《Shadow Monarch: Heroines Could Hear My Thoughts?!》


 Chapter 1 01- I Am The Sidekick!

    Chapter 01- I am The Sidekick!


    At some point in my life, I met a person. He was an old man if I can recall correctly. Old, wrinkled, tired, and lonely. He had no family, no friends, and nothing to rely on. He lived his life inplete solitude, far away from the warmth of a loving hand or the caress of a caringpanion.


    He waspletely and utterly lonely. Yet, for some reason, when I met him, he always had a brimming smile on his old face. It wasn''t the most bright smile in the world but it still carried something that a person like him should not possess¡­ Hope.


    He was still hopeful, he was still looking forward to tomorrow. As much as he was aware of the fact that he will never see his loved ones again, he still moved on and continued living.


    At that time, I was still a clueless, small child that had everything. Friends, family, warmth¡­ I had it all.


    My only concern at the time was ''why did my friends leave me here and go y alone? Why did they leave me alone? I wanted to y too!''. I just sat there and cried silently over my simple problem.


    So, the words he said to me at the time only passed as nothing but nonsensical gibberish that my immature mind could never get. Something that I will onlye to understand after so many years¡­ Even after my death.


    He said, "Why are you crying, child?"


    I don''t recall what I said precisely, but I am sure that I recounted what happened to him. It was not a good idea to speak with a stranger especially when you''re nothing but a kid. However, his voice had such a gentle tone to it that I could only feelfort and ease talking with him.


    He listened to my story silently, his expression didn''t lose its warm smile. He just waited for me to finish.


    After ending my story, I just continued crying. I could not bother by the fact that he was still there. I just spoke out my heart in hope of findingfort in that and it did work.


    Then, he spoke again "Do you hate loneliness?"


    "I do! I want to always be with my friends." I responded.


    "What if they don''t want to be with you?"


    His second question made me go silent since I could not process it at all. It was hrious to see my wet face contorting as I tried to think of an answer with that stupid brain of mine.


    "I¡­ I don''t think they should hate me! I am always nice to them."


    "What if staying with them will hurt you instead of making you feel happy?" His tone was still gentle and serene yet his questions were the contrast of that. They kept brutally assaulting my mind and I had no way of fighting back¡­ or responding.


    Seeing that, he probably understood my hardships and started chuckling.


    "You don''t have to answer that question. It was just an old man spouting nonsense. But, in my opinion, you don''t have to feel sad about them hurting you."


    I can''t recall his face, but I can recall that his eyes shifted to look at the sky as he continued.


    "The people that love you will always stay by your side. The people that cherish you will always pull you together with them. They will see you as something important to them, something that they must not leave behind. Those are the ones that you should give your all to."


    I didn''t get it¡­ I didn''t get anything of what he said yet also found it very interesting to listen to.


    Even with my confused mind, I was still able to generate a question that I wanted an answer to.


    "Where can I find those people?"


    "That''s not something neither I nor you could answer. Those people are the ones who will give you the answer. They will show you that they are truly what you have always been looking for."


    That was thest thing he said before he walked away, leaving me in a lost state. I frankly didn''t like that answer, they will give me the answer? What does that even mean? Was it some stupid philosophical stuff an old man would say?


    I never knew the answer to that and years passed. I grew up, met new people, created new friends, and lived a fulfilling life. I totally forgot about that moment in my life, as if it was a fleeting memory, dancing along a thin string that was my life. It created a ripple in that string but that was it, it just vanished after that leaving that string as motionless as it ever was.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    "Rin¡­ Rin¡­ Oi Rin!" A voice woke me up from my daze.


    For some reason, I embarked on a journey down the nostalgia path at that time. I didn''t know why, but recalling that memory from time to time became a simple hobby of mine.


    "My bad, I was thinking about something," I said as I scratched my head awkwardly.


    The one I was speaking to was my best friend, Marcus. We have been best buddies for years¡­ even after the apocalypse took over the whole world, we never left each other''s side and tried to survive together.


    Yeah, you heard me right, apocalypse. It''s not a romantic drama or a cheap B-rated movie about zombies but a full-fledged apocalypse.


    Now, let''s make things clear, surviving the apocalypse while being a 17-year-old boy is nothing short of a miracle. We didn''t only do that, we even were able to create a new ce for people to live in.


    Even though I say ''we'', people will shake their heads and respond ''It was Marcus who was able to do all of that. You are nothing but a follower.'' and I was totally fine with that.


    I did lose my family because of this apocalypse, but I never med anyone for it. Marcus and the others tried their best yet it ended up with me losing my little sister and my mother¡­ My only two remaining family members from after the apocalypse.


    The story of how that happened is stupidly long so I will spare you the details and say that it was a mistake¡­ A mistake of a decision.


    Anyway, I shook my head to get rid of these ''fourth-wall-breaking'' thoughts and focused on the matter at hand.


    We were sitting around a huge table, a total of 6 people, me, Marcus, and 4 other girls were the people present at the meeting.


    "Focus, man. The matter is very important." Marcus replied with a reprimanding tone.


    "I''m all ears."


    "Good. Now, as we were saying, our patrol teams discovered a dungeon far in the north, approximately 500 KM from here. The dungeon seems to be untouched and the aura around it indicates that it''s at least a C-Rank dungeon."


    "C-Rank dungeon? You aren''t actually thinking of clearing it, are you?"


    "That''s what I want to do," Marcus replied to my retort with a serious look.


    "Did you go fucking nuts? It''s a C-Rank dungeon we are talking about. We barely could clear an E-Rank dungeon two weeks ago and now you want to tackle one that''s two ranks higher?"


    I was genuinely shocked and very angry at his unreasonable request.


    "We can''t keep this slow pace. If we keep going step by step, we will eventually be destroyed by the ''wave''. The monsters around the shelter are bing stronger and stronger and the zombies are also increasing in numbers. We have to get stronger as quickly as possible."


    "Marcus is right. The higher the risk the higher the rewards." One of the girls said.


    Her name was Fiona, Marcus''s childhood friend. I can already see many of you thinking that ''she''s definitely in love with him'' and to that, I will respond¡­ yes, she''s head over heels for him.


    They have basically been together for almost 10 years so it was inevitable that she falls in love with him. Besides, the boy Marcus was handsome. He was tall, attractive, kind, and takes care of others. Anyone would be attracted to him let alone his longsting childhood friend.


    She was a gorgeous woman with a petite stature and a cute face that made others adore her and protect her. Her distinct ck wavy hair and her aquamarine eyes made her really attractive to both sexes.


    *Ehem*<novelnext></novelnext>


    Anyway, she was clearly with the idea just because Marcus said it. I won''t be surprised if she followed him to hell if he said so. That shows how blind her trust in him was no matter how wrong he was.


    Fuck, that''s too dark. Let''s not diverge from the topic now.


    "That is stupid and dangerous. Forget about the fact that the risk is over the roof, the chances of a dungeon outbreak happening are very high in case the raid fails. The shelter would be at a huge risk if a swarm of monsters attack all at once."


    I was still against the idea and wasn''t going to back now, many innocent people will die. It was no joking matter.


    "Then what? We sit here and wait for the monsters to infiltrate the shelter and kill us all. I won''t allow that to happen. We can''t restrict our ambitions just at the mere sight of a dangerous challenge." Marcus added.


    "Marcus has a point, Rin. We have no other choice but to fight against stronger enemies. That''s our only way of bing stronger." Another girl responded


    This one was ire, she was Marcus''s older step-sister. Yup, I am not even kidding, his step-sister. Now, before some of you start moving your right hand, let me exin.


    ¡­.


    You know what, you can move your right hand. She''s as hot as you could imagine and a little bit more and she was also coincidentally deeply in love with him.


    ''Coincidentally'' I say but it was all somehow working perfectly as absurd as the scenario sounded. Marcus was just one lucky motherfucker.


    Her body was just simply there to tease every man''s fantasy and make them have a hard time sleeping at night. Big breasts and a plump ass coupled with an hourss figure.


    After ncing at her for a few seconds, I averted my eyes from her naturally and looked at Marcus.


    "You don''t know how absurd what you''re doing is, Marcus. Reckless greed for power will only lead us to imminent death."


    "Come on, Ri-"


    "Hmph! Let him be, Gin. He has always been a coward and he will always be a coward. He won''t understand you."


    The rude voice belonged to the third girl, Serena. Now, I can see you all waiting for the grand reveal of who this girl was and how she was somehow close to Marcus. Well, you are all mistaken. That girl is supposedly MY childhood friend.


    Her rude attitude toward me and the clear disgust she had toward me made me question whether we were actually childhood friends or not. But, what I was certain of is that rude Tsundere also likes Marcus.


    You might be wondering why she wasn''t attracted to me. The answer is, I have no fucking idea. She just hates me and considers me like trash. No, worse than trash.


    A childhood friend, a step-sister, and the Tsundere¡­ The harem trinity has beenpleted. Well, not really since there was still onest fourth person¡­


    "Don''t say that, Serena. Rin is an indispensable friend and a great fighter. We will need him in this."


    I shook my head with a sigh.


    I really didn''t know what to say at that time since no one was with me. I was genuinely about to give up.


    "I think Rin is right." A cold voice suddenly eximed calmly.


    Speak of the devil, the fourth girl finally spoke. Now, you all knew that the three girls were great beauties, well, scratch all of that and throw it in the bin.


    Ok, let me put it more simply for you horny lot to get. Let''s say the three girls I previously mentioned were 9/10 in my perspective. Well, the fourth one is like 100/10.


    I knew that might sound like an exaggeration and it may well be an exaggeration. But, the fact is, she was drop-dead gorgeous. The type that will genuinely make you fall in love at first sight. I never believed in that fact until I saw her for the first time.


    However, much to my bad luck, I was never someone who could ask her out or even be friends with her. We both were from two different worlds. I was a poor orphan who recently lost the remaining members of his family. As for her¡­


    Her name was Elise, we were ssmates at some point when the apocalypse only existed in fiction.


    An angr face, snow-white skin, and a pair of starry violet eyes. She was also quite tall with a body that would make you lose your mind with a nce.


    Do I sound like a simp? I don''t give a fuck. I was just giving you guys a small idea of how beautiful she was.


    Anyway, her background before the apocalypse was as outstanding as her looks. Her father was a world-renowned businessman and she worked as a model for a plethora of popr magazines.


    Back to reality, I erased these thoughts from my head and focused on Marcus. His eyes were focusing on Elise and I could see the myriad of emotions dancing in his eyes. One nce was more than enough to see who this casanova liked.


    He never directed such a longing, warm and gentle gaze to any of the other three, except for Elise. He was head over heels for her.


    What a drama! This makes me feel like I''m the sidekick of a rom harem anime with a cold main heroine. It''s never bad to be a part of that even though I know I will never get my hands on these women.


    "Why, Elise? You know more than anyone else how crucial it is to get stronger quickly." His voice didn''t have any authority or anger. He was speaking in a low, gentle, almost pleading tone.


    However, Elise ignored his puppy eyes and responded with her usual ice-cold demeanor.


    "We are not qualified to face a C-Rank dungeon now. If you want tomit suicide then go ahead and do it."


    There were no emotions in her voice, she didn''t even consider Marcus''s emotions which were clearer than the sun in the morning.


    His face frowned slightly for a split second before returning to normal quickly.


    "Got it." He responded faintly before walking back to his chair.


    I sighed under my breath and looked at the time on my pocket watch. I say it''s my pocket watch but it was actually my father''s pocket watch. He gave it to me when he was on death bed 9 years ago and I kept it with me since then. One of the hands was cracked but still working and the numbers were barely visible to the eye.


    I kept it with me as thest thing I had that linked me to my family.


    "It''s alreadyte. I should be going back now." I excused myself and left the room.


    Have fun with your harem, Marcus. I thought in my head.


    When I was out of the house, I whistled slightly.


    "Mika! Mika, where are you?" I said as I called for my solepanion.


    "Waa!!" A cute voice responded to me with a low screech of happiness.


    Then, a small creature flew out of nowhere beforending in my hands. She looked like a lizard but she had wide wings on her back. Yes, she was what we call a ''dragon''.


    I had a dragonpanion as myst ''family''.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 2 02- Sucks To Be The Sidekick!

    Chapter 02- Sucks To Be The Sidekick!


    "Where did you go, Mika?" I asked my cute little dragon.


    "Waaa!!"


    "You know you can''t find food just by roaming around, right?"


    "Waaa!!"


    "Sigh, ok, ok, let''s go get a snack." I rolled my eyes at her and put her on my shoulder.


    Happily, Mika rubbed her face on my cheek while making low screeches to show her affection for me. Even though we have been like this for only a few months, we grew fond of each other and she was now basically my only family.


    What? You want to know how I can speak with her? Well, somehow, I can understand what she wanted to say. It was as if our emotions were linked and I can sense what she wanted to say purely from her emotions.


    I don''t know how that works but I couldn''t bother to search for an exnation. We liked each other and that''s the most important thing.


    As we walked through the shelters, we looked at people going around their normal¡­ Well, ''almost'' normal days silently. It has been a year since the apocalypse started so people were still not ustomed to this change.


    They tried to adapt but most of them lost their friends, families, and even some parts of their bodies because of zombies and other monsters that roam the world.


    All I could see on their faces was sadness, despair, and hopelessness. The general mood of the ce was just ufortable.


    "Waaa!!" Mika''s eyes looked quite sad as she spoke to me.


    "I know, Mika. But, we can''t do anything. This cruel world destroyed people and robbed them of what they loved. Let''s only hope that they can find happiness."


    "Waaa!!"


    After a few minutes, we reached a small house in a corner of the shelter. Compared to Marcus''s house, mine was basically more like a tent rather than a house.


    The difference was that one had 4 people living in it while I lived alone. Yes, Marcus lived with his three girls there. No one somehow asked why. It was as if this was the normal course of things.


    Anyway, I entered the old house and sat down on the couch, creating a screeching sound. The ce had basically two rooms, a kitchen, and a bathroom. That''s it.


    "Waa!!" Mika tapped my face with her nose and said.


    "Go get something from the fridge to eat. I''m not that hungry." I said as I made myself even morefortable on the couch.


    "Waa!!" The little dragon nodded happily and flew to the fridge.


    I could hear her rummaging through it to find her favorite snack. She liked eating chicken bones so I kept them for her in the fridge.


    *Crunch* *Crunch*


    The sound of bones cracking echoed in the house.


    "Don''t leave bits and pieces of bones scattered around, ok? Yesterday, I had to clean behind your mess."


    Hearing me, Mika flew back to my side and rested her body on myp. Her purring sounded like that of a cat as she buried herself deeper and deeper in my embrace.


    I hugged her back and closed my eyes to rest a little bit. That day was hectic and I wanted to rest a little bit.


    "Never leave me, Mika. Ok?" I asked with a whisper.


    "Waa!!"


    "Hehehe!" I chuckled at her enthusiastic response.


    But, that question was genuinely something I really wanted. She was all I had left in this life and the mere thought of losing this small dragon horrified me to no end. She was the one that made me get over my grief for my family and even took their ces for me.


    "I love you, Mika," I said as I felt myself getting drowsy and my brain shutting off.


    "Waa!!" She replied and licked my face with her small tongue. Her innocent and clear eyes were thest thing I saw beforepletely falling into a deep sleep.


    An unknown amount of time passed, I didn''t know how much I slept but it was a long time for sure. I never felt myself sleep this deeply in my entire life.


    When my eyes finally started opening, I heard a sound beside my ear.


    "Waaa!!! Waaa!!!"


    Is Mika calling for me? What time is it? I''m still feeling drowsy.


    "Ugh¡­" I groaned with a sore throat and tried to wake uppletely.


    "Waaa!!"


    Finally, with thest shout, I fully woke up and my eyes went wide. I never heard Mika calling for me with such urgency before.


    I looked at her with a confused look.


    But, before I could say anything, the door to my house knocked loudly. I stood up and walked to the door before opening it. There, much to my shock was Elise. Her beautiful face made my heart stop beating for a second before I regained myposure the next second.


    "Eli-" Before I could finish my sentence she said urgently.


    "A monster stampede ising toward us from the north. We counted their numbers in the 50." She said with a cold tone.


    "What?! Wait, the north¡­ Don''t tell me." I realized something horrifying.


    "I couldn''t find Marcus and the others." She sadly proved my suspicions.


    "That idiot! I told him not to do that! Which type of monsters are they?" I asked as we hurried out of the house.


    "Mostly C-Rank orcs and some D-Rank goblins." She said.


    "This is really bad! Damn it! How is the evacuation process?" I tried to keep my calm in this dire situation and tried to find the best solution.


    "We were able to evacuate most of the elderly, women, and children. The rest are now getting ready for the fight. All the squads are now near the barrier." She exined.


    Even under such immense pressure, she kept herposure and her rational thinking. That''s something I really admired about Elise.


    "Are we even going to be able to beat 50 at the same time?"


    I knew my strength really well and I must say that I will never be able to face such a swarm of monsters head-on. I can somehow deal with 2 or 3 C-Rank monsters alone but more than that and I''m basically dead meat.


    That''s me speaking when I can proudly say that I''m one of the strongest people in the shelter. The others can''t even face 1 C-Rank monster.


    "We have no choice but to fight back till those peoplee back." Her face turned even grimmer when she mentioned those ''people''.


    I can see the anger on her face when was speaking. A fit of rightful anger considering the danger we were facing.


    Because of his selfishness and stupidity, we had to face a huge threat. I can''t describe how angry I was but I had to keep that forter and focus on what''s more important now¡­ surviving!


    We soon reached the barrier, it was as the name suggested, a huge wall that surrounded the shelter made out of a transparent substance. It didn''t look like something that existed in this world that was because it is.


    This barrier was actually an artifact we found in one of the dungeons we raided a few months ago by a fit of luck. Then, it became the firstyer of defense for this shelter.


    There, we found tens of men getting ready. They wore weird armor that looked like they came out of a medieval novel and wielded their swords and spears.


    Some had guns and even RPGs but they were a fewpared to the huge majority of people using sharp weapons.


    The reason for that is that these weapons weren''t normal swords and spears.


    I nced at the group and then at Elise before saying.


    "We must not let them get close to the barrier. I know that weck the manpower to face this number of monsters but we have to stop them at all costs!! Your families and loved ones need you now more than ever!"<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Yes!!"


    Everyone cheered after me with clear determination. Don''t get me wrong, I was not a leader by nature and I don''t even like speaking to many people. But, when I recall the number of innocent people that will die in case we fail, my introverted self just vanishes.


    After that, I pulled two daggers out and aimed them at the horizon. There, I could see the silhouettes of tens of creatures running toward us.


    Elise was standing beside me with a calm look on her face.


    "I have a n," I said.


    Her eyes looked at me briefly before looking ahead again.


    "I''m the fastest out of all of us. I can go around and attack them from behind. With enough luck, we can split them into two or more groups."


    She went silent for a few seconds before replying.


    "You will die."


    "Very likely. But, if I die protecting the innocent then I can meet my family with a proud smile on my face. Besides, if I don''t do that, everyone will perish. One soul for the sake of hundreds." I said with a small smile on my face.


    As edgy as that might sound, I didn''t fear death at all. I genuinely didn''t feel any repulse toward the idea of losing my life. I had already seen my own father, mother, and sister die at my hands. I felt their bodies grow cold and their eyes lose their light.


    My only possible regret is to leave Mika alone in this world. That girl would be lonely without me and I don''t want that to happen. That''s the main reason why I was still standing here.


    "Waaa!!" Mika seemed to have sensed my thoughts and she rubbed her face on my cheek gently.


    "Don''t worry, I won''t die. Not before I see you grow up to be a mighty dragon that could soar the skies." I said as I patted her head.


    "I know I can rely on you, Elise. Take care of the matter." I said before vanishing from where I was standing.


    Elise was way stronger than me so she was the best person to rely on. I knew that she will be able to fend off those orcs and goblins.


    I moved across the wide ins toward the monsters. I was running at the speed of a bike quite easily.


    I should be able to gain a palpable amount of exp because of this. I thought to myself as I changed my course and started running diagonally.


    My two daggers were shining under the sun and the mana channeled through my body supplying me with energy to keep my high speed.


    Soon, I was close enough to see the orcs clearly. I must say that they were as ugly as they were depicted in fiction.


    I could smell their nasty odor from a few hundred meters away.


    After surrounding the stampede, I made sure that I was close enough to as big of a group as I could. Then¡­


    "OIIII!!! Ass faces! I''m a delicious human! Come here if you want to take a bite!!" I shouted.


    Fuck! Now that I think about it! I sound sus as hell!! I''m not gay, ok?


    But, be it as it may, my provocations seemed to work as 20 monsters looked back at me and growled loudly in anger.


    They didn''t get what I said but my existence alone was more than enough to make them go on a rampage.


    "This is kinda scary, not gonna lie. Are you ready, Mika?" I asked.


    ? "Waaa!!" Mypanion replied excitedly.


    Instantly, I was the target of these creatures. Their huge sizes and my small frame made me look even more insignificant.


    "Come on, guys. Hurry up! I''m literally the freshest meal you could have." I said with a small smile.


    After making sure they started running after me, I started running too. I wanted to get them as far as possible from the shelter.


    "WRAAAAAAAA!!!!"


    I kept running while keeping the orcs close to me just to make sure that they don''t ignore me and go back.


    When we were far enough from the shelter, I halted and pulled out my daggers. They were my main weapons since I was relying on agility as my main power.


    "Now, we are finally alone."


    After that, I pointed one of my daggers at them and continued.


    "Let''s end this."


    "WRAAAAAAAA!!!"


    Without hesitation, they charged at me with their huge frames carrying in their arms what seemed to be wooden clubs.


    *Swish*


    I instantly moved toward the first orc, and with my speed, I could take it by surprise.


    "WRAAAAA!!!"


    When I was close to it, what weed me was the huge wooden clubing towards me. I swiftly dodged it with a sidestep and I jumped on top of it. After that, I lunged at the orc''s upper body. My dagger moved along with my body and dug deep into its chest.


    My arm shook violently when I pierced its sturdy flesh as if I was hitting a rock. But, I ignored the pain and used the other dagger and tried to stab its throat. That should be lethal enough to kill quickly.


    But, if it was that easy then I will question whether they were really C-Rank monsters or not. A simplebo like that can''t kill a creature of that size.


    *Ziiii*


    The orc''s left hand grabbed my leg and threw me in the air. The monster''s speed was really impressive inparison to its huge body.


    While in the air, I was about to be a ball in a baseball game. The orc simply swung it with both hands.


    "Mika! Now!" I shouted.


    "Waaaaa!!!" Mika screeched and attacked at my sign.


    Her wings pped quickly as she created a strong airwave and sent it flying toward the orc. It wasn''t strong enough to kill the orc but it was more than enough for it to lose its momentum and give me crucial 5 seconds to regain my bnce and counter back.


    Using my flexible body, I turned mid-air andnded on the orc''s arm. Then, without hesitation, I shed at the monster''s face.


    "WRAAAAAAAAA!!!" A loud scream of agony echoed around as the orc fell down while holding its eyes.


    Blood gushed out of its face like a waterfall as it quickly stained the ground.


    That should kill it slowly. I thought to myself.


    However, there was no time to celebrate my hard-earned win as in the orc''s ce, three more came rushing.


    "Fuck¡­ Can you pleasee at me one at a time. A queue will be much appreciated." I joked light-heartedly to ease my worries.


    Then, with a determined look, I clenched my fists as I shouted at the top of my lungs.


    "Haaaaaaaa!!!"


    Then, I charged toward them fearlessly, ready to die in battle.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 3 03- My Broken Soul!

    Chapter 03-My Broken Soul!


    (Sad chapter alert.)


    Hours passed by in a sh as I indulged in this bloody battle. I fought, retreated, and fought again relentlessly. Each orc was hard enough to kill using all my efforts, with 20 of them, I was basically screwed.


    All I could do was to keep on mindlessly swinging and stabbing my swords, my mind ceased working at some point. My heart was beating so loudly that I felt as if it was about to explode at any given second.


    Blood dripped down my face soaking my clothes in a sticky crimson. My right arm was brutally broken into pieces and bent at a weird angle. My ribs were basically turned into dust and my internal organs were so damaged that they were barely still functioning somehow.


    My left eye was now basically useless and half of my teeth were now nothing but small remains stuck in my mouth.


    All I had left were my worn-out legs and my left arm which was holding tightly to the dagger not letting go. My body screamed for me to just fall down, to close my eyes, and to fall asleep. My lungs begged me to just calm down and breathe properly. My heart screamed in pain at my excessive efforts as it tried to pump whatever amount of blood was left in my veins and keep me alive.


    The pain I felt was something that no human should ever experience. I was amazed at my tenacity.


    Even when I was dancing between life and death, I asked myself. What the fuck am I even doing? Fighting a bunch of monsters until I die? That would''ve sounded cool to my old self. The one that would basically rx in his room, eat snacks, y games and enjoy his time.


    Now, I was surrounded by blood, guts, and the foul smell of death that I already grew ustomed to. But, why was I fighting with my life on the line? To save innocent people? Oh yeah, right¡­ To save those people. I almost forgot about that goal.


    Hehehe! It might sound pathetic, but I genuinely don''t get where that sense of heroism came from. I was never a kind person. I mean, yeah, I would help an old woman cross the road if I can but never more than that. I wouldn''t go out of my way to sacrifice myself for others.


    However, I somehow became some kind of self-proimed hero after the apocalypse. I followed Marcus and his ideal view of the world.


    He wanted to save everyone, to lead the people to a better future where no one dies. As stupid and naive as it may sound, I admired that dream and thought that it was also my own dream.


    Now that I think about it, I, Rin, have lost everything because of that same wed ideology.


    My mother and sister died because we were ambushed by a bunch of survivors. They were killed eventually, but they were able to drag my family with them to the afterlife.


    The cause of that ambush was Marcus''s mistake of leading the group to an unknown part of the city in search of food and water. I tried to reason with him about keeping it low for a while and not getting greedy with supplies as we have more than enough to survive for a few weeks at the time.


    But, with the help of his harem, they turned me down and we had to move toward the biggest mall in the city just because.


    After losing them, I cried for days and felt like killing myself multiple times. They were what I had left and suddenly, they were gone. But, I didn''t me Marcus nor did I hate him. I thought that maybe it was all meant to be. I thought that it was maybe fate that decided to rob me of my loved ones.


    So, after some time, I moved on with my life. Of course, I don''t need to mention the countless mistakes he made that led to people losing their lives. I was dragged to near death multiple times before because of wed decisions.


    I mean, I should''ve hated him at that point, right? I mean, he was the reason for my suffering and all. But, I kept my optimistic side working as I advanced forward. ''No pain, no gain'' was my motto as cheesy as it sounded.


    Where did that get me? To my imminent death is the answer. I am now literally staring at the grim reaper in the face. He was definitely waiting eagerly to drag me with him.


    "Ahh¡­ There are¡­4 left¡­" I muttered under my breath.


    "Waaaa!!!" Mika called for me near my ear yet I barely could hear her.


    She was saying extremely worried about me but I couldn''t respond that I was fine, that they were merely scratches and I will be able to kill these orcs. But, I knew that if I spoke, I will lose all strength in my body and I will faint.


    I am barely standing anyway. One of the orcs came rushing toward me ignoring my poor state. I tried to move my legs to avoid his attack but something unexpected happened.


    "BLUUURRGH!!!" I spat out a huge amount of blood from my mouth as I fell down on the ground.


    *BAAAAAM*


    To add salt to the injury, the club smashed my body into the air. I was like a bloody ragdoll that lost all of its strength.


    ''Ahh¡­ Why is the world somehow more colorful now?'' I thought confusedly.


    Even though I was now losing consciousness slowly, my head was very clear and my thoughts were pretty much up to speed.


    ''Mother, little sis, I will finally follow you. Sorry to keep you two waiting. I should''ve been with you sooner than this but it is what it is.''


    My body fell down again head first and I stayed motionless as I looked at the sky above me with a dazed look.


    The blue color filled my vision and made me feel rxed somehow.


    A small, weak smile crept to my face as I admired the scenery silently.


    ''I''m sorry, Mika. I have to go first.'' I thought as I felt the earth shake.


    Each step the orc took toward me was like a slow countdown to my death.


    "Run away, Mika¡­ Live and be a great being." I muttered to my partner who I could feel was standing by my side.


    She screamed continuously as tears fell from her face. I felt delighted and also sad that she cared for me that much. I didn''t want her to suffer as I did. I wanted her to live happily, find other dragons and live with them if possible.


    But, no matter how much I begged her to go away, she didn''t budge. I couldn''t even shout at her since my throat was destroyed.


    Then, the orc was finally close enough. It lifted its club and tried to smash it down to end my life.


