a tough voice, as Lyrian walked up to him.

    The guard looked at the small cloaked figure with a confused expression as Lyrian took his hood off.

    As soon as he did this, the guard''s stoic face changed to an astonished one out of nowhere.

    "L-lord Theageld!" He abruptly eximed, "I''m your biggest fan!" His serious tone disappeared, as arge grin suddenly stretched across his face.

    "B-but... why are you here? Surely, you don''t want to enter... this establishment, right?" He looked inside, and then back at Lyrian.

    "Even kids want to explore nowadays huh?" He chuckled, as Lyrian quickly interjected.

    "I have an investigation to do here. Let me in." Lyrian said seriously.

    "Y-yes! Pleasee in..." The guard swiftly moved out of the way, opening the drapes for the boy.

    With that, he spoke into his earphone, "What an eventful night! Even Lord Theageld has shown up now. Just how many more figures wille here today!?"

 Chapter 379 Jade Spice Cove

    <h4>Chapter 379 Jade Spice Cove</h4>

    As Lyrian entered, he was slightly blown away by the sheer size of the ce within.

    A room that was quiterge, seemingly the core of the entire building,y before him.

    The decorations were plentiful, with nts in various corners, tables, couches for lounging, amazing artwork, and the like.

    Various passageways with velvet-draped linens could be seen on different sides of the room, and the room was encircled above by a balcony looking down to the floor.

    The way to get upstairs was clearly visible, with arge, extending staircase that went two ways stationed in the back middle of the room.

    There were many people within here, with a line even forming in the middle toward the stairs.

    At one of the end corners was a counter with a person behind it--a charmingdy working at the front desk. She wore a silky garment that flowed across her curvy body.

    Her clothing resembled that of a very revealing Egyptian ksiris.

    Currently, she was eximing something to the entire building through what sounded to be a voice-enhancing device.

    "Ladies and gentlemen! With us, we have the great 7 Sworded Serpent, Jan Xianu! Another young prodigy has joined us today!"

    As she said this in an enthusiastic voice, a young man wearing a white and blue robe walked forward.

    People cheered for him and pped at his name being announced.

    Several swords ttered at his waist as he walked forward and ahead of the line of the people pointing toward the stairs.

    At that moment, another security guard arrived at the scene and began shooing away those lined up to go up the stairs.

    "Get the hell out of here! You know upstairs hasn''t ever been open to the public, and it ain''t changing today just because you all had some extra drinks!"

    He yelled, quickly clearing the crowd.

    ''Let''s see who is thest one scheduled for the upstairs treatment today...'' The woman working behind the front desk thought to herself as she looked at the notebook below her on the table.

    ''That fatty again? Ugh...'' She grimaced inwardly, ''He doesn''t take a break, does he?'' She mused, getting ready to say his name out loud as well to honor him, as he was an up-anding prodigy--allowed to enter the upper floor.

    "Would you look at that, another great person has appeared--" However, she suddenly stopped speaking as words came through her earphones.

    Ounis Raten, the fat young man who was now waiting beside Lyrian and waiting for his name to be called, got a frown on his face as he heard thedy stop saying his name.

    His browed furrowed, "What the hell does that bitch think she''s doing!? Is she trying to disrespect me?" She said loudly with anger, as a few from the crowd looked at him--creating an awkward environment.

    Ounis began stomping forward toward thedy.

    Her eyes widened slightly in shock, as she abruptly eximed, "Wow! A big figure has arrived! Make way people, for Lyrian Theageld of Anaviotis,"

    ''Um... what should I call him? Everyone thates upstairs usually has a nickname.'' She stammered, before quicklying up with something that she had heard here and there.

    "The Pheonix Of The East!"

    The crowd was shocked at first, but as Lyrian began walking toward the stairs, they all looked at him with astonished eyes.

    After a short pause, a burst of apuse of cheers sounded.

    Ounis looked at this around him, surprised by what was going on. Those ps were meant to be for him, not some stupid kid who randomly showed up.

    He barged to the front desk before mming his hands on the table.

    "What the hell do you think you''re doing, Elvasa! You know I was meant to be thest one called, so why did you say his name!?"

    Thedy working behind the counter leaned back with a smug expression on her face.

    She took a small puff of a cigarette before speaking, "This tradition of calling names was originally created because popr names used to show up at this establishment. Nowadays it''s something that half-ass popr dimwits like yourself schedule as if it''s a doctor''s appointment, but when a real important figure does show up, your appointment has no power."

    As Ounis heard this, his face turned red with rage.

    "You foul woman!" He yelled, clenching his fist.

    The woman''s eyes widened slightly, realizing this bastard was actually aiming to hit her.

    However, before Ounis could extend that attack, the security guard from before showed up beside him.

    "Stop at once! Even though you are a regr here, attempting to attack the workers here will result in a lifetime ban!"

    Ounis turned to face the guard with bulging red eyes, "You think I give a damn, you bastard!" He suddenly threw his punch toward the guard.

    At that moment, Lyrian arrived upstairs. By a woman waiting for him at the top, he was led to a room covered by another velvet drape.

    As he entered, he was met was a fair-sized room with a balcony to the side looking over the lobby floor.

    In the middle of the room was arge round table with many young figures sitting around it, conversating as they dined in the finest of foods and liquor.

    There was also an older figure amongst them, who politely spoke with them as they ate.

    As Lyrian entered, he walked over to the only empty seat avable and sat down.

    Confused eyes followed him as he sat since those who had sat down already knew that someone else was supposed to be sitting where Lyrian was.

    One guy, who resembled Ounis Raten oddly, was even more surprised than the rest.

    "Oi... who the hell are you--" He began to say in a dismissive tone but quickly stopped as he began to recognize the boy.

    "Lyrian Theageld..." The 7 Sworded Serpent from before eximed with awe, as the entire table was slightly taken aback at once.

    "My... for such an important person to have stopped by my establishment. It is an honor, you see. Tell me, what brings you here?" The older gentleman, wearing a luxurious fur coat, calmly said to Lyrian.

    But the guy resembling Ounis Raten quickly spoke up once again, "Hold! Before any of that, I want to know why you are here, and not my younger brother..."

 Chapter 380 Round Table

    <h4>Chapter 380 Round Table</h4>

    Lyrian looked at the boy with a nonchnt expression, "He was denied ess since I''m more important than him ording to thedy at the front desk." Lyrian retorted.

    The 8 people sitting inside of the room were impressed by his gutsy attitude, as the young man resembling Ounis Raten gritted his teeth in irritation.

    At that moment, Lyrian turned to the older man who said he owned the establishment, "Hey, can you get me some food? The best stuff you got." Lyrian ordered, seeing good food around the table.

    He wouldn''t want to waste an opportunity to eat here since it wouldn''t bother him in his work anyways.

    The older man seemed a bit surprised at those words as he stammered, "M-me? You''re saying that to me?" He asked with a slightly nervous chuckle.

    A few young women and menughed a bit at his words as Lyrian retorted, "Yeah, you own the ce, don''t you? That means you work here. Who else am I supposed to ask?"

    The older man paused for a moment, ''This...'' He inwardly tried to control his anger, but wasn''t able to do so, ''This uncultured brat! Who does he think he is, stumbling in here ordering me around!?'' A vein poked out from his head as he thought this.

    After a pause, he reluctantly grabbed a small bell near his te and jiggled it, causing a quiet ding to sound.

    As soon as he did this, ady appeared through the drapes leading into the room and quickly walked to him before bowing lightly.

    "Please... get this young man some of our finest food." He said with slightly clenched teeth.

    Lyrian smiled as he heard this. Good food was never a reason to frown in his books.

    "Now, I''ll tell you why I came here," Lyrian stated, as one of the young women in the room interjected.

    "Well, it''s quite obvious is it not? Hahaha. MVP wants to have some fun--" She was ignored and cut off.

    "I am not a degenerate like the rest of you who sleep with dirty whores for fun, so don''t assume that. I''m here on a mission, something that I want toplete as soon as possible, and for that, I need your help." Lyrian spoke to the older man, as the girl who talked just a moment before turned red in embarrassment--flustered.

    No one in her life had ever ignored her like that. ''T-the gall of this boy!''

    At that moment, everyone in the room realized the situation. Lyrian was pretty much insulting them all, and even the owner, who was the owner of this so-called, ''ce for degenerates.''

    However, although their anger for the young man brewed inwardly, they were too smart to show it.

    Every single one of them had taken an Entrance Exam for Anaviotis, and all of them had failed miserably.

    They knew just how difficult it was to get into such an academy... they all knew this, except for one person.

    Ounis Raten''s older brother suddenly mmed his fists into the table, abruptly standing up.

    "Oi..." He said in a low tone, trying to contain his anger within like a fire trapped in a cage.

    "Who the hell do you think you are?" The young man looked up, showing his furious eyes to Lyrian.

    ''I seem to stir this type of trouble wherever I go. It''s not ideal...'' Lyrian mused to himself at that moment, not really caring about what the young man across the table from him was talking about.

    ''But... as a person whose words are noted and heard again and again by many as a set of values, I shouldn''t act in another way in public situations like these. ording to Varant, there are only two ways to walk in this world, and neither are wrong answers.''

    Lyrian began fiddling with a fork that was on his table, pissing the young man off even more as he yelled, "Look at me when I speak to you, damn it! I will shatter that ego!"

    Lyrian continued to think to himself about what he heard from Ephiras Varant''s book, ''One should either walk like the king... or, walk like he doesn''t give a damn who the king is.''

    "I said look at me, damn it!" The young man screamed. At that moment, Lyrian Enhanced his middle finger and flicked the fork at the young man.

    In an instant it stabbed into the young man''s shoulder and propelled him back, mming him into the wall behind him.

    He then crashed on the ground, gasping in shock from the pain.

    "Shut the hell up, you fat bastard. You''re starting to piss me off." As soon as Lyrian said this, a hush fell over the room, as everyone''s mouths shut tight and eyes widened.

    The elder brother of Ounis Raten whimpered in fear, panting slightly as he ceased to talk.

    At that moment, thedy from before incidentally entered the room and brought over a te of food to Lyrian''s side of the table.

    "Owner, what is your name?" Lyrian said asked the older man, who was still busy looking at the other boy on the ground.

    He quickly shook his head and looked at Lyrian, "M-my--it Hanol... Hanol Sheirp. M-may as I ask why?" He submissively inquired.

    "Hanol, I''ve heard recently, that there have been many disappearances in the Red Light District. Surely, you know this has been going on as a man of high status around the entirety of Hogolsworth and nearby cities."

    Hanol nodded as Lyrian continued, "So then... tell me all that you know about that, and also tell me what you know about the ck Petal Sect and--" Before Lyrian could finish, Hanol suddenly interjected.

    "Lord Theageld! To say that name out loud so brazenly!" He looked around at the shocked expressions of the other people, "One shouldn''t speak of that so causally... but, of them, I have no true idea more than the random person."

    Lyrian continued, "And also what you know about Dark Ore."

    "D-Dark Ore?" Hanol seemed to stammer, as his eyes widened slightly.

    ''This reaction...'' Lyrian mused, ''It''s not of confusion...'' He thought of Hanol''s reaction to his words to be a bit off.

    ''It''s of guilt.''

 Chapter 381 Dark Ore Sword

    <h4>Chapter 381 Dark Ore Sword</h4>

    "I don''t have a clue of such a thing," Hanol replied with slight hesitation.

    "I see..." Lyrian curiously retorted, squinting his eyes as he tried to see if Hanol seemed to be lying or not.

    ''Why would he hesitate? Seems off...'' Lyrian mused, ''I wouldn''t count normal hesitation to be suspicious. That''s a normal response. But, he didn''t hesitate at all like this when speaking about the ck Petal Sect, yet instead does so for Dark Ore?''

    At that moment of awkward silence, loud thuds, and bangs sounded from downstairs.

    A series of loud stomps climbed up the stairs, only getting louder as it seemed to encroach the room Lyrian was in.

    At that moment, the drapes to the room flew open as Ounis stormed inside, raging with anger.

    "I''ll teach you a damn lesson for messing with me, Lyrian Theageld!" He yelled, not seeing his brother on the floor beside him.

    His anger blinded him as Hanol stood up and tried to stop him, iling his hands in the air, "Ounis! It''s great to see you, old friend! Please, do not do anything out of order! This is not the ordinary person you are talking to!"

    He tried to reason, but Ounis was clearly far gone from reasoning at that point.

    He stormed straight up to Lyrian and unsheathed a sword at his waist, "I will kill you right here!"

    ''Clearly, he hasn''t ever had to face the consequences of his actions. To be so brazen like this...'' Lyrian mused, Ounis actually angering him a bit since he interfered with his mission.

    Lyrian stood up to deal with the bully, but his eyes soon widened as he realized something weird.

    "That sword... where did you get it?" He said, seeing that it radiated with the same dark energy that Dare Ore had around it.

    Lyrian looked at the sword, and then up at Ounis with furrowed brows.

    "What!? Just shut up and die!" Ounis eximed, rushing forward with his de.

    At that moment, Lyrian stepped forward and quickly disarmed Ounis.

    He then kicked the back of the fatty''s knee, causing him to fall to both knees as Lyrian held Ounis'' hand against his own neck to subdue him.

    Realizing what just happened, Ounis tried to move out of this position but failed to do so no matter how much he squirmed.

    "Where did you get it? I won''t ask again." Lyrian said with a cold tone, pulling Ounis''s arm to tighten the grip around the young man''s neck.

    Ounis'' eyes quickly went from rage to having an underlying feeling of fear.

    As he began to turn red and choke, he quickly blurted out, "Okay stop, stop! Please, I''m going to die!"

    "It''s funny you think that I care about that after you tried to kill me just now. But fine, I will let you live if you tell me where you got this sword."

    ''His family... are they a part of the ck Petal Sect? His bloodline? How far does this corruption go? His answer will determine it.''

    "I got it from a local shop! A shop!" Ounis cried in desperation.

    Lyrian didn''t know whether the fatso was lying or not, but just to be safe he tightened the grip even more, "Impossible! They wouldn''t sell this in normal shops! Don''t lie to me again or you won''t live to tell another one."

    His words were enough to make Ounis wince slightly, "F-fine!" He yelled, feeling a cold chill run down his spine.

    "The... I got it from the ck,"

    At that moment, Lyrian''s eyes widened, ''The ck Petal Sect... he''s directly corrted. If that''s the case, I''ll kill him after I''m done with him.'' He prepared to snap the man''s neck into two.

    "Market." Ounis finished speaking.

    "What?" Lyrian eximed, not at all expecting that answer.

    "The ck market. I got it from there! I didn''t want to tell you because it''s illegal to shop from there... but hell! Everyone does it, and everyone knows about it anyways, so screw it! I''m not going to die for this shit!" Ounis threw the sword on the floor, as Lyrian let go of his hand.

    The sword had a small purple Dark Ore at the bottom of it, which fueled it, it seemed.

    ''This weapon... if it works, it''s far too powerful!'' Lyrian mused, walking over to it and grabbing the weapon by the de.

    ''Huh?'' To his surprise, Lyrian didn''t feel any sort of mana-absorbing powering from the de.

    ''Is it not Dark Ore?'' He mused, touching the natural-looking stone on the sword.

    On touching it, it sucked his mana like normal Dark Ore, so that confirmed that it indeed was Dark Ore and not a fake.

    However, it seemed to not affect the sword at all.

    ''The idiot got scammed.'' Lyrian thought to himself, turning to Ounis.

    "Fatty..." He said as Ounis panted while looking up at him.

    Everyone else in the room with a bit flustered.

    "Where exactly did you get this from in the ck market? Lead me there." Lyrian spoke, walking over to Ounis before throwing the sword down to him.

    "R-right now?" Ounis questioned, looking around as he picked his sword up from the ground.

    "When else do you think? Stand up!" Lyrian eximed, as Ounis quickly rose to his feet.

    He then awkwardly giggled, saying, "Hehe... you know I was just a bit mad from before, by the way. Don''t take it so harshly. I''m really a good guy, you know?"

    Lyrian looked at Ounis up and down with a raised brow, ''How pathetic... he can''t even own up to his actions and instead acts like this.''

    "Shut up and start walking." He coldly eximed as Ounis did just that.

    Before leaving, Lyrian grabbed a piece of warm bread from his te and turned to Hanol.

    "My conversation with you isn''t over. I''ll be back here to explore more, so be prepared for that."

    Hanol nodded at this, as Lyrian added, "And also... don''t run away."

    "Excuse me?" Hanol questioned, slightly thrown off.

    At that moment, Lyrian spoke with a piercing gaze--a hint of bloodlust slithering through into the business owner.

    "If I find that you have left this city, I will hunt you down like a dog and kill you. No telling what happens to your family." He said this before walking out, leaving Hanol in a fearful daze.

    ''H-how!? How could he tell that I was nning on leaving!? Just who is he! No... how did he know that I was a part of it... that business. He is too scary... but I have no other choice now but to stay. A demon!''

    Hanol''s rear fell to his seat as he leaned back, feeling a seemingly unending shiver throughout his entire body.

    As Lyrian followed Ounis out of the establishment he thought to himself, ''That Hanol guy seems too suspicious to sneak under my radar. I don''t really n on hunting him down or finding his family if he runs... I couldn''t care less about that as of now. I just want to make sure he doesn''t run.''

    He saw the state that Ounis had left the lower lobby. It was in aplete mess, with security guards lying t on the ground.

    His three friends were nowhere to be seen, but that was a good thing, as Lyrian didn''t want them tagging along.

    "Lord Lyrian!" A womanly voice suddenly called out to him, "Thank you for what you''re doing..."

    The woman behind the front desk from before smiled as she spoke to Lyrian.

    She then said in a more seducing voice, "And pleasee again whenever you feel like it."

    Lyrian looked at her as she said this with a nonchnt expression, saying, "Shut up." Before turning around and exiting.

    The smile on the woman immediately turned into a frown as he said this, and those in the room startedughing.

    "Humph! Whatever!"

    ...

    Ounis walked back to his carriage, but Lyrian stopped him from entering.

    "The carriage will be too slow, we will go by foot." He stated as Ounis tried to quickly retort.

    "But... I don''t like running!"

    Lyrian didn''t say anything, simply looking at him with a stern expression.

    "Y-you''re right... I''m sorry." Ounis retorted.

    At that moment, the carriage driver also heard what Lyrian said and yelled, "Hey! What about me? I need this job, you can''t just take my client away from me!" With anger, he spoke.

    Lyrian walked over to the driver, "You really want this man to be your client?"

    At that moment, the carriage driver leaned into his ear, "Of course not... he treats me as though I am his ve. Yet, my family needs to eat, Lord Lyrian. He pays more than other clients, you see."

    Lyrian took a step back, "Have this and leave." He gave him a single gold coin, which immediately lit up the man''s eyes.

    "Your job for the day is done." As Lyrian said this, the man excitedly followed his orders and whipped his horses to leave.

    With this, Lyrian looked at Ounis.

    "I have to run... what a horrible day," Ounis said to himself.

    "When did I say you have to run? You just have to tell me where it is."

    Ounis face donned a smile, "Oh, really!? That''s great then! Firstly, let''s head back to Hogolsworth''s inner sanctum!"

    "Perfect," Lyrian said, suddenly grabbing the fatty by one foot, causing him to fall to his back.

    "Huh?" Ounis confusedly eximed as this happened.

    Out of nowhere, Lyrian began to run at very quick speeds, dragging the young man along with him.

    As he thudded against the hard floor, Ounis screamed in agony, "Wait! No! Please stop! I''ll run! I''ll run, damn it!"

 Chapter 382 Back Where We Began

    <h4>Chapter 382 Back Where We Began</h4>

    After several minutes of near concussion-inducing travel, Lyrian reached the ce where Ounis had told him to go.

    The fat young man had passed out a few minutes ago already, so Lyrian arrived at hisst given directions and stopped.

    Lyrian stood in front of the Rocks Adventurer''s Tavern with a puzzled expression on his face.

    ''Seriously? It was here all along?'' He said to himself with a slightly ticked-off inner voice.

    He let go of Ounis'' leg before taking his hood off and revealing himself.

    At that moment, there had formed a crowd of people around him.

    Why? Well, seeing a high-ranking noble be dragged through the streets by an invisible force wasn''t normal to see daily.

    It intrigued people so much that they just had toe and look at what was going on.

    Lyrian walked over to Ounis'' side, ignoring the people, and pped him a few times on the cheek.

    Ounis abruptly woke up, looking around with a flustered expression.

    Panting heavily, he stared at Lyrian with aggressive eyes. However, on seeing Lyrian''s serious gaze stare back at him, he quickly mellowed his expression.

    "How could you do such a careless thing... you nearly killed me. If I had died, you would have lost a valuable thing for your mission... do you know that, Lord Lyrian?" This was all Ounis managed to say.

    He couldn''tbat Lyrian with aggressive words, so instead he decided to use some sort of logic to reason with the MVP.

    "Although it sounds like a joke, you aren''t a normal person. You''re stronger than most. I knew you wouldn''t die by that much trauma." Lyrian said, facing the tavern once again.

    "Jeez... can''tpliment me without an insult huh," Ounis replied, standing up as he clutched his head.

    "Although... I''m surprised you didn''t get a concussion. I was actually expecting you to get one." Lyrian said as Ounis paused.

    ''What... the hell is wrong with this guy!?'' He inwardly yelled.

    "I guess that''s apliment..." He admitted as Lyrian began walking forward.

    "Come, show me exactly how to get into this market."

    Lyrian walked into the establishment with Ounis, leaving the onlookers baffled.

    "This kid is making my life in the city... quite enjoyable actually." A bystander eximed, grinning.

    "I know, right? He does exactly what I want him to do. Beat up arrogant fools, and do crazy stuff that I would have never expected to have seen. What a great addition to everyday boring life!"

    "Hahaha! I hope he stays here longer! It will be entertaining to have him around."

    They allughed, as Lyrian made his way directly to Kavenough, the owner of the ce.

    The old man saw Lyrian''s stern expression, and then noticed Ounis walking behind him with a guilty face.

    Immediately, a wave of anger brushed through Kavenough, ''That... fat bastard! He revealed it to the public!?'' He mused, quickly addressing Lyrian.

    "Lord Lyrian... how are you doing?" He politely said. ''You know... maybe it''s just a coincidence that he is walking in here with Theageld. Hopefully, that is the case, and the ck market hasn''t been revealed to the public just yet...''

    Lyrian ignored his question and went straight to saying, "Skip the antics and let me into the ck market. Quickly."

    A few people nearby looked at Lyrian as he said these words. They also had quite serious expressions on their faces.

    This was clearly not a very easy matter. Kavenough noticed these faces but was currently in a state of stunned surprise.

    ''Ah... well there goes to hoping that it wasn''t revealed to the public.'' He dreaded inwardly.

    Before the tavern owner could reply, Ounis jumped into the conversation, "Hey! Look, I know this looks bad, but trust me, It''s not as bad as you think it is."

    As he said this, Kavenough stared at him while gritting his teeth.

    "You are permanently banned from this tavern." He said through his teeth with spiteful words.

    "Just, listen! Don''t get so uptight." Ounis looked left and right before leaning in.

    "I didn''t reveal the ck market to the public or anything... I''m just helping Lord Lyrian with his investigation. Only he knows."

    Kavenough was slightly taken aback by hearing this.

    With a puzzled expression, he faced Lyrian, "Is it true? So only you know?"

    Lyrian swiftly replied, "Yes, what he says is true. He didn''t reveal information about it to anyone else but me. At least... information about where it''s located."

    At that moment Kavenough took a deep breath in and exhaled in relief.

    "Good... if it''s just you, then I don''t mind." Kavenough leaned in this time, "Listen... do not have a wrong impression of me. I am in no way truly associated with the ck market. It''s far too big of a business for a measly guy like me to be involved in. My tavern is simply one of the many entrances, and I getpensation for having it be one."

    As he whispered this to Lyrian''s ear, Lyrian didn''t reply. It was because he didn''t really care what Kavenough''s reasoning was.

    However, Kavenough took this silence as a sign of Lyrian not being convinced, so he continued.

    "It''s already there, and even if I denied thepensation and didn''t let this ce be an entrance, it would still be there. So, why not takepensation? Right?" Kavenough awkwardlyughed.

    "A-anyways... here, follow me." He made his way out behind the bar and toward a door to the side of the backroom of the bar.

    The door creaked open as Lyrian and Ounis followed Kavenough inside.

    Kavenough flicked his finger, sending a spark of ember across a rope surrounding the room--enlightening it all in a dim me in the ceiling.

    Lyrian looked around to see a quiterge wine cer room, with dusty barrels of

    wine lined up against the wall.

    He followed Kavenough to one edge of this room, hidden from the rest, and saw the old man ce his right hand on a random wall.

    After 30 seconds of closing his eyes, Kavenough pushed his legs into the ground and thrust his palm into the wall.

    At once, a loud bang sounded as the wall in front of him copsed into a thousand pieces.

 Chapter 383 The Black Market

    Chapter 383 The ck Market

    Lyrian saw this and became slightly confused at the efficiency of the entranceway.

    ''Would he have to rebuild this each time?'' He questioned, as he and Ounis entered what was on the other side of this wall.

    It was arge hollowed circle made of wood, where a few seats were ced for sitting.

    Lyrian looked at Ounis in the other part of the room.

    "You will be lead straight there now..." Kavenough eximed, as the wall between them suddenly began floating.

    Before Lyrian knew it, the chunks of y and wood had solidified into the same wall as before.

    "Huh... interesting," Lyrian eximed, not sensing any external magic from that wall.