    But, much to my shock¡­


    "Waaaaa!!!" Mika screeched loudly with a mad look on her face.


    Then, she attacked the orc and started biting the orc''s face viciously.


    "N-No¡­ Mika!! L-Leave¡­ Please¡­" I tried to speak as the orc started stumbling left and right.


    At some point, it caught Mika and threw it on the ground. After that, the monster stomped on her. A painful groan escaped her small mouth.


    The orc kept stomping her again and again as Mika tried to resist.


    "N-NOOO!!" I gritted my teeth till I started bleeding from my mouth and I tried to stand up. But, I guess even sheer will has its limitations. My body was simply refusing to listen to me.


    ''Come on. Move! Move goddamit!!'' I cursed under my breath.


    But, even this didn''t seem to work. At some point, Mika''s voice vanished and coincidentally the monster stopped stomping her before turning around toward me.


    I could see blood stuck to the monster''s feet.


    My eyes widened in deep shock. I refused to believe what happened and merely looked at the monster motionlessly.


    As the monster was about to finish me off too¡­ Something happened.


    *Swish*


    A silhouette appeared and lunged on the monster''s back, the monster didn''t feel its presence at all until it was way toote.


    *SLASH*


    I watched as the orc''s head got decapitated and fell down on the ground.


    The monster''s huge frame followed suit soon after as it fell down too. I could barely understand what happened as my mind was only upied with one thing.


    "MIKAAA!!!" I shouted at the top of my lungs when I saw my dragonpanion lying motionless.<novelnext></novelnext>


    In a fit of luck, I gained some control over my body so I started crawling toward her. I ignored the pain, the person that saved me, and everything else around me. My sole focus was on Mika.


    Finally, after a horrible journey, I reached her. Her beautiful body and her shining scales were nowhere to be seen. She was now nothing but a disfigured mess of blood and flesh. All of her scales were scattered around her. The only intact part of her body was her head.


    Her eyes gazed at mine weakly as she breathed herst few breaths.


    Unknowingly, tears started falling down my face like a waterfall. I didn''t make any sound at all. I couldn''t make any sound at all.


    "W-Waa." She called for me with her sore voice.


    Her energetic voice was nowhere to be found.


    "M-Mika¡­ Wait, I-I will heal you up. I will get you a potion and you will be back to normal quickly."


    "W-Waa." (It''s over for me, Rin¡­) [PS: I will trante Mika''s voice from now on since it will be kinda confusing.]


    "No, no, no, no. You can heal from that¡­ You can.. hick¡­" I couldn''t even finish my sentence before a burning sensation filled my chest.


    "W-Waaa." (Meeting you was the happiest moment of my life. You took care of me, fed me, and loved me.)


    Even though she was dying, she still called for me with her gentle tone. She was still my Mika, the happy and beautiful Mika.


    "Waa. Waa. Waa" (You are a great person, Rin. Your heart is the most beautiful thing I felt. It''s so clear, so warm.)


    "I''m nothing but a pathetic, weak, and stupid bastard, Mika." I replied as I tried to hold in my tears.


    "Waa. Waaa. Waa." (You don''t have to me yourself. I want you to keep living, Rin. You deserve to feel happy.)


    "How can I feel happy without you, Mika. I can''t live alone, Mika. I can''t live without you."


    I waited for her response but it never came. My eye that was closed finally opened again and I looked at Mika. She had already closed her eyes and died peacefully with a serene look on her face.


    "Mika¡­ Mika¡­ Oi, Mika¡­ Answer me, Mika!!" I begged her as I tried to gently touch her body with my working arm.


    But, no matter how much I called for her, she didn''t respond.


    Mika¡­ My cute dragon died in my embrace.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    [3rd POV:]


    Marcus and the other girls looked silently at Rin as he looked at his dragonpanion silently. He had cried for a few minutes but he suddenly stopped and didn''t move at all.


    Marcus looked at the girls with a difficult look. They all nodded at him so he took a deep breath and approached Rin.


    "R-Rin¡­ I-I''m sor-"


    Before he finished his sentence, Rin responded with a terrifyingly calm tone.


    "Why did you save me?" He asked.


    "Wha-"


    ? "Why didn''t you let the orc finish me off?"


    "I¡­ I''m sorry for your loss." He said with a pained look.


    "Sorry for my loss? Which one of them? My sister and mother that you led to their deaths or Mika that died because of a monster stampede you caused?"


    "Rin, Marcus wa-" ire tried to speak and defend her beloved.


    "You shut the fuck up," Rin said coldly.


    "Which one of them are you sorry for, Marcus?"


    Thetter fell speechless as he didn''t know what to say. He couldn''t retort to anything Rin said.


    "I¡­ I feel pained fo-"


    "Feel pained? Hahahahah!!" Rin suddenly started chuckling loudly as if he heard the funniest joke of his life.


    "The person that robbed me of everything is giving me his condolences. Much appreciated, brother."


    Rin suddenly helped himself up after putting Mika down and he faced Marcus. Thetter looked horrified as he gazed at Rin''s disfigured face and his destroyed eye.


    "Frankly speaking, Marcus. I fucking hate you. I hate you with every fiber of my being. Following you for all this time had only brought me sadness and loneliness. I followed your sorry excuse of a dream in hope of finding a ce safe enough for me to spend my life with my loved ones. Look at me now, I lost everything. While I have to bear with the harsh coldness of an old house, alone with nothing worth living for, you can bask in your own fucking glory with your harem."


    Then, Rin shook his head.


    "You got what you fucking wanted. Look at you, you got way stronger now along with your beautiful wives. Now you can now go home and fuck them all night. Nothing happened really. Who fucking cares about a mere friend when I will be hailed as the great Marcus who became a hero of humanity."


    "Rin! I didn''t mean to do that. I know how painful it is to lose Mika but¡­"


    "You wretched demon of a human!!! What the fuck do you know? Look behind you¡­ You lot are safe and sound. Your parents are living happily. You know fucking nothing! The only thing you know is how to trample over other people just to reach your selfish dream."


    Then, Rin''s eyes shifted to the girls behind Marcus. His apathetic gaze made them shudder unconsciously.


    "Then we have you three. I can''t evene toprehend how you lot possess a brain. No matter how wrong that scumbag is, you lot always are backing him up. ''Oh, Marcus. You are always right. Rin is the fucking idiot for not following your decisions.'' Then what, you fucking went with your selfish desires leaving all the burden for us. Elise is probably still fighting monsters till now for all I know or she could even be dead. She had to handle your childish egos and protect the shelter. She''s the only salvageable human out of your group."


    The girls'' faces turned pale with shame as they looked down not saying anything. Even the rude ire couldn''t say anything at all. Marcus''s face was the worst out of them when he heard that his beloved could be killed because of his stupid choice.


    After saying all of that, Rin took a few deep breaths and looked down at the ground before adding.


    "I never want to see your faces again. Just the mere sight of you and your bitches disgusts me to no extent. I''m leaving this ce. Have fun doing whatever suicidal shit you want to do. I''d rather die from hunger or from a monster than to stay close to you for even one more second."


    After that, Rin bent down and started collecting Mika''s scales one by one. Tens of them scattered around the area and were swept by the wind left and right.


    At some point, Marcus and the girls left without uttering a single word.


    Rin didn''t care about them at all. They could go rot in hell for all he cared.


    Minutes passed as he picked Mika''s scales. He didn''t care how long that will take, he didn''t care if it took days to collect all of them¡­ She had to beplete in his hand.


    As he was picking them, he heard footsteps walking toward him. He didn''t bother to look who it was.


    Elise reached him, she didn''t say anything at all and merely started collecting scales with him.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 4 04- Goddess Of The Heaven, Lili-Pon!

    Chapter 04- Goddess Of The Heaven, Lili-Pon!


    Minutes became hours, two individuals could be seen walking and picking small scales across a huge area. There were some buildings around them but they were all deserted and in a horrible state because of monsters and zombies.


    Rin didn''t care if zombies attacked him at any moment, he waspletely open to any sneaky attack. Maybe it was exhaustion and heavy injuries but there was also a far more horrible reason for that.


    Finally, Rin was able to pick thest scale, he then looked at Elise silently and waited for her to finish her part. He didn''t question why she helped him since his mind wasn''t really in the right state to thinking about such things.


    Elise then approached him and gave him the scales she picked. Her eyes didn''t show any kind of emotion. However, inparison to Rin''s eyes, hers were filled with all kinds of emotions.


    Rin''s eyes were empty, hollow like a dead fish. The emptiness in his eyes could make anyone shudder. Those are the eyes of someone who had lost hope in life and couldmit suicide at any given moment.


    Looking at the bloody scales and the dead corpse of Mika, he felt his heart getting shredded to pieces, he held in the urge to break down into tears and looked at Elise.


    "Thank you." There was no gratitude in his tone. Not out of ungratefulness but out of a horrible sadness that took over his mind and soul.


    Elise opened her mouth to say something but she stopped and instead did something that shocked Rin. She pulled him in and embraced him tightly. His eyes widened slightly and he tried to wiggle out of her hug but she held him in with both hands.


    "No one will me you for crying. Don''t hold it in."


    Her cold voice, as apathetic as it sounded, was akin to an angelic melody in Rin''s ears that opened something inside of his heart.


    Then, as if a damn broke, he started crying loudly, her embrace felt soforting for Rin. It was something that he didn''t know he wanted but something he needed.


    Tears fell down his cheek and soaked Elise''s shoulder yet she didn''t care at all. She just kept hugging him and giving him a shoulder to cry on.


    In normal cases, hugging someone as beautiful as Elise would''ve made Rin feel as if his heart would explode with embarrassment, and something down there will probably rise. (It''s not that hero we all know with his shield. Don''t make that joke plz.)


    But, now, all he felt was a warm feeling that filled his whole being as if it was telling him to just let himself loose.


    After crying for a long time, he finally calmed down and pulled himself away from Elise. He felt slightly ashamed that he cried like a baby in a girl''s embrace. Not to mention that girl was Elise so it could not be any more shameful for him.


    "I-I¡­ apologize for the disgusting sight you saw¡­" He looked down and said with a low tone.


    "Having emotions is not something to be ashamed of." She replied with a forceful tone that was quite rare for her.


    "You are a great person, Elise¡­ Thanks for everything, I am grateful for every time you sided with me." He tried to make a natural smile but ended up looking like a sad smile rather than a grateful one.


    Elise squinted her eyes for a second and asked.


    "Are you going to kill yourself?"


    Rin was slightly surprised by it but he still didn''t try to deny it. To be honest with himself, he contemted the idea in his mind as he picked the scales one by one. What was the point of living anymore? What was the point of trying to continue and experience this endless torture that''s called life? A quick, painless death sounded more and more attractive to him.


    He couldn''t bear it anymore to look at a futureless life with no goals or ambitions. All he had was an empty shell of his old self and that was something that destroyed his soul slowly.


    But¡­


    "Honestly, I thought about it. But, I think I won''t kill myself¡­ yet. Mika wished for me to live and I will only be spitting at her sacrifice if I go andmit suicide. I know she''s watching me now and she will be really sad if I don''t follow her words." He said.


    Elise didn''t know what to say in his response. Even when he knew the painful life he had ahead of him but he still didn''t run away like a coward and ended it here because of that.


    A feeling welled up inside her chest¡­ an indescribable feeling that she never felt before. It was not ''love'' or anything like that but more like deep respect for the man in front of her.


    However, that respect soon turned to a frown, she recalled her own life till now and all she could see was a coward who ran away from her fears and hid away from her insecurities instead of addressing them.


    She could never see herself bing like Rin and that made her loathe herself even more.


    "I''m¡­ not a good person." She murmured.


    "Huh?"


    "Nothing. Good luck in your life, Rin. I saw how kind you are and I know for sure fate will always smile at those with pure hearts." She said.


    "I don''t know about that¡­ But, thanks for the encouragement, nevertheless. But, if you allow me to say this. I don''t know what you experienced in your life but that doesn''t make ''not a good a person''. I can see that you are a kind soul and that''s a fact I''m sure of. You always have time to fix things and be better."


    After that, Rin turned around and started walking away. He had no idea where to go or what to do but he just allowed his legs to take him wherever.


    ''I should first bury Mika near my family''s graves.'' He thought as he changed his direction again and walked toward a vast in west of the shelter. It was the ce of a graveyard where he buried his father, mother, and sister.


    Walking for almost an hour with a tired body made him feel as if he would lose consciousness at any moment but he still continued walking, slowly¡­. step by step.


    Finally, he reached a small door that led to a big area filled with tombstones. He remembers this ce like the palm of his hand since he came here every week without fail. He liked to just sit down and talk to them about his life, what he did and what his goals for the future were. It was a time he cherished very much as it made him feel as if his family is watching over him.


    Soon, he was able to see 3 tombstones next to each other. He was already ustomed to this sight but it still hurts him greatly each time he takes a single glimpse at it.


    "Hello, father, mother, sis." He said with a small smile.


    After that, he dug a small hole beside them and put Mika inside of it ever-so-gently. He was treating her as if she was the most fragile thing in the world.


    After that, he caressed her face and muttered.


    "Rest well, Mika. You deserve it."


    After that, he started scooping dirt and putting it on top of her, scoop by scoop, her body vanished under the dirt and soon, the hole waspletely covered.


    After that, Rin just sat down and gazed emptily at the closed hole for a long time. He didn''t feel the passing of time or the threats in his surroundings.


    He also didn''t notice the person that snuck behind him.


    "For how long are you going to sit there?" A sweet yet cold voice spoke to him waking him up from his trance.


    "Huh? Elise? Why are you here?" He looked behind him and sure enough, the cold beauty was standing there.


    He was sure that it was thest time he will see her as their paths divergedpletely but for some reason, she came up after him.


    "I¡­" She tried to say something but then clicked her tongue slightly.


    Whatever she was saying, she most likely felt embarrassed to say it or that''s what Rin thought purely from looking at her abnormal behavior.


    But, she finally resolved herself and looked him straight in the eyes.


    "Do you want to partner up and leave this ce?" She asked.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Rin was quite surprised by her request as he would never think she would want to stay with him. While she wasn''t the type to show emotions at all, she was still one of Marcus''s group so he thought she was in love with him as all the other girls are. But, it seemed he was gravely wrong about that.


    "Are you serious?"


    "Yes.." She nodded her head.


    "I mean¡­ I''m not really that strong or smart s-"


    "I didn''t want to go with you because of that." She said.


    "Then why?"


    "I''m fed up with Marcus and his contagious stupidity. I am sure that if I kept following his group then I will end up either dying or gravely injured. Besides¡­" Her voice trailed off to the end so Rin squinted his eyes at her.


    "Besides?"


    "You are a rational person and I''m sure that if we helped each other¡­ We can do something. We can even end this apocalypse¡­ The first rune tower we need to conquer is not that far from here."


    Rin shook his head and looked at the graves in front of him.


    "I don''t think I can do that. I''m not strong nor ambitious enough to pull off such a feat. I can''t put you to danger when you put your trust in me."


    Rin just felt like pathetic trash that was not up to the trust Elise she wants to put in him. He failed in protecting his family, who guarantees he won''t repeat the same mistakes again? No one can!


    Elise stood silent for a few seconds before sighing and approaching Rin slowly. When she was barely one inch away from him¡­


    *SLAP*


    The crispy sound of a p echoed in the whole graveyard. Rin was shocked beyond words because of the unexpected hit.


    He held his cheek and looked at Elise.


    "You need to wake up! Your family and yourpanion died and that was not your mistake!  Do you really think they like to see you self-destruct like that?" Her voice had a tinge of anger and irritation in it.


    But, Rin didn''t feel any malicious intent behind her words, only pure concern which made him feel warm in his heart. The p was most likely her way of making him erase these negative thoughts.


    [Heheheheh! How romantic! You two are really a match made in heaven! Wait¡­I''m the goddess of heaven and I don''t recall matching both of you. Huh? What am I even saying anymore?]


    Alerting them was the weird and yful voice of a mysterious person. Both of them looked around them warily as they searched for this neer. But, no one was there.


    [Fufufufu! I''m not there! Wait, let me change the ce!]


    Then, as if it was the most normal thing, the whole ce changedpletely. It was more like instant teleportation which sent them to a whole different area they had never seen before.


    The ce they are at now was an empty void made out of void as if worldly matter could basically not exist here. Their feet were also floating in mid-air as they didn''t feel anything under them.


    Rin was just purely bbergasted by this urrence to the point where his mind simply calmed downpletely.


    As for Elise, she was still wary as she held tightly to her weapon and looked around here.


    [Heheheheh! I''m here¡­ HERE!!]


    The two looked up and much to their surprise, a gorgeous woman was floating above them. Her beauty was so mesmerizing that it took their breath away for a good 5 seconds.


    Her features just simply didn''t belong to their world. It was divine, scared, almost forbidden to look at by their mortal eyes.


    She wore a white dress that reached her perfect thighs and hugged her perfect figure while leaving some for their imagination.


    "Who¡­ are you?" Rin asked as he shook his head.


    [It''s me, your cute, adorable, and fun goddess¡­ Lili! Call me Lili-Pon!] She flew around them and made some gestures that he saw before in idol concerts in japan.


    Her eyes glistened with amusement as she spoke to them.


    For some reason, Rin was speechless but also somehow lost wariness from this weird person that imed to be a goddess.


    [Oh! So boring! Come on, at least p at my beautiful and absolutely amazing moves! I trained a lot for this exact moment!]


    She pouted and crossed her hands in front of her plump breasts which made them shake slightly.


    "Why¡­ did you get us here?" Elise finally uttered a question.


    "Oh, you both are dead." She replied casually.


    ? "WHAT?!!" They both screamed at the same time.


    [Perfect sync! Ptff! Just get married, baka couple!]


    "Wait, wait, wait. What do you mean we are dead? We were alive barely 1 minute ago!" Rin stopped her before she just moved on.


    [So annoying, Rin. Not every death is done by truck-kun, I tell you. There is also just dying of¡­*cough*... natural causes without any ''external influence''.]


    "Don''t tell me¡­ you killed us?!"


    *Whistles*


    The goddess Lili averted her eyes from them as she didn''t know what to say. She acted like a small child that did a grave mistake.


    "What in the actual hell?" Rin couldn''tprehend how he just simply died like that.


    As ironic as it sounded, he didn''t expect his death to be this quick and sudden without any prior notice.


    [Ehem, don''t worry though. I didn''t kill you just for fun. I came here with an offer for both of you.]


    Then she grinned widely and continued.


    [How about you both reincarnate?]


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 5 05- The Useless Goddess (Part 1)

    Chapter 05- The Useless Goddess (Part 1)


    "Reincarnation?" Rin muttered with a confused look.


    [Bad, Rin. I know you read manga and watched anime like a maniac before so you already know the drill. Get invited by a hot, beautiful, and cute goddess like me, h, h, h¡­ Get reincarnated in another world¡­ h, h, h¡­ It''s not the point here. The point is, do you want to get back everything you loved and more?]


    ''She knows I''m an anime fan? I kept it a secret from everyone around me.'' He thought to himself.


    [I also know you like vani hentai. I was truly disappointed in your choice, Rin. We all know vani is the most basic stuff out there.] She shook her head as she sighed exasperatedly.


    "Vani is fine! I like some wholesome stuff ok!"


    He didn''t know why, but Rin felt really offended by her remark and could only defend his preferences.


    [Yeah, yeah. You are as boring and basic as they could get, Rin. Watch some NTR once or some futanari for reference. They could be your guilty pleasure, who knows?] She shrugged her shoulders.


    ''She''s a total pervert.'' He thought with dead serious eyes.


    [H-Hey, I''m not a pervert. I was only giving you a rmendation. Besides, I don''t like NTR or futanari. They can be hot sometimes though.]


    "Mmm¡­" Elise who watched this back and forth while knowing nothing about whatever they were speaking about tried to intersect the conversation before it went too far.


    [Ehem, my bad. Thest time I spoke to someone about anime, it still didn''t even exist. Anyway,  let''s get back to business. Since I killed both of you, I will reincarnate both of you in another world and give you the opportunity to get a strength far from what your minds could even imagine.]


    "Why would you even go out of your way to do that? Why both of us in particr?" Elise asked her with squinted eyes.


    Those were her most urgent questions since she still didn''tprehend how or why she died out of nowhere. She still had many things she wanted to do and many more that she wanted to attain so dying because of nothing at all made her feel really angry.


    [As sharp as ever, Elise. I will answer those questions one at a time. For the first one, I can''t tell you yet since it''s too early for that. As for the second question, it''s the same thing.]


    "You didn''t answer any of them."


    [Exactly the point, Elise-pon!] She made cute gestures and smiled widely at her.


    "Don''t call me that." Her gorgeous face frowned in response.


    "So, let me get this straight. You killed us for no apparent reason, sent us here, and asked us to be reincarnated and we should just ept without any deep questions?"


    pAn,Da n<0,>v,e1 Rin rubbed the bridge of his nose to try and calm his head down.


    [Exactly! You are very smart, Rin-chan! You will make this beautiful Onee-san fall in love with you if you keep acting so smart like that.] She hugged her own body and wriggled left and right with a dreamy look.


    ''I want to punch her in the face really bad.'' He thought to himself.


    [Why?! I am giving you the opportunity to revive your family and get back your Mika!] She pouted.


    "Wait, really?!!" He asked, bbergasted.


    [I don''t lie. If you reach the peak then you will be able to revive them and everyone you lost. You will basically be as strong as this Onee-san. Don''t try and kill though, I''m not into rough y.]


    "How can I do that?" He asked with a serious look.


    The thought of seeing his family again made his dead heart start beating quickly again. He never thought that could be possible, reviving the dead was just a stupid idea that he could only see in fiction. But, when he saw this goddess in front of him, that premade idea just vanished.


    [Simple, get reincarnated and be the strongest existence in that world. Then, you will have a chance to be a god like me. Bing a god means you will have control over every living being in this existence.]


    "Just that?"


    [Well, not quite that¡­ Ehem, I still didn''t tell you the name of the world I will send you to, right? Silly me¡­ The world is ''The Throne of Infinity''...]


    "The Throne of Infinity?! Wait, are you talking about the game?" He asked.


    Rin knew that name very well, who didn''t know that name? It was the biggest game ever created in existence.


    Forget about AAA games of that era, The Throne Of Infinity is an action-adventure, open-world game. Very basic things until you hear about the scale of the game.


    There were 10 worlds in The Throne of Infinity, each world has its ownws, creatures, empires, and races. Coincidentally, each world has a different main character you can y with.


    10 different protagonists, each with his own set of abilities, plot, andpletely different sets of stories. It was as close to a living world as it could get.<novelnext></novelnext>


    People were obviously hooked on the game from day one and immediately engrossed themselves in its incredibly rich world. But, even after spending thousands and thousands of hours in the game, no one was able to finish the story of the first protagonist they chose.


    That''s how rich the world was. The world was just vast beyondprehension and all they could do is just follow the plot eagerly searching for the end of the first story.


    But, that never happened to anyone. Luckily, no one needed to finish every character so many gamers decided to help each other. Each one took a protagonist and started his story and then collected his work till where they reached.


    That gave the audience a general idea about how that game worked and it was nothing short of an impressive sight for the sore eye.


    That was when this game became the talk of the world. No one, not even people who hated games, didn''t at least have an idea about it.


    Rin and Elise were no exception to that, they tried the game before.


    But, when Lili mentioned it, Rin could barely keep hisposure.


    "Wait¡­ don''t tell me," Elise muttered as realization hit her.


    [Yes, yes. You have to reach the top of all the 10 worlds. You have to be the two strongest existences in all of TOI (will use that shortened from now on.)] She said happily as she pped her hands.


    "Are you nuts? That will take us tens of years and we could not even finish 1 or 2 worlds." Rin retorted.


    [Nothing is easy, my dear Rin. You think bing a god is a simple task, ask me about it. It took me millions of years to reach this perfect existence that you are seeing now. Or are you not determined enough to face this challenge for the sake of your family? And you, Elise. I know how much you desire power more than anyone else to-]


    "Don''t add another word," Elise replied coldly.


    [Scaryyyyy~]


    Rin fell in deep thought, he could somehow believe her words as seeing her alone made him believe that she was at least not a human and that''s a certainty.


    "Are you going to ept, Elise?" He asked the girl beside him.


    Elise seemed reallyposed as she shared him the look.


    "Yes¡­"


    The determination in her eyes was stronger than he had ever seen.


    ''Does she really have such a strong desire to get power?'' He thought.


    [You know nothing, Rin-chan. That girl is full of surprises.] Lili said with a mysterious smile on her face.


    "Sigh, I don''t care about her reasons. If she wants to keep it a secret then I will respect it." He shook his head.


    ''We don''t even know each other that much so it''s normal that she hides secrets. I also hide some secrets too.''


    [Like the fact that you didn''t outright hate Boku no pi-]


    "Stop reading my mind!"


    [Fine, fine. I will stop. I can''t embarrass my cute Rin, can I? Now, let''s go back to the most important matter, the powers. You might be wondering what kind of powers I will give you, right? But, exining it will be just a pain in the ass for me. I have some stuff to do likezing around and watching some anime so I won''t exin anything.]


    ''She''s stupidly useless.'' They both thought at the same time as if they agreed beforehand.


    [Rude!! So rude! I can''t believe you both could insult a big-breasted Onee-san without a second thought. Have some respect for my hobbies!] She started sulking like a child and turned around with a pout.


    Rin sighed under his breath. Seeing her act like that makes him forget that this was the strongest existence in the entire world yet she acts like a small child. Ignoring the fact that she looked like a mature and stupidly seductive woman, her mind was simply too immature and somewhat funny.


    Was the cliche ''hot and funny goddess'' engraved this deeply into her mind? Was this some kind of bad isekai novel or what?!


    Everything just sounded like some kind of bad joke that he was getting dragged through. But, whether he liked it or not, it was still the reality of things in front of him. Either he copes up with this or he can just get stuck in the circle of questioning reality and dreams.


    Rin had no choice in this matter, he had to ept it.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 6 06- The Useless Goddess (Part 2)

    Chapter 06- The Useless Goddess (Part 2)


    "Sigh, I understand to some extent what you want to say, Lili."


    Rin rubbed his chin and decided on his choice, if Elise epted then he should ept too. There was still some skepticism but all in all, the matter looked legit to him. Besides, if he was really dead, he couldn''t go back to his old world, could he?


    [Really? I''m so moved! You believed Lili-pon even though you never met her before. This cute goddess is moved beyond words!!] She wiped some fake tears from her face. As a reward, I will give you a kiss on the lips.


    Her lips pursed and she started approaching Rin. Thetter felt a chill run down his spine and he immediately started retreating.


    "Stay away from me." He said.


    [Come here so this Onee-san can spoil you lots!]


    "No! Stay away from me you NTR-loving pervert of a goddess!!"


    [Horrible! How can you say that?! Besides, as I said, NTR always has the best art so you can''t me someone for enjoying it!]


    "I don''t care. Stay away, I don''t want to kiss you."


    Even though anyone would dream of kissing a goddess like Lili but Rin was certainly not keen on the idea since not only was Elise present but he also didn''t feel safe around Lili and weird teasing.


    [Weird teasing?! You call my cute and bubbly character weird?! Every manga I read stated that this is the best character for a goddess!] She retorted.


    "As I thought, it was all a fake persona."


    [You¡­ you¡­ Waaaahhh!!] Lili didn''t find what to say so she started crying loudly.


    Her tears fell down to the ground along with her body. If before she looked like a spoilt child, she now was acting like a crybaby.


    [Waaah!!! Rin is horrible!! I''m not fake!! I am not acting! Waaah!]


    Elise rubbed her forehead as she tried to ease the headache she felt. For some reason, she couldn''t keep up with Lili at all. Their energies were just drastically different.


    Elise was more of the quiet, introverted type while Lili looked like a crazy extrovert who likes fun and friends. They simply can''t get along.


    "Shut up." She finally had enough of this goddess.


    [Waaaaaahhh!!] Lili obviously ignored that and kept crying loudly.


    "Sigh, just stop it."


    [WAAAAAAAHHH!!!]


    The duo had to close their ears from the sheer volume of her cries. She didn''t care about making their eardrums explode.


    "She won''t stop like that."


    "What should we do?"


    "I have an idea."


    Rin then approached Lili, when he was close enough he extended his hand to her head and started patting her on the head.


    "There, there. I''m sorry for saying such a bad thing to you, Lili." He said gently.


    This seemed to magically work as she went silent the next second.


    [R-Really?]


    "Yes, Lili is not fake. I was mistaken. Your cuteness and bubbliness are all real." He kept patting her head and saying whatever she wanted.