    After a few seconds, Lyrian noticed a switch go off somewhere above the circle, as it began to descend down.

    Like a fast elevator, it began to fall faster than what Lyrian had expected.

    His brows furrowed as he questioned the speed at which it moved, but Ounis chuckled on seeing this, saying, "Don''t worry... it''s always this fast."

    Lyrian looked up at him, "How often exactly do youe here?"

    "Me?"

    "Who else would I be talking to?" Lyrian said, shaking his head slightly as he examined the circle elevator.

    "Well... Ie like once a month I suppose. Not that often, since it''s quite the sketchy ce, even for me."

    "I see."

    As they finished this short conversation, the gyro came to an abrupt stop.

    The opening where they entered from now faced arge stone gate, which slowly opened on their arrival.

    The two walked out and into the passage beyond the stone gate.

    It was a dark tunnel lined by dim amber crystals. After walking for only a few moments, Lyrian and Ounis came across another stone gate of the same size.

    On the stone gate was a small indent that was diamond-shaped.

    As they stepped up to it, Ounis reached into his pockets.

    "And to enter I just need to have my--" He abruptly paused, not feeling the artifact that he was looking for in his vest pocket.

    He quickly patted his torso down, and then his pants, and then his torso again in desperation.

    "Oh shit! I lost it! The key to enter!"

    "What? Kavenough didn''t mention something like that..." Lyrian retorted.

    "I''m a veteran here... he expected me to have it with me, of course. But I don''t have it. Where could I have possibly lost it?"

    After a few seconds, Lyrian said, "I might have remembered you dropping a few items of yours along the way when I dragged you here... but I didn''t think they would be of any use. Huh... bad choice I guess."

    Ounis slowly turned toward Lyrian, shaking, "Y-you... what?! How could you!? Damn it, screw the key to enter, I had a lot more valuable stuff in my wallet! Speaking of which, that is also gone!"

    He faced the stone gate, "How in the world are we supposed to enter now?"

    Lyrian shrugged this off quickly, "No point dwelling on mistakes." He stepped forward.

    "Are you going to punch through it?" Ounis questioned on seeing this, stepping back.

    "What? No. That would attract too much attention." Lyrian said, Enhancing his fingers as he dug them into the crack between the two doors of the gateway.

    Exhaling, he exerted great force to push the two doors apart.

    Vein''s in his hands poked out as he struggled to push them apart, but after a few seconds, the doors began to slowly move open.

    With onest hard push, the doors finally flew out to the sides, revealing the ck market within.

    Lyrian was immediately taken aback by what he saw. As he entered with the impressed Ounis, many things caught his eye.

    This ce was more than just a market, simr to one from the above-ground markets. It was a bustling cove of activity, with what Lyrian deemed to be thousands of people roaming the wide paths between the plots of markets.

    "Just how long has this ce been here? It''s huge and has an uncountable number of shops. I can''t even see the end of it from where I stand." Lyrian said, shocked at the vastness of the ce.

    Small andrge shops varying in shapes and sizes were scattered everywhere you were to look.

    From small rags on the floor with items spread out on them to disy, to small tables and stalls set up, to evenrger buildings made of wooden nks andrge marquees, this ce was no less than a trove of treasure.

    Shops sold armor, trinkets of magic, spells, books, cultivation techniques, potions of various kinds, pills, weapons, and so much more.

    As Lyrian walked around, he couldn''t help but be distracted by everything that there was.

    ''It might actually be profitable to buy things from here...'' He said inwardly as he and Ounis walked into one of the wider pathways.

    The walls of the ce were lit up by various crystals, mostly amber. It was as bright as the surface, yet Lyrian and Ounis still nearly got lost in the sheer bulk of people grazing the streets of the market in the wider roads.

    As they continued to walk, a man in front of him suddenly halted in ce, causing Lyrian to stop as well.

    "Hey! Watch where you''re going, punk!" The older gentleman who wore a more luxurious style of clothing yelled, as a young kid no older than 13 walked around him, apologizing.

    The kid wore clothes that resembled a beggar''s, and his long hair blocked his face.

    Since he was so short, no one could see his face, as he looked downwards while he walked like some sort of zombie.

    However, that did not apply to Lyrian, who was even shorter. Due to this, he caught a glimpse of the boy''s expression and saw a wide grin on his face.

    ''A pickpocketer... those are quitemon here I imagine.'' He mused as the boy neared him.

    Then, the boy suddenly tripped, shoving into Lyrian.

 Chapter 384 Pick Pocket

    Chapter 384 Pick Pocket

    A pickpocketer isn''t just some trickster who sometimes manages to get away with robbing someone.

    Although, many probably were just that... still, pickpocketing is an art to many.

    For themen, recognizing that he got robbed would be nearly impossible. And if it were to be an experienced pickpocketer, then even experienced men wouldn''t be able to tell that something of theirs was missing.

    The sleight of hand and technique one had to master to be great at pickpocketing was a talent in itself.

    The 13-year-old boy knew this and had practiced for several years to perfect the art of pickpocketing.

    He justnded a big score on an older man who wore rich clothing, so he was ecstatic right about now.

    Never before had he taken from such a big fish. He tended to practice on more lowly clothed people--people who wore the same beggar clothing as him, or people who were dressed in dirty brown rags...

    The kid was so eager about this big hit that he justnded, that he couldn''t help but steal from a guaranteed victim that he knew he could rob from his years of prior experience.

    As he bumped into a helpless, small, in cloak-wearing figure, his hands quickly went to work.

    Like snakes, they slithered up the cloaked figure''s waist and behind, but as the boy clutched where one''s wallet would usually be, he grabbed onto nothing but air.

    Only a millisecond had gone by, so he began to retract his hand and continue on his way.

    However, to his surprise, something suddenly gripped his wrist.

    "Oh!" He identally said in surprise. Lyrian had caught his wrist right next to his waist, catching him red-handed.

    The boy quickly got flustered, trying to pull his hand away.

    "Fuck off, brat!" He said, tugging toward himself.

    However, his hand didn''t move even an inch.

    "I don''t take orders from thieves." Lyrian retorted, pushing the young man behind him as he continued walking forward.

    Ounis saw this and paused for a moment before quickly jogging back up to Lyrian.

    "What the hell was that... didn''t that little shit just try to pickpocket you? Why did you let him off the hook so easily?" He asked in confusion.

    At that moment, Lyrian lifted a small pouch up in front of his face, "The art of pickpocketing might require a lot of skill... but that skill means nothing in the face of raw speed." He smirked.

    "You really stole from a child?" Ounis said, surprised, "I thought you didn''t like thieves from what you told the boy..."

    Lyrian didn''t waste a second in responding, "I taught him a lesson... plus, I don''t really care if you steal or not, as long as it''s not from me or someone I know, then it doesn''t affect me. I''ll happily ept this though." He put the pouch into his storage ring.

    "The more you talk, the more peculiar you be..." Ounis said in bewilderment.

    A few minutester, the kid swiftly snuck into the alley of tworger marquees, patting his pants to retrieve the wallet of the man he had robbed.

    "Stupid kid... how was I supposed to know he was that strong. Well, whatever. At least I still have this. I''ll be able to eat and survive a little longer now while looking for her..." He said, but at that moment, he realized that the wallet from his pocket was gone.

    His heart skipped a beat, as he gasped identally. As his eyes widened, he patted his clothing even harder, only to no avail.

    ''No... no no no no! That was my ticket, damn it! I could have searched for her without worrying about food for a while! Where the hell did it go!?'' He finally stopped checking his pockets and quickly exited the alleyway.

    ''Could I have dropped it? No... surely, I didn''t.'' He mused but had no other option but to check his path.

    Without hesitation he began running back, tracing his footsteps from before.

    Lyrian and Ounis now arrived at a veryrge green marquee over 100 feet in square size.

    "These guys have been here for a very long time," Ounis exined, as they walked into arge area full of disy pedestals.

    On the pedestals were heaps of goods, from weapons to armor to almost anything else you could imagine.

    "Hmm... do you know where exactly you found your sword?" Lyrian asked, as Ounis nodded and began leading him to where went to buy his swordst time.

    He walked to the back of the store, where a middle-aged, bald man stood behind a small stall counter inside of the marquee.

    Inside were even more products, but they seemed more valuable than the stuff outside.

    "You''ve returned early this time... didn''t like your sword?" The bald man eximed as he saw Ounis. His tone was stern as his head moved around to look at the short figure behind Ounis.

    "And who''s this you''ve brought with you? A friend?" His eyes were squinted in skepticism.

    "Yeah, just a friend. Anyways... you got more of those purple swords? I liked it. I want to buy my friend here one as well."

    As Ounis said this, Lyrian mused, ''No... bad approach. He''s signaling out the thing that we are investigating, making it seem too out of the blue and suspicious. And on top of that, it was a scam anyway, so why would he like it? Tsk.'' Lyrian inwardly thought, having no hope in this working from the talking route.

    The bald man gazed at Ounis and Lyrian with very skeptical eyes, "Hmm... what exactly did you like about it so much?" He said in a low tone.

    "Oh... uh.." Ounis stammered slightly.

    ''As I thought... he''s already caught on. What would someone like about a sword that doesn''t even do its job.''

    "The de on it was nice, and I liked the color. What, why do you care? You just sell the stuff. Now bring it out." Ounis said in a more defensive tone.

    "Hmm... no."

 Chapter 385 Stealing The Swords

    Chapter 385 Stealing The Swords

    "Wha--no!? What do you mean no?" Ounis quickly retorted in shock.

    "Calm down... what I mean is, we don''t have it in stock any longer. I''m sure you of all people can understand right, since you liked it so much?" The bald guy smirked.

    It was clear to Lyrian that everyone here knew what was going on but refused to speak about it openly.

    That was when Lyrian was finished with the conversation, ''This isn''t going anywhere...''

    "Alright, let''s go look at some other swords then," Lyrian said, turning and walking toward the weapons section of the marquee.

    Ounis confusedly followed after him after a short pause, as the bald man behind the stall looked at them while gritting his teeth.

    As Lyrian pretended to look at a sword a bit away from the stall, he said to Ounis in a low tone, "Call that guy over here. I''ll go check out what he has in the stall in the meantime."

    "Wh--what!? Isn''t that illegal?" Ounis eximed, slightly taken aback by Lyrian''s proposal.

    At that moment, Lyrian slowly looked at him with an unimpressed face.

    "Do you know where we are right now? The air we breathe is illegal in this ce... stop whining like a little bitch and just go do it." Lyrian turned back toward the sword he was fake looking at.

    "For such an arrogant fat noble, I wouldn''t take you for such a coward. Guess an easy life brews the weakest of men..."

    Hearing this, Ounis gathered himself and turned around, walking toward the stall.

    In the next few moments, Lyrian walked even farther away from the weapon he was originally looking at.

    At that point, he was almost at the other side of the marquee.

    Ounis led the bald man there to check out the weapon, and as they arrived, Lyrian told them that he had to go take a wee and left.

    As Ounis continued talking to the bald man could the weapon that Lyrian was looking at, the man stared at Lyrian until he was gone from his sight.

    He then lightly tapped something in his ear before resuming conversation with Ounis about the sword.

    As soon as Lyrian exited the bald man''s line of sight, he turned invisible using the cloak.

    He swiftly made his way to the stall and entered it, taking a look underneath the counter.

    Everyone knew that this was where a merchant or stall owner stored their most valuable things. Or, it was where they stored things that they wanted to hide from the public.

    After moving around a few things, Lyrian noticed a long wooden box at the back which was covered in dust.

    He dragged it forward, flipping the lock on it and popping it open.

    And just like that, Lyrian saw what he had been looking for. Over a dozen swords with Dark Ore embedded into their hilts.

    At that moment, Lyrian heard footsteps swiftly closing in on him.

    Suddenly, someone entered the stall. It was arge, angry-looking guard who quickly knelt down to see if anything under the table had been messed with or if anyone was hiding in there.

    He looked for a few seconds but saw nothing and decided to leave.

    "Tsk... he''s always being too paranoid. Calling me over from my station for stupid reasons like this. Who would be foolish enough to go behind the stall and steal something..." The guard said as he left.

    Lyrian, who had been staring the guard directly in the face, also exited the stall--having put the box of swords into his storage ring.

    Back to where Ounis was, he was currently struggling with distracting the bald man any longer.

    "Yeah and so he just really likes swords because... I mean I don''t know, they are long and he''s not?" He came up with this justification as he yapped.

    "Alright... that''s enough. How long is it going to take him to take a piss? He should be back by now."

    Just as the bald man eximed this, Lyrian spoke, "I''m right there... you should learn to be patient man."

    The bald man didn''t say anything, simply turning toward the sword, "Whatever... so you were interested in this sword or something? What''s your offer?" He said as Lyrian didn''t even stop for a moment.

    "No thanks. I thought about it while peeing and decided not to buy anything from the ck market. Don''t want anything bad on my record, ya'' know?" Lyrian smirked, as he walked out of the marquee.

    Ounis swiftly followed behind him, as both of them made their way out of the marquee.

    "What did you do? Did he have the swords?" Ounis quickly asked him.

    "Yeah... he had them. I took them from him." Lyrian nonchntly said.

    "What? Why? ..."

    "Well, you''ll see." Lyrian continued in his indifferent tone.

    After a few minutes of walking, Lyrian came to the hidden, dark alleyway between tworge marquees and quickly entered it.

    "Huh? What are you nning here, Lyrian?" Ounis said, not a clue what was going on.

    Before long, loud footsteps were heard stomping through the streets, as a voice yelled out, "Get back here, you damn thieves! I''ll have you hung! You thought you could get away with it that easily!?"

    Lyrian smiled in hearing this, as Ounis saw this cunning expression and quickly retorted, "He''sing! We must run!"

    "Just watch..." Lyrian said, "Taking something that could endanger his reputation like this would prompt him to act on emotion. He wouldn''t think of bringing any bodyguards which would draw more attention to him."

    "Attention is what this is about? He''s yelling through the street that there are thieves!" Ounis replied.

    "That won''t cause anyone to bat an eye... especially not here in the ck market."

    Ounis was slightly taken aback to hear this, ''This kid... he''s nned all of this out!?''

    At that moment, the bald man walked in front of the alley, looking left and right violently.

    He stopped as he saw Lyrian and Ounis in the alleyway,

    and quickly stormed forward.

    "You thought you could hide here!?" He yelled in anger.

    Lyrian said in a low tone, "As I said, he didn''t bring any guards. Now, he is away from his shop, and also with no one around as a witness. Perfect."

    Ounis stared at Lyrian with a puzzled gaze, ''Just what in the world is he nning on doing!?''

 Chapter 386 Interrogation

    Chapter 386 Interrogation

    ''Shadow Puppet,'' Lyrian said in his head, as his shadow came out of his body and swiftlytched onto the man.

    With his Shadow Jade Pendant allowing him to take control of the bald man''s body, he turned around and began walking further into the crevice between the two marquees.

    After this, he ordered Ounis to stand in the alley behind Lyrian and the bald man to provide a block.

    As the shadow control over the bald man was finally released, he was even more fired up than before.

    "You''re dead! Give me those swords!" He rushed toward Lyrian, taking out a dagger from his waist belt.

    Lyrian didn''t move, allowing the man toe closer. Just when he was at Lyrian''s feet, lunging over to stab him, Lyrian jumped up and wrapped his arm around the bald man''s neck.

    Using his other hand, he flicked the knife away. Dropping back down to the ground, Lyrian went down to one knee as the man was forced to sit with his legs straightened in front of him.

    He immediately tried to squirm his way out of Lyrian''s clutch, "Let go of me, you bastard!"

    "Alright... that''s enough," Lyrian said, tightening his grip on the man''s neck enough to make him not be able to speak longer.

    The man''s face quickly turned red, as veins began bulging out of his forehead.

    He attempted to speak, straining his vocal cords in shock, but nothing came out.

    He couldn''t breathe, and at this point, nor could he even give in to what Lyrian wanted.

    No, he was going to die at this rate. As this reality began to hit him, he also felt a horrifying bloodlust loom over him out of nowhere.

    He looked up at that moment to see Lyrian''s demonic eyes staring at him.

    It was enough to send shivers down his spine. The spiritual aura that Lyrian seemed to be so good at hiding was chaotic.

    It was stronger than almost anything the man had ever faced prior in his life.

    ''I''m going to die! Fuck!'' The man thought to himself, fighting for his life for over ten seconds.

    Just as he was about to lose consciousness he felt the hold on his neck loosen up. He gasped for air, panting heavily right afterward.

    At that moment Lyrian calmly said, "Don''t squirm. Don''t move. Don''t talk unless you are answering one of my questions or have been spoken to. If you do, I''ll kill you right here. Is that clear?" His eyes were wide open, conveying truth.

    The bald man fearfully stared into those eyes, gulping as he spoke, "Y-yes..."

    ''What do I do? I can''t escape, there''s no way.'' He attempted to look around, trying to find a way to exit. In the end, he didn''t find anything.

    "What is your name?" Lyrian asked.

    After a short pause, the bald man answered, "Kuroal Ukar."

    "Who do you work for? The one who gave you these swords."

    This time, the bald man, Kuroal, paused for a while longer.

    ''I... can''t possibly tell him. No, I have too much to owe that man. On top of that, without him, I don''t have a life any longer. My work, my family, they will all be destro--'' He wasn''t even finished with his own thought when he felt a blood-curdling aura seep into his spine once again.

    It forced him to stop thinking and widen his eyes at once, "I don''t know his real name!" He blurted out.

    At that moment, Lyrian suddenly tightened his grip on the man just a little.

    "Don''t lie."

    "Wait! Stop! I promise I''m telling you the truth! Please!"

    Lyrian didn''t stop, prompting Kuroal to go further as his face began turning red once again, "I can tell you his alias! That is all he has ever shared with us! Please!"

    Lyrian loosened his grip, allowing the man to continue, "Third Head. That is what we have all known him as for as long as we can remember."

    "And how long is that?"

    "How long? Well... I could say over 5 years for sure."

    ''Five? Only five years?'' Lyrian thought to himself, finding this period to be far too short.

    ''Then he might have been sent by the ck Petal Sect.''

    "Where can I find him? This Third Head?"

    "I-" Kuroal paused, thinking to himself, ''I can''t tell him I don''t know again, or else he was seriously killing me this time!''

    "The truth is, just like his name, he likes to not show himself for any business. He uses messengers to talk with us. I mean... it makes sense. He runs multiple businesses smuggling illegal things into the ck market. He is a man who wants to be safe."

    "Do you know anything more about him?"

    "Do I know--? Well... yes. There is one thing. I heard that he sometimes joins the recent monthly meetings at the adventurers guild. It''s for some random case going on right now... a kidnapping case across the city, or so I hear."

    ''He seems clueless to the fact that this is going on.'' Lyrian mused on hearing this.

    "Good. That''s all I needed to know from you." As Lyrian said this, Kuroal''s face lit up slightly.

    "Th--that''s it? I can go now!?" He said in slight excitement.

    At that moment, Lyrian grabbed the man''s head with his other arm and twisted it forcefully.

    It ended in one abrupt crack. Lyrian let go of the man''s dead body, allowing it to flop onto the floor.

    He stood up, walking toward Ounis. The fat young man quickly moved out of the way as Lyrian moved past him.

    He was shocked, his breath shaking slightly. As he slowly followed after Lyrian, who had such a heartless and cold gaze after just murdering a man, Ounis couldn''t help but feel scared.

    ''I got too close and felt too safe with a person like him. At any moment he could snap and kill me in the same way...'' As he thought this to himself, his hair stood on end.

    Lyrian on the other hand mused, ''I had to kill him. If he were to have alerted that Third Head of what I''m doing, then there''s no telling where the bastard would have run off to.''

    After this, he returned to the bald man''s shop from before.

    "What are we doing back here?" Ounis questioned, now far more wary of how he spoke to Lyrian.

    "I can''t have someone telling their higher-ups that specifically, Dark Ore swords were stolen from here on the same day that the bald guy was killed."

    Lyrian said as he entered the marquee with Ounis waiting outside.

    It took him less than 1 minute to kill every single worker there that day, and before he left, he also took a few random things out from under the stall.

    This was because he didn''t want the only thing to be taken the Dark Ore swords.

    With this, he and Ounis began making their way out of the ck market the same way they came.

    As they made their way out, however, a sudden figure

    bumped into him once again.

    It was a kid that Lyrian recognized to be the pickpocket from before.

    ''He''s trying again?'' Lyrian mused, but soon realized that the kid wasn''t paying attention to him at all.

    The pickpocket hadn''t even realized who he had bumped into again. He was staring at the ground, scanning it with all his brain.

    Lyrian quickly understood why he was doing this. ''Now he knows how those who he robbed felt.'' He chuckled inwardly before walking forward.

    At that moment, the kid walked a few feet forward... and then turned around.

    "Wait a second... you!" He yelled out,ing to a sudden realization.

    "It must have been you! You''re thest one I bumped into before my wallet was stolen!"

    Lyrian turned around, as did Ounis. Ounis had a nervous expression on his face, ''I wouldn''t try to anger him...'' He thought to himself.

    At that moment, some random passer-by who heard the kid''s screamsmented, "Hey little thief, don''t get so brazen with your robbing strategies. Take a lesson out of my book... if you''re gonna start falsely using people to rob them now, you better learn how to fight as well." Heughed as he continued walking.

    "What!? I''m not falsely using anyone to rob them! He''s the damn thief! And I do know how to fight, I''ll prove it to you right now!"

    As he yelled this, he faced Lyrian, who had a stoic expression on his face.

    "You! Fight me! A fair duel! If you lose, you have to give me back my wallet!"

    Ounis'' eyes widened as he heard this. ''You''re attempting to fight him!? You must have lost your mind if you think he''s going to take you seriously!''

    At that moment, Lyrian smirked, "Fine. A duel it is then. However, If I win, then you have to never steal from anyone ever again. Fair?"

 Chapter 387 Black Merge

    <h4>Chapter 387 ck Merge</h4>

    "Never steal again? Never! Screw that!!" The kid retorted in an angry fit.

    "Then, I won''t give you your wallet back," Lyrian retorted without hesitation.

    Ounis was a witness to all of this, not saying a word as his head simply went back and forth as if he were in front of hit-the-mole.

    "So you do have it then... fight me for it, you idiot!" The kid yelled, clenching his fists.

    "Agree to the rules of the duel. If you don''t steal again in your life, only then will I fight you."

    As Lyrian said this, the kid began to shake with anger. In a low tone, he spoke, "Who the hell do you think you are?"

    Lyrian didn''t say anything, allowing the boy to continue.

    The boy spoke slowly. "You don''t know me. I bet you don''t know half of the struggles that real peasants have to go through... orphaned kids, you couldn''t possibly know our struggle."

    At this moment, although the boy''s eyes and face showed a ruthless anger, he began to tear up.

    Lyrian''s gaze remained very stoic and calm as he looked at the boy.

    "I have my reasons for stealing. Hell... for my reason, I''d steal from the emperor!"

    ''Being orphaned huh. I guess now, I know both experiences; being orphaned, and also having two loving parents.'' He thought to himself.

    "Your reason is that important huh..." Lyrian asked out loud, as the boy firmed his stance.

    "Of course it is! I know you''ve probably never felt the feeling of starving, but to save my baby sister from going through that, I''d steal from the gods themselves. There isn''t anything I wouldn''t do to never hear her stomach rumble again."

    Lyrian noticed the determination in the young boy''s eyes and couldn''t help but respect it.

    "But... now that she''s gone, I need that money to stay afloat while I look for her. It''s more important to me than just cash." The boy added in a lower tone.

    "So it''s for family huh," Lyrian said, beginning to walk away from the crowd and out into a more empty piece of stone ground.

    The boy hesitantly followed him as Lyrian ordered it, "Follow me."

    Now the three stood alone about 50 feet away from the more busy markets.

    "Boy... if you really care about your sister, then get a job," Lyrian said outright.

    "What?" The boy was slightly shocked to hear this. It was such basic and stupid advice, that he--for some reason--didn''t expect to hear ite out of Lyrian''s mouth.

    "You don''t think I''ve tried? Jobs are not given to those like me. There are an infinite amount of workers who are better fit for everything. I can''t read or write, let alone go a formal job."

    "If that''s the case, then I''ll help you out."

    The boy was slightly taken aback to hear this.

    "If you lose, you won''t ever steal again,"

    As Lyrian said this, the boy interrupted, "I already told you! That''s not going to happe--" However, he too was cut off.

    "But! I''ll give you a head start. Since you say you can''t work, I''ll give you enough money so that you won''t starve for a whole month. That way, you can clean yourself and get a job. After that, use that money to look for your sister."

    The boy was taken aback to hear this. He was speechless for a few seconds.

    Even Ounis was shocked, ''Why is he going so far for this random kid?'' He mused.

    "A win-win situation huh... why should I believe you?" The kid retorted.

    "Why should you not?" Lyrian said back.

    "Fine! But know that the money in that wallet that you have is double what you''re saying you will give me if I lose, so don''t expect me to go easy!"

    Lyrian smirked slightly on hearing this. After a few seconds, Ounis announced the start of the duel.

    "Begin!"

    As he did, the kid immediately dashed forward--unsheathing an iron knife.

    He swung at Lyrian fiercely, not holding back even a bit.

    ''So he''s serious.'' Lyrian thought to himself, stepping out of distance of each of the boy''s attacks.

    He attempted to attack, but the boy somehow noticed this and quickly backed off.

    ''Huh... keen intuition.'' Lyrian said in his head, slightly impressed.