    [I-I understand¡­ Ehem, your apology is epted! Now, give me a hug and a rub on the back.] She ordered with a small blush on her face.


    "Yes, yes¡­ Here, I will give you a good rub on the back." He rolled his eyes at her spoiled attitude and hugged her.


    Any possible attraction he could''ve felt toward her was erased when he saw her crying loudly and even this hug where their bodies were close to each other didn''t make him feel anything.


    Rubbing her back, Lili purred like a satisfied cat and buried her face in his shoulder.


    After 2 minutes or so, he released himself from her grip and walked back to Elise.


    "..."


    Thetter kept looking at him silently.


    "Hm?"


    "How did you make her calm down that easily?" She asked with a weird look.


    "I was always good with kids. She''s no different than a small child who wants to be spoiled." He replied with a casual smile.


    "..."


    Rin was probably the only one in existence that actually gave a goddess a back rub and appeased her after making her cry.<novelnext></novelnext>


    [Ehem, anyway¡­ Now that you have both epted my offer. We can finally end this discussion. I will now send both of you to-]


    "Wait a moment, are we going to be the main characters? Which world are we going to?"


    [Ah! Obviously not! You won''t be the main character! You will be reincarnated as side characters! The world you''re going to is ''The fourth world: Divine Sapphire.'']


    "Divine Sapphire, huh? If I recall correctly it''s one of the rather easier worlds. Still pretty dangerous though." Rin muttered.


    "I yed that world."


    "Really? That will help us greatly, I didn''t y that world, unfortunately."


    [Enough, chit-chatting and let''s finally start. I am sure both of you will be great figures soon.]


    Light appeared under their feet and engulfed their bodies quickly.


    [I left both of you a small gift along with your new powers. You don''t need to thank me. Bye! Bye!] She waved her hand as their silhouettes vanishedpletely, leaving her alone in the void world she created.


    [Hehehe¡­]


    Suddenly, she startedughing loudly. Her hands hugged her body again as she started rubbing her abdomen, back, and shoulders. It was as if she was trying to feel something that didn''t exist.


    [Rin''s warm and big hands touched me¡­ Rin''s hands¡­ His gentle touch on my body. Kyaaaa!!! I will never take a shower from this! Ah!! Rin! Rin!] She muttered to herself.


    Her eyes were drowned in pleasure and her face was blushing furiously as if she just came back from a 200-mile marathon.


    [Rin, my sweet darling. I can finally make you mine. I waited and waited for years and years until you became a great man. I am sure you will be a great god and then¡­ you will¡­ finally take me in your embrace forever!!]


    Then, she licked her lips seductively and added.


    [My sweet Rin deserves all the greatness of this world. I will give him everything he desires and make him the happiest man in the world. Even if it means sharing him with other women.]


    Her mysterious words along with her weird behavior would''ve been a huge red g for Rin if he was able to see it but unfortunately, he already left.


    What did the goddess mean by that? What was she nning? Only she knew that in the entire universe.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    "Ugh¡­ My head.." Rin groaned quietly as he tried to grab his head. He felt as if someone was bonking him with a baseball bat for hours and hours. It was such an annoying pain that it made him incapable of thinking.


    After a while, the pain started easing up and he could finally open his eyes. Instantly, strong light assaulted them and made him squint slightly. A few seconds were more than enough for his eyes to get ustomed to the light.


    ''Where¡­ am I?'' He asked himself.


    The ce he was in looked like a room, a very spacious room actually. It had a high ceiling, clean and beautiful walls, and some high-quality furniture scattered around the ce.


    Even the mattress on his bed that he wasying down on at the moment felt so rxing andfortable. It was definitely made out of silk or something of that level.


    "Oh, right¡­" His memory finally got restored and he could finally recall why he was here.


    "So this is where I will start?" He muttered with a dazed look.


    It all felt pretty surreal for him that he was now inside a game.


    "Now, where am I exactly? I don''t recall everything about this world but I still know some general ideas about it."


    From one nce he could deduce that he was in a luxurious house somewhere. That erased any suspicions about his social standing.


    "I''m from the higher echelon. Ok, anything else I could take as a reference?"


    His eyes wandered around the room and fell on a mirror on the other corner.


    He walked there and checked his appearance just in case.


    "Wha-"


    That was the shock of his life.


    "Who the fuck is this handsome dude?!" He blurted loudly.


    No matter how he looked, this was not him. His real face was average, with brown hair and ck eyes. He was the most average joe you could find looks-wise.


    The one in front of him, however, was a stupidly handsome teenager with mesmerizing violet eyes and short midnight-ck hair that glistened under the warm light of the sun.


    He then checked his body and equally shocking, he was now somehow 185 cm (6 feet approx)


    "Why did she even change my features? I don''t need to be a hot dude for the sake of bing stronger." He sighed and shifted his eyes somewhere else. He didn''t hate his new looks but he felt as if they were unnecessary, to say the least. The reason for these thoughts was¡­


    Hot dudes are just big red gs!


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 7 07- New Identity (Part 1)

    Chapter 07- New Identity (Part 1)


    Whether he liked it or not, being a handsome man in a story will either make the protagonist, the protagonist''s side kick or a viin. The first choice can be eliminated since not only did Lili tell them that they will never be the main characters, the face that he is seeing now is way different than the protagonist''s face.


    So, the only two choices left are the sidekick and the viin, either could be the case but Rin was leaning toward the viin role because of the setting he was in. Usually, viins are rich and influential so they could act as stepping stones for the protagonist when they face each other.


    ''Being reborn as a viin is a very possible thing. Hmm, but, I can''t just assume that without verifying my hypothesis. If I was truly the viin then it would be a huge disaster for me. Ugh, why can''t I recall who I look like?'' He thought to himself as he scratched his chin thoughtfully.


    The next question is, where is Elise? They were sent to the same world so that should make it apparent that they should be in the same ce, right?


    Rin shook his head at such naive thought.


    ''Divine Sapphire is not only one of the vastest worlds out of the ten worlds, but it''s also one of the rather harder to navigate ones, and for a good reason. Anyway, if I find Elise somehow, I will be able to get a clearer idea about this ce.''


    After collecting his thoughts, he looked at the door and he felt slightly nervous to get out. He could recall nothing worthy of note so he was basically no better than an amnesia patient.


    ''Acting like I have lost my memory should work somehow.'' He thought to himself.


    But, before he could even take one single step toward the door, something weird made him halt.


    [Processing finished!]


    [System boot initiated!]


    [...]


    [System booted sessfully!]


    [Wee to the ''Shadow Monarch'' system!]


    [Please think of the word ''Open Menu'' for more options and information.]


    Rin was firstly startled but soon calmed down and took a couple of deep breaths. He should''ve predicted this since it was the biggest cliche of all reincarnation stories, the system. He would be lying if he said didn''t dream of getting one of these before but he never thought that day wille when he will own one of these.


    ''What an edgy name! Lili sure loves bad isekai manga. But, I hope it will be helpful enough for me to be stronger easier.''


    The system said that he should think of the two words ''Open Menu'' so he did exactly that. Almost instantly, the interface changedpletely.


    [System Menu!]


    [Profile]


    [Inventory]


    [Quests]


    [Map]


    ''As generic as they could get. Could you at least do something original for once, Lili?'' He looked up as if he was speaking with her.


    Obviously, no answer came but he still didn''t feel bad about it. He was sure she was watching him from there with a childish giggle.


    ''Hmm, ok. Let''s first check my profile, I could get some really useful information from there. Open profile.''


    The interface changed again and now, he was looking at a long panel that was at least double the size of the previous ones.


    [System Profile]


    [Name: Rin Silvereye.]


    [ss: First Phase: Shadow Bringer.]


    [Race: Human/ ???]


    [Stats]


    [Strength: G-]


    [Agility: G-]


    [Dexterity: G]


    [Intelligence: G+]


    [Charm: A-]


    [Action Points: 0]


    [Skills: Shadow maniption, Appraisal, Plot Detector]


    ''What in the actual hell is this abomination?! Why are my stats so stupidly weak?!''


    He knew that he will start as a weak character but still, isn''t this too much? He was not strong or fast or smart. His only redeeming point is his looks and that was something that wasn''t even his in the first ce.


    ''Ok, the idea of me being a viin is now more probable. Viins are always weaker than the protagonist and their only power is their money and influence. Dammit, this is going to be a headache. Besides, what is that name? Really, Lili? Silvereye? Couldn''t you find an edgier name than that?''


    He tapped his forehead in disappointment before finally focusing on the two most important things out of them all.<novelnext></novelnext>


    ''Action points and skills. What do action points mean though?''


    [Action points are the host''s only way of gaining strength. Since the host is more or less a foreign being from this world, you have to get as involved in the ''Divine Sapphire'' as you could. That could be by whether by killing monsters, meeting new people, gaining friends or lovers, and even by changing the events of the story. It all will be converted into points that you could use to power up.]


    ''So, in a nutshell, the more I be proactive, the more power I gain?'' He asked.


    [Yes. Be mindful, however, any type of bad deed that is not epted by the society you are in will not be counted. So, killing innocent people, assaulting others, and many more things are strictly prohibited.]


    pAn,Da-n0v e1,c ''I will never do such things but thanks for the caution sign anyway. Now, what about the skills? Shadow maniption? can you show me its description or something?''


    [Shadow Maniption]


    [Rank: ???]


    [Level: 1]


    [You are the ruler of the shadows and the sole sessor of darkness. The night is your domain and the light is your ally. Where bright light exists, dark shadows are present.


    *(First Phase: Shadow Bringer) You can control your shadow and the shadow of your enemy to some extent. It depends on your mana, strength, and dexterity.]


    ''I see, so my main power is controlling the shadows. Cool, it''s not a bad power, truly. Hm, but, by controlling shadows, does that mean I can control the enemies'' bodies too?'' He asked the system.


    [The answer to that is yes. But, as stated, it depends on your mana, strength, and dexterity to make that happen and to fully utilize your skill.]


    ''Sure, such an overpowered skill should have some restrictions or it will be broken. Well, show me the other skill descriptions too.''


    But, before he could see them, the door to his room suddenly knocked, waking him up from his thoughts.


    ''Oh, shit! Did I make so much noise?'' He asked himself.


    The door got knocked again a few secondster and a voice spoke from the other side.


    "Rin, are you ok?" The voice belonged clearly to a woman.


    "..."


    "Rin? I''m entering the room."


    He really didn''t know what to say since he didn''t know the woman at all. Should he act familiar with her, should he act as if he couldn''t recall her face? He didn''t know what to do.


    But, unfortunately for him, there was no time for him to prepare a solid n. Getting engrossed in the system made him forget about this problem.


    Finally, the door opened, and a gorgeous woman came inside. She looked no more than 30 years of age with beautiful ck hair that reached her waist, a perfect face with no blemishes or impurities, and a slender yet perfect body.


    Her features looked eerily simr to Rin so he could already predict who she was.


    "Oh, there you are. Are you ok, honey? I called for you multiple times but you didn''t answer." She asked with a warm and loving tone.


    Her voice alone made him rx considerably which further proved how close the owner of this body was to thisdy.


    "Mmm¡­"


    "Is something wrong, Rin? You could always tell your mother about everything that troubles you." She tried to approach him but was halted by his next words.


    "Who¡­ are you?" He asked with a confused look.


    ''Perfect. The tone, the look, and everything were acted like a top-notch Hollywood actor. I really should think of pursuing acting as a career in the future.'' He snickered to himself.


    "What are you saying, honey?! It''s not a funny joke." She said as she tried to keep herposure.


    "I really don''t know who¡­ you are or what ce¡­ this is."


    The woman''s face turned pale instantly and she hurried up to him. The deep concern in her eyes made Rin feel slightly guilty and ashamed but this was his only way out of this. He can''t just tell them that a Weeb goddess killed him and then sent him to this world which was a game in the first ce.


    She then started touching his face, her eyes closed and her hands started exuding a warm light that prated his face.


    ''Is this some kind of spell?'' He thought.


    After a few moments, the woman opened her eyes again.


    "My god, you are not joking! Come on, quickly,y down on the bed. I will get a doctor now!"


    "Hey, wait for a se-"


    "I said go to bed, now!" She ordered him with a warm yet stern tone.


    "Yes, ma''am."


    He replied quickly and went back to bed. He really didn''t know where this will go but he will only have to ride the wave till the end now.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 8 08- New Identity (Part 2)

    Chapter 08- New Identity (Part 2)


    Afterying down, he waited patiently for the woman toe back. For some reason, the moment she ordered him toy down on the bed, his body instinctively started guiding him there, as if this was the most normal thing to do.


    That meant that this body recognizes that woman as someone very close to it being his mother from what he saw.


    ''I hope I will not get busted because of this.'' He sighed under his breath with a worried look.


    If he gets busted, all that awaits him is trouble, huge trouble. They can even lock him up because of it then all of his ns will go to ruins before he even starts working on them.


    A few minutes passed by in silence before he finally heard the sound of footsteps hurrying to his room. Then, 3 people barged inside in session.


    One of them was his mother, a man wearing a formal suit and holding some kind of bag in his hand, and thest one was a stern-looking tall man.


    "Honey, are you alright? Does it hurt anywhere?" She asked him.


    "No¡­"


    "Doctor, please. My child, he says he can''t remember me nor anything else."


    The man adjusted his sses and approached Rin before sitting down near him.


    Then, for the next 20 minutes or so, he examined him thoroughly and checked all of his vitals. Rin could see the troubled look on the doctor''s face when he found that everything looked fine.


    "Sigh¡­" Finally, he stopped and looked at the woman.


    "What is it, doctor?!"


    The worry in her voice alone made Rin feel even worse than before. He really abused her kindness too much. Even if he didn''t really know her, she was still his biological mother (in this world) which means he was tricking someone he shouldn''t trick.


    "There is nothing out of the ordinary about the young master,dy Selina.  I checked everything but he''s as healthy as ever. His basic knowledge andmon sense are still intact weirdly enough. I fear the young master is suffering fromplete memory loss." The man replied, his eyes looking apologetic.


    "Is there no way to restore his memories, sir?" The man asked.


    He had already held the woman''s shoulders to support her body from falling.


    "All we can do is to allow him to restore it naturally. These kinds of cases can''t be healed by normal means or by magic. I rmend you both talk with him and try to trigger some kind of memory in his mind. It can be anything even if it was insignificant, it could help."


    The man nodded his head and helped his wife get closer to Rin.


    "Honey, you can''t recognize my face?"


    Rin shook his head.


    "What can we do, Damian?" She shifted her gaze to the man.


    His serious gaze was fixed on Rin as if he was trying to ess something. But, Rin didn''t want to make him suspect something so he spoke to the woman named Selina.


    "Are you¡­ my mother?"


    "Yes, darling." She held his hand tightly and caressed his face.


    "What''s¡­my name?"


    "Your name is Rin Silvereye and this is the Silvereye household."


    "I¡­see¡­"


    The man sighed and then spoke with a clearly distressed tone.


    "My name is Damian and this is Selina. We''re your father and mother."


    "Mmm, nice to meet you?"


    "Don''t force yourself, Rin. Take your time and I''m sure you will soon remember us." Selina assured her son. She probably confused his awkward reply as a worried one.


    "I think he should get out and take a stroll around. Maybe seeing the house would trigger his memories." Damian suggested.


    "But¡­"


    "Don''t worry too much, Selina. Your son is going to be 16 years old this month. I''m sure he can take care of himself."


    "Sigh, you are right. Honey, do you want to take a walk with me?"


    "Yes."<novelnext></novelnext>


    ''Now things are moving¡­ I can also ask her general questions about the ce while I''m at it.''


    The three then left the room together. There, they found 2 women wearing maid clothes waiting for them.


    They instantly bowed to them respectfully.


    "You know what happened. I rely on you to take care of Rin from now." Damian said.


    "Yes, my lord."


    After that, Damian left Selina and Rin alone and walked away. He seemed to be really busy since he was most likely a noble.


    Then, the two walked around the house and checked the kitchen, the rooms, and even the library. The house was gigantic, to say the least. It had countless, rooms, bathrooms, and kitchens for some reason. It was the most luxurious ce Rin had seen in his entire life. Through that walk, he made sure to ask her about all kinds of things, and soon an image of the situation was generated in his mind.


    His name was Rin Silvereye, he didn''t know whether it was a coincidence that he had the same as his old self or if it was Lili''s doing but he was happy he kept his name. His father, Damian Silvereye was a Nobel, precisely a duke which was a position directly under the king himself.


    Rin was impressed that his background was this important but it also made him worry even more about the problems that could arise from being the son of a duke.


    Ignoring the potential assassination attempts, enemies that could be lurking everywhere, and the struggle for power between the nobles, Rin still had the fear of him being a viin lingering in the back of his mind.


    TOI had many viins in it, more than he could count so the chance he was one of them was huge.


    Anyway, the house he was in now is located in the heart of the silvereye duchy. The duchy was located in the northern part of the Aiviresion Empire.


    Obviously, he never heard of either of these ces so he couldn''t tell whether it was a good ce or not.


    One more thing he learned is that a few days from now, he will undergo his ''awakening''. Finally, Rin heard a word he knew the meaning of.


    The awakening is a ritual that every young individual undergoes to awaken the mana inside of them.


    ''Very typical stuff. That''s also the reason why I can''t see the mana stat in my system. When I awaken, I can finally start using his powers.


    Thest thing he learned was coincidentally also the most important one out of all these. It seemed that he had an older sister who was attending some kind of academy and wasing back home today for vacation.


    ''The protagonist of the fourth world also attends some kind of academy if I''m not mistaken. I have a weird hunch about this.''


    After their long walk, they finally ended up in the living room.


    "So, did that help you remember anything?" Selina asked.


    "Unfortunately¡­ no¡­"


    Selina''s face turned sour but she immediately smiled again. She knew that she must not get disheartened this quickly and that it needs a lot of time and patience to help her son.


    The atmosphere in the room turned slightly heavy. Rin had a hard time trying to find a way to ease up Selina''s worries but he really couldn''t find something to say in this situation.


    Luckily, a maid came toward them.


    "The youngdy''s carriage is almost here."


    "Oh, great! My little girl is finally back home!" Selina''s mood lightened and she stood up before grabbing Rin''s hand and basically dragging him to the door.


    "Your sister is finally home, Rin!"


    The two stood at the door and waited for a few moments before a luxurious carriage like those from the medieval era stopped in front of the doorsteps.


    The man who was sitting at the frontnded on his feet and then opened the door. A silhouette appeared from inside the carriage soon after. A sweet and addictive smell of roses assaulted Rin''s nose.


    ''Please don''t be one of the heroines, please don''t be one of the heroines, please don''t be one of the heroines.'' Rin closed his eyes and prayed to whoever god ruled this world.


    Thest thing he wanted was to be rted to one of the heroines. Not only are they basically walking, talking, disasters but if he was truly a viin then he already has a clear idea of who his sister is.


    In Divine Sapphire, there was only one girl who was the daughter of a duke but he really doesn''t recall her name.


    Fortunately, he still recalls the heroines'' faces to some extent so he should recognize her instantly in case she was one of them.


    ''The moment of truth!''


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 9 09- Aria Silvereye (Part 1)

    Chapter 09- Aria Silvereye (Part 1)


    Holding his breath, Rin waited eagerly for his supposed big sister to reveal herself. For some reason, time seemed to have slowed down a little bit as he looked at her go down the carriage'' steps.


    Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, her face finally was visible to him and his eyes immediately widened.


    His first thought wasn''t whether she was a heroine or not but anotherpletely different thing.


    ''Beautiful¡­''


    Ignoring the fact that she could be his sister, Rin genuinely felt mesmerized by her beauty. He had the same reaction when he first met Elise before and this girl in front of him was very close to Elise''s beauty if notparable.


    She was a tall woman, the fact that she was merely one head shorter than Rin made him even more amazed. Her figure was like an hourss in every sense of the word. Big breasts that were tightly shut inside a shirt and a pair of legs that shined under the warm rays of the sun.


    Her face was small, and cute yet also mature enough to make any man go insane. However, her most distinct feature by far is her red, long hair that looked like embers of fire dancing left and right as she walked closer to them. He had seen people with red hair before but hers was just at such a level where it was just straight-up red with no other color mixing in.


    On her hip was a long sword that looked way too real to pass as a cosy.


    "Aria, honey!! You are finally back home!" Selina basically ran to Aria and enveloped her in a big hug.


    The girl hugged her mother back and said with a warm yet calm voice.


    "You are as clingy as ever, mother."


    "You can''t me a mother for missing her daughter!!" Selina retorted with a pout.


    The girl chuckled happily and tapped her mother''s back. However, even when she was having this warm reunion with Selina, her eyes were fixed on Rin the whole time. Thetter only became aware of this fact after waking up from his daze.


    ''Why is she looking at me like that? Wait, the most important thing now is that she''s¡­ not one of the heroines!! Yes! Fuck yes! I almost had a stroke from anxiousness.'' He took a deep breath to calm down his heart.


    The fact that this sister of his wasn''t a heroine made him feel some hope in this situation.


    ''Ok, good. This is perfect. I can still be a mob character and not a viin. Thank, my big sister who I don''t even know.'' He thanked her in his heart.


    However, much to his surprise, Aria''s eyes squinted at him as if she wasn''t sure of something. Her expression was reallyplicated and hard to understand. But, Rin instead felt as if someone was suffocating him and pressure started falling on his shoulders as if he was lifting heavyweights.


    It was not the most horrible experience but it still made him shudder slightly.


    ''What?! Stop looking at me like that. I feel as if I''m going to get choked to death.''


    Coincidentally, Aria averted her eyes immediately which took Rin aback.


    But, he didn''t have time to question this weird behavior of hers as Selina had already looked back at him.


    "Aria, you must hear this. First, let''s get inside. We can''t speak at the front door, can we?"


    "Yes, mother," Aria replied before walking to the door along with her.


    "It''s been a while¡­ Rin." Her eyes didn''t carry any notable emotions in them but Rin could swear he heard her emphasize his name a little at the end.


    ''Was it my imagination? Is she suspicious of me? Dammit, you are too mysterious.'' Heined in his head before following them inside.


    "It''s good to see you¡­ big sis¡­" He tried to keep it casual yet also not overly familiar since he didn''t know how close they were in the first ce.


    ''Let''s keep this for now and see what she will do. I can''t take any rash decisions before things turn south.''


    The three reached the living room and sat down. The maid then came with a tray filled with teacups and sweets.


    "I know the trip was long so I made your favorite sweets for you, sweety," Selina said.


    Aria smiled slightly and picked up one of the sweets before taking a bite. Her face as she enjoyed the sweets was so captivating that it almost made Rin forget that he was about to face a mental war.


    His instincts screamed ''that girl is no joke'' and he totally believed that.


    After that, she sipped some of the tea and enjoyed the lingering aftertaste of the bitter tea along with the sugary sweetness of the cookies.


    "Mmm, I always appreciate your sweets, mother." She said.


    "I will always do anything for my cute children."


    "So, what did you want to tell me?"


    "Oh my, how careless of me! Right, your brother¡­ he lost his memories this morning." She said.


    Aria immediately looked at Rin suspiciously. If she hid that suspicion previously, now it was as tant as the sun in the sky.


    ''Shit, this is not good. Gotta keep the clueless front. Calm! Calm!''


    "What do you mean he lost his memories?"


    "He can''t recall anyone from our family. I was really horrified that he must''ve been ill or something. Luckily, it''s not anything bad." Selina touched her cheek and exined.


    "I see¡­ Can''t you remember me, Rin?" Aria asked.


    "No¡­" He replied.


    ''No, seriously, I don''t know you. You are certainly not a heroine or maybe you''re one of the hidden heroines. Anyways, My memories are as clean as my browser history.''


    Aria''s expression turned immediately from suspicion to outright weird. It was as if she didn''t get what was going on or something like that.


    "Mother¡­ are you sure it''s not some kind of magic spell or a curse?"


    "No, I checked his body and there was nothing like that at all."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "I rely on you to take care of him, Aria. Rin really needs our help now more than ever."


    "I get, mother. I will supervise him thoroughly."


    ''Out of all the possible words, you chose ''supervise''? Why, are you really still that suspicious? I swear I''m not lying.'' He screamed in his head while keeping a calm front.


    "Please take care of me¡­ Mmm-"


    "Just call me Aria¡­"


    "Ok, Aria." He smiled warmly.


    ''I have to gain their trust if I want to have a peaceful life. They are my new family after all.''


    After that, Rin excused himself to go back to his room to ''rest''. Obviously, that was not the case. The main reason for that is a weird notification from his system.


    [New character appeared, Aria Silvereye.]


    [You have gained 100 Action Points for meeting Aria Silvereye.]


    ''Huh? Is Aria rted to the plot, system?'' He asked in his head.


    [Yes.]


    ''So she''s a heroine?''


    [Not every female character is a heroine, host.]


    ''You are actually right. I kinda sound like some kind of pervert now.''


    [I will ept every variation of you, host.]


    ''Thank¡­you?''


    Rin didn''t expect that reply from the system.


    But, he quickly shook his head and focused on the important matter.


    ''I didn''t ask this before, but how do you count the action points? Is there some kind of rule?'' He asked.


    [It''s aplicated process for me to exin to a normal human brain. Just know that the more important and significant the event that you did is the more points you get. Since Aria Silvereye is a very important character, that exins the high number of points you got.]


    ''Understood. Now, open menu.'' He thought.


    [System Menu!]


    [Profile]


    [Inventory]


    [Quests]


    pAn,Da-n0v e1,c [Map]


    ''I will check the points and statster. Let''s check the other things first. Open quests.''


    The quest section opened ordingly. He was already growing ustomed to this system after using it a few times.


    [Daily Quests.]


    [Do 500 pushups. Reward: 10 Action Points.]


    [Do a 50 Mile run. Reward: 10 Action Points.]


    [Do 500 situps. Reward: 10 Action points.]


    [Complete all the daily quests. Reward: 30 Action Points.]


    [PS: Not finishing the daily quests will result in a punishment. Time Left: 15:25:36]


    [Main Quests.]


    [None.]


    ''What the hell is wrong with these daily quests? Do you think I''m a bald hero or something? Even he didn''t make his daily training this extreme!''


    [The system scanned your body and created a perfect training that fits your capabilities.]


    ''But, it''s still going to be hell on earth. Besides, what is the punishment for not finishing it?''


    [The host better lives not knowing that¡­ for your sake.]


    He never thought mere words could make him shudder in fear. But, he shook his head to erase these thoughts.


    ''I still have time before the end of the day. I can pull it off!''


    After resolving himself, he went straight to work.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 10 10- Aria Silvereye (Part 2)

    Chapter 10- Aria Silvereye (Part 2)


    Before starting anything, Rin got undressed and walked to the mirror to check his body. He needs to have an idea about his body''s condition so that he could determine what kind of lifestyle he would choose.


    For example, if he was very skinny then he will have to increase his food portions to gain some weight and also build some muscles. If his body is already in a good condition then he won''t do any major changes, maybe adding some time to practice mixed martial arts.


    In his previous world, he was what people call an athletic man. As much as he loved watching anime and consuming Japanese culture like a drug addict but he still made sure to keep a good social circle and to do that he needed a somewhat decent body.


    His average looks didn''t help so he had to at least have a good body so that he can not be aplete eyesore for everyone. It didn''t help in getting him a girlfriend but it helped him create a good social standing for himself.


    One of the ways he trained his body was through mixed martial arts. His father was a fan of that sport so he made Rin train since he was young.


    Recalling his memories, a small yet sad smile bloomed on his face.


    ''Your teachings were very useful, dad.''


    He quickly shook his head to erase such thoughts and focused on the mirror. The body that he saw was decent, in fact, it looked quite impressive for a 16-year-old teenager.


    He expected an average body considering the fact that his stats said he had below-average strength.


    ''I guess it''s all for show with no substance. That won''tst long.''


    After that, he finally started the training officially. 500 push-ups were a huge number that he wasn''t sure he could pull off that easily.


    However, he wouldn''t know until he tried. Surprisingly, the first 100 or so pushups passed like a breeze and he didn''t even feel that tired from it.


    ''Woah, is this really a ''below-average body? System?''


    [The average in this world is way different than your old world, host. Mana changed the human anatomy and made it inherently way stronger than your world.]


    ''I see. But still, this is quite impressive, isn''t it?''


    [No.]


    ''...''


    Rin felt hurt by the cruel reply by the host but that wouldn''t dwindle his motivation and he continued. The 200 mark was also fairly easy but after that started the real hell.


    "365¡­ Ughh!!" He tried to go past 365 but ended up falling to the ground in defeat as he heaved up and down like a rabid dog.


    ''Fuck. This is going to be hell. Come, Rin, you can pull it off. A goddamn average joe did it and became the strongest existence in the world!''


    After taking a few minutes of resting, he chugged down a whole bottle of water and started again.


    The pure torture that he felt while finishing thest 130 push-ups was just mind-blowing. He felt his arms screaming from pain and his abdomen cursing at him.


    ''It''s all for the future¡­ It''s all for my family.'' He kept repeating those two sentences in his head like some kind of prayer and it seemed to help him greatly.


    After a cruel 30 minutes, he was able to finish the 500 push-ups before dropping on the ground like a dead man.


    His arms were shaking violently and his mouth was open wide as he gulped down huge mouthfuls of air one after the other.


    [Hostpleted 500 push-ups sessfully!]


    [Host gained 10 Action Points.]


    ''That better make me he overpowered or I will file aint to Lili.''


    [...]


    But, Rin didn''t forget that he still had to do 500 sit-ups and a 50-mile jog before he could finally rest.


    The pure despair he felt at that moment almost made him give up but he shook those thoughts away and focused on recovering his stamina.


    He rested for another 30 minutes before he started the 500 sit-ups, it was slightly easier than the push-ups since it didn''t need the use of his arms and instead focused on his abdomen which was still fairly rested.


    Again, the first 300 sit-ups were very easy and he only started feeling tired after that mark.


    After many attempts and through sheer will, he finished the sit-ups too.


    [Hostpleted 500 sit-ups sessfully!]


    [Host gained 10 Action Points.]


    ''Good¡­ Hah¡­ I can¡­ finally¡­ do the easiest one out of them all.'' He smiled triumphantly.


    Running was by far the easiest thing for him as he liked to job in his old world and he learned many techniques of breathing to help him back in the day.


    But, as he was resting, the door knocked. He sipped his water and asked.


    "Who is it?"<novelnext></novelnext>


    "It''s Aria¡­ Can Ie in?"


    ''The big sister is here. I hope she''s not suspicious anymore. I really want to have an amicable rtionship with her if possible.''


    "Yes, pleasee in." He replied nonchntly.


    But, as the door opened he looked down and his eyes widened in shock.


    ''I''m only wearing pants!! Shit!''


    Rin''s body wasid bare for everyone to see and droplets of sweat were covering his skin and making it shine slightly.


    He tried to reach for his shirt quickly but it was already toote for that.


    Aria stood there silently as she gazed at Rin. Her eyes went instinctively to his naked body but then shifted to his face quickly.


    "Mmm, I''m sorry for the unsightly thing. I was training and I forgot that I wasn''t wearing a shirt." He scratched his head awkwardly as he wore his shirt quickly.


    "..."


    "Mmm, Aria?"


    "Nothing. Don''t worry, it''s my mistake that I interrupted your training." She apologized.


    ''She''s really nice! Any other girl would''ve screamed or looked at me like I''m some kind of pervert.''


    "I would never do that¡­" Aria murmured.


    "Huh? Did you say something?"


    "Nothing. Anyway, I came here to have a small talk with you but it seems I chose a bad time. Did you finish?"


    "I was about to go out for a jog."


    "Great. How about we jog together?"


    "Oh, I won''t mind."


    ''Our rtionship is going in a good direction. This is perfect!'' He cheered in his head as he kept a small smile on his face.


    Aria didn''t say anything and walked out to go wear her training clothes.


    ''Training with Aria should help me a lot. From what mother said, she''s very strong so I can ask her for help.''


    Then, Rin cleaned the sweat from his face and got ready to go out. This was the first time he will leave the house and he felt really excited about it.


    ''Let''s do our best!''


    However, Rin was oblivious to what was happening in another room in the house.


    When Aria returned to her room, she closed the door behind her. When she was sure she was alone, her body fell down to the ground.


    Her calm face was nowhere to be seen. Instead, her cheeks were flushed red and her eyes were darting around.


    "I almost had a heart attack¡­ Unfair, Rin¡­ But, he looked so dazzling¡­ Did he see through me? Ahh! I will die from embarrasement! But, it''s his fault for shing his body in front of me. Yes, it''s my fault. But, my Rin sure grew up and became a very handsome man." She said in quick session.


    After that, she stood up and walked to the table and picked up a photo album, and opened it. Inside, tens of pictures of Rin ever since he was a few years old till now. It was her most priceless possession.


    This was most likely the billionth time she opened this album and watched every single picture in it.


    "My Rin will now be by my side¡­ Don''t leave me ever again little brother¡­ Hehehe."


    Her cute chuckle and her eyes that were drowned in excitement and love closed for a moment as she hugged the album to her chest dearly.


    "But, I still don''t know why I can hear his thoughts. What does he mean by heroines? Is he really from another world?" She had many questions but couldn''t ask Rin.


    She started hearing that voice this morning and it made her really confused at first. She thought it was some kind of illusion magic at first but then ended up listening to his thoughts earnestly.


    The idea that her brother was now someone from another world shocked her at first but then when she calmed down she was able to somehow ept the idea.


    In fact, in contrast to the old Rin, this one was more gentle and nice which was a great plus in her eyes. The old Rin was rude and unapproachable even by his own parents.


    This didn''t make Aria hate him since he was still her dear brother whom she took care of since they were young.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 11 11- Aria Silvereye (Part 3)

    Chapter 11- Aria Silvereye (Part 3)


    A few minutester, the two met outside Rin''s room. The awkward atmosphere between them eased a little bit and it made Rin even more relieved.


    Getting called a pervert by his own sister is surely not the greatest first impression he could have.


    ''Don''t fuck it up, Rin. She is kind enough to treat me like a real brother would. I must not ruin it!'' He thought inwardly.


    Aria looked at him silently before turning around and starting to walk downstairs. Rin hurriedly followed after her.


    The two found Selina near one of the windows looking outside silently, most likely reminiscing about her heydays or merely wasting time by enjoying the view.


    "We are going out for a run," Aria said.


    "Oh! How rare for both of you to be together? Am I hallucinating? Fufufuf!" Selinaughed as she looked at her children with warm eyes.


    "Take care of him, Aria."


    "I will surely do."


    The two exchanged looks as if they were trying to convey something to each other without Rin knowing.


    ''Why am I feeling as if something is going to happen? Is this some kind ofnguage I''m too stupid to understand?''


    "Ehem!" Aria coughed slightly.


    ''Bless you.''


    The two then excused themselves and walked outside. The house was located on a hill surrounded by the city. The view from this ce is mind-blowing, one could sit there and watch the horizon for hours and he will never feel bored.


    Rin''s eyes glow excitedly when he saw it. He never thought this world could look this beautiful. The blue sky, the clean and fresh air, and the calm atmosphere. He had already grown ustomed to the smell of blood, rotten corps, and pollution so breathing some fresh air made his lungs feel light.


    ''Seeing this world turn into reality is very amazing.''


    "Are you ready, Rin?" Aria called for him from slightly far away.


    "Yes. I''ming."


    The two then started jogging toward the city down there. They weren''t intending to go deep into the streets but they were still going to check the ce nevertheless. Aria wanted him to look around.


    As they were running Aria suddenly asked him.


    "Are you hiding something, Rin?" She asked.


    He peeked at her from the side for a moment as if he tried to discern what was the real meaning of her question.


    ''So she''s still suspicious. I guess the story of ''I lost my memory'' is too wed. Sigh, I''m sorry, sister. I can''t tell you anything for now.''


    "No, why do you ask?"


    "It''s just my own curiosity and also a small hunch. I want you to feelfortable enough to speak with me about anything."


    "Mmm, I know. I wille to you if I need some kind of help."


    "Good¡­ Good¡­"


    The two then went silent for some time, they didn''t know what to talk about. Rin was especially feeling really awkward because he basically knew nothing about to Aria for him to start some kind of conversation.


    ''Ah! Mother said that she studies at an academy. Maybe it''s the same academy that the protagonist attends? I should ask her. Or maybe it''s too rude to do so?''


    "I attend Divine Sapphire Magic Institute or DSMI for short."


    "Huh?" Rin tilted his head in clear confusion.


    ''Wait, how did she know what I was thinking of?!''


    "I thought I should introduce myself to you."


    ''Fuh! I almost had a stroke from shock. Imagine if she could actually hear my thoughts lol. That would be a nightmare for me. There''s no way that''s possible.'' He shook his childish thoughts away with a chuckle and continued his jog.


    "Oh, I see. Hehehe, I was confused for a moment. Mmm, I don''t know if it''s rude to ask this¡­ But¡­ Are we rted by blood?"


    "Hmm, why are you interested?"


    "No, because Your features and mine arepletely different and your hair is also different from all of us." He asked.


    ''Her hair is the most beautiful I have ever seen. Why does red hair like that not exist in my old world?'' He sighed under his breath.


    Aria suddenly halted her steps and looked at Rin with a squint.


    "Hmm? Is something wrong?"


    "No¡­ nothing at all¡­"


    Aria then started running again as she added.


    "Actually, you are right. We are not rted by blood. Mother and father adopted me when I was young and since then you all became my dear family."


    "I see¡­" Rin smiled at her. He didn''t show any great reaction and kept his calm but his mind was definitely not calm at all.


    ''Oh, nice. The cliche of all cliches, stepsister. I can''t even bother to think that it''s something weird. This whole world is weird. But, this is reality, there is no way she will fall in love with me or something like that. That''s too generic to be true. Yes, we are simply brother and sister and we should keep that familial love intact for the sake of it.''


    "Stupid¡­" Aria murmured.


    ''Besides, Aria seems like a serious and disciplined person. Surely she won''t look at me in such a way.''


    "I do¡­" She murmured again.


    ''Why are you whispering gibberish, sister? Are you ok?''


    The weirdest conversation was urring between a beauty and the thoughts of an equally handsome man. It was most likely the only time such a thing will happen.


    The city looked like it was pulled out of a fantasy novel. The buildings looked old-fashioned yet aesthetically beautiful and well-designed. The streets were clean and wide enough for many people to pass easily.


    Finally, the people of this world, all looked fairly normal with fantasy clothes that he saw more times than he could count. Rin even saw a few wearing armor and holding swords.


    ''This is really a fantasy world. I never thought a day wille when I will roam the streets of such a world.''


    It all looked so normal yet so foreign to Rin, however, one thing was for sure, he liked this ce. It was something he, as an anime fan, dreamt of seeing at least once before but never really thought he could do so. Yet, here he is, running around the streets of a fantasy city with his sister.


    "Do you like the ce?" Aria asked.


    "So much. It looks so mesmerizing." He answered honestly with a careless smile.


    Aria also smiled at him warmly.


    ''Let''s soo now how many miles I crossed. System?''


    [40 miles, host.]


    ''Good. I didn''t feel that tired from it.''


    "Oh, no! Thief! A thief stole my money!! Please, catch him!!"


    As they took their turn, the two heard a scream before a person passed beside them at the speed of the wind. People watched as the thief ran away quickly.


    ''A thief?''


    Before he could even react properly to it, Aria had already vanished from his side and was running after the thief. Rin blinked a few times as he witnessed Aria''s speed. She was able to cross 10 meters in a split second. Her body almost appeared like a blur to the eyes.


    The thief kept running from one side to another of the same street to avoid any obstacles including other people trying to capture him.


    In less than  4 seconds, Aria closed the distance between them enough for her to capture him. But, instead, she jumped in the air and swung her leg at the thief.


    *Bang*


    The poor man was sent flying toward the other side of the street beforeying limp on the ground.


    Aria approached him again and restrained him quickly before he could escape.


    Many watched the show with an impressed look before they started pping.


    "Isn''t that Lady Aria?"


    "Oh! It is indeed!"


    "As expected of Lady Aria! She''s The Angel of Aiviresion after all !"


    "Hey shut up! It''s rude to talk about Lady Aria like that!"


    Many surrounded her and started calling for her like some kind of fan. Aria simply smiled at everyone and said.


    "Could anyone please call the guards here?"


    Her perfect figure along with her kind smile shook the heart of everyone present. They werepletely captivated by her charm and her kindness. This was not the first time she helped them even though she was the daughter of the duke and a high noble yet she was as humble and as kind as an angel.


    That got her the nickname ''The Angel Aiviresion''. Such a grandiose name fit her character perfectly and became really popr.


    Rin soon reached her and could only watch from the sidelines as his sister was showered with praises.


    ''Wow! Aria is really something else!'' He praised her in his heart honestly.


    Her appearance as she handled this attention from the crowd was something worthy of respect and admiration.


    ''She really looks like a noble now. Her aura is certainly different.''


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 12 12- Awakening (Part 1)

    Chapter 12- Awakening (Part 1)


    The guards soon came and took care of the thief before dragging him away under the scorning gazes of the crowd.


    Aria didn''t really wait to see what they will do with him as she made her way to Rin with a small smile on her face. She seemed to be in a really good mood for some reason. Rin thought it was lost likely because she felt pride in helping other people.


    The two then continued their journey around the city, they looked around, checked a few popr ces, and even stopped to get some street delicacies that Rin found interesting.


    Except for the fact that it was actually a job, it was pretty much a date. Rin was unaware of this fact since in his mind, Aria was basically his sister and nothing much.


    That, however, didn''t apply to Aria whose heart had been beating loudly for the past hour or so. Who thought she will be able to spend the day with her beloved, certainly not her.


    But, the most important thing is that they were able to get closer to each other and she was more than satisfied with that. All that was left was to make him acknowledge her as a love interest.


    [Hostpleted the 50 Mile run.]


    [Host gained 10 Action Points.]


    [Hostpleted all the daily quests.]


    [Host gained 30 Action Points.]


    ''Great! That was brutal but I somehow was able to pull it off before the end of the day.''


    The sun was still in the middle of the sky so the two of them took their time returning home. They kept chatting about trivial things throughout the way and the atmosphere soon softened greatly between them.


    Rin was really starting to like Aria as she was someone he could befriend easily. Both of them had very simr characters so findingmon interests between them was not that hard of a task.


    When they reached the home, they found Selina waiting for them.


    "Did you have fun?"


    "Yes!" Rin answered with a wide smile.


    "Good, good. You were never really that close as siblings but now seeing both of you like this makes me really happy." Selina''s eyes teared up slightly but she quickly wiped them away.


    She didn''t want to cry in front of her children.


    "Mother¡­" Aria muttered with a moved look.


    As for Rin, he was also moved by it but the more important thing he focused on was the first thing she said.


    ''We were never close? Why is that?'' He thought to himself.


    Coming to think of it, he never really asked them about his old self. How was he? What did he act like?


    These questions could also give him a clear idea about his rtionship with others he never met.


    However, he didn''t want to start such a deep conversation while still in his sweaty clothes. He needed to take a shower as soon as possible.


    After going back to his room, he cleaned up and threw himself on the bed to rest a little. He wasn''t intending to sleep and instead pulled out his system.


    ''System, show stats.''


    [System Profile]


    [Name: Rin Silvereye.]


    [ss: Shadow Bringer (First Phase)]


    [Race: Human/ ???]


    [Stats]


    [Strength: G-]


    [Agility: G-]


    [Dexterity: G]


    [Intelligence: G+]


    [Charm: A-]


    [Action Points: 160]


    pA n,dan(-)0ve1.c0m [Skills: Shadow maniption, Appraisal, Plot Detector]


    ''160 points, huh? What can I do with those?'' He asked the system.


    [You can add them to any attribute you want.]<novelnext></novelnext>


    ''Oh, so I can increase my strength with it?''


    [160 Action Points are insufficient to level up one of your attributes but you can still use it and wait till you umte the required number to do so.]


    "And how much is that?"


    [It depends on the rank of your attribute. Since most of your abilities are in the G-Rank I will use that as a reference to exin. To get from G- to G, you need 500 Action Points. From G to G+, you need 1000 Action points. That will obviously change when you will have to go from one rank to another but you get the gist of it.]


    "So, I basically need a huge number of Action Points to be able to get really strong."


    [Your deduction skills are impressive, host. That''s exactly what I said.]


    Rin rolled his eyes at the system''s sad attempt to sound sarcastic and then looked at the stats again.


    ''I don''t need to use these points so I think the wisest choice is to let them be for now and use them when I need a boost in strength.''


    He had a clear idea of how weak he was now but that was not a good reason to waste his precious points so rashly for a momentary excitement. He might need a certain boost in one attribute when he was in danger so he kept them like that for now.


    ''Sigh, a lot of things need work and I''m basically still like a frog in a well. I should take it easy for now.'' He thought as he closed his eyes.


    And just like that, a few days passed, Rin''s day was very simple, he wakes up, trains, eats, and then sleeps. He didn''t need to study or do anything else since he was still not going to attend the academy for at least one more month when the new year starts.


    Obviously, he made some time to spend with his new family just to strengthen their rtionship. Especially Aria, he was able to talk a lot with her and they were now more like friends rather than strangers.


    Rin missed the feeling of having a loving family and finding that feeling once again made him crave it even more. His wounded heart was still aching a lot as there was not even a second that passed where he doesn''t remember Mika and his family''s faces.


    On the third day of his reincarnation, Rin was about to finally take his first step toward his goal. It was the day when he will awaken.


    ''Finally, today I will be able to start actually gaining strength.'' He thought to himself as he walked down to the living room.


    There, he found Damian, Selina, and Aria waiting for him.


    They all had nervous looks on their faces for some reason. Especially his sister was visibly fidgeting around and looking really restless.


    ''The atmosphere is really weird. Is this awakening ceremony this hard?'' He wondered.


    "Are you ready, Rin?" His father asked.


    "Yes¡­" He nodded confidently.


    The three then left on a carriage toward the city. Their destination was the church of the goddess of the heavens, Lili.


    ''It''s weird seeing them worship Lili. I can''t imagine myself looking at that clumsy goddess as an actual supreme being. I can only imagine their reaction if I told them that I had to hug her and give her back rubs to make her stop crying.'' He shook his head with a sigh.


    "Cough! Cough! Cough." Aria suddenly started coughing loudly.


    "Hmm? Is everything ok?" Rin looked at her confusedly.


    "I-I''m fine¡­ Something just got stuck in my throat."


    ''Anyway, as I was saying. I can only ept the fact that she''s an actual goddess revered by the people of this world.''


    The trip to the church took barely two hours before the carriage finally stopped near a huge building in the heart of the city.


    Rin looked from inside the window and could only gasp in shock at the huge structure he saw. It looked way bigger than any church he had ever seen before with a huge statue of a woman right in front of the door.


    The statue was depicting a woman with her hand in the air and some kind of ball was floating on her hand that shined faintly.


    ''It does look like Lili. But, how should I describe it? It looks almost like a beautified version of Lili.''


    The 4 people walked inside silently, the nervous atmosphere was still there even though Rin made sure to try and ease their worries on the trip.


    The inside looked like a normal church albeit bigger. At the end of the hall, a man was standing beside a statue of Lili with his hands behind his back.


    The man wore a white robe and a weird hat on his head that could mean some kind of religious thing. His face was cleanly shaved and he had a peaceful smile on his face undisturbed by anything around him.


    "Well, if it isn''t the duke Silvereye. It''s my honor to wee you to our humble church." He said with the utmost respect.


    "It''s been a while, Alfred. How have you been?" Damian replied.


    "Good, good. It''s your great help that made this ce what it is and for that, I''m deeply thankful to you. May our great goddess bless you."


    "I did it for the sake of my people, Alfred. No need for that. Anyway, my son here is about to awaken so I will have to ask you to supervise this ceremony if possible."


    "Well, of course. It''s my honor to witness the birth of another great talent from the Silvereye lineage. I still remember the day of your awakening, Lady Aria. I''m still shocked to this day at your great talent."


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 13 13- Awakening (Part 2)

    Chapter 13- Awakening (Part 2)


    Rin listened quietly to his family as they conversed with Alfred. Their social skills were just stupidly higher than his as they were nobles while he became one merely 3 days ago. The way they handled a conversation was just impressive from his ''averga-dude'' point of view.


    However, that didn''t mean he waspletely clueless in how he should speak in such situations.


    ''I must keep a neutral smile and reply respectfully. One or two words for each reply if possible. Ok, one breath, two breaths¡­ I''m calm¡­'' He thought in his head.


    "Cute¡­" Aria muttered under her breath as she kept her eyes on Alfred. However, her smile turned warm for a split second.


    No one saw that, not even Rin who was standing behind them. After conversing for a while, Alfred turned toward Rin and said.


    "It''s nice to meet the young master."


    "Me too." He replied calmly.


    "Good, good. Please,e with me from here. You can watch if you." He said.


    His family nodded and followed them to a room at the back of the hall, exactly behind Lili''s statue. It was well-hidden but not too hard to find.


    After entering inside, they found themselves in a fairly smaller room. The walls were made out of smooth stone and minimally decorated. The ceiling was at least 15 feet high with no visible pirs around.


    In the middle of the room stood a small pedestal made out of marble. A small child could be seen carved into the pir holding an orb of light. The child had no features but anyone could see how important the orb was to the child.


    Other than that, nothing else could be seen inside the room.


    ''Wait! Is this really going to be the usual ''assessment orb'' thingy? Damn, this world really likes to be a by-the-book cliche fantasy I probably saw millions of times before.'' Rin smiled with a defeated look.


    He really hoped that it wouldn''t be the case and that something interesting will happen.


    "Please, stand in front of the pedestal and hold your hand on top of it," Alfred exined.


    Rin nodded and did exactly what he was asked to do. His hand touched the cold and hard marble. In the first few seconds, nothing happened. But, the orb in the child''s hand suddenly started shuddering.


    The color of the orb was white but then it started changing color from white to red and then to blue before changing to a shade of violet. All the colors Rin knew of appeared on the orb in quick session.


    Everyone watched attentively and waited for the color to stop at something. Moments passed like a slow hour as the orb kept lighting up like fireworks.


    Then, in one of the most shocking scenes, the orb turnedpletely ck out of nowhere. The color ck never appeared on it till that point.


    Before anyone could even react, another thing happened. The orb started cracking quickly. Each crack spread all around it before it eventually broke into small shards startling the group.


    The first to react was Alfred who tried to approach Rin to pull him away before anything weirder happens. This was the first time in his life he saw the orb react like that. He was basically as clueless as everyone there.


    Yet, his worst fear happened, the broken orb had something weird inside. A ck, almost colorless substance started crawling out of the whole where the orb was. The substance was not like liquid or even solid things¡­ It was more like smoke, shapeless yet also heavy enough to be felt when touched.


    Swiftly, the weird thing approached Rin and started crawling up his body.


    "RIN!!!" Aria shouted as she tried to run to him. However, before she could even reach him, the substance detected her presence.


    How did she know that you might ask? Well, she was sure of it, the substance was looking at her now. The heavy, suffocating feeling of being watched by a predator was not something new to Aria as she fought her fair share of strong beasts. That animosity, that hatred¡­ It was the most malicious thing she ever felt.


    Her gorgeous face turned deathly pale as she fell to her knees and started shuddering visibly. Her eyes were wide open and her breathing was more than erratic.


    "Aria, are you ok?!!" Damian already pulled his daughter away and gazed at his son with an extremely serious look.


    "Rin!! What''s going on with my son?! Alfred!" Selina grabbed the pastor by his cor and shook him violently.


    "I-I really¡­ don''t know¡­" He replied with an agitated look.


    For some reason, even in this chaotic situation, Rin didn''t make any reaction. It was as if he was frozen in time never to move again. The substance reached his face and seemingly gazed into his eyes.


    He saw no eyes inside that foggy, ck mess but he was sure it was gazing at him.


    [In the darkness, we exist. In light, we rule. We are eternal, shapeless, and ever-changing.]<novelnext></novelnext>


    A deep, hoarse voice spoke in his mind and filled his vision with darkness. Yet, even that didn''t make him feel anything. He didn''t fear this darkness and instead felt connected with it.


    ''What is¡­ this? Shadow maniption?'' He asked himself in a daze.


    [Every ce is our domain and everynd is our own.]


    The darkness became even stronger than before whenever the voice spoke.


    ''Every ce is our domain? What does that mean?''


    [We are monarchs. Born to rule and destined to reach the peak.]


    ''Born to rule? I was born to rule? How is that possible?''


    Rin didn''t get anything from what the voice said. He was talking as ''we'' so he was definitely including Rin in his speech. Yet, Rin could not wrap his head around these things at all.


    [Our souls are one, Rin. We can''t escape the inevitable. We can''t escape greatness.]


    ''I¡­ see.'' He thought.


    His mind was still in shambles but when he tried not to overthink, he somehow started to ept whatever the voice said.


    For him, it made some kind of sense. It was arrogant yet also somehow true. A weird mix he never thought he could feel from the words someone uttered.


    [Our journey has just begun. We are still not worthy. But, we are definitely capable of bing worthy. Our goal is in front of you, Rin. All you have to do is¡­]


    The voice didn''t continue but Rin had already moved with his instincts. He extended his hand forward in slow motion.


    [Extend your arm and grasp it.]


    ''All I have to do is grasp it.'' He thought to himself. The task was simple, just extend your arm and get that.


    He was very close to touching whatever was calling for him. However, before he could do that, something shook the whole world around him and crushed this whole formless existence that he was going to touch.


    Then, as if he was pulled out of some kind of deep ocean, his eyes opened again and he found himself back inside the church.


    For a second, he forgot that he was there for the awakening ceremony. His mind simply stopped working normally when he entered that illusion.


    "Rin, Rin¡­ Rin!!" Aria called for him with a loud shout.


    His focus finally came back to reality and he finally noticed the weird situation he was in. His body was pinned to the ground, held by the limbs of his parents and the pastor. Aria was sitting on his abdomen and shaking his face gently.


    Tears were filling her eyes as she tried to hold herself from crying.


    "What¡­ happened?" He asked with a whisper.


    Aria didn''t wait any longer and jumped on him as she started weeping silently.


    "Rin, Rin, Rin¡­" She whispered his name repeatedly as if she was scared of losing him for even a second. Her voice was weak, fearful yet also delighted to see that he was fine. Her grip was strong around his neck as she buried her face in his shoulder.


    ''Huh? What the hell is going on?! Why is Aria crying? What the hell happened?''


    His eyes wandered to his parents who were also looking at him. While not as agitated as Aria, they were visibly horrified. Selina was the one most affected between the two as her arms were shaking and her teeth were biting her lips anxiously.


    Then, finally, he noticed another detail that he missed the whole time. Something that should''ve been easily noticed but waspletely ignored because of the situation with his family.


    A detail that made him blink a few times¡­ The room where he had to take the ceremony¡­ was destroyed beyond recognition. The walls, the ceiling, and everything else were sted into smithereens.


    (A/N: The journey is about to start so buckle up. It will be crazy! :) )


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 14 14- Shadow Bringer (Part 1)

    Chapter 14- Shadow Bringer (Part 1)


    Rin tried to stand up while making sure Aria would not fall because of it. The girl was tightly stuck to him like a ko and didn''t seem to have any intention of letting him go any time soon.


    He could feel her still shuddering from time to time and even her tears soaked his shoulder. He really didn''t know this calm andposed girl could break down like this because of something.


    That made him question what happened even more.


    ''What the hell happened while I was inside that world? Ugh, I can''t remember anything.'' He scratched his head with a frustrated look.


    "H-Honey¡­ is that you?" Selina asked.


    "Mother?" He muttered with aplicated gaze.


    "Sigh, thank god!" Damian sighed with a relieved look. His face was sweating profusely as if he was back from a marathon.


    "What happened exactly? I can''t recall anything. Why is the room destroyed?"


    The pastor and his parents shared nces between them before eyeing him silently.


    "You don''t remember anything?"


    "None. I was inside a dark world but I wasn''t able to sense anything from the outside world. Did something happen because of my awakening?"


    Selina grabbed her husband''s arm and nodded her head at him.


    "Listen carefully, son¡­ It has been almost an hour since you lost control."


    "One hour?! I thought it was barely a few minutes at most¡­ Wait, lost control? What do you mean?" He tilted his head confusedly.


    "It''s exactly what you heard¡­"


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    [An hour ago.]


    "Alfred, do something!" Damian said with an angry look as he protected his family behind him from the soul-crushing aura emitting from his son.


    He wasn''t sure what was going on but he was certain if things continued like this something gravely wrong will ur.


    Rin was already long engulfedpletely by the dark substance. There was no trace of his aura or presence at all. Not that they could search for it through that thickyer of the ominous and extremely evil aura.


    The pastor tried to find a solution before things get hectic but it was his first time seeing such an urrence. How could such an evil being get out of a holy ce like the church of the goddess of the heavens?


    ''The aura is different from demons. But, it''s equally evil. Should I use holy magic? But, the young master is still inside, it can harm him greatly.'' He thought to himself.


    Then, while they were trying to figure things out, the dark creature in front of them suddenly turned around.


    Their bodies shuddered instinctively as they witnessed the hideous appearance of somethingpletely out of their expectations.