    At that moment, the kid thought to himself, ''What the hell was that!? It was way too scary! I felt like a sudden meteor summoned in front of me in a split second. This kid... he''s no joke. He''s way too strong to beat.''

    The kid suddenly closed his eyes.

    ''Oh? Is this a technique?'' Lyrian mused.

    While the kid thought, ''It''s been a while since I''ve used this... I''ve had this power from when I was born and I don''t even know how, but still, I haven''t gotten used to using it.''

    His eyes flew open, as a slightly purple haze covered over them.

    Lyrian was slightly surprised to see this, ''Magic? No... I don''t sense any. Then, what is that?''

    The kid lunged forward at that moment. He was much faster than before.

    He made his way to Lyrian and threw his knife at the cloaked boy, but his attack was abruptly stopped.

    Lyrian grabbed his hand and then pped him in the face.

    At once he was thrown to the side like a rag doll. He rolled and tumbled on the ground for a while until crashing into the back of a shop.

    As he coughed, he attempted to stand but wasn''t able to. A bit of blood dripped out of his mouth, and the purple aura over his eyes was gone.

    ''How didn''t that work... It''s never failed me before! Damn it... that power has been nothing but a curse!'' He mused disdainfully.

    "That was impressive. You even surprised me with that. Tell me, what did you do?" Lyrian asked, walking closer to the boy.

    The boy looked at him, and without any reason to lie, he said, "I don''t know what it is, but I know it''s called ck Merge."

 Chapter 388 Help Me Find Her

    Chapter 388 Help Me Find Her

    "ck Merge? Is that the name of a skill? How''d you get it?" Lyrian questioned further, as he was intrigued.

    ''What a powerful ability... I can''t believe how much it boosted his strength. Even though it wasn''t much to me, his power soared by leaps and bounds while activating it! In truth, he probably became as strong as someone with an OP of 5 simply by using that spell, when he only has an OP of 1 normally.''

    "I don''t know. I was just born with it." The boy said, clutching his head as he rose to his feet.

    "Born with it? Who are you? What''s your family name?"

    "Uh... well. My name is Ranthor. Ranthor Crysalis. I don''t know who I am, or who my parents are, so don''t bother asking. I''m an orphan, a nobody. That''s all you need to know." The boy wiped the blood off his face.

    "I am only alive to take care of my sister. Without her, I am nothing. A spec of dust that can be wiped off the face of the." The boy''s tone was filled with truthful ambition.

    Lyrian paused, thinking, ''The only reason I wanted to help this kid was because he said his sister was taken... it might have been by the ck Petal Sect, so it piqued my interest. However, he keeps surprising me. This power that he has... if it can turn a person with an OP of 1 to 5, without any prior training... just how powerful can it be with someone trained and strong.''

    His eyes lit up at just the possibility of it all.

    "You said you were looking for your sister, right?" Lyrian asked, catching the boy off guard slightly.

    "Y-yeah... she was kidnapped-"

    As the boy spoke, Lyrian assumed inwardly, ''As I expected... another mysterious kidnapping.''

    However, as the boy continued, Lyrian realized that he was wrong.

    "-right in front of my very eyes."

    "Wait... what?" Lyrian said, surprised by this. This wasn''t just another mysterious kidnapping, but one with real intel.

    ''Wait... no... don''t overthink this. Such a sect wouldn''t possibly be so careless. It must have just been a random kidnapping.''

    Lyrian looked at the boy, who was in a horrid state. He then remembered how even when he was saying the truth to the crowd moments prior, no one believed him.

    ''That''s right... no one will believe him. It''s possible that the ck Petal Sect knew that no one would believe a peasant kid like him, so they stole his sister right in front of him...'' Lyrian mused, saying,

    "Describe it for me."

    The boy was of course thrown off by this, "W-what?"

    "Describe how she was captured in detail. Who captured her? What did they look like?" Lyrian spoke with a serious tone.

    "Uh... why would you care?"

    "Just tell me." Lyrian retorted, but the boy still didn''t speak. This was when Lyrian said, "I''m looking into a case right now. One of mass kidnappings around the city."

    The boy gasped identally as he heard this, his eyes widening.

    For a few seconds, there was an awkward silence that hung in the air.

    "That''s..." The boy said, pausing once again, as his eyes suddenly moistened.

    "That''s what I''ve been looking for."

    "What?" Lyrian questioned in slight confusion.

    "When I first told everyone my sister was kidnapped, most called me air. They said I was speaking nonsense since the word of the kidnappings was getting relevant around that time. They said I was trying to use the buzz to get attention..."

    Ounis and Lyrian didn''t say anything, allowing the boy to continue.

    "But... I continued searching for my sister until the kidnappings became big news. Recently, I heard that someone wasing to the city to solve the case of the kidnappings."

    The kid''s vision, which had been wandering up until now, stared directly at Lyrian all of a sudden.

    "You... you are him. The person I''ve been looking for all this time. Please, tell me, are you Lyrian Theageld, the MVP?"

    ''What... the hell? How did this turn into such a predicament.'' Lyrian mused to himself before answering.

    "Yeah... that would be me."

    Suddenly, the kid inhaled sharply and fell to Lyrian''s feet, bowing down fully.

    "Help me! Help me find my sister! I will do anything! I beg you!"

    It was abrupt, but the boy broke down into a flurry of emotions at Lyrian''s feet.

    "I''ll sacrifice my life a hundred times over! Please! Help me save my sister, and I will be indebted to you for life."

    Lyrian was slightly taken aback by this but didn''t hesitate too much in his answer.

    "I''m already doing that." He said, taking a step back from the boy who was at his feet.

    "In fact, I''m trying my best to solve this mission. When I save those people, I will make sure to retrieve your sister along with the others."

    The boy sniffled as he wiped his snot and tears away and rose to his feet. "All ck. They wore all ck, and their faces were masked."

    Lyrian''s eyes widened slightly as the boy began to speak, "Continue."

    "Their masks resembled that of crows'' faces. They were toorge, nor did they stand out a lot, but were pitch ck."

    "What about symbols? Did they have any symbols on their clothing that could give away their association?" Lyrian asked as this would be a good way to verify if the boy was actually telling the truth.

    "Yes. They had a symbol on their chest. It was of flower petals. Three ck flower petals outlined in a dark purple. I will never forget it, nor anything else about them." The kid firmly stated.

    ''On the chest... he got that part right. On top of that, he even remembered what it was.'' Lyrian was impressed and relieved to hear this information.

    "Good job kid... thanks for the help. Here, take this. It will keep you fed for the next month."

    Lyrian took out a small pouch from his storage ring.

    The boy looked at this pouch, and then back at Lyrian. His expression remained stoic and determined.

    "Please... if I may, I would like to request something else."

    "What?" Lyrian was slightly confused. He didn''t see why the boy would have a reason not to ept the money.

    "Instead of that, allow me to help you. I want toplete this mission alongside you to find my sister."

 Chapter 389 Monthly Meeting

    Chapter 389 Monthly Meeting

    "No," Lyrian stated without any hesitation.

    The kid''s expression immediately turned disappointed. "Please! I beg you to do me this favor!"

    "I already said no kid. I''m doing this mission alone," Lyrian eximed. It didn''t feel odd for him to call the kid a kid even though he was technically younger, since in mental age he was a bit older.

    "I want you to trust me. I won''t let you down. I need to have some sort of direction to where I''m going, instead of wandering around without a clue."

    The kid paused, desperately speaking.

    "If you do this for me, I promise to not fall below your expectations." He had genuineness in his eyes as he spoke.

    Lyrian also paused for a moment before retorting. "I understand your frustration, kid. However... I can''t allow you toe on different investigation quests and things like that."

    At that moment, Lyrian''s gaze suddenly shifted to a more serious one.

    "No matter how great your determination is, what youck is sheer power. In the end, you inevitably slow me down. I can''t have that, especially not when I''m trying to clear this mission as soon as possible."

    He spoke with a stern tone, disheartening the boy.

    "I see... if that''s the case, then please allow me to be in yourpany at the very least. I won''t join you in missions, but as long as I can stay near you and know what is the most current information, I can use that to forge my own quests."

    The boy spoke as if he was a grown man. Lyrian sighed slightly.

    ''It wouldn''t hurt me to have a small subordinate doing his own quests I suppose... but it might be a bad choice in the future. Well, whatever. It won''t hurt to have him simply stay near me I suppose.''

    He thought to himself before reluctantly saying.

    "Fine... you can stay near me I guess. Plus, I can''t really stop you from doing that anyways. You are your own person."

    Lyrian said, turning around and beginning to walk the way that he initially hade in.

    The kid''s face lit up as he jumped up in glee.

    "Yes! Thank you!" He eximed ecstatically, quickly following behind Lyrian.

    Ounis was thest to leave. He didn''t know what to think at this moment.

    He didn''t understand the kid, nor Lyrian. Most of all, he just wished that he never got involved with Lyrian in the first ce.

    ''Damn it... sometimes I should just keep my mouth shut and be humble. If I had done that, none of this would have happened. Plus, my wallet... it''s still gone!''

    He cried tears of agony inwardly, feeling his pockets and not clutching onto any wallet within.

    The three soon made it out of the ck market, using the same spherical elevator from before.

    They popped up back in Rocks Adventurer''s Tavern and Ounis went on his way.

    He looked for his wallet for a while through the streets and eventually fought some random bandit to retrieve itter down the road.

    Lyrian, on the other hand, decided it was time to sleep, and the kid, who introduced himself as ''Ranthor Crysalis'', booked a room beside Lyrian''s.

    The next morning, Lyrian headed to the Von Haven house as soon as the sun arose.

    ''That baldy said that this Third Head appeared in monthly meetings in the adventurer''s guild. I should learn about them and see if I can get into one. If I can, then I will capture and interrogate that son of a bitch.''

    He nonchntly thought to himself as he arrived at the Von Haven estate not long after.

    He had his normal interaction with Sebastion and arranged a meeting.

    It was only 6 in the morning, so everyone was still slightly drowsy when they arrived at the top-floor meeting room.

    However, Lyrian didn''t care much about that, as lives were at stake, and so was his mission.

    He wasn''t getting much time to train or meditate due to this mission being so in his face currently, so he wanted to finish it as soon as possible for that reason as well.

    Everyone had arrived at the meeting room except for Kepler again. No one knew where he was, or at least that''s what the rest of the family insinuated.

    However, it seemed to Lyrian that they were hiding something as if it brought them some sort of humiliation.

    He addressed Hyst''s father, Ounz Von Haven, first about the monthly meeting.

    "Do you know of the monthly meeting held at the Adventurer''s Guild?"

    "Ah yes, that. It is indeed held every month, and I know this because I am also invited. Several figureheads representing the tops of different parts of the nearby cities are invited there to talk about what should happen next. It''s quite cordial."

    Ounz replied, not seeing where Lyrian was going with this question or why he was asking it.

    "I see... if I want to join this meeting, would I be able to? It piques my interest."

    Lyrian didn''t want to reveal his full intentions with the meeting. Just to be safe, he wanted to keep his motives under the water for now.

    "Well... it is a very formal meeting of important figures, but seeing as you are from Anaviotis, and an MVP no less sent to solve this very mission, I am sure you would be allowed to participate."

    Ounz paused before saying.

    "No matter what, I will try my best to book a spot for you tomorrow."

    Lyrian was slightly taken aback to hear this.

    "Tomorrow?" He questioned,

    "Ah, yes, I forgot to tell you. The next monthly meeting is tomorrow, as it is the end of the month."

    "I see... then that''s perfect. It''s better to get it over with as soon as possible."

    He said, but also thought to himself, ''I thought I would get some time to cultivate while waiting for this meeting, but I guess that will have to wait...''

 Chapter 390 Ember Grows

    Chapter 390 Ember Grows

    There was nothing else other than this that he wanted to discuss, so he dismissed everyone and left the room.

    Afterward, Hyst''s sister, Crynne Von Haven, said, "Do all of his need to participate in these meetings every single time? It''s too early... and we don''t even say anything."

    Ounz quickly replied, "I know you are young, Crynne, but even you need to learn the responsibilities of the Von Haven household."

    Crynne didn''t say anything, most likely because she was confused about what her father was saying.

    "Listen... all of us must be informed about this, even if we aren''t to say a single word. There are no arguments here... it is our duty as the mayorhouse of this city to listen and adapt to its news and concerns."

    As Ounz said this, Lyrian had made his way out of the Von Haven estate.

    Just as he left, however, Sebastian said some parting words to him.

    "Lord Lyrian!" He said in a slightly louder voice to catch Lyrian''s attention since the boy had already walked a meter away from the entrance.

    Lyrian turned around, and Sebastian spoke at that moment, "About Young Master Kepler...I apologize for his absence. Although you probably already know why he has gone, I would like to address it so that there are no misconceptions."

    At this moment Lyrian paused to let Sebastian continue.

    "He is busy once again in the redlight districts. When he was very distressed, he sometimes even spent full weeks there. We have tried to discipline him, but it seems more and more that he is a lost cause. For this, I humbly apologize."

    Lyrian spoke without a second wasted, "Don''t worry, it isn''t a big enough deal for you to apologize for it. It''s not like you control whether hees or not, so it isn''t your apology to make." He said, turning around and leaving.

    As he made his way back to the city center he took a breath of rxation and thought of what to do next.

    It felt like this whole time he had been moving like an unstoppable machine.

    ''I don''t have intentions to stop though...'' He mused, returning near Rock''s Tavern when he spotted the Adventurer''s Guild and decided to head in there.

    ''I guess it''s time to do another mission.'' He said inwardly, appearing inside the guild seemingly from thin air.

    The useful ability of his cloak made him smile, but others frown in confusion.

    When he looked at the board of quests that day, he saw that everyone had changed drastically from the day before.

    This was already weird. At the least, he knew that quests stayed on for several days before being removed.

    Some quests even stayed for months and years until they werepleted.

    However, it seemed theypletely redid the quests simply overnight.

    On top of this, there was a farrger group of adventurers surrounding this board.

    ''Hm...'' Lyrian found it to be odd but didn''t let it bother him too much.

    He approached the board and took a look at all of the quests.

    "Oddly powerful goblins had attacked our vige! Help us fight back against them."

    A quest description read, making Lyrian slightly suspicious as he squinted his eyes and read the several other quests posted on the board.

    "Wild animals are being rambunctious! They are trampling over our houses! We need help to control these beasts."

    "The Tree Lizard poptions are bing more and more rowdy and dangerous. They are much stronger than before as well for some reason. Help us fight back against them!"

    All of the quests generally seemed to follow the same concepts.

    ''It must be the ck Petal Sect''s doing. There''s no way all of these can ur like this around the same time and it all be a coincidence. Seems they are trying to cause the animals around the kingdom to go mad and rampage around the outskirt viges...''

    He thought to himself, as a person suddenly bumped into him.

    "Lord Lyrian! It''s nice to see you again. Did you sleep well?" Rothis eximed from behind Lyrian.

    Lyrian looked back to see the smiling face of Rothis, along with Cylline, Solvir, and two other faces next to them.

    "Hey..." Lyrian said, looking at the new faces in the group.

    Rothis noticed him looking at his friends and quickly stepped in, "Oh... these are our other two teammates in our group, by the way. I think I told you about them before..."

    One of them stepped forward first, a man in his mid-twenties who had blonde hair and a bow attached to his back.

    As he reached his hand out, the man who introduced himself as "Zyon Hatna" reminded Lyrian slightly of Alten.

    Not only did he wield a bow and have blonde hair, but he even had a pair of sses atop his nose.

    With a smile, Zyon eximed, "Nice to meet you, lord Lyrian." As they shook hands.

    The other man was less talkative and had a more serious expression on his face.

    He stepped forward next, wearing a Japanese-style kimono. On his waist was sheathed a long katana.

    "Osikae Dashi." He said simply, and nothing more as he reached his hand out.

    Lyrian also shook his hand, and as he did, he felt a more powerful aura from the man.

    ''Interesting... Scan.'' He said in his head. ''I suppose he''s the leader then.''

    ��������Scan��������

    Name: Osikae Jan Dashi

    Species: Human

    Bloodline: Jan Dashi Kin

    Age: 24

    Overall Power (OP): 10

    Health: 115/115

    Stamina: 111/111

    Strength: 120

    Agility: 115

    Defense: 115

    Rank: Genesis: Layer 2

    MP: 228/228

    ����������������������

    ''Woah... someone who''s quite strong.'' He mused, slightly surprised.

    It was true that he hadn''t Scanned anybody else really in the city yet, but from what he sensed, Osikae was the strongest person he had made contact with as of yet.

    "Are you looking at the new mission board?" Rothis questioned, as the group turned their attention to the quests.

    At that moment, Cylline spoke, "It''s odd... all of these urrences simr to the Orcs are happening right now. It''s almost like whatever organization that is doing this is bing more awake."

 Chapter 391 Hyroon Family Quest

    Chapter 391 Hyroon Family Quest

    "More awake huh? I guess that''s a good way to describe it," Lyrian replied, scanning the different quests.

    Zyon spoke up, "They got the new quests up today since it was closing in at the end of the month. But it seems they''ve reced all the older quests with these new ones. I guess they are of higher priority." He spoke with a skeptical tone as he squinted his eyes.

    Zyon continued, pointing at a quest, "Let''s do this one. It''s a pretty good one. Not only is it only tinum ranked, which won''t be too hard for all of usbined, it also pays fairly well for its difficulty."

    The reward forpleting the quest was 30 gold coins.

    Osikae spoke at that moment, "No. It''s far too easy." He said, inciting a pause among the group members.

    "What do you suggest, Lyrian of Anaviotis?" He abruptly asked, still facing forward.

    Everyone looked at Lyrian, who didn''t hesitate to answer.

    "I''ming along again huh?" He said, as Zyon quickly eximed, "Hardly. It is us who want to tag along with you." With a nervous chuckle.

    Lyrian continued, "If that''s the case, Osikae is right. An easy one wouldn''t fit the situation. Let''s try this one."

    Lyrian pointed to a Mythril-ranked quest, making everyone''s eyes open slightly in surprise.

    "Are you sure..." Cylline said, slightly hesitant to ept such a quest.

    The others were equally as baffled, all apart from Osikae.

    He remained silent, not denying the preposition.

    Zyon spoke at that moment, "A Mythril-ranked quest huh... Mythril quests are most of the time the most broad quest range. It can go from a very difficult quest at the very least to being a quest that requires the very strongest of adventurers."

    He looked at Lyrian, who firmly spoke, "I''m sure I''ll be able to deal with it. Plus... I need some training while I''m here."

    At that moment Osikae added, "Then it''s done. We will be doing this quest that Lyrian requested."

    These words finalized the decision amongst the group.

    "Oh~~shit! Going with Lyrian always seems to be a dangerous decision." Rothis cried, slightly afraid, "Hopefully it isn''t as bad asst time." Heined.

    "Bad asst time? Last time was hardly bad... I hope this time, it''s going to be a bit more eventful and have some more knowledge." Lyrian took the quest poster and turned around.

    He read it fully on his way out as the rest of the gang followed him.

    "Quest title: Protect the Hyroon family in their travels."

    "Quest reward: 100 Gold."

    "Quest description: The Hyroon family is an influential figure within Veridrake. They control the flow of mana throughout the kingdom and have been awarded several prizes for intellect. Currently, they request a travel protection source for their journey from the sanctioned city of Jambaal to the near-wall outer city of Hogolsworth for a monthly meeting. Your job will be to help them traverse the horrible terrain and dangerousnds, filled with high-threat level creatures, and as of yet, even powerful bandit groups. If done sessfully, you will not only attain gold but also the good impressions of the Hyroon family."

    ''A hefty quest... but it should be doable.'' Lyrian mused, taking the quest to the main desk.

    A youngss working behind the counter noticed Lyrian approaching her and quickly gathered herself.

    "Wee, Lord Lyrian! How may I assist you?" She spoke gleefully with puppy eyes.

    "I want to ept this quest."

    He said, cing the quest on the table between them.

    Behind him, Rothis couldn''t help but chuckle slightly, "Ah... he doesn''t know..." He eximed.

    As soon as the youngdy saw the quest poster, she stammered in her speech, "A-ah... I see. Well, I''m afraid for a quest of this stature, I am of no help. I will send a word to the upper branch and see if they can schedule a meeting for you for this quest."

    "I see... but make it quick. We don''t have much time." Lyrian made sure to say before turning around.

    When he did, he saw Rothis looking at him with a smirk on his face, "Yeah... I kinda forgot to tell you that you need to request a meeting to ept a Mythril and up-ranked quest."

    "Doesn''t matter," Lyrian replied nonchntly.

    At that moment, Cylline began to head toward the stairs.

    "We can wait in the upstairs lobby. If we get a meeting, they will call us there."

    As she said this, everyone made their way to the top floor.

    On arriving there, Lyrian surveyed therge room on top with many doors heading to different parts of the adventurer''s guild.

    They sat in a lounge, waiting for their name to be called as they discussed the quest.

    "It''s going to be very difficult... but I think we have it under control, right?" Zyon said with slight nervousness behind his tone.

    "With Lord Lyrian, we shouldn''t struggle too much. That''s only if this quest goes normally." Solvir eximed, turning to Osikae who was looking off to the side.

    "Osikae... you''ve taken this very quest before, right? In the past?" He asked.

    "Yes. It was once when I was a bit younger. I took it with another random group. Last time, it was quite easy since it was during the time of the year when animals were less rambunctious. The cold."

    This gave everyone a bit of relief. However, that emotion quickly went away again as he said.

    "But... it will bepletely different this time." He spoke with a serious tone, furrowing his brows as his arms crossed, "The animals around this time of year are very lively, and on top of that, they are oddly alive for some reason. You should have already understood that after looking at the quests on the board. That''s the reason why a quest like this, which was only

    60 gold before, has risen to 100. I''m sure almost no one else is willing to take it, especially not with the scares of kidnappings that have been going on recently. That''s caused the bandits groups to show themselves more as well..."

 Chapter 392 Taken Quest

    Chapter 392 Taken Quest

    ?

    No one said much for a few seconds, as Osikae hadpletely shut down the mood.

    "Hmm... bandits have been rising you say?" Lyrian questioned on hearing this.

    "Precisely. I know since I''ve been dealing with them quite a lot. Even when Zyon and I were out in that beast-hunting duo mission, we had to fight off many hoards of woodby bandits. However, they are getting stronger in prowess and strength, since they have more of a tform now. Everything is beginning to heat up around Veridrake... its not a good sign for things toe. I''m sure there will be many bandits on our trial... and strong ones at that. No woodby bandits would camp out between the path of Jambaal and Hogolsworth."

    "I see... I guess it will be some good training then." Lyrian said with a serious face.

    Everyone else, who was getting slightly nervous at Osikae''s words, looked at Lyrian as if he were some sort ofedian.

    Osikae himself, however, looked at Lyrian with eyes of slight surprise and also respect.

    "If I may... what if yourst name?" He wondered, imagining he had seen someone else that resembled Lyrian before to a tee.

    "Theageld," Lyrian stated without hesitation.

    "Oh... really? Never mind then..." Osikae said, turning away from the boy.

    ''I could have sworn that... thing looked oddly simr to him. But I guess coincidences aren''t that umon among dopple gangers.''

    "Why do you ask?" Lyrian questioned at that moment.

    "No particr reason. I just wanted to see if you were somehow rted to a... person I once met."

    "And? Am I rted to them?"

    "Unexpectedly... no."

    "I see..." Lyrian was slightly surprised to hear this, as he was fully expecting to be corrted with his grandfather once again.

    He wanted to inquire more about this, but his name was suddenly called out at that moment, changing his attention.

    A middle-aged man walked to his table, where he instructed Lyrian and the others to follow him into a meeting room to the side.

    The man stood outside of the door as Lyrian and the adventurers entered.

    Inside, there was a fair-sized room with a few windows looking out into the city.

    There was a long table in the middle with a person already sitting at the end of it.

    Lyrian and the others took their seats at the sides of the table as the person outside shut the door.

    "Vice Branchmaster! It''s a pleasure seeing you here!" Rothis eximed on seeing the young man who was in his early thirties sitting in the seat.

    The others also politely bowed as they sat.

    "Nice to see you all again... I guess." The man said as if he was slightly irritated.

    Lyrian looked at him slightly confused as he said this, so he decided to rify.

    "No one was around to ept this meeting, and of course, I would not have taken it either, since I have far more important things to do. However, I''ve only epted it because I saw that you were the one who requested it, Lyrian Theageld."

    Lyrian nodded on hearing this, "If that''s the case, then let''s get this over this quickly for the benefit of both of our time." He replied, taking out the quest poster and cing it on the table.

    ''Hm...'' The Vice Branchmaster mused as he slid the poster near him, ''I thought he would have more of an ego, but it seems the child is smarter than he looks.''

    He took a good look at the quest poster and then said, "This quest... bad luck. It''s already been taken by someone else. You chose it only one day early, I''m afraid." He slid it back to Lyrian.

    This came as a surprise to everyone else, but Lyrian wasn''t going to back down that easily.

    "Wait... if that''s the case, then why would you have it still up for people to choose?" Lyrian questioned, inviting a long pause.

    Almost ignoring that question, the Vice Branchmaster said, "Listen... this group, I''m afraid, Is not even fit for this quest even if someone hadn''t already taken it. It''s dangerous, far too dangerous for these five who I know."

    ''I see... so that''s part of the reason why he''s not giving us the quest huh?''

    "If your worry is about danger, then don''t worry. I will personally guarantee their safety."

    The man seemed hesitant to ept this, "I would not dare to ept your prowess, but how do I know you won''t just leave these adventurers to die when tough times arise?"

    Lyrian replied quickly, "You don''t know that, but you just have to trust me. Plus... I wouldn''t turn my back from a battle that I know I could win, 99% of the time."

    "99% of the time huh?" The Vice Branchmaster scoffed and chuckled slightly.

    "Look, I can''t just tell that other group of adventurers to piss off. They''ve already epted the ques--"

    "You can, and you will," Lyrian said with a normal tone.

    "Excuse me?"

    "Unfortunately for you, I don''t care much about this quest at all. More so than that, I am taking this quest because I know that it will help me solve this case of kidnappings in this kingdom. If you don''t allow me to take this quest, you are directly impeding my mission given to me by Anaviotis, and thus, by the kingdom of Veridrake itself. I have no other choice but to take this mission, and therefore, you have no other choice but to give me it."

    The Vice Branchmaster was stunned to hear this. He leaned back slightly, as he was taken aback.

    Then, he chuckled before letting out a sigh. "You are quite the feisty one... but I guess I can''t say much to that." He conceded, shocking the other adventurers in the room for some reason.

    "What!?" Rothis yelled out of nowhere, "Vice Branchmaster Rastran actually giving in for once!? Never in my life have I seen this ignorant bastard give in to anything!"

    The others seemed to have the same thoughts, but the Vice Branchmaster wasn''t so impressed with Rothis words.

    In the next moment, Rothis sat quietly in his chair with 3rge bumps in his head and a bruised eye.

    Just then, Rastran signed the quest poster and handed it to Lyrian along with a quest te made of blue crystal.

 Chapter 393 Transportation

    <h4>Chapter 393 Transportation</h4>

    Lyrian thanked the man, and Rastran replied politely, "Of course, young man. I guess I''ll be off to deal with those angry adventurers now, the ones that had previously taken this quest." He chuckled as he left.

    "Damn... how long has it been since I''ve taken blows from him. It doesn''t hurt any less!" Rothis eximed in anger.

    "Pahaha! This reminds me of our training times when you used to get beat up by him often!" Solvir let out a heartyugh.

    Zyon couldn''t help but chuckle as well, "That was a show!"

    Soon after this, Lyrian walked out of the room. As he did, however, he saw Rastran not far from the outside of their meeting room.

    He seemed to be talking to a group of adventurers like he said he was doing in the middle of the lobby.

    ''I guess he wasn''t lying when he said he was going to deal with them.'' Lyrian thought to himself. He only now noticed the stature of Rastran.

    He was arge man with a developed body, over 6''5 feet, and donned a tight pair of dress pants and a shirt over his torso.

    The adventurers he was talking to seemed to be making quite a ruckus. As Lyrian and the others made their way toward the stairs heading down, he locked his gaze with one of the adventurers that the Vice Branchmaster was speaking to for only just a moment.

    At that moment, he was hit with a burst of bloodlust from the eyes of the other adventurer which seethed with anger.

    Just for the heck of it, Lyrian decided to unleash a bit of spiritual energy toward the man as well. After all, why would anyone be so angry at him for simply taking a quest?

    It wasn''t worth wanting to kill somebody over, that was for sure.

    When Lyrian showed the man his aura, however, Rastran quickly stepped in the way just in time.

    Before Lyrian''s aura could reach Rastran''s back, he instantly pulled it back into him.

    ''Yikes... that wouldn''t have been great. Especially since that guy is even stronger than me.'' Lyrian said in his head, as he and the others descended downstairs.

    Finally, now, Lyrian was looking to meet new, stronger individuals.

    "I guess we better start heading to Jambaal right now if we are to transport the Hyroon family here by tomorrow. After all, it''s an eight-hour trek, that might take even longer since we will most likely be fighting beasts along the way."

    Zyon said in a casual tone. Everyone agreed, and Lyrian decided that running there would be the fastest option out of everything.

    When they exited the adventurer''s guild, he turned around and faced them all before saying, "We have to run. Otherwise, we will be stuck protecting a carriage driver on the way there."

    Rothis quickly answered this before anyone else could speak, "Oh yeah! About that, Lyrian. Last we had to take the carriage, but thankfully, this time Zyon and Osikae are back."

    Lyrian looked at him with slight confusion, as Rothis turned his head to face Zyon and Osikae.

    At that moment the two of them took in two long inhales before letting out two loud noises.

    Zyon eximed a fearsome high-pitched screech and Osikae a powerful roar.

    Both of these noises were amplified to match their intended sound by mana.

    Lyrian was left a bit confused by this. After a few seconds, however, that confusion left him.

    Out of the sky, a gray bird swooped down andnded in front of Lyrian and the others with a forcefulnding.

    Thankfully, there weren''t many people on the streets here since it was so early.

    Not long after, a giant beast that resembled a tiger jumped from one building top to another, not damaging any roof at all despite itsrge size.

    Itnded in front of them as well, a tiger with an iron bead imbued into its forehead.

    "What are these? Your Spirit Pets?" Lyrian questioned, quickly Scanning the two beasts.

    The others nodded in agreement. "That''s precisely right! This is Hawkeye over here, and the tiger is Igor."

    The bird was a [Grayhawk]. A creature that grew to the size of a car and specialized in... nothing.

    Its speciality was mostly its size and travel ability. In terms of Overall Power, it was at a [4].

    ''In general terms, it''s just as strong as the direwolfs I used to fight back in Illstria. However, itsrger size and travel ability most likely makes it a good Spirit Pet.''

    He changed his attention to the [Iron Tiger] which looked to be a rtive species of the [Rubus Tiger] that he fought back in Anaviotis.

    However, this one seemed to be weaker. ''Maybe the value of the stone they hold dictates their power?'' Lyrian mused on seeing this.

    It had an OP of [5] which was better than the birds, but it didn''t seem to do much other than that.

    Being slightly weaker than the Rubus tiger, it wasn''t impressive to Lyrian.

    However, for some reason, some of the adventurers were still waiting for Lyrian''s impressed reaction.

    They were anticipating at the very least, Lyrian to nod his head and say "Huh... not bad. These are pretty good!"

    However, Lyrian did not say even that. This was because he was far from impressed with these creatures.

    ''I can understand how it would be hard to get stronger creatures outside of a prestigious institute, but still... this is quite bad.''

    "They are pretty good, right? Well, their specialty isn''t power anyways, but still!" Rothis eximed, slightly eager to hear Lyrian''s reaction.

    "Quite frankly, they are weak. They would die to almost any threat we maye across." He said coldly.

    "Ah... hehe," Rothis replied.

    "We won''t be using them to fight for that very reason," Cylline said, riding on the saddle ced on the back of Hawkeye.

    "They are travel creatures. Hawkeye here can mount many people with itsrge size and travel for long distances without needing and break."

    As she said this, Rothis and Osikae climbed on top of Igor.

    "And Igor over here is the so-called travel species of the Elemental Tiger bloodline. Out of all of them, these tigers specialize in traveling long distances, and their step is so careful that they leave no traces of their presence behind."

 Chapter 394 Jambaal

    <h4>Chapter 394 Jambaal</h4>

    "I see... if that''s the case then we won''t have much trouble getting to Jambaal then." Lyrian turned around, "You guys go ahead."

    Rothis and some others were slightly confused to hear this.

    "Aren''t youing with us? I know you''ve gotten your Spirit Beast from Anaviotis recently, but it hasn''t been long enough for that creature to grow into a mount yet, has it?"

    Zyon questioned curiously, slightly taken aback.

    Lyrian looked back at him, "Let''s take a look." He eximed.

    As soon as he did, an orange figure blitzed through the sky andnded with a graceful stance in front of Lyrian.

    The dust that came from itsnding brushed against the faces of the adventurers, forcing them to look away momentarily.

    When the dust cleared, what they saw was a beautiful creature--one so beautiful that they were forced to gasp in awe.

    A magnificent bird, a Light Pheon. It was like looking at a legend of sorts, as these types of legendary birds weren''t found elsewhere except for extremely dangerous ces.

    They all looked at it with slight awe, even Osikae who didn''t have much of a reaction to anything before this.

    Nova was about the size of a fully grown vulture by now. 81cm (32 in) long, with a wingspan of 183cm (6.1ft). It weighed easily over 50 pounds due to the thick muscles in its wings and feet.

    "Spirit Beasts tend to grow fully in three years," Zyon eximed in slight awe.

    ''What? I didn''t know that...'' Lyrian mused on hearing this.

    "It has barely been half a year, and this bird is already this big. It''s amazing to see."

    Osikae added, "Any other bird wouldn''t be able to carry any other human, but since this is a Pheon, and you are only a ten-year-old, it matches perfectly."

    "By the way, It seems the way we leave our Spirit Pets is the very same." Rothisughed.

    "Hm?" Lyrian replied, turning to look at him.

    "It''s either we keep them in stables during times we don''t need to use them or let them roam around the town. We much prefer thetter."

    "Ah... right." Lyrian said, musing inwardly, ''I didn''t even know there were stables for them...''

    Still, it wasn''t like he was going to keep Nova in a stable. Part of the reason for this was that Nova wasn''t just freely roaming around.

    He was also collecting information about what he saw in the city.

    Up until now, Nova hadn''t seen anything valuable. Still, it was worth keeping him up there.

    "All right! Let''s go." Lyrian announced, turning around as he walked toward Nova.

    ''I''ve never ridden you before, but you should be strong enough to carry me. After all, you also gain in strength with my increase in power.'' Lyrian mused, as the adventurers also prepared to leave.

    Cylline, Solvir, and Zyon rode atop Hawkeye, "We''ll see you!" Cylline eximed as the three rode off into the air.

    On top of Igor, which was no smaller than Garmr, were Osikae and Rothis in the back, "Ciao!" Rothis said as they also left, hopping quietly from building to building.

    Nova began to fly in the air before Lyrian got on.

    This was before without the use of its wings, Lyrian wouldn''t be able to ride on Nova due to their sheer size difference.

    Lyrian weighed more than double what Nova weighed, so Nova needed to begin using his powerful wings beforehand so that Lyrian''s weight made virtually no difference.

    Lyrian allowed Nova to build up speed for a little up as the bird traveled about 30 feet up in the air and 500 feet away from him in mere seconds.

    At that moment, Lyrian began running forward. He speeds closer to Nova like a dart, before finally jumping on top of a building, then leaping into the air to get on top of the bird.

    As soon as he did, they were off on their way to Jambaal.

    Nova quickly located where Hawkeye was and began tailing behind, making sure not to surpass Hawkeye in speed as Nova was far faster.

    It took them about three hours to get to Jambaal; a time which would have taken Nova no more than about an hour.

    Jambaal took eight hours via horse, which traveled 40 miles per hour. That meant that Jambaal was about 8 hours away, and Nova could currently travel about 300 miles per hour.

    They traveled out of therge tree biome, past a thick yet short area of forest, and finally reached Jambaal which was located in a series of mountain ranges.

    It wasn''t at the top of these sky-scraping mountain tops, rather, in one cove in the middle. A valley between four mountains was where it was located.

    A small city amid the mountains--where Lyrian and the others quickly swooped down to.

    There was argeyout of stone-tile flooring before the city ever arrived. In thisrge courtyard, Igor soon arrived as well.

    The adventurers all descended and made their way toward the city.

    At the entrance, there was a giant Japanese-looking shrine. Arge red doorway which had many petals of plum blossoms hung on it via a thread.

    After entering this shrine, Lyrian and the others had to walk past a small rounded bridge across a man-made canal of bright blue water. After they did this, they arrived officially in thend of Jambaal.

    The floor was marked with pure white-stone tiles. There wasn''t a spec of dirt or grass for as far as the eye could see.

    And finally, the houses were as spectacr as one could imagine.

    This ce truly felt like a treasure trove, a" paradise of sorts.

    "God damn... such a spotless ce. I mean, it makes sense, since it''s protected here in the middle of nowhere. It''s probably the safest city in all of Veridrake. If all goes wrong, we know where toe to!" Rothis joked as they entered the vige.

    For some reason, however, they didn''t see anyone roaming the streets.

    It was silent. Dead silent.

    Just then, with a hard yet cool breeze, a round object came tumbling toward them in the wind.

    "A... head?"

 Chapter 395 Blood

    Chapter 395 Blood

    The decapitated head of someone slowly rolled down the street andnded at their feet.

    The head was of a woman whosest expressions seemed to be frozen at the time of her death.

    Her eyes were hollow yet were opened wide, as though terrified of what he saw in front of her.

    And her mouth was fully gape, typical of what one would do when faced with utter shock and fear.

    As soon as Lyrian and the others saw this, their expressions became serious. In an instant, their guards went up as they began to examine their surroundings again, but this time in a different sense.

    They weren''t looking for citizens now, but rather, survivors.

    Lyrian took a good look at the decapitated head and noticed a clean cut at the dead woman''s neck. ''A person did this... her head wasn''t ripped or torn off by some beast.'' He mused, as he suddenly sensed the smell of blood in the air.

    He closed his eyes and activated Smithing to understand where the smell wasing from.

    Just then, far in the distance, he heard an eerily quiet scream that would normally be indistinguishable from the sound of the wind.

    As soon as he heard this, his ears perked up, and at that same moment, he sensed a small hint of bloodlust in the distance.

    Without hesitation, he clutched his obsidian de and dashed forward.

    "Follow!" He yelled back to the group, and they quickly followed his orders.

    "Nova! Stay back! This energy... is too strong." He noticed that the bloodlust that arose was nothing like any creature he had ever faced before. It was fearsome, like a trained killer''s aura.

    His feet almost turned into a blur as he blitzed through the streets of the city, scanning each and every ce for any sign of life.

    As he did, he noticed houses filled with corpses. Houses, buildings, and shops. All of them were stuffed with the corpses of vigers.

    "No wonder we didn''t see them... they were all purposefully hidden within their own homes," Lyrian said as his brows furrowed. ''The smell of these bodies would have stunk up the entire mountain range by now, but it seems they are fresh corpses.''

    At that moment, he stepped in a flowing stream of bright red blood down from the inclined street leading higher up the valley. ''Far too fresh...'' He mused, quickly turning in his direction and following this stream of blood.

    As he did, Lyrian noticed more and more corpses out in the streets. The wounds on their bodies were as though someone cut them mere minutes earlier. Some were even somewhat alive, only to bleed to death not long after.

    Seeing all of this left Zyon and Rothis in a state of shock. Zyon felt his stomach extremely disturbed as if he wanted to stop and throw up at that very moment. He couldn''t even help but gag.

    Children, women, men, elderly, anything you could imagine. They were all ruthlessly ughtered and thrown to the sides like nothing more than insects.

    "Damn it!" Rothis yelled at that moment, furious at what he was seeing. "What kind of cruel fucking animal would do this!?" His eyes seethed with rage.

    This wasn''t the work of a beast. No buildings were torn, and the only marks on the city people were that of weapons. ''The strikes on the corpses all look to be from a sword... but they aren''t clean in any respect. They weren''t done by a professional... at least, not a professional that was in a calm state of mind.''

    Running up a series of stairs, followed by another slightly sloped path, then another series of stairs--they quickly ran higher up in the city.

    The sheer number of corpses didn''t decrease but increased as they traveled.

    Finally, the line of blood led to a giant estate at the top of the valley, in a tnd that was at the top of a long flight of stairs.

    The group nearly slipped in the blood when trying to rush up these stairs, but finally made it to a giant courtyard of a gated estate.

    The courtyard was filled with the corpses of guards and men, but Lyrian decided to ignore these people and head straight forward.

    Rothis looked at these corpses and couldn''t help but feel horrible at the sight of them. He thought there might have been a chance to save them. He didn''t know whether to just run right past them because maybe some had a chance of surviving.

    They weren''t just insects, they were human beings. What if his not stopping to help them was the difference between life and death for an individual?

    As these thoughts gued his mind, Osikae, who was at the nk, noticed Rothis'' expression and eximed.

    "Rothis, calm your mind. Focus on the objective." He eximed seriously.

    Rothis jammed his eyes shut, and then opened them again, "You''re right!" He eximed a new look of determination in his eyes.

    However, at that moment, a hand grabbed onto his foot. His eyes of determination faded instantly into hollowed eyes of horror.

    He came to a sudden halt as he heard a raspy voice say, "P-please... help u-us..."

    Rothis breathed shakily as his lower lip quivered and he faced the man at his feet.

    "Of course! Stay there! Here, drink this potio--" Rothis was rushing to retrieve a minor healing potion from his vest pocket, when he suddenly felt a hard hit on the back of his neck.

    The hit was enough to knock him out. Rothis knew that the minor healing potion would have done nothing, yet he was so flustered in his emotions that he didn''t see any other way out.

    Out of the kindness of his heart, he gave his potion to the man destined to die...

    "Foolish," Osikae said with a cold tone, carrying Rothis on his shoulder. "Instead of trying to revive the dead... we must focus on the survival of the living."

 Chapter 396 Fourth Hair: Anger

    <h4>Chapter 396 Fourth Hair: Anger</h4>

    (UPDATE: ANGER was meant to be the Fourth hair. Sorry for calling him the fifth!)

    .

    Osikae''s words were profound, and he knew what he said was right. But still, ripping the hope of life away from a dying man''s shaking hands was still heart-wrenching for any human being.

    However, Osikae didn''t look back. Gritting his teeth, he charged forward with a stoic expression.

    Inside the estate property, there were severalrge buildings. A grand Chinese-style house with several pointed roofs. A smallerplex for guests. A training room, a room for maids and butlers. All of these were evidence that this was the Hyroon family''s estate.

    However, the blood didn''t seem to being from any of these ces. Instead, it came from another building a bit farther back. The estate met with the face of one of the mountains that the city was in between. The mountainside was carved into, causing a gaping cavern to be seen.

    Inside of this cavern, which was over 500 feet in height and 700 in length, was a giant building even bigger than the ones outside. It was a temple, one that looked to be in ruins. Large stone pirs were at the entrance of the cavern, and past those was a temple made of red and white-colored stone.

    ''The blood!'' Lyrian thought to himself as he and the others made their way toward the cavern. ''It... stopped?'' He thought to himself, confused. The blood seemed toe to a few drops, beforepletely disappearing at the edge of the cavern entrance.

    "This! It''s a temple of Zhurong! The god of fire!" Zyon eximed as he saw the red and white temple. "What? Why does that matter right now!?" Rothis screamed back in confusion.

    "It''s meant to be a safe haven! A ce to escape into in times of need. Zhurong is a god of protection; he serves his devotees in theirst moments by granting them divine protection within his great temple."

    "So what you''re saying is... the Hyroon family, if safe, are in there?" Solvir questioned on hearing this. Zyon paused, not sure of his answer, "Yes..." He decided.

    Lyrian and the others came to a jog and then began walking toward the temple within the vast cavern. His eyebrows were furrowed, ''Something isn''t right here...''

    At that moment, he suddenly felt an intense jolt of bloodlust that beckoned from within the temple. Everyone stopped, raising their guard. At that moment, the echo of footsteps began to slowly sound.

    Just then, a figure calmly stepped out of the temple''s main entrance which was cracked in half.

    The figure that stepped out had long, frizzled hair that was deep crimson red. This wasn''t due to the blood that this man''s body was drenched in, but rather, it seemed to be naturally red. Apart from that, he only wore a pair ofrge trousers, and his torso was fully exposed.

    As he walked out of the temple, his long tongue licked hisrge scimitar of a de. He had a smile on his face that resembled an unhinged person''s expression, and his eyes were widened.

    As he walked, each step caused a burst of bloodlust to expand outwards and hit the adventurers like a wave.

    "Did you say... that this temple was a safe haven? A ce of protection?" The man drenched in blood said as he walked out of the temple and faced the adventurers and Lyrian.

    After a few seconds of silence, Rothis couldn''t hold himself back for much longer. "Y-you bastard..." He said in a low tone, facing the ground as he clenched his fist and attempted to control his anger.

    "Bastard? My name is not that. I am the Fourth Hair; --" The man was about to say something else, but Rothis quickly interjected. "I DON''T GIVE A DAMN WHO YOU ARE!" He yelled, facing the man with enraged eyes.

    "I''ll kill you! For the lives you''ve taken so carelessly... I''ll kill you!" Rothis yelled.

    Lyrian looked at Rothis, and then back at the man with the scimitar.

    After a long bout of silence again, the man squinted his eyes. "Y-you... are angry?" At that moment, his body twitched left and right at the speed of a chicken''s agitations.

    "What? Of course, I''m angry!" Rothis retorted.

    "Haha..." The manughed in a low tone, before suddenly bursting out with, "YOU DON''T GET TO BE ANGRY IN FRONT OF ME!!"

    His voice was imbued with tons of bloodlust, causing Rothis'' very limbs to go limp. He fell to his knees instantly, as did Cylline and Zyon. Solvir and Osikae, however, stood up straight. Lyrian also didn''t fall, of course.

    At that moment, the man drenched in blood and sliced his scimitar in the air. "Fourth Hair: Anger... " The man roared in a ruthless and infuriated tone.

    The spiritual energy that he exuded from his being at that moment was disgusting. ''He''s... powerful. Way stronger than I am.'' Lyrian thought to himself, taken aback.

    At that moment, this man, who called himself ''Anger'' lunged forward, heading directly toward Lyrian. Anger''s speed was so quick that Lyrian couldn''t react to it at all. Even if he wanted to control Anger by using his Shadow Jade Pendant, he couldn''t unleash his shadow fast enough.

    With a series of calcted and powerful steps, Anger appeared in front of Lyrian with an indeed angry expression. That expression was thest thing Lyrian saw before he felt a horribly powerful force suddenly push against his abdomen.

    His eyes widened in shock. Anger''s fist felt like the magma of a volcano erupting directly through his stomach. He wasunched up like a volleyball, mming against the ceiling of the cavern.

    The impact was enough to cause reverberation to ripple through the entire cave. Lyrian''s eyes were in shock. As he identally gasped in his hair, he choked out blood before falling down to the ground.

    It had been a very long time since Lyrian had felt such power. This was nothing like any beast or person he had ever fought before. Anger began walking toward Lyrian, who currently couldn''t move at all.

    Lyrian looked down at his stomach, which had a badly burned red mark on it. ''If I hadn''t channeled all that mana into my abdomen in time to Enhance it, I would have died right there.''

    "Do you want to know who I am?" Anger spoke with an infuriated tone, yet he wasughing. "I am the Fourth Hair of the ck Petal Sect. I am Anger."

 Chapter 397 Lethal Kick

    <h4>Chapter 397 Lethal Kick</h4>

    "I see... no matter what expression you have, it''s always powered by anger, huh? What a weirdo," Lyrian said, clutching his stomach as he slowly stood up.

    He reached into his storage ring and retrieved a red elixir of constant regeneration before drinking it in one swig.

    In Zaryn, two different types of healing elixirs were prominent. First was an instant healing elixir/potion. These were the mostmon. They worked in a way where they healed you for arge chunk of health for one moment, and then their effects disappeared. The rarer version of these was the second one, the constant healing potion. Unlike the instant potion, the constant worked for an extended duration of time. Although it healed less at that instant, Lyrian decided that something like a constant healing elixir would be put to use best here fighting anger.

    After drinking it, his core began to quickly heal. Anger cracked his neck side to the side, preparing for Lyrian.

    The other adventurers stayed still for a moment, shocked at the speed and intensity of what just happened.

    At that moment Anger eximed, "The strongest. That is who I go for first, for no one deserves to be stronger than I in any room. If you think you are, then I''ll kill you for it." He spoke in a tone that seemed to never stop being angry. Ruthless, furious even. His eyes were full of hatred, wanting to shed as much bloodshed as possible.

    "You said you''re the Fourth Hair of the ck Petal Sect? Then it''s confirmed. The bastards behind these disappearances are that forbidden sect after all," Lyrian yelled out to the man.

    "You''re right, stupid brat! Truth be told when I was sent out here to rip apart the Hyroon family, I didn''t expect to be found. We are currently working in secret. However... it doesn''t matter much. You all will be ripped apart as well... dead men tell no tales."

    Everyone took in a deep breath after those rough words that came from a deep and scratchy voice.

    "Bastard! You won''t get away with this!" Rothis eximed, unsheathing his sword as he dashed forward.

    "No! Rothis! It''s too dangerous!" Zyon tried to say as the rest of the adventurers tried to follow behind him.

    "Stop," Osikae calmly said at that moment, forcing everyone to halt in their tracks.

    Only Rothis continued, blinded by his rage. Anger didn''t even move, simply looking at Rothis with an angry expression.

    As soon as Rothis got close, he lunged forward with a coordinated strike. He wasn''t a noob by any means. In fact, many could consider him a high-ranking expert. He had taken out goons like these thousands of times in the past. His technique seemed seamless as his de appeared before Anger.

    However, at that convincing moment, Anger suddenly grabbed his de with his bare hand.

    Rothis'' body was forced to a stop as his eyes expanded in shock.

    "W-what?" He uttered under his breath, slightly taken aback and dazed from what just happened.

    At that moment Anger grunted before gripping Rothis'' de hard. Veins appeared throughout his forearm, and Rothis'' de suddenly shattered into a thousand pieces as if it were made of ss.

    Rothis couldn''t fathom what happened, but that didn''t matter. Anger turned on his heel, kicking the adventurer in the stomach.

    Rothis wasunched across the room with arge foot indent in his stomach. His eyes rolled back into his head as he coughed an unhealthy amount of blood.

    ''That kick... is lethal.'' Lyrian thought to himself, not seeing Rothis or anyone in the adventurer group being able to survive it.

    He tried to move, but Anger''s bloodlust made him realize that Anger was keeping an eye on him at all times. If he was to move then to help Rothis, Anger would just stop him, so he had no other choice but to stand still for now.