    A pair of glowing, violet eyes appeared on the creature''s face. The eyes weren''t looking like that of a human or even an animal. They looked like the result of a child drawing chaotic lines to form a messy circle.


    It was horrifying to look at. Mind you, the people present were monsters in terms of strength and only a few could rival them.


    Damian Silvereye is the strongestbat mage the Aviresion empire had ever witnessed. His wife Selina was a legendary healer that was rumored to be able to even heal the most lethal of injuries.


    Even Aria, their daughter was an extremely talented warrior and could hold her ground against people double or triple her age with even more mana than her.


    Yet, all of these talented individuals could only watch as the creature scanned them silently. It was exactly that suffocating silence that made them feel even more threatened.


    Then, out of nowhere, the creature vanished from where it stood.


    "Be careful, Selina!!" Damian shouted and pushed his wife to the side.


    *Swish* *BOOOOM*


    A split secondter, the dark creature appeared again and punched Damian, sending him flying to the other side of the room. A huge hole was carved into the wall.


    "Darling!!!" Selina screamed.


    "Ugh¡­ you bastard." Damian stood up and cracked his neck before spitting a mouthful of saliva mixed with some blood.


    It seemed that hit didn''t really affect him that much.


    The creature looked at him silently for a few moments before vanishing again.


    ''How does he do that? I can''t feel his presence at all?!'' Damian readied himself for the uing attack.


    But, he didn''t see anything, he was standing against the wall so the only possible angles the creature could attack him from were the left, right, or above¡­


    His eyes suddenly widened with shock as a horrifying thought got to his mind. But, as absurd as it sounded, his instincts, honed by countless years on the battlefield, had already epted that idea as the reality.


    Instantly, he created 5 barriers in front of him. Each barrier could stop huge magic projectiles from most elements and will still not break yet he used 5yers of that.


    ''He ising¡­ from under me!!'' His eyes turned fierce as he clenched his teeth.


    *BAAAAAANG*


    The creature didn''t disappoint and rose from the ground before kicking the protective barriers.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The whole church shook violently and the ceiling started cracking. The aftershock from the attack destroyed the ce andpletely turned the pedestal into dust.


    Damian didn''t wait for the barrier to break and immediately created 5 ice spears with his left hand and 5 fireballs with his right hand.


    He knew the risk he was taking could end up killing his son, but if he didn''t attack, he could put his family at risk. It was a huge gamble he was willing to take for the sake of his daughter and his wife. He wouldn''t hesitate now!


    *BAAAANG* *BAAANG*


    Each punch and kick the monster sent destroyed one of the barriers. He was hell on bent to reach Damian.


    "HAAAH!!" Damian yelled and then sent all the projectiles after the creature.


    It seemed that thetter felt the danger and immediately vanished again.


    ''Not now.'' The man clicked his tongue and looked around him.


    He still didn''t know from where it could appear and that made him vulnerable to any sneak attack.


    *Swish*


    ''From behind?!'' He tried to turn around when he heard a sound.


    "Leave it to me, father!!!" Aria was already on her way when the sneak attack happened.


    Her sword unsheathed and flew to her side.


    "Thunder spear!!"


    *BOOOOOOOOMMM*


    The sword turned into a yellow-shaped spear and pierced the creature. The sound of electricity filled the area followed by a huge cloud of smoke that covered the creature.


    Damian immediately retreated to make some distance.


    "Are you ok, father?!" Aria asked.


    "Yeah. That thing almost got me." He responded with a grave tone.


    He didn''t understand why Rin turned into something like that. Was it because of a demon ambush? Was it some kind of curse? He had no idea.


    The cloud of smoke soon dissipated and the sight they saw made them turn even grimmer.


    The sword that should''ve prated the dark creature was instead held in its hand. The light in its ominous eyes grew even more intensely as if it was angry at this ambush.


    Then, it tightened its grip around the sword and made a swinging motion.


    "Retreat!!" Damian ordered.


    *Swish*


    The creature then threw the sword at them. The weapons pierced the air as it flew toward them.


    *BOOOOOM*


    The whole area turned into an electrified mess that could fry a normal human being to death.


    *Swish*


    Seemingly not satisfied, it used that mess to vanish again and appear behind one of them. It was Selina.


    Thetter couldn''t react in time to the sudden appearance of the enemy.


    The creature''s hand turned into a ck w and swiped down, intending to decapitate Selina.


    Damian''s eyes retracted to the size of a needle as he watched his wife on the verge of getting killed. He knew he wouldn''t be able to get her in time and his heart stopped for a second.


    "Holy retribution!!" A loud voice shouted before a pir of light fell down on the dark creature.


    Damian didn''t even wait to see who did that and pulled his wife away from there.


    Thetter was still seemingly in shock from what happened so she wasn''t able to show any kind of reaction.


    pAn,Da-n0v e1,c Alfred clenched his teeth as he used 70% of his mana pool on that single spell. It was one of his strongest holy magic spells so he was confident in its effectiveness against evil creatures. But, he still didn''t know whether the thing that controlled Rin was an evil being or not.


    "Rin¡­" Tears welled up in Aria''s face as she fought the urge to cry and instead tried to focus on backing up Damian.


    "Dammit! I can''t fight with my full strength or I could harm Rin." Damian tried to find a way to stop the creature without harming Rin.


    Seconds passed with Rin still inside the pir of light that seemingly was trapping him like a magic cage.


    Such strong holy magic could turn a demon into dust if he was unlucky enough to get stuck inside of it.


    (A//N: Do you like this style of fighting scenes or should I change it? You can always give me feedback on the fights since it''s by far my weakest point in writing :) )


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 15 15- Shadow Bringer (Part 2)

    Chapter 15- Shadow Bringer (Part 2)


    "Father? What should we do? Rin¡­ Rin¡­" Aria asked her father agitatedly.


    She didn''t know what they should do. Should they fight him without holding back? But, they could end up hurting him or even killing him. That fact alone made Aria shudder visibly from fear.


    Killing her beloved Rin? That might as well be thest thing she will do in this life. There was simply no way for her to risk doing anything that could put him to danger. Even if it means that she will have to get injured, even if it means that she will have to face death.


    "Darling¡­" Selina approached her husband and muttered his name.


    The man waspletely silent as he looked at the pir of light still standing still with no apparent suspicious movement inside. He was sure the dark creature was still alive as its strong aura was still looming around them.


    Selina cupped his cheeks in her hands before closing her eyes.


    "Heal." She muttered as she created a small source of light in her hand. Instantly, Damian''s swollen face started healing at a rapid pace. The blood also dissapeared and he was back to normal.


    "Thank you." He said as he gazed deeply into his wife''s eyes.


    Then, he clenched his fists and sighed.


    "I think I know how to stop him. But, I need your support." He said.


    "We will do anything," Selina replied.


    Aria also nodded her head as she picked up her sword from the ground. The lightning strikes didn''t harm her at all even when she touched it.


    "Oi! Alfred! Keep that pir for as long as you could!"


    "I will try, duke Silvereye!"


    Damian nodded with a satisfied look then shifted his gaze to his wife and daughter.


    "I want both of you to keep his attention until I cast my spell. It will be able to fully restrain him. But, it will take me at least 30 seconds to cast it as the spell casting for it is veryplicated." He said.


    "We can do that!" Aria tightened her grip on the sword.


    "I will back you up, sweety." A faint white aura surrounded Selina as her face turned extremely serious.


    Coincidentally, the pir of light in front of them started changing. It wasn''t as if the spell was getting canceled, instead, something unexpected urred.


    The same dark matter that was engulfing Rin expanded from underneath the pir of light and started climbing up the light as if it was consuming the pir of light.


    In a matter of seconds, the whole spell was covered in eerie darkness,pletely vanishing.


    "bleurgh!!" Alfred spat out a huge amount of blood as he fell down on the ground, breathing heavily.


    "H-He¡­ consumed my holy retribution." He said as he held his chest with his arm.


    "He''s not a demon after all. We can''t expect that to work." Selina replied with a sad look.


    "Get ready, mother. It''s not over yet!"


    Soon, from behind the veil of darkness, the dark creature emerged, totally unscathed. Its hollow eyes were shining as bright as ever.


    ''Come on, Rin. You are way stronger than that thing. Don''t let it consume you.'' Aria called for her brother in her head in hopes of him feeling something or maybe giving a response.


    But, that kind of hope was soon crushed as the creature extended its arm ahead. Its hand turned into sharp ws again and extended quickly to tens of meters in length. Aria took a deep breath and channeled her mana into her body to enhance her strength and speed.


    *BANG* *BANG* *BANG* *BANG*


    Each w followed Aria as she ran to the side, piercing the ground where she stood. The speed at which they extended and retracted put Aria to clear disadvantage without having a chance to attack or defend.


    But, she didn''t care at all, as long as she could keep evading it, it was fine. But, that wrong assumption of hers was crushed into pieces the next second.


    The creature extended the other hand and instead of turning it into ws, it simply tightly closed it to create a fist.


    A momentter, Aria''s body froze in its ce. Her eyes widened in shock as she tried to move quickly but her body refused to respond. It was as if something was controlling her.


    "What?!!" She clenched her teeth tightly.


    The ws were already on their way toward her.


    "Winds of benevolence!"


    Selina, who witnessed everything used her second element, wind, and cast a strong gush of air in the form of a storm. The wind pulled the ws into its heart, twisting and turning them left and right like small leaves carried by the autumn wind.


    The creature tried to pull its fingers away but found it hard to do so.


    "Now, Aria!!" Selina shouted as she kept her hands tightly close to each other as that was how she kept the storm moving.


    "AAAAGH!!" Biting her tongue, Aria was able to break through the restraints with sheer willpower.


    After that, she dashed toward the creature. Reaching him, she muttered with a strong gaze.


    "Leave¡­ my brother¡­ alone!"<novelnext></novelnext>


    *BOOOOOOOOM*


    A straight jab to the face sted the creature out of the room into the main hall of the church. Aria followed after it without giving it a chance to recover.


    "Wrathful thunder!!"


    *ZZZZZZZZZZZZ*


    A sh of thunder and lightning came down from the sky and hit the creature, bathing it in a sea of electricity. Aria made sure to make the thunderbolt not lethal and merely used it to stop the creature from moving for a few precious seconds. That attack wouldn''t harm Rin or the creature at all.


    Was it not for the fact that Aria had perfect control over her element, it would''ve been impossible for her to control a spell of that scale and make it harmless.


    Shuddering because of the thunderbolt, the creature tried to stand up again but couldn''t do so. But, that didn''t mean itpletely surrendered.


    Its eyes shed with violet light.


    Then, it started submerging itself into the ground as if it was made out of water. Aria tried to stop it but failed to do so.


    ''Where is it going to attack from?'' Aria started turning around left and right.


    "I will guard your back, sweety," Selina assured her daughter as she kept an eye on her surroundings.


    ''If I could discern its ability, I can narrow the number of ces it could attack from. Think Aria, think!''


    She recalled what happened with her father a few minutes ago and tried to find a clue about the creature''s ability. It can disappear into the ground and can also reappear close to them. It was as if it could only exist either near them or near any other object. But, what kind ofmon thing they shared with everything else that coincidentally exists under them?


    Instantly, her eyes shed with understanding.


    *Swish*


    Selina, who didn''t realize it, couldn''t sense the creature appearing right behind her.


    *BANG*


    Before the creature could even fully get out of the ground, Aria''s sword pierced the ground in front of it.


    "It''s the shadows. It can appear from inside our shadows." She exined to her mother.


    "It makes sense now. You bastard can control the shadows, huh? That exins everything."


    Her sword flew back to her side and rested on her hand.


    "Mother, keep an eye for your shadow and the shadows of other objects around us."


    "Understood." Selina nodded.


    The shadow creature submerged itself inside the ground again, vanishingpletely.


    Then, it tried to jump at Aria from the shadow of a small rock the size of her fist.


    "Not today."


    *Bang*


    She kicked back with her leg. She had aplete grasp of what was going on so any sneak attacks became harder and harder for them to seed.


    A few momentster, she saw her father giving her a small sign and she quickly understood what he meant.


    Being oblivious to this, the shadow creature attacked Aria again from another angle. Thetter didn''t counter-attack but instead simply stood still and waited for the creature to hit her.


    The moment its hands were about to reach the girl, she muttered coldly.


    "Checkmate."


    "Chains of madness!!"


    Damian''s hands turned into red chains as they extended to the enemy and surrounded it quickly, thetter tried to get rid of it but by that time, it was toote.


    The moment the chains touched it, all the mana in its body was sealed and it became incapable of using its powers.


    "Get a hold of it," Damian ordered as he restrained its limbs. The others did the same.


    Falling to the ground, the creature withered in pain as it tossed left and right. They all watched as the ck matter started dissolving and falling from Rin''s body.


    Soon enough, his body waspletely restored to normal.


    "Rin!!"


    (A//N: how do you rate this fight scene out of 10? Your feedback helps me improve :) )


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 16 16- A Bond Stronger Than Life

    Chapter 16- A Bond Stronger Than Life


    "That''s what happened¡­ It took you almost 45 minutes to regain your consciousness." Damian finished his story with a sigh.


    Rin had a weird face as his mouth was hanging open and his eyes widened to their extreme. He couldn''t believe that he did all of that while inside that world.


    "H-How¡­" He muttered under his breath.


    Not only did he attack his own family, but he also almost killed his mother. It was true that he didn''t know them for long, but, they were still his parents in this world and he carried some kind of affection for them that lingered in his body.


    Besides, he wouldn''t want to kill innocent people because of such a ring mistake. He didn''t know why he was so calm and carefree inside that world as if hismon sense was asleep the whole time.


    ''Why did I let this happen? Dammit!'' He cursed in his mind as he clenched his teeth in frustration.


    His hands started shaking and he slumped his head down with an ashamed look. He didn''t know how to look at them even though they risked their lives to save him.


    "I-I¡­" He tried to say something to, to apologize but nothing came out of his mouth.


    ''I don''t have the right to say sorry. I almost killed them¡­'' Tears welled up in his eyes as he felt his heart getting crushed slowly.


    "No!" Aria suddenly pulled out of his embrace and looked at him with a serious look.


    "It wasn''t your fault! You didn''t anything wrong!" She yelled.


    Rin could only stare nkly at her as she held his face tightly and wiped his tears with her finger.


    "But¡­ I almost killed mother¡­" He replied as he quickly averted his eyes.


    "It wasn''t something you intended to do, honey. I don''t me you at all." Selina approached him and patted his head gently with an affectionate look.


    "We don''t know what happened, it was something no one expected," Damian added.


    Rin looked at each one of them with aplicated gaze. If they got angry, shouted at him, or even showed any kind of fear of him, he wouldn''t say anything. In fact, that should''ve been the case. Yet, they not only didn''t me him but they were also extremely worried for him.


    "That''s why¡­ Don''t me yourself for something that you had no hands in." Aria eximed and hugged him again.


    Feeling her warmth again, Rin looked up and closed his eyes.


    ''This feeling¡­ how long has it been since I felt it?'' He asked himself as he hugged Aria back and buried his face in her shoulder.


    How long has it been since he was surrounded by his family? Since when did he feel that he wasn''t carrying all of the burdens life throw at him alone? Since when did he feel that he wasn''t alone? He has long forgotten that feeling and thought he will never get it back. Yet, here he is, surrounded by his new family, supporting him and caring for him.


    That strong bond was something he greatly missed. He wanted that emotional support from people that truly loved him.


    "I''m sorry¡­" He whispered.


    "It''s ok¡­ Everything is ok now." Aria replied with a small smile. Her hand kept caressing the back of his head softly.


    Selina and Damian watched their son and daughter hug each other silently. Their eyes softened greatly upon seeing this wholesome scene.


    Silence took over the ce, no one wanted to ruin this moment. But, whether they liked it or not, things can''t stay the same forever.


    Alfred quietly approached Damian and whispered something in his ear.


    "Rin¡­ Do you remember anything when you were inside that world?"


    Aria had already pulled out of his embrace but was still sticking close to Rin and making sure he felt her presence beside him.


    ''Should I tell them what the dark figure said? Is there any problem with that, system?'' He asked the one that gave him the skill.


    [Your actions are none of my concern. Just make sure that my existence remains a secret.]


    ''Fine.''


    "Well, yes¡­ He did say something."


    After that, Rin recited what the mysterious voice said to him.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Everyone''s expression turned slightly grim when they listened to Rin. Especially, Damian had a strong frown on his face.


    "Weird¡­ He is talking about you, right?"


    "From what I understood, he was including me in his speech. He spoke with ''we'' instead of ''I'' so it''s safe to say he meant both of us."


    "I can get the first part of ''We rule the darkness and exist in the light'' or whatever he said. But, what about thest part? ''Worthy''? What does it mean?" Damian muttered.


    "I genuinely don''t know. But, if I can give an assumption. He meant that I must reach some kind of requirement for me to be ''worthy''. That requirement could be anything. Maybe a certain power threshold? Or maybe a certain achievement. I could be anything that makes people feel ''worthy'' of respect and admiration."


    "That sounds logical." Selina nodded in understanding.


    "But, is it safe to say that you can use this power? It was controlling you and making you do something you didn''t want to." Aria interjected.


    "I¡­ think I have no choice in that. It''s inside me now so I could only deal with it and learn how to use it so that nothing like that happens again."


    ''You have a lot to exin to meter, system.''


    [Please be gentle, host.] The system responded with a weirdly meek voice.


    "I see¡­ What if this happens again?" His mother was still not fully in with that idea.


    "I think the ''chains of madness'' should be more than enough to stop him in case he went rampage like that again."


    "I''m really sorry for this inconvenience. Because of me, you have to live in constant danger¡­ I can totally understand if you want me to live alone. Maybe like that, I wo-"


    "Shh¡­ Don''t even think about that." Aria put her finger on his mouth.


    "That won''t happen. You are our son. If we can''t take care of our own children, how can we qualify as parents?" Selina said.


    "Yes, I don''t want Rin to be left alone too," Aria added with a warm smile.


    "Mmm¡­ Thank you both." He said


    ''I am acting like a total idiot. Even though they are trying to help me, I''m trying to push them away.'' He thought.


    "Shadow element, huh? I have never heard of such an element before. It''s something that probably never existed before." Alfred rubbed his chin as he contemted.


    "The power to control the shadows is simply scary. Even Rin, who was not even an awakened, was able to fight all of us and hold his ground. That power¡­ it''s something that should not exist in this world. If it ended up in the hands of the wrong people, I can only see a disaster." Damian frowned deeply at the mere thought of what could happen if that were the case.


    "But, I will still look around in case any such cases existed before in recorded history. I hope I could find something useful."


    "Please do, Alfred. Also, I don''t think it''s necessary to tell you that everything that happened here is of utmost secrecy. I don''t want any leaked information about this." Damian''s eyes turned sharp as he gazed at Alfred.


    pAn,Da n<0,>v,e1 "For sure. This one swears on the graceful goddess that he will never say anything about what happened here." Alfred nodded quickly.


    Thest thing he wanted was to offend the Silvereye family in any way. If Damian Silvereye turns him into an enemy, he might as well go ahead and put his head on the guillotine from now.


    "Good. Let''s leave now. We can continue our discussion back at home."


    The family then left the church and embarked on their journey back to their house. They kept talking about their ns and how to deal with Rin''s new powers in the right way.


    In the end, they were only able to resort to what was the most possible thing. They can only rely on Rin in controlling his new powers. He must train his element and turn it into something he can use freely with no possible threat of losing control.


    Seeing how they were all trying to find a way to help him, Rin could only feel warmth in his heart. It was something simple yet Rin felt really grateful for it. People take it as a given since they unconsciously think that their family will stay with them for a long time.


    The only people that could understand how precious that was are those who lose one or multiple individuals from their families.


    Rin was one of those unfortunate ones so he learned one thing that day. A familial bond is something strong¡­ way stronger than life itself.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 17 17- I Am A Freak!

    Chapter 17- I Am A Freak!


    After returning home, Rin excused himself to go back to his room saying that ''he had many things to think about''. His family understood that he was still shocked by the ident and needed some time to calm down and forget it so they didn''t think much about it.


    After going back to his room, he closed the door shut and sat on the bed before taking a deep breath.


    ''Speak.'' He said with an unusually cold tone.


    He was really angry after what happened and the fact that he almost harmed his family and the reason for that was the system.


    [Calm down, host. There is no poi-]


    ''Speak before I lose my patience.'' He cut him off with an irritated look.


    [You must calm down for me to exin or everything will go over your head, host. Anger can greatly reduce human IQ.]


    ''Did you pull that info out of your ass?''


    [I don''t have an ass, host. I''m not a human, after all.]


    ''...'' Rin waspletely speechless.


    But, nevertheless, he took a couple of deep breaths and calmed down considerably.


    ''Ok, I''m calm now. What happened?''


    [For me to exin you must first understand the origin of your power, host. Shadow maniption is actually something that doesn''t exist in this world in the first ce.]


    ''You mean ''Throne Of Infinity'' doesn''t have this ability in any of its worlds?'' He asked with his eyebrows raised up.


    [Exactly. My creator, goddess Lili actually got that ability from her own world. It was something that only existed in the gods'' domain.]


    ''So there was a domain where gods lived?''


    [Yes. Goddess Lili isn''t the only god in existence. There are countless gods, more than humans in numbers but with variations of power. They can be as weak as a mouse or strong enough to erase the universe with a swipe of their hands. Anyway, this power of yourses from a god called ''The Shadow Monarch'' as stated in my name.]


    ''Too edgy! Fuck, I really wanna meet this supposed god and tell him that to his face.''


    [You can''t, host. He''s long dead.]


    ''Oh?''


    [That''s why his powers ended up in your hands. Goddess Lili was able to snatch this ability before other gods could try and get it. This same ability almost started a war between gods.]


    ''Is it really that important?''


    [Yes, host. You are still barely at the first step in learning this power so you won''tprehend how powerful the ability to manipte shadows is. The number of possible uses for it is infinite and that alone could make it a target of greed by every strong existence.]


    ''I understand.''


    [No, you don''t and you shouldn''t. It''s something that the current you shouldn''t even try to think about. One step at a time, host.]


    ''Fine, fine. Stop this tasteless sarcasm of yours and continue.'' Rin rolled his eyes at the system before focusing again.


    [This god was strong, one of the strongest actually. So, the fact that he died in unknown circumstances shook the Gods'' Domain. He was so strong that he didn''t need an army by his side. He was able to face any threat alone ande out victorious each time. No one wanted to face him so he quickly turned into a legend in his own right.]


    ''So he was overpowered? Got it.''


    [After that, Goddess Lili was able to get his ability, and believe it or not, it ended up in your hands. Congrattions!]


    ''Don''t congratte me for something that threatens me! Idiot!'' He wanted to bonk the system on the head but he couldn''t do that.


    [So, back to the awakening ceremony. When you awakened your mana, the ability to manipte shadows also awakened. The integration process that it took to fuse with your body took fragments of the god''s consciousness that was left inside of it and nted them into your brain. Hence why you heard that voice in your head.]


    ''Wait, so that was the Shadow Monarch?'' He blinked a few times in shock.


    [Yes.]


    ''Wow, that was actually unexpected. Understood, now, why did I turn into a shadow creature and attacked everyone?''


    [That is something that I am not quite sure of, host. But, if I have to give my assumption, it must be because of the huge amount of mana you have.]


    ''Huge amount of mana I have?'' Rin tilted his head confusedly.


    [Check your stats, host.]


    [System Profile]


    [Name: Rin Silvereye.]


    [ss: Shadow Bringer (First Phase)]


    [Race: Human/ ???]


    [Stats]


    [Strength: G-]


    [Agility: G-]


    [Dexterity: G]


    [Intelligence: G+]<novelnext></novelnext>


    [Charm: A-]


    [Magic: C-]


    [Action Points: 280]


    [Skills: Shadow maniption, Appraisal, Plot Detector]


    ''Hmm, a new stat appeared. Magic?'' He asked.


    [Yes. See that you have a C- plus on magic. A normal person would only have G- or G when they first awaken. A talented person would have a G+ or even an F-. A genius would have an F or F+ and a once in a lifetime prodigy will most likely not exceed the E-.]


    ''What?! Isn''t that too¡­''


    [Absurd? Yes, it is, host. You can hear the shock in my voice, host. I am quite shocked.]


    ''You don''t sound shocked at all.'' Rin retorted.


    [So, the fact is, you are noticeably more talented than the most talented existence that ever existed. That also means that your mana pool is uparably bigger than that of any other person on your level of strength.]


    ''Why is that?'' He asked.


    He was never called a talented person before in all of his life. All of his sess (As insignificant as it was) was all because of his hard work and dedication.


    [I can''t answer that, host. I am not allowed to.]


    ''Hmm? Why do I have a bad feeling about this?''


    [Anyway, because of that huge and thick mana pool of yours. Your new powers immediately got out of control and started consuming your mana to control your body. That ended up making you attack your family.]


    ''Wow, talk about broken stats backfires at you. Sigh, will that ever happen again?''


    [As long as you train your ability and learn how to control it, I doubt that it could happen again.]


    ''So, it ended up just like how I assumed, huh? Fine, I can do with that for now. But, now that I thought about it, how can I train my powers?''


    [With constant use, host. Just like anything else, if you use it constantly you be better at it.]


    Rin nodded his head as he contemted what to do next. He really didn''t know how to train it. He knew for a fact that he can''t do that near his house for the risk of losing control and doing something irreversible.


    He needed a ce where he can freely use his abilities without worrying about consequences.


    Then, an idea popped into his head. If he needed to learn more about his powers then there was only one person he could ask.


    ''Father should know what I need to do. I will ask himter. For now, I shouldplete the daily quests.


    This training worked wonders at erasing any unnecessary thoughts and releasing some of the stress he had. Even though it was hard and brutal, he had fun doing such things knowing that was getting stronger step by step.


    A few hourster, Rin finished his training and took a shower beforeying on the bed. The time was barely evening so he couldn''t sleep. Instead, he decided to rest for a few minutes before he speaks with his father.


    ''Sigh¡­ Too many problems and I barely even came to this world 3 days ago¡­. I hope Elise is alright. I don''t know where she is even though we came here together.''


    His eyes looked outside, and the silhouette of a breathtakingly gorgeous girl appeared in his mind.


    Because of the things that happened, he didn''t have time to try and search for her. Besides, he really didn''t know where to search.


    ''Maybe her name didn''t change too. That could narrow my area of search. Sigh, whatever, she''s way more capable than me so she should be fine¡­ Hopefully.''


    Then, he closed his eyes and drifted into a light sleep.


    "A few¡­minutes¡­ and I will wake¡­ up." He muttered before he left himself to be carried into the dream world.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Meanwhile, in a far ce, inside a huge castle, 4 people were sitting inside a dining room. The table they sat in front of was absurdly long and filled with all kinds of delicacies.


    From exotic meat to weird fruits, nothing was missing.


    The girl looked at this banquet with a neutral look. She wasn''t really someone who liked extravagant food ever since she was young and was more into casual meals and snacks.


    Beside her sat a young man, he had long blonde hair and beautiful green eyes. His face was really handsome and his body was slightly bulky and muscr. He looked like a perfect ''Knight on a horse'' for any girl.


    This same young man was peeking at the girl beside him from time to time before averting his gaze with a light blush on his face.


    The girl was aware of his nces but couldn''t care any less about him, his existence was simply not something worthy of her attention.


    The two other people in the room sat across from them. Both of them were men, both wore very luxurious and formal clothes. One of them had a crown on his head and a had a small yet restrained smile on his face. The other was outright frowning but trying to keep calm as to not offend the man beside him.


    "Ehem¡­So, Duke Milenia. What is the reason for your visit today?" The crowned asked as he tried to defuse the heavy atmosphere looming in the room.


    Duke Mnia was about to speak however was cut off by the young man as he stood up and bent down in front of the girl.


    "Your highness, I came here to ask for your hand in marriage!!" He said as he looked down nervously.


    (A//N: Time For Elise to have some screen time. Btw, Elise is not a typical heroine as many of you might assume. She''s a ''protagonist'' in her own right. If you dislike the idea then please tell me. I will try my best to bnce Rin and Elise''s stories.)


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 18 18- Two Faces Of The Same Coin (Part 1)

    Chapter 18- Two Faces Of The Same Coin (Part 1)


    The boy felt his heart beating loudly in his chest as he gulped down a mouthful of saliva. This moment was something he longed for ever since he saw the princess for the first time.


    As weird as it may sound, it was love at first sight for him. Her demeanor, her elegance, and her beauty that he had never witnessed before totally captured his heart. Since then, all he could think of is her face, all he could imagine was her smile and all he could talk about was the woman of his dreams.