    "Rothis!" Cylline screamed, quickly running over to where he had fallen.

    Lyrian looked over at Osikae at this moment, who still stood with a stoic face, ''I like his straightforwardness and honesty... but this might not have happened if he withheld Rothis.'' He mused. ''It seems he doesn''t care much about his teammates.''

    However, at that moment Osikae also moved, but in the opposite direction of Rothis.

    He moved toward Lyrian, surprising the boy a little.

    "Lord Lyrian! Please pass me a healing elixir!" Osikae shouted out of nowhere.

    Lyrian reached into his storage ring again, but at that moment, Anger pushed on his heel and dove toward Lyrian.

    Lyrian acted quickly, throwing an elixir to Osikae before pulling his de out in front of him to block Anger''s punch.

    The punch was mere inches from Lyrian''s face when his obsidian de came in the way and stopped it. Still, the force of the blow caused him to slide back over 10 feet.

    Anger retracted his, breathing aggressively.

    Osikae quickly sprinted to where Rothis was and aided him with the elixir from Lyrian.

    "I''ll beat you. You aren''t as strong as you think you are," Lyrian said, cing his de by his side.

    ''I say that, but I wouldn''t have been able to take a blow of that magnitude straight on. No... I would have been killed. Only because of the immense durability of this de that Brokkr made for me am I safe now...'' He thought to himself, slightly worried.

    ''If worsees to worse, I''ll have to use my creatures.'' Lyrian thought to himself, looking around for other possibilities.

    "You said you were the Fourth Hair right? What the hell does that mean?" Lyrian suddenly questioned to stall time in order for him to think. However, it was also true that this question piqued his curiosity.

    ''I''ve heard of a Third Head... thats the guy that the bald guy told me about that controlled the distribution of illegal Dark Ore swords and other stuff. But what''s this Third Hair crap? Are they rted somehow?''

    "Fourth Hair means I am the fourth strongest."

    ''Fourth Strongest!?'' Lyrian thought, shocked, ''This strong... and only fourth ce!?''

    "Fourth strongest within the lower ranks." Anger suddenly grinned through his violent expression.

 Chapter 398 Fifth Hair: Sadness

    <h4>Chapter 398 Fifth Hair: Sadness </h4>

    He decided to Scan Anger that split second.

    ��������Scan��������

    Name: Anger

    Species: Human

    Bloodline: Erased

    Age: 30

    Overall Power (OP): 20

    Health: 206/206

    Stamina: 201/201

    Strength: 210

    Agility: 203

    Defense: 200

    Rank:?Genesis: Layer 3

    MP: 450/500

    ����������������������

    ''I see... yeah, seeing as how I''m only at an OP of 13, I stand no chance of defeating him. Even with my creatures, it won''t be too easy. As it stands, this guy''s superiors would crush even my beasts. It''s not as though the totaled OPs stack up. If that were the case, I''d be closing in on an OP of over 100. However, 2 creatures with an OP of 20 match more so an OP of 25 rather than 40.''

    Lyrian contemted more on how to fight Anger, but in the end concluded that ''Still...''

    "If it''s only you I have to defeat," Lyrian firmed his stance and furrowed his eyebrows. "Then it will be done!"

    At that moment, Anger took in a deep breath, facing Lyrian with a malicious re.

    "Even if it was just me, you all wouldn''t stand a chance. However... who said it was just me, twerp?"

    As soon as Lyrian heard this, his heart skipped a beat and his serious demeanor slightly melted away.

    ''That''s right... I hadn''t even considered the possibility of there being more than just him!!''

    "Fifth Hair! Come Out!" Anger roared, as another figure slowly made his way out of the temple.

    "Are you done searching?" Anger yelled, but before the other decrepit guy could answer, he yelled, "Wait! Don''t reveal the contents of your discovery..."

    The person who walked out was far less expressive and energetic than Anger.

    His skin was blue, and his long dark blue hair stretched down to his waist. On his body was the same clothing as Anger, except on top of his much skinnier torso were torn pieces of cloth.

    His face wasn''t shown unlike anger, covered by hair. However, he was also looking down.

    "Who the hell is that?" Lyrian called out.

    "Me?" The blue man spoke in a low, almost depressed tone.

    "I am... Fifth Hair of the ck Petal Sect: Sadness."

    ''Scan!''

    ��������Scan��������

    Name: Sadness

    Species: Human

    Bloodline: Erased

    Age: 25

    Overall Power (OP): 19

    Health: 195/195

    Stamina: 192/192

    Strength: 194

    Agility: 193

    Defense: 191

    Rank:Genesis: Layer 3

    MP: 430/500

    ����������������������

    ''Almost as strong. But that''s weird... both of their bloodlines are [Erased]. Were they created in ab or something? If they were born from parents, they should always have a bloodline. Although... I still don''t know mine either. However, mine is unlike theirs. Mine is unknown even to Gear, but theirs is clearly disyed as Erased.''

    Seeing Sadness threw Lyrian off a lot since he knew that it would be much more difficult for him to beat the both of them by himself.

    However, Sadness suddenly disappeared from his spot in that instant.

    ''No! He''s!'' Lyrian thought, even more disturbed now than he was before.

    Sadness was currently heading toward all of the adventurers who went to rescue Rothis.

    Taking on both was a drag, but Lyrian knew that it would still be better than getting the adventurers involved.

    ''He''ll kill them all.'' Lyrian mused, quickly dashing toward Sadness.

    ''I''ll finish him off first then.'' Lyrian thought to himself, getting ready to spawn Tao into the cavern.

    He had already reached Sadness, who was halfway across the cavern by now to Rothis and the others.

    "Come, Ta--" However, just as he was about to summon Tao--

    with Anger right on his tail--Osikae appeared in front of Sadness.

    "Lyrian! Leave him to us! Trust me, I am not as weak as I look. Focus on defeating that red-haired bastard first!" Osikae dered with a valiant voice, as Lyrian stopped for a slight moment.

    That moment was enough for Anger to catch up to him. Anger grabbed him by his shoulder and pulled him back, throwing him across the cavern once again.

    This time, Lyrian came to his feet and slid a few feet beforeing to a stop.

    "Fine! I''ll defeat you first then!" Lyrian said before eximing, "Shadow Puppet!"

    At that moment, Lyrian''s shadow burst out of his chest. It quickly slithered through the air like a snake beforetching onto Anger''s body.

    "What the hell is this?" Anger eximed, feeling an odd sensation surge through his veins.

    He grunted loudly for a moment, before tensing up his entire body. That action was enough to repel Lyrian''s shadow away instantly. It absorbed back into Lyrian''s chest, shocking him a bit.

    [Warning! Your Shadow Jade Pendant will not work with anyone over 5 OP points above you]

    ''Damn it! I should have known.'' Lyrian mused as Anger appeared in front of him at that very moment.

    "This time, I won''t just punch you!" The red figure roared, thrusting his de forward.

    Lyrian couldn''t move fast enough, so he tried to block with his obsidian de again.

    However, this time Anger was at point-nk range. Lyrian couldn''t move fast enough, and he knew

    it.

    Before the scimitar reached his throat, arge jaw unleashed from his chest, grabbing the sword before ripping it out of Anger''s hands and throwing it in the air.

    "Good! Go back in Garmr, you''re too big!" Lyrian said as Garmr''s jaw quickly absorbed back into his body.

    "Come out, Panixu!" At that moment, Panixu extended from Lyrian''s shadow and appeared in front of Anger.

    "Beware all, for the legendary Panixu has arrived to save the day!"

    "Huh!?" Anger said in confusion, quickly retrieving his de.

    Lyrian smirked as he looked at the other side of the cavern where Sadness was.

    ''Hopefully, they can withstand the Fifth Hair until I defeat this guy.'' He thought to himself before turning toward Anger.

    "Deal with him quickly, Panixu!"

    "Yes, Master!"

 Chapter 399 Importance Of Experience

    <h4>Chapter 399 Importance Of Experience </h4>

    At that moment his gaze shifted to the other side of the open cavern where Sadness and the other adventurers were.

    ''But... I shouldn''t try to waste time training right now. I should prioritize saving them...'' He reluctantly made his mind up on that.

    "Go! Panixu!" Lyrian eximed, as Panixu closed his eyes and exhaled a deep breath.

    "Throw whatever fucking summon you want at me. If you think you can get past me, you''re another level of retarded." Anger eximed, running up to Panixu who still had his eyes closed.

    "You don''t get to prepare in a real fight, damn panda!" He roared, shing his scimitar at the panda from the side.

    Just before it reached Panixu''s skin, the panda''s eyes flew open. They were blue, symbolizing the monkey form of Panda Kung Fu.

    Although it didn''t apply to Lyrian, whenever Panixu used Panda Kung Fu, his eyes would change in color ording to what form he was in. Pink was the crane, red was the tiger, blue was the monkey, green was the snake, and golden��the dragon.

    Panixu leaned back swiftly, causing the de to just miss him. However, it still trimmed the tips of some of his belly hair.

    With that, Panixu pushed himself up using his hands and delivered a devastating kick into Anger''s stomach using both feet.

    Anger hadn''t expected to actually be hit, so he waspletely caught off guard by this.

    He was sent flying across the cavern,nding on top of one of the broken pirs in the cavern. The pir slowly crumbled into dust, as Anger shook his head and regained hisposure while getting up.

    "Rr... you won''t get me like that again!" He roared, rushing the panda.

    At that moment, the two shared a series of powerful blows. Anger swung from different angles, using his de and fighting technique to its full capacity.

    However, Panixu''s unpredictable and almost hysterical movements during the sh made it impossible for him to be hit.

    ''Faster...'' Lyrian thought to himself, wanting this fight to progress more.

    "Take this! me Wheel!" He raised his hand and unleashed his attack. A wheel of me quickly gathered in front of him, steamrolling toward Anger violently.

    However, Anger quickly turned and mmed his de against the wheel of fire. It pushed him back several feet, but he too pushed back, causing for a stalemate.

    "Rrah!" He grunted, and with one final push, he dissipated Lyrian''s me wheel.

    ''Damn... he can deal with something like that with such ease. I wish I got to fight him myself.'' Lyrian mused, slightly regretful. Still, he wasn''t upset with the decision he made.

    At that moment, Anger charged toward Panixu once more. His speed was fast, but not as fast as the panda''s. He attempted to thrust his de forward, but Panixu dodged it with a swift sidestep.

    "Dumbass." Anger said scornfully in a low tone. He used the momentum of Panixu moving left to then move to the right, circling behind the panda.

    Before Panixu knew it, he felt a de begin to slice at his back. He quickly jumped forward, creating space between him and Anger. He panted while looking at his opponent��a slight gash in his back that was still bleeding.

    Anger said as he saw Panixu''s reaction, "Good! Be scared, you fat bear. Even though you are naturally strong... those born with power aren''t rulers. You don''t have the experience to back up that strength."

    At that moment, Osikae skidded across the cavern floor like a rock thrown across a body of water. He came to a sliding stop as he clutched his de and slowly returned to his feet. Wiping the blood on the side of his mouth, he faced Sadness with a determined re.

    ''This creature... it''s not human. I don''t know how to describe it... but it''s almost as if it was made solely forbat and nothing else.'' He thought to himself as he faced Sadness.

    Speaking of which, Sadness still hadn''t shown on his face. The ripped cloth that he wore on hisnky torso covered his hands as if they were oversized. He moved slowly most of the time, yet acted fast in times of need.

    "I really don''t want to hurt people. It''s a horrible thing, you know? Makes me... want to shed a tear." Sadness eximed at that moment.

    "Silence! Brute!" Solvir eximed, mming the head of his axe into the ground beside him.

    Osikae looked at Solvir, who had been fighting alongside him while the others looked after Rothis.

    "You killed so many people in this vige, and you dare to speak about it being a horrible thing!? Don''t think for even a moment that we will believe those words!" Solvir made his case clear.

    However, at that moment, the two adventurers saw a stream of tearse from Sadness'' face and fall to the ground.

    "It... truly is so sad." The dark-blue-skinned man spoke in a devastated tone as if he was actually crying.

    For a moment, Solvir''s stern expression mellowed and his furrowed brows loosened.

    He was only human, and for that reason, for only 1/100th of a second, he felt empathy for Sadness.

    "Bad move." Sadness said at that moment, suddenly appearing in front of Solvir as if he was using teleportation.

    Solvir''s eyes widened in shock as he attempted to raise his shield. However, before he could do that, Sadness had already punctured his chest with his nails.

    Since his hands were hidden in his oversized sleeves, his 12-

    inch long razor-sharp nails were invisible to the naked eye.

    At that moment Osikae charged forward, swinging at Sadness.

    Sadness disappeared and then reappeared a few feet away.

    "Do not let down your guard..." He said as Solvir fell t on his back.

 Chapter 400 Enlightened One

    <h4>Chapter 400 Enlightened One </h4>

    ''If I so much as turn around to look at Solvir, this bastard will kill me on the spot. I must maintain myposure. If I die here, helping Solvir and the others will be impossible.''

    He tried to look at the other side of the cavern, but couldn''t see Lyrian and Anger as they were too far away.

    ''Lyrian... Will he be able to take on a beast like this? Anger was even stronger than this guy.''

    Deep down, Osikae had no faith in Lyrian at that moment. It wasn''t as though he thought Lyrian was weak, but these two monsters were simply on another level.

    "However..." Osikae whispered to himself under his breath, "I won''t die here, damn it!" He suddenly shouted in a loud tone, which was unlike him.

    "Seems... like you''re getting powered up," Solvir said with much difficulty with a smile on his face before his eyes rolled back into his head, and he passed out.

    Osikae faced Sadness with a determined gaze before suddenly standing up straight.

    Sadness tilted his head, slightly confused at what he was seeing.

    Then, Osikae sheathed his de, closed his eyes, and ced both of his palms together.

    "Ahh~" Sadness suddenly eximed, "A religious technique... huh?"

    "Enlightened One, bestow upon me a sliver of your light. Let your brilliance shine on me for only a moment, so that I may destroy the evil which lurks." Osikae said calmly, as Sadness began to move forward.

    "W-what? Why did you call me darkness? I''m not darkness. I am not bad. I am a good person. Please... tell me I''m a good person!"

    Osikae opened his eyes at that moment. Only a moment ago, he had ck pupils. Now, however, his pupils were a rich yellow color.

    His body also began to slowly gleam in a bright aura.

    "The enlightened one? Who is that? Why would he give you power after you just lied to him? Damn it... there are too many things I don''t know." Sadnessined more.

    "Demon! I will now obliterate you." Osikae said nonchntly, unsheathing his de once again.

    ''I can only use this once every three years. It''s unfortunate that I must use it now, however, if I don''t, I will surely die. Even if this won''t allow me to defeat this monster, at least I will fend it off long enough for Lyrian toe. I know he wille. Damn it, I have no other choice but to believe that he will. What else am I supposed to do? Submit defeat and die? To hell with that!''

    Lyrian had gotten impatient enough by now.

    "Panixu. To hell to experience. Anger''s right when he talks about the importance of experience in battle, but right now, you are too strong to care about that. Go full power... overwhelm this idiot''s experience with sheer strength." Lyrian firmly stated as Panixu nodded.

    He closed his eyes once again and exhaled a deep breath. When he opened them again, he had orange eyes.

    "Panda Kung Fu: Dragon!" Panixu said, assuming the form of a dragon in Anger''s eyes.

    "Woah..." Even anger was slightly taken aback as he saw this stance.

    "The dragon is the strongest form. It is perfect in both offensive and defensive capabilities, making it wless in desperate pursuits. It is the sheer vessel which proves that power is greater than all." Lyrian stated as Panixu lunged at Anger.

    Anger attempted to block Panixu''s paw swipe, and even managed to stop it with his de.

    However, Panixu didn''t stop there. He forced his way through the de, and the difference in raw stats helped him get rid of any defense that Anger could have.

    However, before his pawnded on Anger''s face, the man quickly dashed away.

    "Fine! So what if you get rid of my defenses? The greatest defense is offense! Now, do you have what it takes to defend, panda!?" Anger eximed, attacking from behind once again.

    This time, however, Panixu shifted turned around on his heel, and kicked Anger''s de out of his hands before the man could even react.

    "Wha--!" Anger eximed as Panixu''s previous form wasn''t able to defend so casually.

    His gaze shifted ever so slightly to where his sword had fallen, but at that moment he felt a stunning kick to his jaw.

    Lyrian smirked at this moment, ''Sheer power will win.''

    ...

    "Wow... you are really strong. Way stronger than before." Sadness said to Osikae as they exchanged a flurry of blows.

    "Damn it! Now die, foul creature!" Osikae yelled, stomping his right foot forward as he shed in front of him.

    Sadness quickly jumped back at that moment. However, as hended, a giant sh cut across his stomach.

    It wasn''t a deep gash, but it was enough to make Sadness bleed down to his feet.

    "Tsk! Why are you trying to kill me!? How heartless can you be..."

    Sadness moved forward once again, as did Osikae.

    This time, Osikae was the one who sustained several wounds to his face and shoulders.

    However, that wasn''t enough to stop him.

    "I... won''t lose to you, damn it!" He roared, as the wounds on his body suddenly began to heal on their own.

    "Wh-what!? Who blessed you like this... why won''t they bless me?"

    ''What kind of questions is he asking? It''s as if he has the mind of a child who always asks questions because he hasn''t experienced the real world yet.'' Osikae thought to himself on hearing this.

    "Buddha, the Enlightened One, will never give power to the wicked like you. The amount of lives you''ve taken has destroyed your good karma. You will never see a day of blessing, demon!"

    "Why do you keep calling me that!? I''m human too... you know." Sadness paused for a moment, facing the ground.

    Osikae let his guard down slightly on seeing this, but that was the wrong decision.

    Sadness rushed forward once again, "If you keep healing, then I''ll just kill you so that you won''t be able to heal! Dead men don''t heal, I know that from experience!"

 Chapter 401 Anger Obliterated; Fight

    <h4>Chapter 401 Anger Obliterated; Fight </h4>

    Anger couldn''t dodge nor block, so Panixu delivered the attack and continued to punch through Anger''s stomach without letting go of the tension.

    "Arrgh!" Anger eximed attempting to swipe at Panixu with his hands, but his fingers simply flicked off of Panixu''s body.

    "You are nothing but an emotion. You were destined to lose from the beginning of this battle." Panixu grumbled under his breath in a more serious tone.

    His punch stopped driving forward. Then, after a short pause, he unleashed a flurry of the same punches into Anger''s stomach.

    Each punch sent shock waves through Anger''s stomach that destroyed pieces of cave-rock behind him.

    Each punch sent reverberating blows through the entire cavern as well, as if explosions went off each time Panixunded a blow on Anger.

    "Ackk!" Anger lost the ability to control his body. His eyes widened, his face shifted into one of shock.

    ''I wasn''t... meant to die here.'' Anger thought to himself, as Panixu delivered the final blow to his skull.

    A blow stronger than the rest of them, since Panixu used all of his strength in this one.

    Anger''s skull cracked into several pieces and his head whipped back, breaking his spine as well.

    His body wasunched across the room, the same way Lyrian''s was when Anger first attacked him.

    This time, however, Anger didn''t get up--unlike Lyrian. Panixu took in a deep and loud breath before exhaling.

    He mmed his fist into his palm, before calmly disappearing into Lyrian''s shadow.

    Without hesitation, Lyrian rushed toward the other side of the cavern.

    "The nging of iron resounded through the cave. Osikae and Sadness were still going at it with full force."

    Through their exchanges, however, one could easily tell that Osikae was the one on the back foot.

    His body was already injured--cut open in several areas. One of his eyelids hung lower than the other as a sign of his fatigue.

    The two shed in a powerful duet of attacks before backing away from each other for a moment.

    As Osikae panted he mused, ''This form won''tst much longer. If Lord Lyrian won''t arrive in time, then I need to kill this bastard myself.''

    With that he ran at Sadness with a quick series of steps, swinging and shing his sword at his opponent.

    Sadness was too quick, however. He jumped backward as Osikae chased him with the de, dodging and parrying all of the man''s attacks.

    "Why won''t you just die already? Why do you fight..."

    Osikae stayed silent. ''There''s no point in engaging in conversation with such a foolish monster.''

    "Tell me... what is it you desire? I''ve been searching for it. The thing that makes people want to do things. What does it feel like?"

    Osikae clenched his jaw, adamant about staying silent as he continued to fight.

    "Hmm... if that''s the case, then I''ll go serious now. I was toying with you up until this point, but you''ve made me upset. Prepare to die--"

    At that moment, Sadness felt as though his heart skipped a beat. With widened eyes, his head quickly turned around to face the other side of the cavern.

    "W-what!?" Sadness eximed in shock.

    Osikae raised an eyebrow, ''Hmm? What is he suddenly shocked about? Well... no matter. This is a perfect opportunity for me!'' He thought to himself.

    Without hesitation, he quickly rushed toward Sadness. ''Good! His head is still turned!'' Osikae thought to himself.

    ''But...'' A thought crossed his mind as his de came mere inches from Sadness'' neck.

    At that moment, Sadness turned around instantly. His finger des gripped Osikae''s sword as he faced the swordsman.

    Osikae finally got a look at Sadness'' face, and it was enough topletely throw him off.

    Sadness was crying again for some reason. Streams of tears trickled down his somber looked face.

    "He''s dead... he''s actually dead. B-but... how could this be? He was stronger than even me."

    ''As I thought... killing him then would be too easy.'' Osikae thought as he backed off.

    "Wait... if he''s dead, then does that mean someone here is strong enough to kill me? I... don''t want to die. I DON''T WANT TO DIE!" Sadness suddenly eximed, as though desperate.

    "Please! You have to help me! If not... I''ll kill you..." The blue man said with a nonchnt tone beneath his swollen eyes.

    At that moment Sadness released a more fearsome aura than before. Its life was in danger now, so it naturally wouldn''t hold back no matter what.

    This was what some called fight or flight, and at that moment, Sadness chose to fight.

    He blitzed toward Osikae at an unseen speed. Osikae couldn''t react fast enough to the several razors that lunged toward his face.

    At that moment, his eyes wandered off to the side. ''Please... Lord Lyrian.'' He thought to himself as he gasped identally.

    However... there was no sign of Lyrian behind Sadness.

    Osikae then closed his eyes, ''I must make peace.'' He thought to himself, fully expecting to die.

    As the des of Sadness'' hand grazed Osikae''s skin, there was suddenly a loud boom that sounded from where Sadness stood.

    Osikae opened his eyes to see that he was sent flying in another direction. However, he had a smile on his face.

    This was because he also saw Lyrian standing behind Sadness--having sliced the blue bastard''s arm clean off.

    ''I see... I can rest now.'' Osikae mused, closing his eyes once again.

    Sadness'' face, filled with horror, turned toward Lyrian with utter doom shadowed on it.

    "Y-you... cut my arm off." Sadness said slowly, not believing it himself.

    "YOU!" He breathed heavy, wheezing breaths as he spoke, "YOU CUT MY ARM OFF!" The pain that Sadness felt now was unlike anything that he had ever felt since his birth, merely a year ago.

    At that moment, with Lyrian''s cold eyes facing him, Tao suddenly emerged from the ceiling and tore through another arm.

 Chapter 402 Flight

    <h4>Chapter 402 Flight </h4>

    He faced the ceiling, his pupil frivolously moving around as though his brain was trying toprehend what just happened to him.

    "Arh.." He began to let out odd noises, "Erh... ack... gah." He eximed under his breath, before suddenly eximing in pain, fear, and shock, "AHRRRRUGHHACKKK!"

    His screech sounded through the entire cavern. Once he was done, he fell on his rear.

    Lyrian stood above him, gazing down at him with a heartless gaze.

    "Please... let me live. You don''t know my story. You--" Sadness was forced to stop speaking, as he felt the horrible bloodlust emanating from the boy before him.

    "Ahh!" He winched, "Please! I''m human too!!"

    "You aren''t human," Lyrian said with a disdainful look on his face.

    Sadness continued to pant frivolously as Lyrian continued.

    "You are trash." He spoke with an almost profound tone mixed in with his voice.

    After a short pause, Sadness slowly backed up using his feet to push him.

    As he did, Lyrian simply walked toward him.

    "Argh!" Sadness identally eximed, standing up as he faced the exit of the cavern and began to desperately sprint in that direction.

    Before, when faced with the decision of fight or flight, Sadness had chosen to fight.

    However, when truly faced with the decision at a crucial and real moment--like many people in the world--he instead chose to flee.

    He wasn''t very fast, as not having arms disturbed his ability to have bnce while running.

    At times he stumbled and fell, tumbling over as he got back up again and continued running.

    He cried as though he was an infant just born from the womb. He cried long, extending wails of sadness.

    As he moved, Lyrian simply followed him. As he ran past destroyed buildings, Lyrian followed him--appearing between those buildings like the Grim Reaper.

    As he stepped in the blood of those whom he yed, Lyrian continued to follow him.

    As he tripped over corpses that he created, Lyrian continued to follow him.

    Until, finally, Sadness fell and tripped over a pile of dead bodies. His face plunged into a pool of blood, as he slowly turned around.

    The blood loss from his arms and the mental exhaustion had filled up to their limits by now.

    As he continued to cry, Lyrian appeared before him.

    "I was born like this..." Sadness said as he closed his eyes, knowing death itself was standing above him.

    "I didn''t have a choice when It came to killing. But... I if I could; I would have given it all up to simply experience one day like a normal person. Like a real person."

    After a short pause, and Sadness choking on his own blood and mucus, he eximed in a raspy voice, "The ones who created me are the worst of evil," He suddenly opened his eyes at that moment, facing Lyrian with a newfound look, "Please. Kill them... kill them all."

    At that moment a de sliced cleanly through his neck. His head tumbled across the floor, calmly rolling down the hill.

    Lyrian cleaned his de and sheathed it. "If you can think such thoughts, then it''s still your fault, retard. Don''t try to act as though none of this was your doing. You still have to atone for your sins."

    Lyrian quickly returned to the cavern with Tao, where Rothis and the others were already fully healed up.

    "Zuuc... you gave them the healing potions, right?" Lyrian said,nding on the ground as he walked towards the adventurers who were slowly returning to their feet.

    "Yep! They are all healed."

    "Good, then return to my shadow." As Lyrian said this, Zuuc did just that.

    Although it was going to be a bit of a risk showing Zuuc to the public, Lyrian wanted to do what he did with Sadness.

    So, he gave Zuuc potions and elixirs of healing to distribute to the adventurers.

    After they were all healed, the adventurers took their turns thanking Lyrian.

    Osikae stood in the back and waited for everyone to finish giving their thanks before giving his own.

    "Thank you... Lord Lyrian. Without you, we would have all been wiped out."

    "It''s alright. Unluckily for me, I''m acquainted with you guys, so I have to help you out." Lyrian joked as a few chuckled.

    "Now then... shall we leave?" Zyon said, looking toward the exit.

    The other adventurers seemed to be on board too.

    "Leave? What do you mean? We still haven''tpleted our mission." Lyrian said, slightly confused.

    "Oh right! I totally forgot about the whole reason we came here. Hahaha!" Rothis suddenly eximed, scratching the back of his head as he awkwardly chuckled.

    "I haven''t forgotten about the Hyroon family, but Lyrian, are you sure that they are still alive?" Zyon questioned, stepping forward.

    "Hmm. Not really no. But, you were the one who told me that this ce, the temple of Zhurong, was a ce of protection right? There''s still a slim chance that we came early enough."

    With this, they all slowly entered the temple. As Lyrian stepped inside, he looked around the broken-down ce and noticed that apart from the inscriptions on the walls and more broken pirs, there was also arge pedestal in the center.

    "Hmm... how exactly is one supposed to be safe in here? It doesn''t feel much different from outside." Cylline questioned, her eyes slowly surveying the room.

    "No... it''s not just a ce of protection because it has the aura of Zhurong. There should be a" Zyon pressed down on the pedestal with both hands, resulting in a clicking sound, "Ah! It''s right here. How easy."

    "What''s that?" Rothis questioned, looking over at Zyon as the pedestal slowly lowered into the ground.

    "There seems to be a magic array that only allows spirits with good intentions to activate this. This is the entrance to the secret base underground, where the Hyroon family is most likely."

    At that moment, Lyrian suddenly felt a horrible pain piercing through his entire body.

    ''What the--?'' Before he could even finish his train of thought, he fell to his knees.

    ''I wasn''t injured almost at all from battle. Why is this happening.'' At that moment, a giant, dark purple aura unleashed out of him.

    It washed through everyone like a tsunami, crashing them on the sides of the temple.

    *ROAARRRR*

 Chapter 403 Threat Level: Incalculable

    <h4>Chapter 403 Threat Level: Incalcble </h4>

    The beast roared loudly, sending tremors through the entire cavern. It unleashed a devastating magic aura that traveled thousands of miles outward that very second.

    Finally, it disappeared into Lyrian''s body once again. With this, the aftermath was devastating.

    Lyrian and the others were knocked unconscious instantly. Their brains weren''t able to handle even 1% of the spiritual energy unleashed by Cerberus.

    After what felt like mere seconds, Lyrian was the first to awake.

    *Ding* [You have awoken sessfully]

    Lyrian felt a temporary stinging sensation in his head as the first thing after he woke up. His body was more sore than before as well. As he clutched his head and returned to his feet, he thought to himself, ''Before I passed out... was that?'' Before he could even ask himself the question, Gear spoke.

    [Your assumption is correct. That was indeed Cerberus'' aura. Although lessened, he was unleashed in the form of raw spiritual energy for a temporary amount of time]

    ''I see. That''s not good... does it mean my control of Cerberus is lessening or something?''

    [Wrong]

    [Although I do not know the exact answer, I can give a viable solution]

    ''Shoot.''

    [Most likely, Cerberus, a very demonic being, is highly agitated when entering a holy ce such as a temple. Due to this, Cerberus must have tried to escape when entering the temple of Zhurong]

    ''I see... I guess I shouldn''t enter holy ces carelessly then. Hey Gear... were you still conscious when I was cked out?''

    [Yes. I am not capable of being knocked out, as I am a being with an infinite consciousness]

    ''Then tell me... just how powerful was Cerberus.'' Lyrian stated within his mind.

    [Cerberus'' power is currently unidentifiablepared to yours]

    ''Give me something to work with.''

    [I see...]

    [His power was great enough to warn over 10 kingdoms nearby. That I can say with 99.63% certainty]

    ''W-what? What are you talking about... I wanted you topare him to me, but you''re talking about a global scale of things. Surely, you aren''t serious.''

    [...]

    ''Just what kind of demon have I taken in...'' Although it was a rhetorical question, Gear still answered him.

    [Calcting Cerberus threat level...]

    ''Oh?''

    [HAVOC...]

    [GUARDIAN...]

    [DISASTER...]

    ''It''s still increasing...''

    [CALAMITY...]

    ''Even more!?''

    [CATASTROPHE...]

    [Error! Threat level exceeds CATASTROPHE]

    [Beast Cerberus threat level: Incalcble]

    Lyrian was taken aback by hearing this. ''Just... how did I even survive the aura of such a being...''

    [Due to Cerberus being confined within your shadow, its true aura has been heavily masked]

    ''I see...'' At this moment, the others also came to their senses, slowly awakening.

    "What in the world just happened..." Zyon said, still in a slight daze.

    "Does anyone remember anything?" Rothis questioned, only to get no answer.

    ''Good... at least they know it''s not me. It would be a hassle to exin.''

    Lyrian thought to himself, moving toward the pedestal which had fully lowered by now.

    At that moment, Osikae stared at Lyrian with a trembling body and widened eyes.

    He shook with an overwhelming feeling of fear as he thought, ''Right before I passed out... I saw it. That horrible energy, the likes of which I have never felt before, came from him.''

    He gripped his fists tightly, ''But... why does he seem shocked about it too? Does he not know about it? Or is he trying to y it off as such? Well... whatever the case may be, I''m happy he''s on the side of humanity. If he wasn''t... I wonder if the Immortal ins would be able to win against him.''

    As he pondered this, Lyrian and the others made their way into the hole while opening up where the pedestalst was.

    When they did, they came across a small passage within the ground.

    The passage led to a door at the end which was made of wood. However, it had a magic circle on it, one that Zyon deemed to be a protection array.

    "To break it... we need to either decipher the array, which could take days. Or, we have to power through it using an overwhelming amount of energy." Zyon assessed it after taking a look at it.

    "Hmm..." Lyrian said, taking a look at the door.

    Then, he turned to the side and Enhanced his fist. "Shock Fist." He said, punching the wall of stone.

    With a huge boom and a cloud of dust that exploded from the impact zone, a giant divot was left in the wall.

    "Shock Fist."

    Lyrian said again, continuing to punch through the wall.

    "Shock Fist. Shock Fist. Shock Fist."

    With several more loud sts of energy, Lyrian finally faced toward the room once again, and said for thest time, "Shock Fist!"

    With that, a giant hole was opened up that led straight into the room.

    "Wow! Way to go, Lord Lyrian!" Rothis eximed in joy.

    "I knew you had it in you!" Solvir congratted as all the adventurers walked into the new pathway made by Lyrian.

    As the dust still thickened the air, two arrows suddenly pierced through the dense smoke straight at Lyrian''s head.

    He swiftly caught both of them and snapped them in half like twigs.

    "We aren''t here to hurt you! Trust us!" Lyrian eximed, but a voice from inside quickly retorted.

    "What kind of good guy would try to enter through horrible force like this!?Don''t think you can fool us, ck Petal Sect!" It was a fairly young voice that also seemed scared.

    "Eh... I guess you''re right about that. But you have to trust us." Lyrian walked through the smoke into the protected room. He pped his hand, forcing all the smoke to clear.

    As he did, he saw over ten people inside, sitting on the floor of a fairly small stone box of a room.

    A young man, no older than

    20, stood in front of a group of old and middle-aged women and men dressed in high-quality robes.

    He had a serious expression on his face and shot another two arrows at Lyrian using his crossbow.

    "I told you... we are not foe." Lyrian said, taking out the quest te and showing it to them.

    The young man attempted to fire again, but an older gentleman in the back noticed the quest te and quickly spoke up, "Wait! Hyren!"

 Chapter 404 Hyroon Family Arrive To Hogolsworth

    <h4>Chapter 404 Hyroon Family Arrive To Hogolsworth </h4>

    "No! It''s not! There is a certain magic inscription that can only be read in real quest tes. Its use is to verify if a quest te is real or not. These guys are really adventurers." The older man stood up. He was most likely in histe fifties. A shorter man that was slightly on the heavier side.

    "My apologies, Lord Lyrian, and adventurers. Thank you for saving us from those horrible adversaries from the ck Petal Sect." As the older man said this, he bowed, and so did all the other people within the room. Hyren looked back at his people, before reluctantly bowing as well.

    "Of course. We are here on a mission to safely transport you to Hogolsworth, so we can''t have you dying on us, can we? So... you knew who I was from the start?"

    "Well yes." The older man raised his head and stood up. "However, the ck Petal Sect is known for creating humanoids. A duplicate or clone is also very within their arsenal of skills, so I needed a real quest te before I could fully trust you."

    "I see... then, I take it everyone knows why we are all here then? There is no need for exnation, right?"

    "Well..." A middle-aged man said from the back, "I would like to know... what that horrible, evil spiritual energy from before was. Was that from the ck Petal Sect!?"

    "What!? No way!" Another person from inside of the room said, this time a woman who seemed to not want to believe what the first man said. "If it was... just how did you defeat it? We were all knocked unconscious for a while, so we don''t know what happened afterward."

    Lyrian scratched his head, pausing for a while as everyone in the room looked at him with anticipation. Osikae looked at him with a slightly different gaze from everyone else. ''What is he going to say...?'' Lyrian finally spoke, "Well, first of all, no, that wasn''t the ck Petal Sect. We don''t know what it was either, but it didn''t do anything more than reveal its aura, it seems."

    "I see... so the only ones from the ck Petal Sect are the two of the Five Finger huh..." Hyren eximed to himself. "Everyone, shall we head out now? We have to be back by tomorrow." Lyrian stated as everyone stood up, "We can talk about everything else during the journey to Hogolsworth."

    "Right." "That''s fine with me." "Thank you, Lord Lyrian!" "We are actually saved..." Many began to rejoice, but Hyren still seemed to hold an angry expression on his face, ''Our entire vige was killed, yet they only talk about how they are safe? Tsk! I should kill them myself!'' He thought to himself.

    Suddenly, his father ced his hand on his shoulder, "Hyren, I understand how you feel, but that is even more of a reason to stop and n your next move carefully. We must get revenge on that sect... so don''t be foolish." Hyren''s father spoke with a serious gaze toward the end of his statement.

    "You''re right, father. I will get revenge no matter what. I swear it!" And with that, the ten higher-ranking members of Jambaal, and also members of the Hyroon family, all joined Lyrian and the adventurers in returning to Hogolsworth.

    They all apanied Igor and Hawkeye on their travel and arrived at Hogolsworth at the same time that it took the adventurers to get there. As they got there, however, almost no one roamed the streets for some reason.

    The Hyroon family and the others immediately knew what to do, and after thanking Lyrian and the others, left them to do their own things.

    Lyrian returned to the Adventurer''s Guild with the adventurers and turned in their quest, getting the gold in return.

    Thedy behind the counter fairly split the total prize of the quest up into 6 pouches of gold and handed it to each adventurer. However, everyone turned to Lyrian when they received their gold.

    "You deserve it all, Lord Lyrian. You saved our lives today. Without you, neither this mission nor our lives would have been saved." Cylline said as she handed her portion to Lyrian.

    "Hm! It is true." Solvir agreed, handing his portion over with a proud smile on his face.

    "No disagreements here!" Zyon ced his pouch of gold out toward Lyrian.

    "Lord Lyrian, if I were to take this gold, the bad Karma of the enlightened one would surely fall on top of me like an anvil. Please, ept this." Osikae handed his portion over.

    "I wanted to enjoy the Red Light District today... but I can''t do it with your money, Lord Lyrian." Rothis handed his portion over as well with a hint of reluctance.

    Lyrian was slightly taken aback by this but didn''t hesitate too much when taking the money. "I''ll dly ept it. Till next time!" With this, they all went their separate ways.

    "Hey guys... we never did fight any bandits did we?" Rothis hystericallymented. "Pahaha! All that big talk about the treacherous roads between Jambaal and Hogolsworth, and in the end, we didn''t even get a glimpse of it." Zyonughed wholeheartedly.

    "Hey... I''m notining. But, even if we did face bandits, with Lord Lyrian by our side, they wouldn''t have done squat." Solvir added with an amusing tone.

    "What a truly amazing boy... sometimes, it doesn''t even seem like he''s fully human. Right?" Cylline thought out loud, as though in a trance.

    The othersughed at her proposal, but Osikae stared at her seriously as he mused, ''No way... there is no way that the Bloodline of that boy is human. I refuse to believe it.''

 Chapter 405 One Blow Challenge

    <h4>Chapter 405 One Blow Challenge </h4>

    ''Seems like I still have about five hours before I want to sleep.'' He thought to himself as he became invisible and began traveling toward Rock''s Tavern.

    ''The Five Hairs of the ck Petal Sect.'' Lyrian thought to himself with a serious tone, ''It''s confirmed, this is the ck Petal Sect''s doing.''

    After pondering this for a short while, his train of thought switched. ''It''s odd how I heard about the Five Heads, and now I''m hearing about the Five Hairs. I want to bring this up with Hyst and the others, but it will be better if I reveal it in tomorrow''s meeting. After all, the so-called Third Head will be there as well...''

    With this, Lyrian returned to his room in the tavern and sat down on the bed.

    ''Enough with quests for today. I haven''t gotten a chance to cultivate in a long while, so I might as well do that.'' Lyrian mused, sitting down on his bed in a lotus position with his legs crossed.

    At that moment, however, his door suddenly swung open.

    ''Huh?'' His eyes opened as he peered at the door, ''I forgot to lock it? I guess I''m feeling a bit too safe.''

    "Lord Lyrian! You went on a quest without me!" Ranthor, the kid that decided to follow Lyrian from the ck market, eximed as he barged into the room.

    Lyrian''s face turned slightly sour, "I already told you... I''m not making you a part of my team. In fact, I don''t even have a team. I''m doing this mission solo."

    "But... you go to hunt with other adventurers, don''t you?"

    Lyrian paused for a moment, as Ranthor continued.

    "Don''t bull shit me! You just don''t think I''m strong, isn''t that right!? I performed okay against you in our duel though! You can''t deny that I am at least as strong as those adventurers!" Ranthor got emotional and angry.

    He was a kid after all, and with a lot of thoughts behind him, he couldn''t help but act up.

    "I take them with me because they decide toe with me in the moment."

    "Then I can do that too--"

    "But today proved that taking them along with me is like taking them to their own graves," Lyrian said with apletely straight face.

    "W-what?" Ranthor was slightly taken aback.

    "They all nearly died today. If it had not been for me, each one of them would be nothing but chunks of flesh and blood." Lyrian wanted to scare Ranthor so he wouldn''t insist any longer but was also telling the truth.

    Ranthor took a step back, as if in a daze. Then, with determination glinting in his eyes, he stepped forward again.

    "Then... I''ll do it!"

    "What?"

    "I''ll do it. I''ll be stronger than the opponents you faced, and next time, I''ll help you kill them and save your adventurer friends." Although his words were silly and absurd, Lyrian slightly respected the fact that even at such a young age, Ranthor had dreamed past death itself.

    His fear of it was gone. This attribute was only given to two types of people in life, ording to what Lyrian learned from Ephiras Varant.

    One was the fool, whose fear of life is stripped away from him due to ignorance and stupidity.

    And then, there was the sage, whose fear of life he purposefully would remove from his life due to wisdom and knowledge.

    ''Of course, he isn''t a sage. But... he isn''tpletely ignorant either.''

    "Fine. Get strong enough tond a single blow on me."

    "Yes! That''s easy!" Ranthor''s eyes lit up, "And then what? What''s after I do that?"

    "I... haven''t thought about that part yet."

    "Huh!?"

    "I''ll decide whether or not you can go with me the moment you manage tond your hit. No point in thinking now."

    "F-fine! Sleep with your eyes open..." Ranthor stepped out of the door with a smug smile on his.

    Afterward, however, he eximed, "Thank you! Lord Lyrian! I won''t ever forget this favor!" Before closing the door.

    Lyrian couldn''t help but scoff slightly out of amusement.

    At that moment, Ranthor was pushed back into the room by someone else, who also barged into Lyrian''s room.

    Ranthor fell to the floor, as a familiar face entered.

    "Take me with you too! I swear, I will get revenge on my fallen family and friends. Even if it means the world will have to fall to its knees!" Hyren from the Hyroon family spoke up.

    "Uh... what are you doing in here?" Lyrian questioned, slightly confused.

    "I''ve been listening in on the entire conversation!" Hyren eximed with a serious military-like voice,pletely straight-faced.

    "That isn''t really a thing to say with a normal expression you know..." Ranthor scratched his head as he stood up.

    "I don''t care," Hyren said, his gaze fixed on Lyrian.

    "Fine, do what you want! You have the same rules as Ranthor. Just hit me once while I''m conscious. Now get out, both of you!"

    With this, Hyren left without a single change to his facial expression. Ranthor exited as well, still scratching his head.

    After they shut the door, Lyrian made his Shadow Puppet lock it. Then, he took in a deep breath and closed his eyes.

    Smithing Mode activated instantly, and so did his cultivation technique; Cerberus Cultivation Technique.

    At once, mana began to float around him in his 3D vision. Then, the aura around him began to change color.

    It turned into a vibrant red, signifying that Astartoh, the First Daemon that he unlocked, was turned on.

    At that moment, a young demon with wings and the body of a man burst out of his body. His lower body was still connected to Lyrian''s back.

    This demon, Astaroth, quickly morphed into the spirit of Cerberus, who had alsoe out by now.

    Cerberus was a blotch of shadowy energy that slightly resembled a dog''s face but constantly changed shape.

    With Astaroth''s energy, Cerberus was now outlined in a dark red hue.

 Chapter 406 The Monthly Meeting Begins

    <h4>Chapter 406 The Monthly Meeting Begins </h4>

    After a few hours, Lyrian exited Smithing Mode and checked his stats before heading to bed.

    The next day, he was going to move much further in this mission, so he couldn''t afford to miss it or mess it up in any sort of way.

    The next day did finally arrive with Nova''s annoying chirping. ''At least you didn''t bite my nose off this time, bird.'' Lyrian mumbled in his mind as he got up from bed.

    Without hesitation, he quickly prepared himself and stepped out of his door.

    As he did, he saw a fiste straight at his dome. With an unimpressed gaze in his eyes, he simply stepped to the side to avoid it.

    "Damn it!" Hyren eximed in frustration, his punch having missed.

    Lyrian looked in the hall but Ranthor was nowhere to be seen. ''Hmm... where is he?'' He mused, walking down into the bar area.

    As he was walking past tables, a random civilian who turned around suddenly jumped up from his table. He did a sidekick in the air, swiping at Lyrian''s torso. ''Dark Energy...'' Lyrian mused, Enhancing his finger before flicking the leg away from him.

    Ranthor was thrown on top of the table from the impact. He then slid to the floor, where he quickly stood up and tore off his disguise. "Damn it! How!?"

    "You revealed your aura way too easily. Plus... you aren''t even being serious. If you think you can win this challenge with tricks, you aren''t thinking correctly." That was all Lyrian said before leaving.

    As he stepped out, leaving the tavern speechless, he looked at the sun. ''Nice, it''s about 8 AM. The meeting should take ce soon.'' He thought to himself as he turned invisible and disappeared into the crowd.

    "I... see," Ranthor grumbled to himself as everyone in the tavern gazed at him after the destruction he just caused.

    Hyren walked next to him, "Boy... did you get him?"

    "No... but we''ve been thinking about this all wrong I guess."

    "No way. You''re telling me this n, which I took until 4 AM in the morning to devise, was wrong?" Hyren said with a stone-cold face.

    "I swear... I can''t even tell if you''re joking or not." Ranthor eximed, looking at Hyren''s hysterical face.

    "What?"

    "Nevermind! Anyways... about what Lord Lyrian said. We shouldn''t be trying to beat him with tricks. We were the ones who spoke about actually bing stronger right?" Ranthor faced Hyren as he asked a genuine question.

    "Yeah?"

    "Then, isn''t it embarrassing for us to be trying to y tricks on him? He must think we are pathetic. Instead of training, we resort to pranks. It isn''t right." Ranthor looked to be deep in thought.

    ''What the hell''s wrong with this kid?'' Hyren thought to himself, weirded out by him.

    "Oi..." Kavenough suddenly spoke up, his tone low and slowed down, "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU''RE DOING TO MY TAVERN!?" He suddenly yelled, as Ranthor and Hyren both jerked up and began to clean up.

    "W--we''re sorry!" Ranthor eximed as Kavenough began running over.

    "You''re dead!" He said,ing at them with a bottle of wine swinging over his.

    Hyren threw the tes Ranthor was trying to clean up to the ground and eximed, "Run! It''s not looking like he will spare us this time!"

    They both rushed out of the tavern, as Kavenough stopped and panted heavily.

    "My body is not built for this." He eximed as the entire tavern burst intoughter. "Those idiots have been using the tavern all night to practice their n. I won''t keep them in here any longer!"

    At the adventurer''s guild, Rothis and the others were nowhere to be seen. ''Hm... I guess they aren''t waiting for me to do their quests any longer. It''s the correct decision. If I was in their position, I wouldn''t care about being polite when my own life was at risk.'' He thought to himself as he walked to one of the people behind the counter with no line.

    Before he could make it there though, a familiar voice called him, "Lord Lyrian! You''re already here!" Hyst said from behind.

    Behind him was his father, Ounz Von Haven, and also his grandfather, Mellz Jiva Von Haven.

    "There are three of you? Are there more people allowed for each person?" Lyrian questioned, not expecting to see Hyst and his grandfather.

    "Precisely, Lord Lyrian. Greetings." Ounz came closer and bowed slightly to the boy. Lyrian bowed back in reciprocation.

    "It ismonce for each representative of the meeting to bring at least two aplices. However, they won''t expect you to bring any, so you have no pressure on your shoulders, you can be sure of that."

    "I see." Lyrian said as he thought inwardly, ''That''s right, he made a reservation for me. That also means that he told everyone of my presence in this meeting. I wanted to keep that a secret just in case, but otherwise, I wouldn''t be able to join the meeting anyway. I suppose it''s for the best.''

    "There''s no reason to check in with the front desk. Juste with us." Hyst eximed as they all made their way upstairs.

    Once they did, Lyrian followed the Von Haven family into therge hallway

    which led to a door at the end of it.

    Behind this door was a very spacious room with a very big round table ced in the middle.

    It was farrger than the one Lyrian had seen in the Red Light District when he went to visit it.

    In diameter, it was at least 30 feet. This symbolized the sheer size of the room as well. It was also round and had many windows looking out at the city.

    In the room, there were already many seats filled in. In fact, there were only two seats left.

    Ounz sat in his, as his two aplices stood beside him on either side. Lyrian also grabbed a seat, sliding in as he surveyed each and every person on the table.

    "Greetings,dies and gents!" Rastran, the Vice Branchmaster that Lyrian had previously met, eximed to everyone.

 Chapter 407 No More Beating Around The Bush

    <h4>Chapter 407 No More Beating Around The Bush </h4>

    .

    Everyone around the table politely smiled at Rastran''s greetings. Lyrian had surveyed every single person within the room by now.

    There were 10 main people in total. Many were obvious to figure out, as their clothing or looks portrayed who they were and what they did.

    Out of the 10, Lyrian already knew 4 of them. One of them was Rastran, of course, and then Ounz Von Haven, who was a given as well. These two represented the Adventurer''s guild and Mayor family within Hogolsworth.

    Then there was the father of Hyren Hyrooon, representing the Hyroon family who controlled the supply of mana throughout Hogolsworth. Their control affected water, fire, cooling, and heating instruments. Along with this came electricity, plumbing, and many other aspects of daily life for the people of Hogolsworth.

    The next andst person Lyrian knew from the table was Hanol Sheirp from the Jade Spice Cove in the Red Light District.

    ''I wouldn''t expect to see him here, but I guess it makes sense. The Red Light District is one of the biggest attractions of the city, and Hanol is a respected figure who controls arge amount of that area. I imagine his decisions can impact the city as a whole.''

    As Lyrian thought this to himself, he couldn''t help but notice that Hanol seemed to be shooting nervous nces at him here and there. Hanol was making sure he only looked at Lyrian when the young boy was looking away, but eyes weren''t the only thing that allowed Lyrian to know who was looking at him at all times. The sheer presence directed toward another being by the eyes was far more easily detectable by a Magia Cultivator in the Second Layer of Genesis Rank.