    It reached a point where his father, Duke Melinia, had toe here with him to ask for her hand in marriage. Only he knew how infatuated his son was with her highness. It reached a point where he barely could sleep or eat. His life was basically ruined because of his love for her.


    So, as much as he was reluctant to do this, he had to for the sake of his son''s well-being. That''s how they ended up in this tense dinner with the king of the Aviresion Empire and his daughter.


    ''Let me speak first, you idiot!'' He scolded him in his head but kept a neutral expression on the exterior. He can''t start shouting at his son in front of the king, can he?


    pAn,Da-n0v e1,c The silence went on for a few moments as the three waited for the princess to speak. She was still looking at the food without even taking a single nce at the man that gave his all to propose to her.


    Then, she sighed, wiped her mouth, and replied with a calm, emotionless tone.


    "No."


    Just one single word, a single, simple word. That word, as insignificant as it may sound, was like a lightning bolt that fell on the boy and crushed him.


    His heart stopped beating for a few seconds and his eyes widened in shock. He came here expecting both answers but still, the fact that she answered so quickly, so decisively, made him feel as if his whole world was about to crumble down on him.


    The king''s smile remained on his face but his voice was somehow colder than usual.


    "That was unexpected, Duke Melinia."


    "M-My apologies, your majesty. I didn''t expect my son to be this reckless."


    "It''s fine. I was simply surprised, that''s all. Raise your head, son." The king gazed at the boy who was still frozen in his ce.


    His voice shook him from his daze and made him stand up again. No etiquette or poker face could hide the extreme pain he felt at that moment.


    "C-Can I ask why, your highness?" He tried to sound normal but failed miserably.


    "Not interested." The princess replied casually.


    Another horrible response broke whatever was left of his hope and sent him straight to despair. He had surely lost something he will never get back again.


    "Why don''t you give him a chance, Elise?" The king asked.


    "I don''t want to. I will choose my own partner when the timees."


    ''What kind of man will even catch your eyes, daughter.'' The king didn''t know whether tough or cry at his daughter''s aloof expression.


    "Sit down, Phillipe." The duke ordered his son.


    He was barely holding himself fromtching at his son because of this shameful attitude. The embarrassment he felt was immeasurable.


    However, much to his shock the son didn''t back down at all and instead touched his chest and asked.


    "C-Can we at least start as friends, your highness? I will try my best to be up to your standards."


    If what he did before was a shameful act, this one was outright disrespectful and could end up with him in the prison or even worse.


    ''You moron!! Just sit the fuck down!!'' The duke tried to stop his son with a re but thetter was only looking at the princess.


    "Sigh¡­" The princess made a loud sigh and put down the spoon before turning around and looking at Phillipe for the first time since he came here.


    ''Oh, here she goes.'' The king thought to himself as he rolled his eyes.  He pitied the boy for doing this.


    "What was your name again?" She asked.


    "P-Phillipe, your highness." He said as he tried to muster a charming smile.


    "Listen here, Phillipe. I don''t want you to get the wrong idea so I will rify my words even though they were clear."


    After that, she took a deep breath and continued.


    "I ampletely and utterly not interested in speaking with you, befriending you or marrying you. I genuinely don''t care at all about you and you should do the same. I hope you understand that no matter what you do, try or even think about will never increase my interest in you by even a small amount."


    The boy''s face turned extremely pale as he heard her harsh response. Even though he just got rejected, something even more painful just dropped on him and crushed him.


    His body started swaying left and right from shock before he fell down on the chair, his eyes in a daze and his mouth hanging open.


    "I think we should leave now. It''s alreadyte." The duke said as he stood up and bowed before picking up his son and excusing himself from the room.


    The fact that he lost all of his dignity today will chase him to the end of his life. He had never felt so embarrassed ever before.


    After they finally left, the king sighed and rested his back on the chair. His smile vanished and instead, a sad look appeared on his slightly old face.


    "You really should tone down the harsh refusals, Elise. People will take it personally at some point."<novelnext></novelnext>


    Elise didn''t reply and instead changed the topic.


    "Did you find what I was looking for, father?"


    "Hmm, you mean the name you were searching for?"


    "Yes."


    The king tapped on the table rhythmically before replying.


    "If I recall right. The son of Duke Silvereye is named Rin."


    "Duke Silvereye? You mean the one at the borders?"


    "That''s him. I don''t know much about his son except that he recently had a weird amnesia or temporary loss of memory."


    "..."


    Hearing thatst part, Elise froze for a few moments as her eyes squinted slightly. Then, she quickly continued eating as if nothing happened.


    ''Found you.'' She thought to herself.


    "I would like to pay Duke Silvereye a visit."


    "Why is that?" The king asked confusedly.


    "I have an important matter with his son."


    "What?!" The king blurted out with a shocked look.


    ''My daughter¡­. is interested in someone?'' He had to repeat her words in his head a few times of how absurd they sounded.


    Only he knew how disinterested she was in getting married or even getting to know marriage candidates at all. She had been cold and distant her whole life which was something she inherited from her deceased mother. So, the fact that she wanted to meet someone and a boy of her age no less was like seeing the sun at night for the king.


    "It''s not what you are thinking of, father."


    After that, she wiped her mouth and stood up.


    "I should go back to my room. I will excuse myself, father." She said respectfully before she left.


    "Sigh, what a troublesome daughter I have." He rubbed his nose before slumping down on the chair.


    He now had to deal with the matter before it spreads everywhere. This was not the first time he had to clean up after the mess of the people that fell in love with his daughter.


    "Your daughter is really like you, honey." He muttered as he closed his eyes, seemingly reminiscing about the past.


    Meanwhile, Elise reached her room andid on her bed.


    "I don''t like this ce." She muttered to herself.


    She was already a person who didn''t like to interact with people that much so the fact that she was reincarnated in the body of the princess of the empire was the unluckiest thing that could happen to her.


    [Did you find him, Elise?]


    A feminine and robotic voice spoke to her out of nowhere.


    ''I think so. It''s too perfect to be a coincidence. I will see for myself either way.''


    [What are you going to do now?]


    ''I still don''t know. I have to discuss that with Rin first before we can take the next step. He most likely has a system of his own too which can change the n depending on his ability.''


    She was more knowledgeable about this world but that didn''t mean she remembers many things. She wasn''t someone who yed games so the fact that she tried TOI in the first ce was already a rare thing.


    ''Besides, I still need to get ustomed to my powers first.''


    As she thought so, she extended her hand in the air. Immediately, a book that was sitting on the table fidgeted slightly. After that, it started floating before moving toward Elise at a slow pace.


    Eventually, it reached her hand and rested on her palm.


    ''The power to manipte gravity. I wonder what Rin got.''


    (A//N: What do you think of her ability? It''s quite op just like Rin''s. I will try to take a very unusual route with Elise''s powers.)


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 19 19- Two Faces Of The Same Coin (Part 2)

    Chapter 19- Two Faces Of The Same Coin (Part 2)


    Sinceing to this world, Elise had two goals in mind for this exact ce. As she had a rough idea about Divine Sapphire and its story, she was able to quickly create an outline for the major events that will happen in this world and how she should use these events to her advantage.


    The first and most important thing is to get stronger. While it may sound vague for a goal, the system she got from Lili made it easier for her to decide what to do. That by no means made the journey easier but it gave her a clear path she can take.


    The next goal was equally hard if not harder than the first goal and was to finish this world in no more than 10 years.


    Now, for most people, 10 years seem like a long period of time and it was indeed long. But, those same people don''t know that this goal of hers was just simply absurd if not outright naive.


    Divine Sapphire wasn''t a clone of the earth but a full-fledged that was tens of times bigger than Earth. Ten years won''t even be enough for someone to make a journey around the world let alone finish the story of this world.


    But, she wanted to take this seriously and 10 years seemed like a good motivation for her so she went with it. Elise was a very ambitious person in contrast to the collected and emotionless attitude she had most of the time.


    With that in mind, her first few days in the world passed fairly calmly. Being a princess was a headache but she could squeeze her way through this somehow.


    The problem lies somewhere else, the fact that she was a princess meant that she had to deal with the political side of this position. That political side as most could predict had ''the battle for the throne''.


    Elise had a total of 5 siblings from multiple women as the king had mistresses. She was the only one with a true royal bloodlineing from the queen and the king themselves.


    That made her the target of jealousy and dark hatred from her siblings. In mere three days, she had already seen all kinds of treatments by them.


    The previous soul that upied that body seemed to be the weak-willed type so getting bullied became a habit for her.


    ''They sure are a tenacious bunch.'' She thought to herself as she wiped the sweat from her face afterpleting the training for the day.


    Her mesmerizing figure could make any sane man turn into a wild animal in heat from a mere nce. Her beautiful, snow-white skin was glistening because of sweat as it trickled down her body.


    *Knock* *Knock*


    Then, she heard a knock on the door. No one would visit her of their own ord except for her maid and the king if he wanted to check on her.


    "Who is it?"


    "It''s me, Maria." The person answered.


    ''Sigh¡­ This is really gonna be a pain.'' She thought to herself.


    The other party then came inside without even waiting for Elise to tell them whether they could enter or not. This rude behavior could only be tolerated because the other party was a princess too.


    Her name was Maria Aviresion and she was Elise''s half-sister who was 4 years older than her.


    Elise didn''t really care about that and merely wiped her face as she asked.


    "What is it?"


    The other girl gave her a re before she replied with a cold tone.


    "I heard that the duke''s son, Phillipe came here today to propose to you."


    "Did he? I don''t remember." Elise shrugged her shoulders and continued wiping her sweat.


    "Don''t y dumb. The fact that you refused his proposal really impressed me. You really are such an arrogant bitch, Elise."


    Then, Maria pointed her finger at Elise and continued.


    "I don''t even know why you are a princess in the first ce. Your mother is dead and you barely leave your room. The only thing you are good at is eating and doing nothing like a pig. Yet, you are still admired by the popce as the ''sacred princess of Aviresion''. Why is that?"


    Elise didn''t reply at all to her words. All she could hear was the continuous whining of someone she didn''t care about at all. Her words meant nothing.


    But, after a few moments of contemtion, she replied.


    "I do whatever I want."


    "Sigh, that''s it¡­ that ignorant attitude of yours that really piss me off. People like you get all the glory and admiration yet they throw it away simply because they are not interested. Yet, those who seek that glory end up empty-handed. Why is that?!" Maria yelled angrily.


    Her breathing turned erratic but she quickly calmed down and coughed a few times before adding.


    "It''s pointless to say this now. But, I did hear that you want to pay a visit to duke Silvereye. Quite interesting to see my aloof and cold sister go out of her way to pay a visit to someone. Or maybe because you are interested in his son. I must say he''s quite good-looking. Why don''t you spread your legs to him too?"


    Elise''s hands stopped moving for a second before she sighed and put down the towel before gazing at Maria.


    "Repeat what you said again?" She asked.


    "I said that you are a whore who will spread her legs to men."


    *Swish*


    Suddenly, Elise dashed toward Maria and swiftly grabbed her neck in less than a second. Thetter was shocked by the weird development and tried to free herself.


    "Listen here, woman. I can tolerate most of the insults I get from you and your worthless siblings. For the sake of my future, I can ept interacting with human filth so there is no problem with that. But, if¡­ and I will repeat it¡­ IF you ever spout this sentence again. I will drain you out of blood and send you to the pigs to eat for dinner. Understand?"


    Then, she tightened her grip on her throat, making Maria squirm like a dying fish before throwing her to the ground.


    "Stay away from me and the people I am close to. If I ever see trying to do anything funny, you better go dig your grave andmit suicide before I find you."


    *COUGH* *COUGH*


    "Y-You¡­" Maria tried to speak as her eyes fell on Elise.


    But, the moment she saw her eyes, her body froze as her heart stopped beating for a good second. Her eyes were so just pure terror. Maria felt as if she was staring at a dark abyss where her soul could get pulled inside at any second.


    Then, she clenched her teeth and stood up before running away from the room.


    "Sigh¡­ I hate this ce." Elise scratched her head and sat on the bed.


    [Are you ok, Elise?]


    The system spoke to her with a worried tone.


    "Yeah. It''s not that big of a deal. I want to leave this castle as soon as possible."


    [Are you going to enroll in the academy?]


    "Most likely. But, I will still need to see what Rin wants to do. Tomorrow is the journey so I should sleep."


    [Don''t push yourself, Elise.]


    The system said with aplicated tone.


    ''Am I really pushing myself?'' She asked.


    [Those eyes you showed to that princess were¡­ not you.]


    Elise unconsciously traced her eyes. She didn''t know what kind of expression she made but she was sure it was not good at all.


    ''That girl¡­ she pulled a string that I don''t like anyone to touch. I should''ve not lost my temper for a moment. It made me recall a bad memory that I am not fond of.''


    [You are a human, Elise. I think it''s fine to feel emotions. Learning how to control them is the key.]


    ''You are right. Where did you learn that?''


    [I know more than you could imagine.]


    Elise''s face rxed greatly as sheid down on her bed speaking with the system. Even though they knew each other for only a few days, she already started epting this weird existence in her life.


    ''I will rely on you to tell me when I''m about to do something wrong.''


    [If you trust me enough then I must oblige, master.]


    ''... Don''t call me that.''


    [It was a joke. I have a jokes system integrated into me so that I can be as funny as possible.]


    ''That wasn''t funny at all.'' Elise rolled her eyes.


    "Anyway, I should sleep. Goodnight, system."


    [Good night, Elise.]


    (A//N: The rtionship between Elise and the system will be very wholesome and very beautiful, we will be back to action again soon:). How was the chapter btw?)


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 20 20- Rin Vs Aria (Part 1)

    Chapter 20- Rin Vs Aria (Part 1)


    [A few days prior to the visit]


    "Are you sure?" A handsome middle-aged man said as he tapped the table in front of him rhythmically seemingly in deep thought.


    In front of him was an extremely handsome boy who looked very simr to the man in appearance albeit way younger. His eyes were looking straight at the man with no hesitation or shame.


    "Yes. It''s something I need in order to control my strength." Rin replied confidently.


    Hearing his son, Damian rested his back on the chair again as he sighed quietly.


    "It''s not safe at all, Rin."


    "Was gaining strength ever safe, father?" He asked as he smiled slightly.


    "That''s true. Still, you barely awakened yesterday, and yet you want to enter a dungeon today?"


    Rin knew his father''s concerns but he still didn''t want to just keep on doing the daily quests and hope for the best. He needed to fight actual monsters and face actual danger in order for him to gain experience and learn how to use his powers.


    "There is no other choice. I already resolved myself to do this."


    Damian eyed the boy for a few seconds before he asked.


    "Are you scared?"


    "Even if I was scared, it won''t be a good reason to give up."


    ''This child¡­'' Damian thought with aplicated gaze.


    For some reason, the boy in front of him didn''t sound like a young man at all and instead sounded like a war veteran who saw death multiple times before and also faced great threats. But, the problem is, where did he get that aura?


    Rin wasn''t the type to leave the house at all and even if he did leave the house, he would just stroll around the city, maybe buy something or go y somewhere but never really fought any monsters, trained, or even showed any interest in those kinds of things.


    But, he quickly shook these thoughts away and focused on the conversation again.


    "Did you ask your mother?"


    "No. But, I know she will understand if I show enough determination."


    "What about Aria?"


    "Umm¡­ Well, not yet." Rin seemed troubled for some reason but Damian didn''t try to ask why.


    "Well, I guess I can allow you to get inside a dungeon. But, you are prohibited from anything higher than G-Rank dungeons until you are strong enough, got it?" He asked.


    "Understood." Rin nodded his head with a smile.


    "Another thing father."


    "Hmm?"


    "Do you know any person that goes by the name ''Elise''?" He asked.


    "Ah? You mean her highness the princess?"


    "The princess? The princess of this empire?" Rin tilted his head confusedly.


    "Yes, Elise Aviresion. That''s the princess." Damian nodded.


    ''Oh god! So Elise reincarnated at the princess?! Damn it! Talk about the inconvenience.'' Rin tried to keep a calm front but his mind was in shambles.


    "Why are you asking?"


    "Nothing. I was just curious. Anyway, I will excuse myself now, father." He said and walked to the door.


    "Wait, Rin."


    "Yes?"


    Damian seemed troubled as he tried to speak but then shook his head and said.


    "Don''t overdo it."


    "Ah, I will try my best not to." He smiled and then left the room.


    There, resting on the wall right to his left, Aria was waiting silently. Rin was surprised at her sudden appearance but then calmed quickly.


    "Are you about to enter a dungeon?" She asked with a serious face.


    "You heard, huh? Well, I intended to tell you either way." Rin scratched his head with an awkward chuckle.


    "Let me go with you."


    "Huh? Why?"


    "You can get yourself harmed without someone protecting you as you trained."


    "I will be fine, Aria. I''m notpletely clueless about this as you might assume."


    "Still, youck strength. Even if this is a mere G-Rank dungeon, you can still put your life at risk." Her voice was stern yet also worried. That''s why Rin kept smiling at her gently.<novelnext></novelnext>


    ''She really cares for me a lot. I''m grateful for her.'' He thought to himself.


    Instantly, Aria turned her face away and coughed a few times. Rin watched her weird reaction with an interested look. He could see her ears turning slightly red for a moment.


    Chuckling at her cute behavior, he approached her and patted her head gently.


    "How about this? We can have a spar now and you can judge my capabilities that way."


    Aria, who was secretly enjoying the pats, replied with a less stern voice.


    "You won''t be able to hold for long."


    "That''s not the point. I just want to show you that I''m not a pushover. That way, you can let me enter the dungeon."


    "..."


    Thinking carefully about it, Aria sighed at the end and then nodded her head in defeat.


    "Fine. I agree."


    "Good and thanks for your concern, Aria. It means a lot to me." He thanked her with a soft tone before walking away.


    Seeing his silhouette as he disappeared slowly, Aria touched her chest with her left hand and a weird expression appeared on her face.


    "You''re unfair¡­ Rin." Her lips pursed into a small pout before she followed him.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    The two ended up walking to the backyard of the mansion. There, apart from a huge garden filled with all kinds of flowers and exotic nts, there was a training ground that was specially made for Aria to train when she was young.


    It went unused for some time but it still looks in good shape since the maids cleaned it thoroughly every once in a while.


    There, in the middle of the field, Rin and Aria stood face to face.


    On the side, there was Selina who came to watch. Her face looked very worried but she didn''t try to stop them. All she could do was watch carefully and be ready in case she needed to do anything.


    "Be careful, kids." She said.


    The two nodded their heads at the same time at her request.


    "Are you sure you won''t use a sword? It will be disadvantageous to you." Aria asked as she eyed the pair of daggers he held in his hand.


    "I''m more ustomed to these and they also feel way morefortable in my hands."


    ''Weird. Daggers aren''t really that popr. Ah, right. I forgot that he was actually from another world. Every time I think about it, it sounds weird in my head.'' Aria had many questions she wanted to ask but she shook them away and focused on the spar.


    "As I said before, we won''t use mana or any abilities. Just a pure swordfight to show skills. The first to surrender loses."


    "Got it. Mother, could you be the judge for that?"


    "Ugh, fine. On my mark. Three¡­"


    The two gripped their weapons tightly and took a fighting stance. Their eyes turned sharp as their breathing became shallower and shallower.


    "Two¡­"


    Rin felt his heart starting to race and adrenaline rushing to every corner of his body.


    ''I feel like I didn''t fight in ages. My limbs are getting rusty.''


    "One¡­ Start!!"


    At the sign, Rin dashed toward Aria quickly, closing the distance between them quickly and shing down with his right dagger horizontally. It was a swift and lethal attack that he liked to start fights with.


    Aria was already anticipating the attack and easily dodged it with a sidestep before shing with her sword at his abdomen. Both weapons were made out of wood so the chances of sustaining a lethal injury were near impossible. But, those weapons could still break bones in the right hands.


    Rin felt the tip of the sword almost touching his shirt so he used the left dagger and parried the sword sh. The sheer strength of the hit made him retreat slightly to create distance.


    "That was really good, Rin. I didn''t expect that." Aria praised him honestly.


    "You are also amazing, Aria."


    *Swish*


    Then, both of them charged toward each other and shed weapons. Rin had to use both daggers to be able to hold on to her power.


    ''I guess the training did help slightly. My self from a few days ago would''ve probably been thrown away immediately after shing with Aria. But, now I can hold on for a few seconds.'' He clenched his teeth and swiped the two daggers in opposing directions.


    That made the pressure from Aria''s sword vanish for a small moment. However, that small moment was more than enough for Rin to be able to send a kick to her side with his free leg.


    ''She can''t avoid this. Hehehe!'' Heughed as he felt his leg almost hitting her.


    However, Rin forgot one small thing during this sh¡­ He was fighting one of the strongest awakeners of their generation.


    ? (A//N: It was at this moment that Rin knew¡­ he fucked up. Hehehe! :) )


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 21 21- Rin Vs Aria (Part 2)

    Chapter 21- Rin Vs Aria (Part 2)


    In a split second, while Rin was already about to smile as his n seemingly worked, something that was unexpected urred.


    Aria''s body tilted to the back before she jumped in the air. Then, in a terrifyingly swift move, used Rin''s extended leg as a support for her to jump even higher. Rin didn''t even think that was a possible thing to do yet here he was, looking at his big sister as shended on him.


    "Ugh!" He clenched his teeth as he collided with the hard soil under him.


    But, his eyes turned a degree colder as he plunged his daggers into the ground. The impact lessened and he was able to spring back up on his feet.


    "I didn''t know that was even humanly possible." He said with a grin.


    Aira merely nodded her head as she asked.


    "Can you still fight?" She asked.


    Rin knew that she wasn''t trying to mock and was just worried that she overdid it. But, at that exact moment, Rin was already extremely engrossed in the fight with his whole being.


    Picking his daggers, he smiled even more widely and replied.


    "This isn''t enough to make me surrender."


    *Swish*


    Dashing toward her again, Rin''s hands changed their grip on the sword. Aria noticed that change and tried to predict what he was trying to do.


    ''This is the best trick up my sleeve. It better work.''


    Taking a deep breath, he threw the dagger at Aria with his whole power. The dagger cut through the air swiftly as it reached Aria the next moment.


    Thetter merely parried it with her sword. But, Rin was waiting for that exact moment. Looking at the dagger that was falling down, he threw the other weapon at it.


    *ng*


    "Wha-" Aria was very shocked by the weird attack and was veryte to react.


    The daggers hit each other making the first one change direction and instead regain some momentum and fly down, aiming toward Aria''s leg.


    Now, this trick was obviously impossible to pull off by normal humans as it needed an inhuman brain to calcte the exact moment and the exact point at which the second dagger should hit the first dagger.


    But, Rin didn''t only train this trick back in his old world to perfection which made it easier for him to execute it but also had senses that were superior to those of normal humans.


    Yet, even with all of that, he seemed to have made a small mistake in his calctions. The dagger was aiming slightly off the mark.


    Aria noticed that and pulled her leg away at thest moment.


    Clicking his tongue, Rin sighed at his failed surprise attack and then smiled.


    "It didn''t work. Hehehe!" He scratched his head awkwardly.


    "..."


    "..."


    Both Aria and Selina looked at him silently with widened eyes. Thest thing they expected was for Rin to do such a thing andugh casually after that.


    "Where¡­ did you learn that?" Selina asked after a long period of silence.


    ''Oh, shit! I was so focused on the fight that I forgot not to do any extreme things. Dammit! How should I exin this now?''


    He searched in his head for a good excuse but couldn''t find any. But, surprisingly, Aria was the one to answer.


    "I saw him train with them in his room."


    "Really?! Why would you use them inside a closed space? What if you got hurt?" Selina asked with an angry look.


    ''How did she believe that?'' Rin blinked a few times at his mother''s oddly simple mind.


    Or maybe she blindly believed her children so she didn''t think much about it. Rin didn''t know the answer to that.


    "Sigh. Anyway, this should be enough. I had my hand on my chest the whole time from worry."


    Both of them nodded their head in understanding. After that, Aria approached Rin and whispered in his ear.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "You owe me an exnation for that."


    "I guess I do." He lifted his hands up in defeat before putting the daggers away and returning with his mother and sister inside the house.


    "So, are you convinced?" He asked.


    "Well, I was actually quite shocked. But, still, a deal is a deal."


    "Thank you, Aria." A smile appeared on Rin''s face.


    "Y-You have nothing to thank me about."


    "No, I have to. I appreciate how much you all care for me. I value it a lot."


    Aria looked at her brother with aplicated gaze. At that moment, an overwhelming curiosity took over her mind as she wanted to ask him about what he was hiding and what she could hear from his thoughts.


    But, at thest moment, she closed her mouth and contemted again. She didn''t think Rin was not trustworthy but the fact that he hid this from them had to be good.


    So, trying to corner him now would be stupid. Instead, she wanted to give him time till he freely tells her about his secrets. That was how she wanted them to be. She wanted Rin to slowly connect with her and trust her with everything.


    But, that doesn''te in mere days but across years and years. That kind of bond is something that she will try to work for.


    After that, Rin went back to his room to prepare himself. He had to get some food, water, and even spare clothes in case the ones he was wearing were torn apart.


    The next thing he did was go back to his father. Thetter was waiting for him at the office with a bag.


    "Take this."


    He handed him the heavy bag. Rin heard the sound of viles hitting each other inside and could only tilt his head confusedly.


    "What''s this?"


    "Potions for mana and health and some other useful things in emergency cases. Your mother made sure to prepare them for you."


    "But, isn''t this too much? I won''t be staying for that long inside the dungeon. Maybe one or two days at most."


    "It''s better to be safe than sorry. Besides, we can''t stop worrying if you just go with the bare minimum."


    Sighing, Rin put the bag on his back before following Damian outside.


    "Where should we go now?"


    "Just follow me." He said with a mysterious look and started walking.


    ''Wait, is the dungeon not far away from here?'' Rin could only wonder.


    The two walked in silence toward the northern part of the mansion. There, a small living room was built that no one used at all and was merely there to fill the empty space.


    In the middle of the room was a huge chandelier that hang down from the ceiling while being eerily close to the ground. Rin thought it was some kind of decoration so he didn''t ask but it still looked too close to his eyes.


    Reaching the chandelier, Damian extended his hand to it and pulled one of the parts gently. Instantly, the whole ce shook violently and a hole appeared just under the chandelier.


    The whole had long stairs that led to some dark ce under the house.


    "This way."


    "Wait, do you mean¡­"


    "The dungeon¡­ is under the mansion." Damian pointed at the hole with a calm look as he rified.


    ''Damn¡­'' Rin thought to himself.


    He never expected a dungeon to literally be under his feet the whole time. He had many questions but he kept silent till he saw the ce with his own eyes.


    ''This ce is really weird. I am actually surprised that it didn''t follow a clich¨¦ in this. Like, for example, the dungeon could''ve been inside the fridge or the closet. Maybe even under my bed for all I care.'' His mind wandered to a weird ce as he walked into the darkness with his father.


    (A//N: Short chapter, 1.3k¡­ couldn''t write more than that for the night cause I''m dead tired. Anyway, this is the start of the dungeon arc. It has many interesting twists so keep in tune :) )


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 22 22- Having My Own Dungeon Makes Me The Protagonist, Right? (Part 1)

    Chapter 22- Having My Own Dungeon Makes Me The Protagonist, Right? (Part 1)


    Walking down the long staircase, the duo finally reached the end which seemed to be a small, dark and humid room. The only sound Rin could hear inside was the sound of water dropping from the ceiling and the only thing he could smell was the stench of old walls and mud.


    ''Way to go for a secret dungeon.'' He thought to himself as he looked around.


    He didn''t expect to find a luxurious 5-star hotel suit here but he at least expected it to be more ''approachable'' if that was the right word to use. This ce looked like a room straight out of a B-Rated horror movie you find in cheap cinemas.


    That''s not to say that he was scared or was having second thoughts. He was justparing his image of a dungeon entrance to all the light novels he read.


    Shaking those thoughts away, he gazed at his father who walked to the middle of the room. He then extended his hand in the air casually. The moment it was fully extended, a light appeared beneath him and then, something appeared out of thin air.


    The object looked like a spinning wheel except that it didn''t have any colorful parts and was merely ck. Except for the faint light surrounding the edges of the wheel, there was nothing else on it. Just a ck circle-shaped disc.


    Using his hand, Damian started spinning it slowly. It didn''t make any sound as it got span again and again until it was turning around at a moderately fast speed.


    A few secondster, Damian stopped his hands and coincidentally, the wheel stopped turning too.


    "Open," Damian muttered.


    Then, as if it understood Damian''smand, the light around the wheel intensified. Slowly yet surely, it became harder and harder for Rin to look at the wheel so he closed his eyes for a few seconds because of the strong light.