    ''Odd to say the least.'' That was what Lyrian thought about Hanol''s actions.

    "We have a new guest joining us today." Rastran faced Lyrian as he addressed everyone. He raised his hand to gesture toward the MVP.

    "Lyrian Theageld of Anaviotis, everyone." As he said this, everyone nodded and faced the boy.

    "Please, let''s take our time introducing ourselves." Rastran then turned to Lyrian, "And if you don''t mind, introduce yourself as well to everyone at the end."

    Lyrian nodded in agreement as people began introducing themselves.

    In short, the six figures whom Lyrian didn''t know were the different lords of the city. One controlled thergest banks in the city--the most prominent merchant. He was a slightly rounder man in his mid-fifties who wore a luxurious set of clothing.

    Another was the Law Enforcement Chief of Hogolsworth, a tall and stern-looking man who wore the guard armor of Veridrake. It was slightly different from the normal attire, however. It had more scales on the joints and edges, and also a crowned jewel ced on the center of the helmet.

    There was a City Manager, who oversaw the daily operations and implementation of policies. The Chief Buildsmith, who oversaw the city''s architecture, engineering projects, and infrastructure.

    Finally, two more figures were more interesting than the rest to Lyrian.

    On one of the empty seats sat a figure dressed in a light pair of thin metal armor. Heid back in his seat, having his arms crossed and his head pointed slightly down as if he werepletely carefree. He introduced himself as Metaal Cynthia, the strongest Adventurer within Hogolsworth.

    Lyrian was slightly taken aback by this, but even though Metaal''s words sounded arrogant, no one was seeming to rebuke his ims.

    ''I see... I guess he isn''t lying then.'' Metaal was one of the 3 Adamantium Rank Adventurers in the guild and the strongest one at that. He was one rank sky of being the highest rank that an adventurer could be, at least within the kingdoms of Veridrake, Yuun, and Yaltas, and others surrounding these three.

    Finally, thest one to introduce himself wasn''t really a human being. Instead, it was an orb on the table in front of an empty seat. From time to time, however, this orb lit up and a rough, constricted voice came out of it.

    "I am Third Head. My job is to oversee the supply and distribution of monster goods across Hogolsworth. It is a pleasure to meet you, Lyrian Theageld."

    The orb lit up and spoke. Lyrian''s eyes opened up slightly as he heard this.

    ''I see... I found you, after all, Third Head. However, it looks like you decided to flee and note in person. I guess that was a given though, since you knew I wasing.''

    Lyrian thought to himself, as it finally came his turn to introduce himself.

    He stood up, as everyone else had done during their introductions.

    "I am Lyrian Theageld of Anaviotis. My goal in this meeting ties to my mission foring to Veridrake. It is to solve the biggest concern of everyone in this room, which is the missing person''s mystery."

    Everyone let out determined ''hmms'' and ''I see'' as Lyrian spoke.

    "We usually would discuss that at the end, you see," Rastran eximed, following Lyrian.

    "I have no

    problem with that. I will let everyone discuss what they must first, and then I will continue my investigation from there." Lyrian firmly stated, as everyone respectfully agreed to his proposal and continued their normal meeting.

    The meeting went full circle around the entire table. Each representative of the city discussed problems, policies, sesses, ideas, and many other things about their respective roles.

    However, underlying beneath each and every person''s presentation was an impact that the case of the missing persons had left. Especially in Sir Hyroon''s case, as he attempted to speak on what happened to him and his family back in Jambaal.

    "However, I will restrain myself, as I believe this information is not only known more by Lord Lyrian but it will be presented better by him as well." Sir Hyroon finished his statement, changing the attention in the room to Lyrian at the very end.

    Now that everyone was finished, Lyrian was allowed to state his case in the matter.

    "I will be upright. There is no point in trying to hold secrets anymore, and quite frankly, I can''t be asked to walk as if I''m on sea shells any longer." Lyrian said, standing up.

    No one knew where he was going with this, but they all soon understood as he eximed, "The reason behind these disappearances is something that we all probably have already guessed in the back of our minds."

    Everyone started to fear the worst now. Would he really bring such a horrible premise up? Was it time? Time to finally address *that* problem? Well... it didn''t seem anyone had a choice any longer.

    "This is all the ck Petal Sect''s doing." Lyrian solemnly stated.

    At once, shock and silence filled the room.

 Chapter 408 Astonishing

    <h4>Chapter 408 Astonishing </h4>

    Lyrian was about to reply to this but the chief of police cut in between, "Calm down! This is a meeting between the elites of this city. If such topics are to be discussed it is here."

    The merchant calmed down after hearing this, as the guard chief turned to Lyrian with a serious gaze in his eyes.

    "Still... do you have sufficient proof behind this statement, Lyrian? If not... it will lead to consequences that I will not be able to avoid giving. I hope you understand that." He firmly stated.

    After this, Lyrian went on to exin what he had learned so far during his stay in Hogolsworth.

    He began with his journey to Otinka vige for the Orc quest and exined the overly powerful Orcs that he and his group of adventurers discovered.

    He exined the Dark Ore empowering the orcs, and the figures dressed in ck as described by the Orc Alpha.

    Those around the table listened closely but were not convinced yet. All of these things could have simply been from coincidence.

    However, Lyrian continued, assuring them that this was only the beginning of his investigation.

    He then spoke with him about his journey to the ck Market. Although it was illegal to shop or even enter that ce, it wasn''t like the elites of Hogolsworth didn''t know of its existence.

    Lyrian exined that it was for investigation purposes only and was understood fairly easily.

    He spoke about the Dark Ore swords and how he interrogated the owner, but just as everyone was anticipating a good answer to all of this, Lyrian implemented a lie.

    "After interrogating him, In the end, I didn''t receive any real information. So then, I moved on--" He continued.

    ''I will reveal that crucial information about Third Head at the end. That way, he won''t refute it so early.''

    The Third Head was anticipating to hear that hisckey had given out his name as a culprit.

    However, on hearing Lyrian''s words, there was a feeling of relief.

    After that relief, however, came confusion. Interrupting Lyrian, the Third Head said through his orb, "Did you kill him?"

    Lyrian stopped as he heard this.

    The Third Head knew that the man that Lyrian interrogated had been killed since he lost all contact with him on the same day that Lyrian had visited the ck Market.

    ''If he didn''t reveal any information, then why would he have to die? If this kid did kill him, then that most likely means he gave in and spoke about me.'' The Third Head thought to himself.

    Lyrian paused for a split second before talking. He knew exactly why Third Head asked that question as if he could read his mind.

    He did kill him, but if he were to say it, it would make his story not line up.

    So instead, to exin the disappearance of that shop owner, he said, "I didn''t kill him, but before leaving him he told me that he was going to quit working forever and retire."

    It was almost an obvious lie to both Lyrian and Third Head, but the others didn''t think of it as so.

    It seemed realistic enough, as anyone would do that after nearly getting killed by a kid because of ck market dealing.

    ''T-this kid... I don''t know whether he is lying or not.'' Third Head mused in frustration.

    ''As long as I put him in a state of confusion, where he can''t make a direct conclusion, I can keep moving forward with my exnation.'' Lyrian thought to himself, and that was exactly what he did.

    He continued, speaking about the main part of his story; the journey to Jambaal.

    He spoke of the destruction and bloodshed within the small vige, shocking those in the room.

    When looking at Sir Hyroon, he could only nod and support what Lyrian was saying, which surprised everyone else.

    "They called themselves Fifth Hair Sadness and Fourth Hair Anger, of the ck Petal Sect."

    As soon as Lyrian said this, and Sir Hyroon testified to his statements, the atmosphere in the room changed.

    The lead Buildsmith furrowed his brows. The chief of defense opened his eyes wider.

    Metaal, the Adamantium-ranked adventurer, looked up slightly. He seemed interested now.

    "How strong were they?" He suddenly eximed.

    Lyrian didn''t hesitate to answer, "In adventurer terms, they were no less than CALAMITY threat-level beasts."

    At that moment, even the nonchnt Metaal scrunched his forehead by opening his eyes widely.

    He choked on his spit slightly, "W-what?" He eximed in surprise.

    "Hey..." A bewildered voice came from Third Head''s magic orb.

    Everyone''s attention switched to the orb, as Third Head continued, "Did you kill them?"

    Lyrian didn''t hesitate to say the truth. "Yes... I killed both of them."

    Another atmosphere change urred. Lyrian was seen in a new light.

    ''T-two CALAMITY threat level beasts? If he happens to not be lying... then just how powerful is he? No first year, even in Anaviotis, should be able to do that.'' The chief of defense mused to himself in shock.

    "I see... you''re that strong huh?" Metaal muttered under his breath.

    ''He killed them. Both of them? All by himself?'' Third Head repeated in his mind, in sheer disbelief.

    "Sir Hyroon! Are you sure you can verify the words of Lord Lyrian? Please think deeply of your memories!" The merchant said, still shocked.

    Sir Hyroon faced the fat man with a serious re, "Do you think I wouldn''t recall my family and friends being killed by those beings? I am not confused."

    The merchant stammered, backing down slightly.

    "And finally, that brings me to my next course of action

    . Firstly, It is to track down the base of the ck Petal Sect."

    Before anyone else could even wrap their heads around what was just unleashed, Lyrian continued.

    "I need parties of adventurers, dozens of them with over 4 members each. Search parties need to spread across every corner of the outskirts of Veridrake."

 Chapter 409 The Hunt Begins

    <h4>Chapter 409 The Hunt Begins </h4>

    They wanted to say, ''Wait wait wait!'' But couldn''t even find the opportunity to do so.

    "Rastran," Lyrian faced the man sitting across from him at the round table, "I trust that you will have these search parties ready as soon as possible." He said with a stern tone.

    Rastran had barely said a word this entire time. He simply sat with his arms crossed, a serious expression donning his face. He continued staying silent, as the others tried to work out what was going on.

    "Don''t you think it a bit too hasty to do that? Shouldn''t we look into it more?" Hanol from the Jade Spice Cove finally spoke up. He seemed slightly nervous, but also serious in his speech.

    Lyrian looked at him, but before he could reply, the Third Head eximed through his orb, "I agree. What will you do if you happen to find the base of the ck Petal Sect? Are you nning on waging a war? That will lead to mass destruction."

    The Third Head inwardly thought, ''I can see it from the look in this boy''s eyes that he is nowhere near willing to back down from his n. I am not trying to change his opinion here. I just want to learn his n of action so that I can dismember him from the inside when he tries to enact it.''

    Lyrian paused for a split moment before replying, thinking to himself, ''It would be foolish to reveal the n to the enemy. My current n is to sneak into the ck Petal Sect as a kidnapee, and slowly destroy it from the inside.''

    "My n is exactly that. To wage war. Not to hide away or anything like that, but directly confront the enemy." Lyrian said brazenly.

    "Oh... I see." The Third Head eximed in a slightly delighted tone, smiling inwardly.

    "Hmm..." Rastran began to speak for the first time in a while, capturing everyone''s attention.

    "I support you Lyrian." He stated, surprising a few in the midst.

    "However, I cannot act without the permission of the majority of the board."

    "Then let''s hold a vote. For a thorough investigation of the ck Petal Sect, and a war waged for the protection of the kingdom, raise your hand."

    As Ounz said this, a silence settled itself in the room. Everyone looked at each other calmly, wondering what decision they would make.

    After 20 seconds, a hand finally rose into the air slowly. It was of the Mayor of the city, Ounz.

    "I support Lord Lyrian. His decisions will surely grant us fruition. Right now, war seems imminent to happen. It''s not as though the ck Petal Sect will just disappear away. If we don''t act now, they will only continue growing their evil. War is not good, but sometimes necessary."

    Ounz''s words had depth and meaning. No one could refute his statements.

    Just like that, more hands began to slowly rise into the air.

    "I want to see where this will end up," Metaal eximed with a grin, raising his hand.

    "War is a risk to a merchant, but one with many benefits. I guess I have no choice but to risk it." The merchant sighed.

    "The ck Petal Sect will be nipped in the bud before it can grow." Rastran joined in.

    "We will avenge our fallen ones." Sir Hyroon spoke with dignity.

    "Fine. We are ready for war." The chief of defense sternly said.

    At that moment, the Third Head''s orb lit up brightly. "I agree with this notion. May we prosper in war and destroy the other side."

    ''Other side huh?'' Lyrian scoffed inwardly. ''If he hade in real life, I would have definitely killed him here. The meeting could wait... plus, this meeting is only for information and materials. Even if I didn''t have those search parties, I''m sure a war would eventually be waged where I could seed in finishing this mission.

    In total, that was 8 hands raised out of the ten, including Lyrian.

    The only two who refused were Hanol and the chief Buildsmith.

    "I agree with Sir Jn when he says that a war is a risk. After all, he is a merchant, so he knows these things. However, this risk is too big to take so early." Hanolid out his reasoning, which, in simple terms, was just saying to ''wait.''

    ''A choice made from foolishness or fear.'' Ounz mused to himself when he heard Hanol''s exnation.

    "War is the worst thing for Buildsmiths. I won''t be rebuilding this beautiful nation until the day I die." The chief Buildsmith said. His exnation was valid, but in Lyrian''s eyes, it was a sacrifice for the greater good.

    "That settles it then. For the next undecernable amount of time, we will be hunting the ck Petal Sect." Lyrian''s words made a few in the room chuckle.

    "Aye!" Most of those who agreed to the premise of war retorted in unison.

    And so, from that day began the development of an immense deployment.

    The next entire week after this meeting was used to organize search parties and gather adventurers. Word needed to be spread, and the news had to get even more popr.

    After a week''s worth of preparation, a final bounty poster was stamped onto the quest board of multiple Adventurer Guild buildings near Hogolsworth.

    "Hunt Down The ck Petal Sect! Reward: 1000 Gold."

    This was giant. Not only did it shock the kingdom, with the taboo knowledge of the ck Petal Sect quickly spreading throughout Veridrake, but it was also an amazing reward amount for nothing more than finding a sect.

    It was like a treasure hunt! Adventurers from several towns and cities across the nation epted the proposal, and 14 teams of 4-6 adventurer groups were deployed all across the outskirts of Hogolsworth.

    The beginning of this war had finally begun, and with it came a long duration of search which extended for a total of 2 months...

 Chapter 410 Secret Mission

    <h4>Chapter 410 Secret Mission </h4>

    After only two months, the leaves on the trees began to turn into different shades of red, orange, and smooth yellows.

    The wind around the kingdom turned cooler into calm and cool gusts, as the forest floors were filled with piles of leaves.

    A few hundred miles south of Veridrake, a single carriage drawn by horse traveled slowly through a dirt path.

    This dirt path was filled with leaves, making it indistinguishable from normal grasnd, but the fact that no trees blocked its path made it clear that it was a pathway.

    The dirt path stretched on for many miles, cutting through this very densend thick with trees.

    *CAAW*

    A crow swooped in and soared a few dozen feet above the carriage.

    It held a small piece of rolled-up paper in its mouth.

    At that moment, Nova''s nose-dived from hundreds of feet higher up in the air, mming into the crow.

    Nova was a good bitrger now. In standing height, it was about 7 feet now, and its wingspan was a staggering 20 feet wide.

    The crownded in Nova''s mouth unharmed, but very scared.

    It squeaked at therge Pheon in anger before letting go of the note in its mouth.

    As it did, Nova let it go and grabbed the note from out of the air.

    Nova then swooped down, soaring beside the carriage window. It was toorge tond on top of it.

    Nova learned this lesson already in the past when the horse nearly broke its back after Nova sat on the top of the carriage.

    Nova swung its beak and tipped the note into the carriage through the window.

    It hit the top of a cloaked young man''s head before tumbling and turning down to hisp.

    Lyrian lifted his hood, taking a look at the note that was now in his hands.

    The four other figures resting inside of the carriage with him looked at him curiously.

    On the left side was Lyrian alone, and on the right were Ranthor, Hyren, Metaal the adventurer, and Hyst.

    Lyrian unrolled the small piece of paper and read it in his head. As he did, his eyes widened in surprise.

    ''From Ounz Von Haven: 2 Weeks ago, my father Jiva, left to hunt the ck Petal Sect by himself. We tried to stop him but he was too adamant and wanted to prove he was still strong. He hadn''t returned, and we had just received news that he had been captured. We know nothing else...''

    "W-what does it say, Lord Lyrian? Why do you look so surprised?" Hyst questioned on seeing Lyrian''s expression.

    "Your grandfather has been captured." Lyrian calmly stated.

    "What!?" Hyst blurted in surprise.

    The others were also quite shocked. Hyst shut his mouth, turning to the side as he controlled his anger.

    While clenching his fist he said under his breath, "I told him not to... that old bastard couldn''t be humble enough to admit that he isn''t strong enough to fight anymore!"

    His words were out of frustration.

    The others stayed silent. Ranthor had a slightly concerned look on his face, Hyren''s eyebrows were furrowed, and Metaal''s eyes were closed as he calmly rested against the wall.

    Lyrian eximed at that moment, "Hm. It''ll be all right. After all, we are heading to the ce mostmonly associated with the ck Petal Sect throughout the two months of exploration."

    "I guess you''re right... but don''t you think we should have told the others that we wereing here first?" Ranthor asked at that moment with a hint of concern in his tone.

    "No. They wouldn''t have let me do this alone. But... I have bigger priorities."

    "Jeez... you sound like Hyst''s grandpa." Ranthor joked, causing Hyst to grin slightly.

    "Still... the council would only want to withhold you from going alone because of how dangerous this mission is. We can encounter far stronger beings than the two Hairs that you fought and be in big trouble." Hyren said seriously.

    Lyrian faced him, "That''s why I told you not toe with me. If you want to stay safe,ing with me isn''t the right option." He stated.

    "Screw that! I will find my sister no matter what!" Ranthor eximed out of nowhere.

    "That''s right... we will destroy the ck Petal Sect. I will avenge my family." Hyren said, his teeth clenching in anger.

    "I will find Orua... even if it means I die," Hyst said with conviction.

    "So you''re after my sister huh?" Metaal suddenly eximed at that moment.

    "Wha--oh... yeah," Hyst replied with a slight stutter. "Isn''t that why you''reing along too?"

    "Oh me? Pfft! Of course not! I couldn''t care less about that bitc--" Metaal stopped speaking at that moment, as Hyst red at him with a furious gaze.

    "Whatever." Metaal said, looking over to the side, "Mayor''s kid..." He said under his breath.

    "Then why are youing on this mission with us?" Hyst asked, wanting to know the answer.

    "Lyrian Theageld. He''s interesting." Metaal eximed as everyone faced Lyrian at the same time.

    "I want to confirm his strength and find out just how strong he is."

    "If that''s the case, then you should duel him!" Ranthor said at that moment.

    "D-du

    el? Che! Listen, kid... Lyrian is strong, but he isn''t strong enough to defeat me. That wouldn''t be a worthwhile bout." Metaal said, scoffing at the proposal.

    "What did you say!? You could never beat Lord Lyrian!" Ranthor suddenly eximed in an angry tone.

    "That''s true... Lord Lyrian would win." Hyren said.

    They looked at Hyst, who said, "I can''t really be sure."

    This made them turn to the carriage driver next, "Oi! What do you think? Who would win between Lyrian and Meta--" Ranthor tried to say but was abruptly cut off.

    "W-WILD BOAR!" The carriage driver screamed as the horses pulling the carriage screeched in horror before halting abruptly.

    "Boars?" Lyrian said under his breath, unsheathing his de before jumping out of the carriage.

    As he did, he noticed a giant group of 15 Wild Boars, each having bloodshot eyes that were a deep purple color.

 Chapter 411 Ambush Attempt

    <h4>Chapter 411 Ambush Attempt</h4>

    Everyone except for Metaal readied their weapons. They were used to Dark Ore-infused Beasts by now, as they had been hunting them more and more recently during this two-month search.

    "You aren''t going to help us?" Hyst turned to Metaal and asked him.

    "I''m not here to fight," Metaal replied, looking off to the side.

    "Tsk..." Hyst retorted, turning back toward the wild boars, "Whatever."

    The wild boars were the size of hippos. Out of nowhere, these giant beasts began kicking the air beneath their feet behind them.

    A cloud of dust quickly began to build as the boars stormed toward Lyrian and the others at that moment.

    Lyrian raised his left hand up, which was holding the obsidian de, before saying under his breath, "me Wheel."

    As he said this, a me wheel quickly built up from in front of him before spinning toward the boars.

    It was noticeably faster and more violent looking now, as Lyrian had grown quite considerably in strength as well.

    Most of the boars were mowed down and burned to crisps, but a few still linger with small burn marks on them.

    Ranthor and the others lowered their weapons in surprise. They got a full view of the battlefield as Lyrian''s me wheel burned up all of the smoke and dust in the area.

    "Hydro sh!" Lyrian eximed as several rounded des of water summoned from his hand andunched toward the four remaining boars.

    The des shed straight through the boars, leaving a scene of blood and guts.

    After a short moment of silence and astonishment from everyone else besides Lyrian, a slow pping could be heard from the back.

    *p p p*

    "Wow... I must say I am impressed." Metaal eximed, "But you must do more than really leave asting impression on me."

    No one said anything, simply staring at Metaal for a few seconds.

    Lyrian began walking back to the carriage, sheathing his de, "I don''t care about impressing you." He said indifferently.

    Metaal furrowed his brows out of nowhere, "Y-you--" He was about to say something, but just then, a sharp noise sounded from the distance.

    *Seeeeeu*

    An arrow whizzed past Lyrian''s face, scratching him slightly as it banged against Metaal''s iron armor.

    The arrow left a small indent on the chest area of Metaal''s armor before falling to the ground.

    Everyone was rmed, immediately turning around and cing their guard back up.

    "Ah! Damn it! I had made you guys think that you were safe too! I missed the perfect opportunity!" A slightly younger voice eximed from the treetops.

    Lyrian and the others looked at where the arrow came from, suddenly noticing a young man dressed in all ck jump down from one of the trees.

    "A ck Petal crest..." Ranthor eximed, his eyes widening as he slowly stepped forward.

    "Helloo~ How are you all doing?" The young man whose face was revealed said. He had a long ponytail behind his head.

    "Are you one of the hairs?" Lyrian questioned at that moment as he looked around, "I know we are close to your sect."

    "Oh? And how did you figure that out? And no... I am not one of those pitiful hairs. Pahaha!" The young man suddenly broke out into a heartyugh.

    "You had wild boars near here," Lyrian said, as the young man interrupted.

    "So what? We have boars everywhere around the forests of Veridrake." He said in a mocking tone.

    "And also... you are revealing your face. You wouldn''t do that unless you had backup nearby."

    The smile on the young man''s face disappeared, "Fine... you got me. But, it doesn''t matter. I was sent to kill you all, especially you, Lyrian Theageld of Anaviotis."

    "Good luck with that," Lyrian said, as Ranthor attempted to step in front of him toward the young man from the ck Petal Sect.

    However, Lyrian''s hand was raised in front of Ranthor''s chest.

    "You will die," Lyrian said tantly.

    "Like I said before... I am okay with that." Ranthor eximed in a serious tone, ring at the ck Petal Sect boy with eyes seething in hatred.

    "Did you say you were going to needlessly throw your life away, or that you would sacrifice your life to save your sister?"

    These words from Lyrian shocked Ranthor back to reality. His eyes widened and turned mellow as he stepped back.

    "Y-you''re right... that was foolish of me."

    "Control your anger, boy." Hyren said at that moment, "Save it for that fight... the fight when you kill all of these bastards with your strength."

    At that moment, the young man suddenly burst out into augh. "Ahahaha! From the way you guys talk, it feels like you''re more simr to the ck Petal Sect than you look! How about you join us, huh?"

    Ranthor, Hyren, and the kid from the ck Petal Sect began going back and forth like this.

    Hyst stayed silent through it all, facing the ground as he clenched his fists.

    Lyrian was thinking to himself, ''This is not good enough. It would look off if I was captured by a single person. I want to be taken

    into the sect as a kidnappee, but not in this way.''

    He quickly came up with a solution, ''Then... I''ll make him call those reinforcements that he has. However...''

    Lyrian turned to look behind him at everyone else.

    ''They will be a problem...''

    All of the people behind Lyrian had determined looks on their faces.

    At that moment, Metaal suddenly stepped forward. "Oi! You..." He said in a low tone, "I said I wasn''t going to fight, but you just tried to kill me right now right?"

    "Huh?" The young man stoppedughing, facing Metaal, "Kill you? Pfft! As if! I was aiming for Lyrian, and happened to miss."

    "W-what!? Don''t try to piss me off!" Metaal eximed in anger, his pride slightly hurt.

    "Everyone!" Lyrian suddenly shouted. "If you don''t listen to my next words, you will never work with me again! Leave this ce right now! Go!"

 Chapter 412 Leave

    <h4>Chapter 412 Leave</h4>

    Lyrian faced forward,pletely serious.

    Hyst clenched his fist, "All right." He said after looking at Lyrian''s expression.

    "Where the hell are you going, Hyst!?" Hyren suddenly yelled at that moment as Hyst walked to the carriage.

    "Make the horses face the way we came. We are leaving." Hyst said to the scared carriage driver.

    "Hyst! Don''t ignore me!" Hyren yelled at that moment, "We need to fight this bastard and the ck Petal Sect!"

    Hyst turned around that moment, "Don''t be foolish! I''m on the same side as you, but I trust Lord Lyrian''s instructions."

    Hyren was taken aback by this. It almost felt like a betrayal to him, a knife in his back.

    "Y-you..." Hyren eximed, "You''re going to leave? Just because... he said so?" Hyren said, looking at Lyrian.