    Finally, after waiting for some time, the light vanished and he was able to open his eyes slowly. In the ce of the wheel, a weird, messy ck whirlpool of ck matter and some other energy that he didn''t recognize was floating mid-air.


    The portal was making a faint sound that Rin couldn''t quite describe. But, what bewildered him, even more, was the fact that he felt connected to that portal.


    It wasn''t a simple interest but an actual connection on a deeper¡­ far deeper level than he thought. If he had to describe it in words, Rin could only say one thing.


    ''It feels as if it''s a part of me that I created.'' He thought with a weird expression.


    He really didn''t know how to react to such a thing at all. In fact, he was now starting to hesitate about getting inside that portal. He felt as if something will happen if he did that and he didn''t know what it was.


    ''No, I can''t chicken out now because of a mere hunch. Let''s just do our thing as nned.''


    "That''s the portal to the G-Rank dungeon. The wheel you saw allows me to choose which rank I want to go to. If you want to leave, just think of the word ''exit'' and an exit will appear in front of you." He exined.


    "I understand." Rin nodded his head.


    "One more thing. Never underestimate the monsters you find inside no matter how easy to kill they appear to be. A single mishap could end up sending you to the afterlife. I can''t stress enough how much its important for you to focus and never rx at all inside." Damian exin.


    "I am aware of that, father."


    "Good. I can see that you are serious. Anyway, take care of yourself, son." He said with a rare smile before he sent me off.


    Left alone in front of the portal, I didn''t immediately walk inside.


    ''Care to exin that feeling, system?''


    [Can you take ''no'' for an answer, host?]


    ''No.''


    [Well, tough luck, host. You will have to take that for an answer now since I can''t exin that feeling to you¡­ at least not yet.]


    ''Hahaha. You are so funny, system. Look at me, I''mughing so hard now.'' Rin replied as he rolled his eyes.


    He didn''t know why but this robotic system liked to be sarcastic and joke around from time to time. Most systems were either too serious or too free-spirited but this one was right in the middle. The perfect bnce of character.


    That bnce, as seamless as it looked, was pure hell for Rin who didn''t like getting teased too much.


    ''Anyway, let''s get inside.'' He thought to himself and started walking toward the portal.


    When he was close enough, he extended his hand and touched the surface of the portal lightly. Weirdly, he didn''t feel anything on the tip of his fingers as if he basically touched thin air. Yet, he could clearly see as his fingers pass through the portal and werepletely swallowed.


    Taking a deep breath, Rin closed his eyes and advanced quickly until his body fully entered the portal.


    When he opened his eyes again, the whole world around him had changed drastically. Instead of the dark, damp and disgusting ce he was in, what he saw around him at that moment was a vast in under a blue, clear sky.


    From all the things he expected, none of them included a beautiful ce filled with greenery.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Before he could even question where he was, a notification appeared in front of his eyes. It didn''t obstruct his vision and instead was right in the corner of his eyes.


    [Host entered G-Rank Dungeon: Valley Of Tranquility.]


    [Main Quest triggered!]


    [Finish the G-Rank dungeon.]


    [Reward: 150 Action Points/ 1x G-Rank random item.]


    ''Oh, so the main quests finally appeared.''He thought with a smile.


    Ignoring the first reward, the second one was what caught his attention. A random G-Rank item? Even now, Rin was basically ''itemless'' except for a pair of normal daggers he got from the weaponry in his home.


    He didn''t like the armor he found there as it was too heavy and would rob him of his fighting style which relied mostly on speed and uracy.


    ''I can''t take the rewards for a given. Finishing this dungeon might not be that easy after all.''


    As he thought saw, another notification popped out.


    [Map updated!]


    [Check the map for more information.]


    Rin instinctively opened the map section and a huge window filled his vision instantly.


    ''Make it smaller and put it in the corner.'' He asked the system in his head and thetter immediately did that.


    The map was simple, there weren''t many details on the map except for a red dot in the middle of it.


    "There aren''t that many things on the map." He muttered.


    [That''s because this ce is still undiscovered by the host. The more you walk around the more things will appear.]


    Nodding his head, Rin chose a random direction and started walking slowly. The grass wasn''t that tall but it was tall enough to hide small creatures. So, he made sure to be careful with each step he took and his surroundings.


    As silent as this ce was, Rin could still hear small sounds created by the wind. He was more than surprised by the fact that this ce looked like the actual real world.


    ''How is that even possible?''


    [Dungeons could recreate environments perfectly. Higher-ranked dungeons could even create drastically differentws that defy thews of nature of the real world.]


    Hearing that, Rin felt that he was still totally clueless about this ce. As much as he tried to learn about it, he felt as if he was still a newborn baby finally leaving his house for the first time and seeing the outside world.


    The journey continued, no enemy appeared in his vision and it made him question whether he would even find one or not.


    However, as if they heard hisints, he finally heard a sounding from ahead that wasn''t the sound of grassing rustling, and moving.


    Rin immediately bent down to hide his presence. His eyes went straight to his map and good enough, there were other things on his empty map.


    pAn,Da n<0,>v,e1 Exactly, there were 2 blue dots. Each dot was moving slowly on the map in a random direction to prove that they were some kind of lively creatures.


    Peeking from his position, Rin finally saw the beasts. There, he could see two deer-like animals that were eating from the ground.


    Their fur was white and their eyes were a weird shade of blue that he never saw before. The other noticeable thing about them is their giant frame that was at least double the size of a normal deer in his old world.


    Their bodies were also well-built and filled with bulging muscles.


    ''Two buff deers? They definitely didn''t skip leg day¡­ damn!'' He honestly praised them in his head.


    (A//N: I can appreciate some body-building deers once in a while. The fact is, appearances are sometimes tricky.)


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 23 23- Having My Own Dungeon Makes Me The Protagonist, Right? (Part 2)

    Chapter 23- Having My Own Dungeon Makes Me The Protagonist, Right? (Part 2)


    Taking a deep breath, Rin analyzed the deer''s movement pattern and waited patiently for the perfect time to attack.


    The other thing was that he needed to learn how to activate shadow maniption in the first ce. He never tried it as he wasn''t sure of what could happen. Keeping an eye on the deers in case they ran away, he asked the system.


    ''How do I use my skill?'' He asked.


    [You just think of the skill. Simple things, host.]


    Rin ignored the sarcastic remark and tried to execute what the system told him. Closing his eyes for a moment, he thought of the skill.


    pAn,Da n<0,>v,e1 Then, when he opened his eyes again, he focused on one of the deers. His goal was to try and freeze its shadow in ce which also freezes the animal in ce too.


    Easily enough, he saw an instantaneous effect after he tried to use it. His shadow started twisting and turning before it shot toward one of the deers. Reaching it quickly, the shadow linked with the deer''s shadowpletely.


    "Raaa!!" The deer screeched loudly as it felt its body lose its power to move and tried to wiggle its way out of whatever was binding it.


    Rin felt the resistanceing from the deer, it was as if some kind of pressure was applied to his mind. He felt that he would lose control at any second so he quickly jumped out of his ce of hiding and charged toward the deer.


    "Raaa!!!" Thetter felt the presence approaching it as a threat loomed over its mind. The resistance intensified.


    When Rin was within reach, the deer finally broke from the binding and started running. However, Rin had already anticipated such an oue. The moment his shadow broke from it, he felt a small pain in his head as if someone pped him on the head a few times.


    Ignoring it, he jumped on top of the door and got a hold of its fur. The animal started jumping around as it tried to get rid of Rin by all means. Rin''s body was thrown left and right like some kind of ragdoll but he didn''t let loose of the fur.


    After much resistance, Rin was able to pull out the dagger from his sheath and plunged it into the deer''s back.


    "RAAAAAAAAA!!!" The loudest scream ever echoed in the whole area and made Rin close his ears from pain.


    Blood sttered everywhere as the deer tried to run for its dear life. The boy could see life as it seeped out of the animal''s eyes and coincidentally, the deer started losing strength and eventually fell down to the ground, wriggling ever-so-slightly.


    Seeing the deer on the verge of death, Rin immediately approached it again and swiftly stabbed it in the neck, killing the deer. His eyes looked gentle as they gazed at the monster. The other deer has already run away as soon as itspanion got attacked.


    Even though he was ruthless with it, that didn''t mean he didn''t feel bad about it. He was a soft-hearted person by nature so doing this wasn''t that pleasing.


    He could still recall his first experience killing something, he struggled a lot and almost let it escape but ended up resolving himself and ending it. The world was ending and he knew that if he didn''t kill, he would eventually die from hunger or even get killed by other creatures.


    That made him learn to harden his heart and do what is needed without hesitation.


    Sitting down, Rin traced the body of the deer. The soft feeling of its fur coupled with the warm sensation of blood was somehow calming for him.


    "Rest in peace." He muttered under his breath.


    [Host killed G-Rank Sky Deer.]


    [Would you like to consume it?]


    ''Consume it?'' Rin didn''t get what that meant.


    But, no answer came from the system at all. Finding no other choice, he decided to ept whatever the system offered him. The moment he approved of it, his shadow shot toward the deer.


    This time, however, it didn''t link with the deer''s shadow but instead started engulfing the animal''s body itself.


    This scene reminded him of what happened at the church. Frowning slightly, he watched closely as the deer was quickly consumed by his own shadow.


    In less than 30 seconds, the whole deer vanished inside his shadow before it returned to him as if nothing happened. But, the truth was far from that.


    [Consumption sessful!]<novelnext></novelnext>


    [Host gained 5 Action points.]


    [Host gained 1x Sky Deer Meat.]


    ''I see. So consuming creatures I kill gives me action points and other things. Hmm, Sky Deer Meat? Is it even eatable?''


    Shaking these thoughts away, he focused on his goal. He would think about foodter when he needed to eat.


    ''Where did that deer go?''


    Then, his journey continued, and for hours and hours, he went around and killed any deer he found.


    Using the sole skill he had, he was able to hunt them down with ease. The animals didn''t even try to resist at all and instead tried to run away at any opportunity.


    Rin lost count of how many he hunted after the 10th one. It was somewhat not as bad as he thought it will be. G-Rank monsters were basically a bunch of scared animals that didn''t even bother to fight back at all.


    *Swish*


    Pulling his dagger out of the deer, Rin wiped the sweat from his face. He really didn''t know how long has it been since he came here but he was starting to get exhausted so he decided to sit down and rest.


    "Sigh, I''m all tired. I can''t even move an inch."  He thought to himself as he rummaged through the huge bag on his back for a potion.


    Finally, finding the bottle he was looking for, he popped it open and chugged down the content. Instantly, his sore body started rejuvenating and his tired muscles regained some strength.


    "That''s much better." He sighed as he looked around him.


    The ce was as bright as ever with no signs of that changing anytime soon. He discovered that the constant time inside this world is day with no night at all.


    Thinking about it, he felt that it was quite weird to think that this seemingly endless ce was merely a dungeon. That made his mind drift to think about the possibility of endless worlds inside one single giant world.


    How many living creatures there are? How many things he never saw before were there? All these kinds of thoughts crossed his mind.


    [You are such a weird person, host.]


    ''Comes from a sarcastic talking system.'' He replied.


    [I am indeed a foreign object, host. However, the thing is, I don''t deny that while I can see that you don''t approve of myment, host.]


    ''I never said that I''m not weird. It''s just, hearing others call me weird is not that good. I don''t like being different. Because, if I was different, then the chances I will be isted will increase.''


    [Is that a bad thing?]


    ''Well, I always had such thoughts since I was young. Maybe I''m insecure about it.''


    [I have no idea about that, host. Humans are just way out of my scope of understanding.]


    Sighing, Rin shook his head and gazed at the clear sky above him. Now that he looked at it, the sky didn''t look that¡­ ''real''.


    In fact, he could clearly notice many abnormal things about it that made it look fake to Rin. That thought alone changed his whole perspective of the ce from a beautiful, heaven-like ce to a fake illusion created by magic or something else.


    ''Damn, talk about ruining the experience.''


    (A//N: Am I raising gs? Who knows? *Shrugs shoulders* Anyway, if you have anyints do tell me.)


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 24 24- Lava Mansion (Part 1)

    Chapter 24- Lava Mansion (Part 1)


    [Are you ready, host?] The system asked as it saw Rin stand up again and dust his clothes off. He rested for almost 30 minutes before deciding to continue his journey.


    ''Yeah. I feel like I''m close to the end. The dungeon boss should be around somewhere. I didn''t intend to end the dungeon in one single take but well it is what it is.''


    [Good luck, host.]


    Rin''s eyebrows rose as he looked quite surprised by what he heard.  He never thought his system will say something decent ever.


    [I can hear your rude thoughts, host.]


    ''No seriously. Since when did you start saying decent stuff?''


    [Probably before you even were born, host.]


    ''That''s the system that I know. You weirded me out with that ''good luck''.''


    [I will try to weird you out as much as possible, host.]


    Rolling his eyes without answering, Rin continued walking and hunting whatever creature he stumbled upon. He really didn''t know how long it will take for him to reach the boss but he had a hunch that it was close¡­ very close.


    Then, as if telling him that he was right, a weird notification appeared in front of him.


    [Boss area detected!]


    [Boss area has been prated!]


    [Boss has awakened!]


    ''Oh, where is it?'' He looked around him quickly but couldn''t see anything.


    But, in his ears, he could hear the sound of something approaching him. Yet, nowhere could he see any such creature. Listening more to the sound, he finally detected the anomaly in it. It wasn''t the sound of something approaching him but something¡­ falling from the sky.


    ''Shit!''


    *BAAAANG*


    Instantly, a huge frame collided with the ground at an enormous speed, and a big crater was carved down as rubble was thrown everywhere.


    "Cough, cough¡­ Fuck! That was way too much for a grandiose entrance." Rin coughed as he sounded hisints at whatever was in front of him.


    As the dust was swiped away, he was able to take a good look at the boss and the first thing he thought of was¡­


    ''Muscr.''


    In front of him was an overly muscr deer triple the size of any other deer he hunted in this dungeon. Its fur was way whiter than the others and its eyes were an even darker shade of blue. The other noticeable difference was the two huge horns on its head.


    They were at least a meter in length or more. The sharp tip of the horns shone ominously as if it was waiting to pierce him and skewer him.


    Looking at Rin, the deer noticeably frowned before it screeched loudly and charged at him without hesitation.


    Rin pulled his daggers out and jumped to the side quickly to avoid the deer''s horns. Thetter continued its run before stopping 40 meters away from Rin.


    "RAAAAAA!!!"


    The deer clearly didn''t like the fact that he avoided its horns and became even more outraged and angry at him.


    ''Give me a second to at least prepare myself. Dammit!'' He cursed under his breath.


    Activating his skill, the shadows quickly linked and the deer''s charge froze for a moment. The moment he applied his skill on the deer, he felt more than half of his mana vanishing quickly and the rest was depleting at a fast speed while he maintained the shadow bind.


    ''I have to be quick.''


    Rin knew that it will be free before he could even reach it so he threw his dagger at it. The de split the air as it flew quickly toward the deer.


    Thetter resisted and tried to free itself but the de was a split second faster. However, even with that, it only pierced the side of its neck as the deer freed itself the next moment.


    But, even with that, the injury was deep enough for Rin to feel satisfied with it. The amount of blood the boss will lose slowly will eventually umte and make it lose strength to continue its rampage.


    pA n,dan(-)0ve1.c0m However, the fact that he had to resist this giant thing until the bleeding took care of it was a problem in and out of itself.


    [Do you need a helping hand, host? I can call a butcher.]


    ''Hahaha! Your jokes just seem to work wonders on pissing me off!!'' Feeling riled up because of the system, Rin red at the deer as he ran towards it.


    "To hell with this! I will just face it head-on!!" He shouted loudly.


    Jumping in the air, he stabbed with the dagger at the deer using all of his strength.


    "RAAAAAAA!!!" Thetter shook the de that plunged into its body away and countered with its horns.


    *CLAAAANG*


    The dagger shed with one of the horns. The sound and the numbness that assaulted Rin made him clench his teeth from the pain. However, with sheer willpower, he held on as he slid the dagger across the horn and twisted his body to the side to get closer and closer to the deer''s skull.


    But, things didn''t seem to be that easy. With a simple shake of the head, the deer ruined Rin''s bnce and almost threw him away.


    Rin quickly grabbed its horn to keep himself from falling down.


    *Swish*


    "Woaaah!!" His body was jerked left and right like a leaf getting toyed with by the gushes of wind.


    "This not fuuuuuunnn!!" He yelled and changed the grip on his sword.


    ''Think¡­ think!'' He tried to find a way to change this really bad situation.


    "RAAAAA!!!"<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Ugh! Fuck it! It''s already bad so I might as well do it!"


    Checking his mana, he did have a huge amount of mana but because he was facing a creature that was stronger than him, he had to use a huge amount of mana to keep it frozen for 5 seconds.


    But, he sure knew that if he didn''t use shadow maniption now, he was basically fucked.


    ''Bacsh or whatever, I have no other choice.''


    Activating the skill again, Rin felt a strong pain in his mind as blood leaked out of his nose. He knew that the pain will be strong but he ignored it and focused on the deer and tried to stop its reckless rampage for even a moment.


    He just needed half a second to be able to turn the tides of the fight back in his favor. Luckily, his mana was enough for that to happen.


    "Ugh!!" He groaned audibly.


    Then, with his two arms, he used the horn to start spinning around it to create momentum. After that, heunched himself into the air right above the deer.


    "Die, fucker!"


    *Swish*


    His dagger plunged into its skull and destroyed its brain. Thetter tried to resist as ast resort but quickly fell down dead. Blood sshed all over Rin and covered him in crimson, horrifying color.


    "Haaah¡­ Haaah¡­ Haaah¡­" Rin''s lungs were screaming for air and his mind was assaulted by a terrifying headache that almost knocked him cold if not for his strong will.


    "I¡­ never thought it will be challenging¡­ I should''ve just kept dodging till it died or something."


    [You gained some points for being cool, host.]


    "Really?"


    [You will attract the opposite sex with that wild aura you had, host.]


    Feeling slightly better, Rin sat down on top of the deer to rest. His legs were shaking and he was sweating profusely. He knew the reason for that, it was ''Mana depletion''.


    When someone overuses his mana and ends up emptying his mana poolpletely, he starts to feel tired, powerless and may even lose consciousness.


    Rin was having these symptoms now and that affected his thought process a lot. But, he had no other choice but to try and recover as much as possible.


    Luckily, having a huge mana pool means that your recovery speed is equally fast.


    [Host killed E-Rank boss Sky Deer King.]


    [Would you like to consume it?]


    Rin quickly epted and the process started. Soon enough, the whole deer vanished inside his shadow.


    [Consumption sessful!]


    [You have gained 50 Action Points!]


    [You have gained Sky Deer King meat!]


    [You have gained a new skill: Berserk!]


    [You have finished the main quest!]


    [You have gained 150 Action Points!]


    ''Oh, this is great! I finally got a skill!'' Rin''s eyes lightened with excitement when he saw that he got something other than meat and fur.


    A skill was something valuable for Rin, especially at this point when he was still stupidly weak. From the name alone, he could already predict how it worked.


    ''Let''s check it now.''


    However before he could even do so, something unexpected urred.


    [Shadow Monarch has been detected!]


    [Dungeon Morphing started!]


    [Dungeon Level is changing!]


    [Quest section has been updated!]


    Rin''s mind wasn''t able to process what was happening as the next, more shocking thing happened. A weird, ck portal, double the size of the portal that led him to this dungeon appeared in front of him out of nowhere.


    Then, as if it was some kind of vacuum, the door started pulling Rin inside.


    "What the fuck?!!" He instantly grabbed both of his daggers and plunged them into the ground. His body was getting pulled in with a strong force. Tightening his grip on the daggers, he didn''t know what to do at all.


    "N-No¡­. I''m losing my grip!!"


    Rin was sure that he won''t be able to resist for long so his best bet was to at least get pulled in with his daggers with him instead of trying to face a losing fight and end up inside that thing, whatever it was, without any weapons.


    Taking such a hard decision, he pulled his daggers out and instantly got pulled inside the portal.


    "AAAAAAHHH!!"


    [Dungeon has been detected!]


    [Wee to the D-Rank dungeon: Lava Mansion.]


    (Time for some fun! Rin is totally fucked lol!! How was the chapter? :) )


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 25 25- Lava Mansion (Part 2)

    Chapter 25- Lava Mansion (Part 2)


    "A-Aghh¡­" A quiet groan escaped Rin''s mouth as he tried to open his eyes. His mind was still in shambles after what happened and he could barely even remember what got him into this situation.


    Forcing his eyes open, he gazed at the ce he was in with much confusion. His groggy mind had to take a few seconds to register what was going on so his reaction was veryte.


    "W-Where am I?" He muttered under his breath.


    The ce he was in seemed to be a dim room. The reason he thought it was a room even though he could barely see anything was because of the map on the side of his eye vision.


    There, just right under the red dot which indicated his position was the word ''Bedroom'' written in capital letters.


    However, even with that much information thrown at him, he still didn''tprehend what was actually going on.


    ''Did I exit the dungeon?'' He asked himself yet he surprisingly got an answer from the system.


    [No.]


    ''Then where the fuck am I?'' He asked back with even more irritation than he usually has when he speaks with the system. The fact that he was in an unknown ce made him feel on the edge.


    [This is another dungeon you were dragged into, host. D-Rank dungeon: Lava Mansion.]


    Blinking his eyes a few times, Rin asked back.


    "Can you repeat that?"


    [You''re inside the D-Rank dungeon: Lava Mansion.]


    "What the fuck?!!!" His voice came out high-pitched from the deep shock.


    But, Rin quickly noticed his blunder and calmed down his emotions. After that, he asked.


    "Why am I inside a D-Rank dungeon, system?"


    [Do you want the long or the short exnation, host?]


    "The short one for now."


    [Your powers and heritage are the reason for this urrence.]


    "Do you mean the shadow monarch heritage?"


    [Exactly. Since every dungeon in this world is more or less linked directly toward you, host. They deemed your talent and capabilities to be way above that G-Rank dungeon.]


    "Why would it even try to force me inside another dungeon?"


    [It''s because your inheritance itself wants you to be as strong as possible in as little time as possible.]


    "Why is that?"


    [No answer can be given.]


    "Ugh, great!" He scratched the back of his head with a frown.


    ''Whatever, shit like this can happen, I guess. I can just exit this ce now and it will all be good and dandy.''


    Then, Rin thought of the word ''exit'' in his head and waited for the portal that will get him out of there to appear. But, seconds passed with nothing happening. His rxed face frowned again and he red at the system.


    [You can''t exit this ce, host.]


    "Why?"


    [You have to clear this dungeon to be able to leave.]


    "Are you dumb? How do you expect me to clear this dungeon with my level of power? I had trouble fighting a G-Rank dungeon boss and you want me to clear a dungeon many times harder than that?"


    [It''s not my decision, host. Your powers have deemed this as a fitting way for you to be way stronger, way quicker.]


    "I will fucking die."


    [I don''t think that your inheritance could try to kill you, host. It is very hard indeed but looking at the facts, it seems that you are somehow capable of pulling this off.]


    "What in the hell is that logic?"


    Rin''s frustration grew as he found his situation direr and direr the more he thought about it. He was stuck inside an extremely dangerous ce with no way of escaping except for beating everyone there.


    To add fuel to the fire, his mana pool was still recovering and he was very exhausted from the previous fight with the dungeon boss. Can it even get any worse than it already was?


    "Ah! I''m totally dead. For fuck''s sake, I didn''t even live in this world for a week and I''m already about to die."<novelnext></novelnext>


    [Look at the bright side, host.]


    "What bright side? If getting killed brutally inside a dark shithole is a bright side then oh I''m looking straight at it!"


    [You have the opportunity to be able and get stronger. If youe to clear this dungeon, your prowess will jump by leaps and bounds.]


    "..."


    [Instead of taking months and months to reach the level of strength that will allow you to start your journey to the top, you can get that same level of power in way less time. Remember, the bigger the risk, the higher the reward.]


    "Your convincing methods are garbage, system."


    [I can feel that you are more or less convinced by my shitty convincing methods, host.]


    "Sigh, that''s because I have no other choice but to do something. If I stay here, I will probably die from hunger or something. That''s not something that I will allow myself to do."


    Recalling the image of the people he loved with all of his heart, his fear twisted slightly to be a strong determination¡­ determination to reach the top and get them back. He was still scared but he was sure that he won''t let that feeling stop him from at least trying.


    Dying in a corner inside a dark dungeon is akin to spitting in the face of his family and mocking his own love for them.


    ''My inheritance will try and send me to my death? Fuck that! I will definitely be as tenacious as a cockroach and get out alive. My chances are slim! Fine, as long as they are not zero, I will find a way to escape.''


    Well, that was what a hot-blooded protagonist in a shitty half-assed novel would say. However, Rin wasn''t that type of person. He was ambitious and determined but he knew full well that mere ambition and determination won''t save his ass when he get screwed by a D-Rank monster. This wasn''t a novel¡­ This was the real world.


    So, he had another approach to this situation. He knew his chances are almost zero so he could only give his best and hope for the best.


    He had to carve into his mind that death was his most probable oue in this situation and that he had nothing else as a choice. Even though many would think that this negative mindset will make his chances even slimmer.


    But, the truth is, this made his fear lessen and his desire to live and get out even stronger than ever. As unfair as this situation was, he could only deal with it as it was and theninter.


    [I respect your way of thinking, host. I am sure that you will be able to do great things after you get out of this alive.]


    ''Keep the half-assed encouraging words to yourself, system. I know that you know that I am probably dead.''


    [I can''t deny that. You are most likely as dead as a pig in a ughterhouse, host.]


    Hearing the system''s words, Rinughed out loudly for some reason. He found it weirdly funny that the system bluntly said that he was fucked.


    "What the hell!! Hahahaha!! I don''t even know why I''mughing at this joke!!" He muttered as he tried to stifle hisughs.


    [That''s because I''m funny, host.]


    "You did make me feel better, system. I can give you that at least. Thank you."


    [I will always be there beside you to mock you, host.]


    Rin shook his head and then focused on his surroundings again to get a clearer idea of the ce. After spending some time in the dark, he could finally see clearly now.


    The room wasn''t big. It was definitely smaller than his real room. But, it was by no means any less luxurious. In fact, looking at it generally, the room was better than this room in the Silvereye mansion.


    Aside from the bed he wasying on, there was a closet, and a big table in the corner with a piece of paper on it. Just beside that piece of paper was an old quill pen. (For those who don''t know what a quill pen is¡­ It''s a feather with a pointy end that can be dipped in ink to write with.)


    There was also a smaller table beside the bed with a vase on it. The nt inside the vase was long dead and what was left of it was only grey and dry parts.


    There were no windows in the room so he couldn''t take a look outside.


    But, even though the room was neat, it was by no meansfortable. In fact, Rin was feeling the hair on his body standing up from time to time. The same feeling someone would have inside a house filled with ghosts and paranormal activity.


    ''Is this really a dungeon? It feels more like some kind of haunted house.''


    [It''s called ''Lava Mansion'' for a reason. The word ''Mansion'' describes it very well in my opinion, host.]


    ''Stop interrupting my thought process with your witty remarks. I want to build up some kind of n.''


    [...]


    ''Good.'' He nodded his head and stood up from the bed.


    pA n,dan(-)0ve1.c0m Before he thinks about leaving the room, he needed to check his stats and other things first. They were his only way of increasing his pitiful chances of getting out alive.


    (A//N/ I wanted to ask but is the pacing of the story decent? If you think it''s slow or boring then do tell me please.)


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 26 26- Lava Mansion (Part 3)

    Chapter 26- Lava Mansion (Part 3)


    Rin quickly checked his stats to see what changes urred there after all the hunting that he did and the quest hepleted. He was sure that he had enough Action Points to at least get one of his stats to the next rank.


    [System Profile]


    [Name: Rin Silvereye.]


    [ss: Shadow Bringer (First Phase)]


    [Race: Human/ ???]


    [Stats]


    [Strength: G-]


    [Agility: G-]


    [Dexterity: G]


    [Intelligence: G+]


    [Charm: A-]


    [Magic: C-]


    [Action Points: 700]


    [Skills: Shadow maniption, Appraisal, Plot Detector, Berserker]


    ''I expected more points to be honest but this is good enough for now. Let''s see, which stat should I upgrade?'' He scratched his chin thoughtfully.


    The two obvious choices he had now were agility and strength. He was a closebat fighter so he needs these two very much. But, at the same time, he can''t ignore intelligence and dexterity since they can affect his mana and skill usage greatly.


    ''Increasing my dexterity will affect shadow maniption too.''