    Ranthor also looked at Lyrian, as did Metaal and the ck Petal boy with a curious look on his face.

    "I respect him... but this is the closest we have ever gotten. This is our chance to take revenge!" Hyren screamed at the top of his lungs.

    "He knows more than us," Hyst stated.

    "TO HELL WITH THAT!" Hyren retorted, "He''s a damn child at the end of the day!" Hyren suddenly yelled, flustered with anger.

    "What? Take that back! His knowledge far exceeds that of a child! You ungrateful bastard, had it not been for him, you would have died along with the rest of your family!" Hyst retorted, also getting slightly emotional.

    "Huh? What the fuck did you just say?" Hyren began walking toward Hyst with an angered look on his face.

    "Did you just bring up my family? Who the fuck do you think you are, huh!?" Hyren shoved Hyst in the chest, causing him to stumble backward slightly.

    "I!" Ranthor yelled in the midst of this, prompting everyone to look at him.

    "Tell him!" Hyren yelled at that moment, "Tell him how stupid he''s being, Ranthor!"

    Ranthor paused for a moment before replying, "I... want to destroy the ck Petal bastards more than anyone here."

    "What? No you don--" Hyren was cut off.

    "I do! More than anyone, god damnit!" Ranthor yelled, "But..."

    "But? What do you mean but!?" Hyren retorted in anger.

    "But I know that Lord Lyrian shares the same ideals. He is not the enemy! I know he is doing something that will end in the destruction of the ck Petal Sect! So... I trust him!"

    Hearing this, even Lyrian was slightly taken aback. He actually hadn''t expected Ranthor of all people to agree willingly, as Lyrian deemed his conviction to be even higher than Hyren''s.

    ''But it makes sense... the person with the highest conviction would listen to me after all.'' Lyrian thought to himself, ''Over-

    conviction would lead one to eventually use their brains.''

    Lyrian lightly tapped Ranthor on his shoulder, "Thanks... your goals are safe with me." He said genuinely to Ranthor, who looked him back in the eyes onest time before turning around and walking toward the carriage.

    "Let''s go!" Ranthor eximed as the carriage guy readied his horses in the direction they had originallye from.

    Hyren was speechless this whole time. "No... no no no, this can''t be! I am too damn close!" He turned and looked at Lyrian.

    "You bastard! Why did you do this!" Hyren screamed, looking at the silent faces of the others, "No one knows... no one knows why you did it... why did you do it?"

    At that moment, Hyren had a sudden thought pop up in his head as he looked at Lyrian''s indifferent expression.

    ''No... it can''t be... is he... with them?'' He thought for a split second before suddenly copping a chop to the back of the neck by Hyst.

    He was instantly knocked out cold. "That''s what you get for pushing me... bastard," Hyst said, picking the young man up over his shoulder.

    "Lord Lyrian! We will entrust this to you! Come back swiftly!" Hyst said as he and Ranthor got on the carriage.

    As they left, Lyrian turned to look at the ck Petal Sect boy, who now had furrowed brows.

    "Well... I don''t really care about them I guess. My target is Lyrian, after all." He shrugged it off, looking at the carriage shrink away in the distance.

    "Oi, scum bag! Focus on me, your opponent, not Lyrian." Metaal eximed at that moment, having already unsheathed his long metal board-sword.

    "Scum bag? My name is Heath, you fool. And plus... you''re not strong enough to be my opponent. Move out of the way, scum bag." The boy who addressed himself as ''Heath'' said, not giving any shits about Metaal.

    "Hm... fine then. Come at me--" Heath didn''t even get to finish his sentence when Metaal''s de appeared mere centimeters in front of his face out of nowhere.

    ''Speed...'' Heath mused, his eyes widening.

    As Metaal''s sword tip neared a single millimeter from Heath''s skin, a small area around Heath''s nose was suddenly protected by a thin, dark-purple barrier.

    *ng*

    Metaal stepped backward, "What? No damage?" He said under his breath, as the transparent barrier around the impact point on Heath''s face quickly disappeared.

    At that moment, Heath raised his crossbow in front of him, at which moment it shifted into a long, mechanical spear.

    The two kicked the ground and propelled toward each other in the middle, unleashing barrages of attacks as they shed.

    They seemed to be equal in strength, except, Metaalnded on Heath''s body a bit more.

    However, due to Heath''s purple protection barrier, Metaal''s sword couldn''t damage him.

    Heath''s spear, however, scraped and scratched at Metaal''s face and fingers here and there, as those were the only unprotected parts on his armored body.

    "Damn it! What a stupid ability! But... you won''t be able to use that for long!" Metaal yelled in frustration.

    "Haaahaaha!" Heath suddenlyughed like a maniac, "Actually, this aura is always around me. It''s how us high-ranking princes are born and raised. We are bestowed this power by god himself!"

 Chapter 413 Lyrian Versus Heath

    <h4>Chapter 413 Lyrian Versus Heath</h4>

    They surrounded a dead corpse, with his head chopped off and a shocked look on his face. It was Metaal who had died, his swordunched across the ground and his body in a pool of blood.

    Lyrian''s expression remained heartless as he faced the man who imed to be the strongest.

    ''He died so fast that I couldn''t even do anything. But, I don''t think I would have done anything there anyway. He was too overconfident.'' Lyrian looked up and faced Heath who had a slight smirk on his face.

    ''Scan.''

    ��������Scan��������

    Name: Heath Killian

    Species: Human

    Bloodline: Killian Dynasty

    Age: 18

    Overall Power (OP): 18

    Health: 185/185

    Stamina: 181/181

    Strength: 180

    Agility: 185

    Defense: 195

    Rank: Genesis: Layer 2

    MP: 400/425

    ����������������������

    ''Considering the fact that Metaal was at an OP of 21, he should have lost him. But... that defense skill that he had was too overpowered.'' Lyrian mused to himself.

    ''I''m also not far behind now in terms of power. In these past two months, I''ve already achieved the Second Daemon of my cultivation technique. The first was Astaroth, and the second, Azazel. Now, I am only about a week away from unlocking my third Daemon...''

    "Lyrian Theageld! Finally, it is a pleasure to meet you!" Heath suddenly yelled from across the grass field.

    "I''ll keep this short and sweet since I will be taking your life today," Heath eximed, beginning to walk over to Lyrian while swinging his spear around him effortlessly.

    ''My n to sneak into the ck Petal Sect... first, I''ll need to pose a bigger threat than this guy, so that he will call for backup.''

    Lyrian didn''t hesitate to unleash his killing intent. It was fearsome, much stronger than before.

    His own self had gained 3 more OP levels, meaning all of his stats had increased by at least 30 points. And to top it off his creatures also had gained in strength considerably through Lyrian''s growth in power and also their own natural growth.

    Heath furrowed his brows. "A trick." He calmly stated. "I know this ability of yours already. You use a trick to make your opponents feel overpowered before the fight even begins, and use that to defeat them."

    Lyrian was slightly taken aback by this. Heath was only half right, but even that was slightly confusing.

    He decided to y along, "Oh? How did you know?" Lyrian inquired curiously, trying to know how Heath understood some of his abilities.

    "Pah! I knew it! I have my sources... but why tell that to a dead man, or kid rather, che! Just know that there are many eyes within the trees."

    ''Hmm... interesting. I thought maybe he imnted a spy, but it turns out I won''t get to know the answer to that.'' Lyrian took out his obsidian de.

    ''First, I want to test out my own abilities on this guy. It''s been a while since a challenge like this has popped up. Thest one was the Sadness and Anger duo, but I didn''t really get to use my powers, since they were simply overwhelmingly strong. Now, however, at an OP of 16, I should be able to put up a fight.''

    Lyrian ran forward without hesitation, as Heath quickly stationed his spear in front of him.

    "I won''t lose to a coward who uses measly tricks to win against another person!" Heath eximed, thrusting his spear at Lyrian''s face as he neared 10 feet from him.

    "I thought that was exactly what you did to Metaal though, no?" Lyrian retorted, pushing his heel into the ground and moving to the side of the spear.

    He then twisted his body around along with this de and sliced at Heath''s cloak.

    The boy''s cloak also had a protective barrier around it, but Lyrian was just happy to be able tond a hit.

    As Lyrian''s de nged off, Heath jumped back, "What!? Don''t speak rubbish. I beat Metaal fair and square using this technique that I was born with."

    "A pathetic technique," Lyrian said out loud.

    "The same one that just deflected your blow? But... I must say, you don''t seem to beplete trash. I''m surprised you actually managed to get to my body." Heath proimed.

    Lyrian looked at him with disdainful eyes, "You think too highly of yourself, cocky bastard." He paused, as Heath looked at him with furrowed brows, "This protective barrier that has shielded you your entire life has made you forget the fact that you''re just some weakling with no real talent. If that wasn''t the case, I should have never been able to touch you."

    A vein in Heath''s forehead popped out, "Erggh... that''s it! I don''t have to listen to you! I''ll just kill you instead! I was ordered to take you in alive, but I know you won''tply with that, so you''re dead meat!" Heath got serious, moving forward at a faster speed than before.

    At that moment, Lyrian clenched his jaw, "Hit him, Zuuc, but don''t kill him." He said under his breath, as a purple shadow aura formed around him.

    As Heath''s spear neared a few inches from Lyrian''s face, a green hand emerged through the shadow behind the small boy.

    Zuuc punched through the tip of the spear, obliterating it as his punchnded straight onto Heath''s face.

    For a split moment in time, the protective barrier around Heath''s face withheld the force of Zuuc''s punch.

    But it eventually gave in and disappeared, overwhelmed by the force.

    Zuuc''s fist hit him with a mind-boggling impact that the teen had never personally felt before.

    His nose was crunched and caved into his face immediately, as his entire body was propelled away at a hundred miles per hour.

    He mmed against arge tree before falling face t onto the ground with the t face that Zuuc had created.

    "Go back in," Lyrian muttered again. Zuuc''s hand retracted back into Lyrian''s dark aura and it all absorbed back into his shadow at a quick speed.

 Chapter 414 Mind Controlling Gu

    Chapter 414 Mind Controlling Gu

    ??"Augh! Gah... Kraah!" Heath choked on his own blood, attempting to breathe as he faced the green tree canopy above him with widened eyes.

    After he coughed out a ball of blood, he began to pant heavily once again, getting down onto his hands and knees.

    Lyrian slowly approached the young man who couldn''t believe what just happened. ''I almost died!'' He looked up, only to see a heartless expression slowly walk over to him.

    His body instantly leaned back. He sat on his rear, before pushing himself back slowly until his back hit the tree behind him. He gasped inwardly slightly as his back thudded against the tree.

    ''How? He was meant to be a lying small fry? What spell did he just use? A punch? Is he that strong of a sorcerer?'' Heath had far too many questions.

    This overwhelming pain and confusion was the perfectbination of factors that forced him to use ''Telespeech,'' a unique spell of the ck Petal Sect.

    "I need backup... please hurry." His voice was slightly echoey as if he was a robot, and his mouthbox lit up in a purple aura as he spoke.

    A smile stretched across Lyrian''s face when he heard this.

    "What the hell is wrong with you!?" Heath eximed as shivers ran up his back.

    "Now, I can kill even more of you," Lyrian eximed in a believable tone. He was a surprisingly good actor since Heath didn''t hesitate even a second to believe him.

    "Che! You may be stronger than me, but don''t think you can defeat our squadron leader! Thats right... Master Jue ising this time. You won''t stand a chance! In fact, I''ll have him kill you!" Heath screamed like a maniac.

    "Hey... did you forget who''s still in power here?" Lyrian knelt down next to Heath as the teen slowly crept his face away from Lyrian.

    "Ahhh! Heelppp!" He suddenly screamed out of nowhere, facing the sky.

    Lyrian shook his head, ''I wanted him to scream for help so that the backup woulde quicker, but to think... how pathetic. Looks like that barrier wasn''t the only thing shielding him from life to grow up and be a coward like this.''

    At that moment, three figures appeared behind Lyrian and Heath.

    The one in the middle had short gray hair and a simr-looking stubble. In terms of age, he looked to be no older than 50 with a few wrinkles, and his body was quite tall and developed.

    He wore a pristine ck robe with stripes of purple outlining it, and the aura he exuded could be described as ruthless and continuously flowing.

    He stood confidently with his hands wrapped behind his body, as the two aplices beside him were on one knee and facing the ground.

    They also wore ck, but instead of robes, it was the iconic ck suit that the ck Petal Sect members were known to wear.

    "S-squadron leader! You''re here!" Heath eximed in relief, his eyes and face lighting up.

    Lyrian faced this man with wariness. As the squadron leader, Jue, walked forward, Heath slowly rose up and got onto his feet, using the tree to help himself.

    "What a pitiful state," Jue eximed with a disdain-filled look on his face.

    "Y-yes... but it was due to this bastard! Master Ju... I want you to kill him! Right now! Kill him!" Heath suddenly eximed in a fit of rage.

    This was quite a skeptical situation for Lyrian. He didn''t want to fight to the death here. He wanted to be captured instead, so Heath saying all of this wasn''t ideal.

    ''Maybe I should have killed him after he called for help...'' Lyrian mused to himself.

    "He did this to you? Impossible. What happens to you is always only your own fault. You were too weak to pick a fight with him, clearly." Jue said in a heartless tone.

    "W-what?" Heath eximed under his breath, in slight shock.

    "And you said to kill him? Did you forget the orders of the Third Head? We mustn''t kill him. If he is ever found, he needs to be taken in. His potential can be crucial to the ck Petal Sect."

    As Jue paused, Lyrian urgently thought to himself, ''Third Head? Did he see my n? No... he must have just seen meing here. Still, it seems he is higher on the hierarchy than this guy.''

    "B-but... I am the prince! You can''t defy my direct orders!" Heath suddenly yelled.

    Jue then looked at him with a more serious expression.

    "Boy... what makes you think you can bark orders at me?" Jue said in a low tone.

    Heath winced slightly, looking down a bit.

    "In the ck Petal Sect, your birth status means nothing. You must prove what you can do, or go suck a pile of shit. Right now, you are no greater than a pathetic First Level Cadet."

    Heath could speak no longer, stumbling back slightly as he leaned against the tree behind him.

    ''Interesting...'' Lyrian thought to himself, ''This sect looks to have some viewpoints that are even more virtuous than that of the normal world. Birth hierarchy doesn''t exist.''

    "Boy." Jue looked down at Lyrian, "Join our sect willingly. You will have the chance to be a squadron leader, and perhaps, even more."

    Lyrian stared at Jue for a long while before finally speaking, "To hell with that! I''d rather eat dog shit thanply with the evil that your sect has brought to this world!"

    Ju''s expression did not change. He expected this sort of reply.

    ''Good... it worked.'' Lyrian thought to himself, impressed with his acting skills.

    At that moment, Jue reached into his robe and took out a small, squirming red worm.

    "Go, Mind Controlling Gu." Jue said as the worm in his hand dropped to the ground.

    ''Huh?'' Lyrian mused as the worm disappeared into the grass.

    An odd feeling of worry overcame Lyrian, as a sudden pain jolted through his body.

    He froze, feeling an overwhelming pain in his head. Then finally, he cked out.

    ...

    "It worked," Jue said, staring at the emotionless eyes of the young kid in front of him.

    "Let''s go," Jue said, jumping up to the trees as his aplices followed him. Lyrian also followed behind him, moving robotically as if his body was not his own...

 Chapter 415 Black Petal Sects World

    Chapter 415 ck Petal Sect''s World

    ??Heath eventually got up after sitting by the three for a few minutes.

    He then patted himself off before dashing off into the trees, spitting blood out from his mouth.

    About 10 miles away, soaring across the tree branches were four figures that moved fast enough to look like blurs.

    Jue, his two servants, and Lyrian moved with quick speed across the trees.

    As the lifeless Lyrian followed in the back, Jue spoke to his lower-level Cadets.

    "That is my final Mind Controlling Gu. I will need to retrieve more from the capital." Jue thought out loud.

    After a few seconds, one of his aplices spoke up, "Hey... looking at this kid. Don''t you think that Gu didn''t work or something?" He turned his head past his shoulder and spoke while looking at Lyrian''s nk expression.

    Chills ran up his spine. He couldn''t help but be slightly creeped out.

    "Pfft!" Jue suddenly scoffed at that moment, which seemed out of character for him.

    "Listen to me carefully..." He said as the aplices both turned toward him, all ears.

    "That Gu wasn''t a normal one. It was myst one, and I always save the best forst. The strongest Mind Controlling Gu at my disposal is something that not even the Sect Leader can escape, once already caught." Jue smirked.

    Hispanions gasped in surprise.

    "Well... of course... I would never do such a thing. Plus, that is only if the Gu is able to control his mind in the first ce. I don''t think any Gu in the world is possible of that, hahaha!" Jueughed, causing his aplices to awkwardlyugh alongside him.

    "Anyways... the point is that after someone is controlled by the Gu, there is no sort of power in this world that can free them. These Mind Controlling Gu''s are created by the ck Petal Sect specifically suing Dark Energy from the Dark Ore. No spell from the open world has figured them out yet."

    Jue''s tone was confident, leading his aplices to feel more secure.

    ''I see... interesting.'' Lyrian suddenly thought to himself at that moment. ''Good thing what I have isn''t a magic spell, but rather, an infinite consciousness. Isn''t that right, Gear?''

    [Correct]

    Minutes earlier, when the Mind Controlling Gu had first entered Lyrian''s body, it attempted to take over.

    However, Gear was able to override the Gu''s intentions by deeming it as a poison and confining it to a certain part of Lyrian''s body.

    This way, the Gu couldn''t control Lyrian''s mind and was instead forced to be a parasite-like being inside of Lyrian''s body for a temporary amount of time.

    This was the same process that Gear had used on the Molten Essence when Lyrian ate the Earth Guardian''s golden liquid all the way back in the entrance exam.

    Currently, Lyrian has full control over his body. With Gear''s help, he could even make use of the Mind Controlling Gu at any point.

    However, he didn''t know how it worked yet, so he decided to let it be for now.

    After another few minutes of traveling, Jue leads everyone to a seemingly insignificant, unsuspecting patch of forestnd.

    There, Jue dropped to the ground, as did everyone else.

    He walked forward and then moved to the left, then the right. He did this multiple times, sometimes jumping up, and then strafing right, left, sideways, and down.

    Lyrian found this veryplicated but mimicked Jue''s movements to the best of his ability.

    Finally, with thest sway to the right, Lyrian''s surroundingspletely changed.

    He took one step forward and entered a brand new domain. It was an underground passageway lit up with torches.

    As the others walked forward, Lyrian took a peek behind himself one more time.

    Behind him, there still existed the outside world. It was as if he was standing in between a portal connecting two different realms of existence.

    However, instead of the normal forestnd, Lyrian saw a giant transparent maze made of a purple aura.

    ''A pattern... once solved, this portal opens up, but only for the person who solves it. It looks like one needs to have every single movement memorizedpletely to be able to solve it, as there is no way to know whether it is there or not or solve it otherwise. It''s an impressive defense array.''

    Lyrian thought to himself before quickly catching back up to Jue and the other two.

    They soon arrived at a staircase descending downwards in a spiral motion.

    Each stair was an irregrly shaped piece of giant amber that was over 10 feet in length.

    After 10 minutes of walking, Lyrian arrived at the bottom of the staircase.

    There, he followed Jue to an absolutely enormous opening that stretched on for seemingly miles!

    A brilliant, bright, and ginormous civilization filled with buildings high and now.

    Trees underground, waterfalls, and giant ponds and rivers. People flying across the underground ''sky'' using giant birds and ravens.

    Buildings of various sizes, shops, training houses, and much more.

    It was an entire society. Sol followed Jue into the well-lit domain which was as bright as day, or even brighter--thanks to the uncountable amount of giant crystals of various colors that were found on each crevice in the wall.

    They entered a busy street, where the passerby quickly greeted Jue and the others by promptly stopping whatever they were doing and stepping to the sides of the street and bowing.

    Lyrian looked around and saw what seemed to be normal people. Women, the elderly, children, working men.

    Horses and carriages roaming the streets, young boys running around and causing a mess.

    Vendors yelling their prices at those in the streets.

    Everyone was just like the normal world, except there was one difference. This was the underground kingdom, where all lived with no Sun for their entire lives.

    Jue walked with his chin head high, as did the other two.

    "Lyrian Theageld. Look and witness. This is the ck Petal Sect; the realm which will one day take over the entire world."

 Chapter 416 I Value Freedom...

    <h4>Chapter 416 I Value Freedom...</h4>

    Soon after this, Lyrian and Jue, along with the other two ck Petal Sect members, made their way up the hill that this part of the city was built on.

    As they traveled up, more and more big buildings began to appear.

    Finally, at the very top of the hill was arge Edo-period Japanese-style building that had many connecting buildings near it.

    It was blocked off by arge gate, and within this estate were several smaller versions of the same building.

    At the start of the gate was arge courtyard that connected all of these buildings.

    Jue led Lyrian to the one in the middle, thergest one. It had a small 2 case flight elevating the building''s porch a foot off of the ground.

    Here, Jue''s two acquaintances stood beside the doorway and allowed Jue and Lyrian to enter alone.

    As soon as Lyrian entered he was met with an expansive interior.

    Several rooms existed to the sides filled with many workerspleting paperwork.

    In the middle was arge quarter where many young women and men walked around.

    This quarter also connected to almost all of the other buildings, almost like arge hallway in a school.

    Lyrian looked at these young men and women walking past with intrigue.

    ''Trainees? This ce isn''t messing around if they have entire institutes like this...'' He realized the sheer scale of how the sect was moving.

    Finally, Jue led Lyrian upstairs to a balcony that overlooked the city that Lyrian had just walked through minutes earlier.

    Winds came out of seemingly nowhere, blowing against Lyrian''s hair as he and Jue faced the magnificent, beautiful scenery in front of them.

    Windmills on a farm in the hilly sides of the giant underground chamber were automatically causing the wind to exist, giving life to the breeze.

    The scene was breathtaking, and as Lyrian admired it for a second, Jue turned toward him.

    "Boy... you have immense potential. I will have you work under my own squadron in the future, understand?"

    Lyrian nodded.

    "Good. Then,e with me."

    They walked into the room attached to the balcony that had its wide doors fully open with draped curtains flying in the wind.

    Only about 2 feet inside was a pedestal with what seemed to be a piece of Dark Ore with inscriptions on it.

    "This Dark Ore connects to the Dark Core." As Jue said this, Lyrian looked at him with a slightly curious expression donning his face.

    "Ah... you will learn about thatter on--as long as you be a member that passes societal expectations, of course."

    Lyrian had no clue what the old man meant by this and shrugged it off.

    "ce your hand here. Your name will then forever be connected to the Dark Core, and your soul will be permanently bonded to it."

    As Jue said this, Lyrian felt his heart skip a beat.

    His eyes wanted to widen in shock, but he purposefully stopped himself.

    ''What is he saying? My soul will be permanently...'' His eyes looked at the peripheral of his vision.

    ''I can''t do anything. If I try to fight here and give up on my n of hiding within the ck Petal Sect, I will surely die, even with my beasts. I have no other choice.''

    Lyrian''s mind traveled at a million miles per hour, trying to figure out the best option in this scenario.

    "But, before you ce your hand on it, I will let you understand the implications, as that is a must for a high-potential cadet like yourself." Jue walked back out onto the edge of the balcony as he spoke.

    Lyrian stayed still, his mind still racing.

    ''If I ce my hand here, my soul will be bound. They will be able to control my every move, and no matter how powerful I get, they will still be able to control me.''

    "When one ces his hand upon a Dark Ore, his very mana, the building block of reality, is stolen from him. But when one ces his hand on the Dark Core, even more is taken. His soul, the creator of his Life Essense is stolen from his being, and put under a seal."

    Jue spoke as though his words were of a great man.

    "However, this does not mean that you be a ve, but rather, you be a soldier. A warrior that stands for something. A man who will give up anything to repair this world and bring justice to it. Don''t you think?" Jue seemed to talk about his own personal thoughts here.

    ''He''s venting away to me since he thinks I am barely conscious and under control, but his false sense of safety is foolish for a person of his standing. Still, what he says is wrong.''

    Up until this point, Lyrian had seen nothing wrong with the ck Petal Sect mindset as of yet.

    Of course, what others had told him made the sect out to be evil, and he believed that they were.

    Still, his own experiences had led him to create a small train of thought that piled only good things.

    However, with those words from Jue, his mindset finally shifted.

    ''A man who stands for something willingly is a solider. He has a choice to falter, yet he continues to trudge through the pain for what he believes. But... a man who does it out of a forceful nature is only a puppet. A ve.''

    Just hearing this word was enough to make Lyrian seethe with anger.

    ''A ve...'' His body began to shake slightly, not out of fear, but anger.

    ''The most caged being in the world. I promised that I would not be so caged... I promised to be the most free. Yet, I have no choice right now but to be a ve.''

    He looked at Jue, who was smiling right now after his speech. Lyrian''s inner mind torched in anger.

    He turned, cing his hand on the Dark Ore. ''I will get my revenge...'' He hadn''t felt such anger in far too long.

    ''More than pleasure...'' He began to say to himself, his voice a low growl that seemed to echo in his mind in the stillness of the moment. ''More than friends... more than family... even more than power. Above all of these things,''

    Lyrian''s back was turned to Jue, but his eyes were wide open, twin orbs filled with red cracks of rage that seemed to fracture his very soul. The intensity in his gaze was more profound than ever before.

    ''I value freedom.'' he finally finished his thoughts, the words dripping with a raw, unbridled passion that hung heavily in the air.

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