    His skill ''shadow maniption'' required dexterity mana and strength to work so if he levels up magic, dexterity, or even intelligence, he would be able to see an instant change.


    ''Ah! For now, let''s just upgrade strength. I can''t afford to gamble with these points for some kind of unknown oue.''


    After much thought, he decided to use it on strength being the most obvious choice since the start. He was not fully sure whether it was the right decision or not but he can''t cry over spilled milk now.


    ''Use points to upgrade strength from G- to G.''


    [Would you like to use 500 Action Points to upgrade strength?]


    ''Yes.''


    Instantly, the stat window shed in his eyes with a faint light. After that, he could see the change that happened. The strength stat became G.


    As he was about to close the window, he felt something weird happening inside of his body. Even though he felt tired, there was a weird energy that was welling up inside of him out of nowhere.


    Looking at himself with a surprised look, Rin tightened his fist a few times in a daze.


    ''I can feel myself¡­ getting stronger?''


    [Duh. What did you expect, host?]


    ''I mean, I thought it would just be not that noticeable until I actually fight something. Yet, I already feel it now.''


    [Our services are very authentic and legitimate, host.]


    ''I want a refund.''


    [Refused.]


    Rin chuckled slightly before looking at the second thing he wanted to check. It was obviously the skills. Now that he had some time, he wanted to check the others skills ''Plot detector'' and ''Appraisal'' since he didn''t have the time to do so before.


    [Appraisal]


    [Rank: E]


    [Level: 2]


    [Nothing can hide from your eyes. None could try to stop you from seeing the truth no matter what. It''s you who decides whether secrets stay secrets or not.


    *This skill allows the host to appraise items, skills, and living creatures. The higher the difference between the host and the target, the less information will be avable. It depends on your intelligence stat.]


    ''So, I''ve been using this without even being aware of it?''


    [Yes.]


    ''...'' Sighing, Rin didn''t try to think about it anymore and looked at the other skill that he didn''t check the first time he came here.<novelnext></novelnext>


    [Plot Detector]


    [Rank: ???]


    [Level: Max]


    [Every story is like a thread. Each thread twists and turns around other threads to create this world. You have the power to seek each story and twist it however you want.


    *This skill allows you to detect the main story of the world and follow it through. It can be in all kinds of forms like quests, abilities, or even items. This skill can''t be manipted or controlled by the host.]


    What he understood from this skill is that it keeps him stuck to the main plot that revolves around the main character of this world. It was actually very useful as he didn''t have any idea when or how the story of this world will happen. His only fear is that he might at some point be forced to do something he didn''t want to do just because a quest has been given to him.


    [Fear not, host. The quests given won''t try to force you to do anything. It''s your choices that determine the oue.]


    ''Oh, that''s good then.'' He nodded with a satisfied look.


    ''Now, thest skill.'' His eye shifted to the newest skill that he acquired, the ''Berserk'' skill. He had a rough idea about it but he was still not sure of the details.


    [Berserk]


    [Rank: G-Rank]


    [Level: 1]


    [Anger is a double-edged weapon. It can be the downfall of a human into craziness or the reason for his rise to the peak. The Berserker is a warrior who dances on that thread of insanity and omnipotence for the sake of beating his opponent.


    *Activating this skill will increase all the hosts'' stats by 1 rank-up. But, in return, the host will lose 40% of his sanity and drown in anger. The skill can stay activated as long as the host has mana.]


    ''Damn. That''s a very powerful skill but the bacsh is equally hard. I can''t even imagine what losing 40% of your mind means. I can use it as ast resort or a trump card of some sort.''


    A skill that was that strong obviously will affect its host as much as it affects the enemy. Gaining more power instantly isn''t a good thing at all.


    Finally, after finishing these matters, he closed the window and started walking to the door to exit. Luckily, even though he was basically surrounded by monsters, nothing tried to get inside the room to attack him.


    It was a good and a bad thing at the same time. Rin wanted to know what kind of creatures roam this mansion before fighting them.


    The map didn''t indicate if there were any enemies outside so he had to get out to see for himself.


    ''Ok, let''s hope for the best.'' He prayed in his heart and twisted the doorknob ever-so-slightly, just enough for him to take a peek outside.


    The outside was as dark as the inside but he could somehow see clearly around him. He noticed that this room was on the second floor. He also noticed that there was a hallway in front of him that extended to both directions.


    There was no sound and nothing that seemed weird to him. All seemed eerily calm which he knew was merely an illusion to trick him into rxing.


    ''Sigh, I hate this. Why it had to be a dark, scary haunted house? Can''t I die without being scared?''


    [You are stronger than your fear, host. Your fear can''t control you.]


    Rin unconsciously started repeating the words that the system said in his head like some kind of mantra. It helped him to calm down.


    After that, he opened the door and walked outside. Luckily, the door didn''t make any sounds at all when he opened it so he was able to stay stealthy and silent.


    Looking in each direction of the hallway, he decided to go left first. He could see stairs at the end of the right direction which meant that they would lead him to the first floor. Rin decided to check the second floor first before going down.


    *Bak* *Bak* *Bak*


    Each step he took on the hard wooden floor made a slight screech and made him feel even more on the edge. His eyes looked around frantically and his heart was beating at a high rate.


    The first room he stumbled upon was one with a simr door to the one he was in. On the map, he could see what this room was.


    ''The lounge'' it said on the map. He didn''t know what kind of ''lounge'' it was but he decided to take a look inside anyway.


    Opening the door, he took a look inside. There, he found a small room with two big sofas and a table in the middle. There were also two tables to the side.


    ''No one is inside'' He thought as he walked inside after making sure nothing is there.


    ''I feel really ufortable inside.'' Rin''s face turned slightly grim when he felt the shudder that ran down his spine the moment he went inside.


    [It''s normal, host. I can give you a hug if you want to cry like a baby. Taking care of cowar-... my host is also one of my tasks.]


    ''Fuck you.''


    The sofas and the tables didn''t have anything on them. However, the two tables to the other side of the room actually had something. There are two pieces of paper put on top of them. However, in contrast to the piece of paper he saw in the bedroom, these had something written on them.


    (A//N: I will finally reveal the style I created for the dungeons in my book. It won''t just be ''go around, kill creatures and get stronger''. I hope you enjoy what I have in mind.)


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 27 27- Lava Mansion (Part 4)

    Chapter 27- Lava Mansion (Part 4)


    The piece of paper was the size of his fist, crumbled and in bad shape yet in a good enough condition to be read properly by someone. Rin never expected to find such a thing in a dungeon so he was curious about what was written there.


    Picking the piece of paper, he read the content. Thenguage that was used in there was not English but he could somehow understand it. The feeling was inexplicable for him as if he was born with this trait.


    ''Did Lily give me this ability?'' He asked himself.


    [The goddess gave you many things, host.]


    ''True, but she should''ve told me before. Well, it''s useful so I can''tin.''


    After that, he shook such thoughts away and focused on the letter. He determined it was a letter from the form of the text and also the information right at the top of it.


    It read ''January 14th'' and just under it was a name.


    "Dear brother, I write you this letter to ask about you. We haven''t talked in a while and I frankly miss you so much. You didn''t visit me in years or even send me a letter to check on me. I feel quite sad but I know that this is who you are. You like to hide your soft heart and kindness behind that cold front. Anyway, my purpose in writing this letter is to tell you about what happened in my life in the time that you left." Rin read aloud.


    The ink had started losing its color and the handwriting was ruined because of it. However, that worked wonders in making the letter feel eerie.


    ''This doesn''t sound bad though.''


    [You can''t say that with a fake smile, host. I can feel your fear.]


    ''I''m not scared.''


    [It''s fine, host. I''m scared too.]


    ''Really?''


    [Yes, scared that you might run away like a chicken at any time.]


    ''I genuinely hate you.''


    Rin sighed under his breath and ignored his systempletely. He was eager to see where this letter was going.


    "I have finally settled down in the family home after finishing my studies. I couldn''t be a mage as I wanted but it''s not bad to just live a normal life if you think about it. Our father gave me the opportunity to work on our family business and I was able to make it seed. I''m also about to marry Lina. You remember Lina? Our childhood friend? She epted my proposal finally and we will get married in May. Recalling how the three of us used to y together when we were young really makes me feel nostalgic."


    Rin''s eyebrows rose as he caught a small hint in the letter. However, he quickly forgot about it. There was simply no way he could verify whether his assumptions were right or not.


    "I want to invite you to the wedding and I hope you will ept. I know we had our differences but we are still two brothers, aren''t we? Let''s forget the past and move on."


    The letter then ends quickly with the sender wishing all the luck for his brother. If you ignore the fact that it looks like it was written with blood instead of ink, the letter was pretty wholesome and normal.


    "Sigh, and here I hyped myself for nothing. Where is the drama?" Rin asked.


    *Cack*


    Suddenly, he heard a small sounding from behind him which triggered his instinct and made him turn around quickly. His eyes wandered around the room searching for the source of that sound. But, the room was empty except for Rin. He couldn''t see or sense any presence.


    ''Did I imagine it?''


    *CLACK*


    ''Fuck no!'' He immediately pulled out his daggers and readied himself for any attack. Yet, again, nothing happened. He couldn''t locate the thing that was making this sound.


    "It sounded like something¡­boiling?" He didn''t get why he thought it was boiling but that was the closest thing he could rte that sound to.


    *ck* *ck* *ck*


    A chain of boiling sounds reached his ear. This time, however, it wasn''t merely sound. Looking at the ground under him, a red, thick liquid started oozing out of the corners of the room. The bright red color of the substance made Rin identify it quickly.


    "Lava!"


    His body instinctively jumped on top of the table as quickly as possible. A few secondster, the whole room was filled withva and it was rising at an rming pace.


    Rin didn''t know what to do, he was utterly trapped inside. If theva continued rising, he will be cooked alive.


    The hot steam of theva made the temperature of the room unbearably hot really fast. Rin felt theck of air inside affecting his body and lungs.<novelnext></novelnext>


    ''What should I do?'' He thought of any kind of solution.


    What did trigger this? Maybe because he read the letter? Or maybe because he entered the room. He didn''t know and frankly couldn''t care about that.


    Picking the letter, he searched for any clues or hints to stop this. He was sure this was some kind of trap inside this room.


    His eyes read the letter many times but couldn''t find any hint at all. Theva had already started eating away from the table as it started swaying left and right, threatening to make him fall. Luckily, because it was made of some kind of sturdy metal, it didn''t melt instantly.


    "This is really bad! This is really bad!!" He muttered to himself.


    ''Help me, system.'' He asked.


    [I can''t do anything, host.]


    Cursing his bad luck, Rin threw the letter away in anger and frustration. The paper fell down into theva and was eaten quickly.


    But, much to his shock, the moment the piece of paper was destroyed, theva stoppedpletely. Then, at an equally fast speed, it started going back inside the corners of the room. Soon, all that was left was a burned floor and sofas.


    "Huh?"


    He had to take a few seconds to register what happened.


    ''Was it because I gave it the letter?''


    [Seems like it.]


    "Hmm? Why is that?"


    Was there some kind of link between the letter and theva appearing inside the room?


    Besides, there was something else that he noticed at that exact moment. After he burned the letter, there was a small scream that echoed in his ear. It was so faint that he wasn''t even sure if it was real or merely his mind ying tricks on him but it was worth contemting at least.


    Jumping down, Rin made his way to the door with a confused look. He really didn''t get what was going on with this mansion. Something weird was happening and he didn''t get what it was.


    "I should just leave and check the other rooms before I regret staying here."


    The idea of staying inside this room has long left his mind.


    His hand extended to the doorknob to twist it. Yet, at that moment, his body froze and his eyes widened to their extreme. He didn''t need to look back, he didn''t need to do anything as he was sure of it¡­ Someone or something was standing behind him.


    He felt a trickle of sweat going down his face, passing on his chin and falling to the ground. For some reason, he saw the droplet of sweat going down in slow motion.


    "Honey?" A hoarse, inhuman voice suddenly whispered.


    Even though it was certain that there was some kind of creature behind him and that creature was hardly a human, Rin didn''t move a muscle. For some reason, his guts told him that his death was set in stone the moment he moved. The pure pressure emitting from this monster was no joke. Rin could barely control his body under such a suffocating aura.


    ''Fuck! I don''t want to move!'' Rin wanted to peek behind him but hesitated about doing that.


    "Honey? Is that you?" The voice asked again.


    As twisted and wicked as it may sound, this voice was carrying an emotion Rin couldn''t mistake at all¡­ It was love.


    Whoever was the ''honey'' this thing was calling for, they loved him.


    ''Why am I even thinking about that now?'' Clenching his teeth, Rin decided to turn around very slowly.


    Finally, he was able to see whatever was that made him freeze from fear. But, what he saw made him regret looking back. His curiosity was a double-edged sword most of the time.


    [Curiosity killed the cat, host.]


    ''Don''t throw jokes now when I''m facing a monster right out of someone''s nightmare!!''


    (A//N: Just to make sure everyone is aware. This book is NOT a horror. I may include that element when I need to but it''s not a horror at all. Anyway, did you enjoy the chapter?)


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it is. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 28 28- Lava Mansion (Part 5)

    Chapter 28- Lava Mansion (Part 5)


    Since he was young, Rin was not someone to feel scared that easily. Whether it was a horror movie or a stupid prank by his friends, he didn''t feel anything at all. He didn''t understand why but he found the thought that people could feel scared of a movie or of people they know is stupid.


    That''s why, when he was sent to this mansion, the feeling of his heart beating loudly and his breathing bing erratic was new to him. The feeling of wanting to leave as soon as possible was foreign to him.


    But, all of that was just thrown into the bin when he saw the creature in front of him. The only thing left in his mind was one single word.


    ''Run!!''


    The creature seemed to be a female¡­ The reason why identified it as such was because of the face this creature had. It looked somehow human. However, the fact the head was twisted beyond recognition made it look like that of a demon rather than a human.


    The more eye-catching part of its body was the neck which looked like a squeezed lemon. It was as if someone grabbed the head and started turning it around while keeping the neck fixed making it twist around and get squeezed harder and harder.


    He could only imagine the pain of something like that happening to him. The woman''s body was terrifyingly thin, covered in mes andva from head to toe. The mes kept eating her flesh away but somehow couldn''t reach her bones.


    "H-Honey¡­." The creature spoke again.


    ''I''m not your honey!'' He almost blurted out.


    [When is the marriage, host?]


    ''Please, just shut up!!''


    The fact that this scary encounter turned into a funny one because of the system made Rin confused. He didn''t if he had tough or cry because of it.


    "Honey¡­ why are you not speaking?" The woman asked.


    ''Ugh! Fuck it!! I will try to y along for now!''


    "What is it¡­ d-darling?"


    ''Goddddammmmitt! This is so cringy to say!''


    [I apud your acting, host.]


    "Ah! So it was you after all." The woman''s twisted face contorted to form some kind of smile.


    Looking at her even more closely, Rin could finally notice something crucial. The ce where her eyes should be wasn''t there. There were no eye sockets at all in fact. It looked more like the skin was melted and then it closed the ce where her eyes were.


    ''She''s¡­blind?'' He thought with a surprised look.


    While he was like that, the woman approached him and said in her spine-chilling voice.


    "I was looking for you! Come here, let''s drink some tea. I know you love to drink it every evening with me."


    "A-Ah¡­ he was then grabbed by his arm and was made to sit on whatever was left of the couch after theva seeped into the room.


    The woman then sat in front of him. In her hand was a te with two broken cups on it. Rin didn''t know where she even got those cups from but he couldn''t ask.


    "Here, I made it with your favorite tea leaves. Enjoy!"


    Looking a the cup, Rin could see that it was empty. But, for the sake of the act, he picked up the cup and made a gesture of sipping.


    "Mmm, t-this is delicious!"


    "Really! Thank god! I wanted you to enjoy the tea, honey. Sigh, I really do miss these times when we just next to each other and drink tea while enjoying each other''s presence. Don''t you miss it too, honey?"


    "I do¡­"


    "It feels as if it had been forever since we did this. We can''t lose the spark of our love, can we? We can''t let time destroy our bond." The woman''s voice changed slightly from happiness to sadness and regret for a split second.


    "I-I see¡­"


    "So, honey. How was work today?"


    "... Not bad¡­"


    "You looked stressed in thest few days so I wanted to help you rx a little. Since the time you sent that letter to Nile, you didn''t look normal at all."


    ''Wait, letter? Don''t tell me¡­''<novelnext></novelnext>


    "I knew how hard it was for you to contact him after all these years. But, I know for a fact that you made the right choice. I don''t want you to regret it."


    ''So it was indeed the case¡­ She''s talking about the letter that the man sent to his brother. That means this woman is his wife¡­ ''Lina'' was it?''


    "We were inseparable our whole lives yet a misunderstanding ruined our friendship," Lina muttered as she looked to the side.


    Rin understood that she was trying to gaze at the window that didn''t exist in the first ce. Besides, she was blind with no eyes so she should not be able to see anything at all.


    Then, as if she had enough of the nostalgia, she looked back at Rin and smiled.


    "I shouldn''t burden your mind with the past. The only important thing is that we have each other. We can face the whole world if we stay together."


    "A-Ah¡­ Thank you, Lina."


    "Don''t worry about it, honey. Know that I love you with all my heart. I will never leave your side."


    ''This would''ve moved my heart if the person who said it was a human. SIgh, but somehow, I feel like there is something behind all of this mess that I can''t quite grasp. It feels as if there is a whole story behind this woman, her husband, and the brother.''


    While his mind was wandering somewhere else, something weird caught his attention. The woman that was clearly sitting in front of him started turning more and more invisible. Her body started vanishing out of nowhere with no usible exnation.


    In a few seconds, she vanished and Rin was left alone in the room again.


    *ck* *ck* *ck*


    The same sound he heard before theva started appearing inside the room echoed in his head. Rin wanted to stay there and see where the woman went but since his life was in danger now, he ran quickly to the door and opened it.


    Theva had already started approaching him so he left and closed the door shut.


    ''What the hell is this chaotic mess?! I don''t get what the fuck is going on!''


    First the letter, then the Lava, and the woman who he recognized as the wife of the owner of this house.


    ''Is this even a dungeon?!!!'' He scratched his head in frustration.


    [There are still other rooms we can discover, host. Maybe that will clear things up.]


    Nodding his head, Rin started walking toward the next room on the second floor of the mansion.


    The next room he stumbled upon was¡­. the library.


    ''Oh great! This room will definitely not be something straight out of hell.''


    He hesitated whether he should really enter this room or not. Theva and that woman were his biggest problem. He could somehow deal with theva, but the woman was a different matter. She could discover his identity at any second and he frankly didn''t want to fight her for one simple reason. She was way stronger than him.


    If he faced her head-on, the chances that he will beat her were very slim.


    [You have no other choice, host.]


    ''I know! Just let me prepare myself.''


    After taking a couple of deep breaths, Rin slowly opened the door and made his way inside. Much to his surprise, this library was massive to the point where he could hardly believe it was merely one of the rooms inside the mansion.


    ''It''s bigger than the main library in the city back in my old world. Damn!''


    Rows and Rows of shelves filled the room and obstructed many angles of view. Rin didn''t feelfortable seeing that he was about to look around this clearly not-friendly room.


    [Knowledge is a weapon so if a monster appears, I suggest you use a book to protect yourself, host.]


    ''When I meet Lili again, I will make sure she turns you into a human form so that I can beat the living hell out of you.''


    The system didn''t speak after that as it felt how honest and raw Rin''s emotions were. He was pulsing with a desire to beat the fuck out of the system. But, even with that, he didn''t really hate this annoyingpanion of his. Without the system, this ce would''ve been ten times scarier but because he keeps distracting him with silly jokes and sarcastic remarks.


    (A//N: Taking this arc slightly slow to flesh out the story of the dungeon. Do tell me if the pacing or the speed is not to your liking. I will do my best to fix any mistakes or plot holes in case there are any.)


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    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it is. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 29 29- Lava Mansion (Part 6)

    Chapter 29- Lava Mansion (Part 6)


    *Creack* *Creack*


    Taking one step at a time, Rin walked in between the rows of shelves with a warily look stered on his handsome face. His violet eyes shone lightly in the darkness and his ck hair fluttered left and right with small gushes of airing from the outside.


    His hand was tightly holding into his dagger, waiting for anything to bounce on him. The fact that the ce he was in was a library made it even more stressful. There were barely any good view angles for him. So, in case anything tries to sneakily attack him from above or behind, he won''t have enough room to move or escape.


    However, his only hope was relying on the fact that this room could possibly be simr to the room before it.


    After that, as if luck was smiling at him, when he reached the end of the first row, he found a simr table to the one he saw in the lounge room. On top of that table, there was a piece of paper that looked eerily identical to the other piece of paper.


    Walking closer to it, he picked the letter up. Then, he made sure to look around him onest time.


    ''It seems to be another letter from the same man to his brother Nile.'' Rin thought as he saw the names on the letter and the date.


    ''February 2nd? This one is right after the other one.''


    He was actually interested in seeing what this story could end up being. Rin was sure this thing wasn''t here as a coincidence. It definitely has some kind of link to the dungeon and how he could finish it.


    "It''s me again, brother. I sent you a letter a few weeks ago and waited for your response¡­ It never came. I thought that I may have written the address wrongly or maybe because you changed your residence. But, no matter how much I asked around, they always tell me that you were still living in that city. I wanted to travel to that city and meet you personally but because of the wedding preparations, I didn''t have the time to take such a long journey. I really don''t know what''s happening."


    ? Rin frowned slightly and went silent for a few seconds.


    [Is everything fine, host?]


    ''No, it''s nothing. I will continue reading.'' He shook his head as he replied with a weak tone.


    "Do you still hate me, brother? I really tried to fix everything¡­ to fix us. But, was our fight that big? What did we even fight about in the first ce? What was it again, I can remember at all? It has been at least 20 years since thest time you came back home. Is your heart still filled with anger even after two decades? We are older now, Nile. We can''t keep acting on impulse just because of a small mistake. We must not be the things we swore to never be¡­ We must be better. Anyway, I hope this letter will reach you and you will finally answer me. This is my single only wish."


    After reading the letter, Rin''s mind was slightly messy. The tone of the letter, the words, and even the handwriting¡­ It all screamed ''despair'' ''regret'' and ''hope''. It was a weird mix he had never seen before. The sender was clearly in a dilemma between two things.


    Rin guessed that he was trying to fix ties with his brother not only because he wanted to but because of another reason. There was something that was pushing him to do this and be this persistent.


    As Rin was about to put the letter back, the same thing urred again. That wretched sound of boiling along with the appearance ofva. At this point, he wasn''t even that surprised by it. He just jumped on top of the table and threw the letter into the hot liquid.


    After that, just like before, theva ate the letter, the sound of faint screaming echoed in his head and theva soon disappeared.


    Landing on the ground again, Rin looked around him carefully. He was waiting for something else. Then, surely enough, the person he was waiting for finally appeared.


    In one of the rows of the library, he heard a small sound. Rin quickly walked there to check it out and found the woman that he met before standing there with a book in her hand.


    The only problem with such a sight was that the book she was reading¡­ was empty. There was not even a single word in it. Besides, she was blind so she couldn''t even see so the whole thing was wrong from head to toe.


    "Lina?" He muttered.


    The woman closed the book and looked back at him before contorting her face into a horrible smile.


    "Where you here, honey? I didn''t hear you. I was engrossed in this book. Do you want to read it?"


    "Maybeter."


    "Oh! Fine by me. So, any response from Nile?" She asked.


    ''From how she asked it, the answer should be pretty clear.''


    "No¡­ Not yet." He replied.


    "Sigh, he really doesn''t want to talk with us again. I can feel your fear and uncertainty, honey. Don''t worry, I''m sure this is the right thing to do."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "What if he doesn''t want to?" Rin asked.


    "He''s your brother and my childhood friend. We were destined to stay close forever. How can we let such simple matter cut this evesting bond?"


    ''What a weird situation. It''s really fishy and I''m more than certain about that now.''


    [Why do you think so, host?]


    ''I don''t know. I can''t quite grasp the whole story yet. Maybe if we read more letters we can understand what happened."


    "Honey, our wedding would be a memorial, a piece of precious history for us. We can''t tarnish it with regret. I want our love to be free from any malicious feelings."


    ''She really does love this man, huh? It''s sweet yet twisted at the same time. I feel pity for her.''


    [Isn''t she a monster, host?]


    ''She is but she didn''t try to attack me or harm me. I could only feel sad for her. She was a human at some point but because of something she turned into this wicked creature living in endless darkness inside a mansion¡­ All alone, trying to create a dream out of whatever memories she still had with her. That''s horrible.''


    Rin could feel his heart ache with pain just from trying to imagine himself in her ce. She was somehow like him, they both shared that feeling of loneliness. The feeling of despair as it slowly ate away from their sanity.


    He knew how horrible it was for someone to be all alone with no one to rely on, no friends, no family, and nothing to live for.


    "I know we will, Lina," Rin replied.


    He didn''t imagine himself in her husband''s ce, but, he still wanted to ease her worries, and the only way he could do that was through words. Now, whether that worked or not, it was a whole different matter.


    "Mm, good, honey. I love you so much."


    After saying that, Lina started vanishing, leaving Rin alone inside the room. Thetter shook his head and quickly walked to the door before Lava filled the room again.


    ''Sigh, this turned from scary to sad really quick.''


    [You can''t change that, host. What happened had already happened.]


    ''I know. But, I can only sigh at how cruel this world could be. Fate loves tormenting people while giving others privileges just for the fun of it. I don''t get why this world is so twisted like that.''


    [I don''t have the answer for that, host.]


    ''Neither do I, system. It''s the kind of question that we will never be able to answer.''


    Looking to the side, there were only two rooms left on the second floor. He could feel a heavy weight on his heart as he imagined himself continuing this story. His mind even forgot that he was inside a dungeon¡­ a D-Rank one at that.


    Dungeons were usually a shithole filled with monsters that seek his death. They were supposed to be ces where he could gain strength. Yet, this dungeon had a story, it had a past where it was not like this.


    How did it change? How did it turn into this kind of ce?


    ''I will make sure to finish this ce. I can''t just leave like that.'' Rin thought to himself.


    His determination didn''t change, he wanted to leave. But, before doing that, he had to find out what the fuck is going on here.


    (A//N: Slowly yet surely, things are getting fleshed out. It will be worth your while to finish this arc. I wanted to find a way to make dungeons more interesting rather than being these dark ces filled with goblins and orcs. I wanted it to have a part in deepening Rin''s character. You can give me your opinion on whether this is a good idea or not.)


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    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it is. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 30 30- Lava Mansion (Part 7)

    Chapter 30- Lava Mansion (Part 7)


    The next room Rin seemed to be the office where the husband worked. Except for the chair and the table, at the back of the room, there wasn''t anything else in the room. Even the minimalist decorations he saw in every other room weren''t there.


    ''This room seems way scarier than the other rooms for some reason.'' Rin thought to himself as he made his way inside the room.


    The heavy atmosphere inside was way more palpable than in the other ces he was in. It was as if something was trying to stop him from reaching a certain ce. But, Rin wasn''t going to stop at all, he had already made up his mind to clear the dungeon.


    [The journey was a smooth sail till now, host. You might be able to get out of here alive.] The systemmented out of nowhere.


    ''Don''t jinx it, idiot. Raising gs is the single worst thing you could do.''


    [What do you mean raising gs, host? I always hear you saying such things.]


    ''It means when someone as ignorant as you say stuff like that. The chances are that they will face a great threat because of it or even die.''


    [I see. Such superficial things aren''t within my understanding, host.]


    ''You will definitely regret that.'' Rin sighed and picked the next letter.


    "What do you have on hold for me this time, Mr. mysterious husband?"


    The letter this time was way shorter than the previous ones. There were only a few sentences but the way they were written was nothing short of spine-chilling. Everything about the letter screamed ''danger''. Every letter, every word, and every line was creepy to look at.


    "March 14th, huh? So more than a month has passed. The handwriting is chaotic and¡­. angry?" He voiced out his thoughts but was surprised why he felt anger from the letter.


    It wasn''t even a subtle emotion like the other letters but straight-out anger that Rin could feel was oozing out of the piece of paper.


    Shaking those thoughts away, Rin quickly started reading.


    "Over a month and you didn''t reply, huh? I apud your attitude, Nile. I came out of my way to try and talk with you again but you are still refusing to respond. Even after all these years,  you are still that child that couldn''t grow up, you are still so immature and naive. You couldn''t move on from the fact that you lost something you never had a chance to get. But, as angry as I am right now, just for the sake of my future wife, just for the sake of the love of my life, and just for the sake of our brotherhood, I will give you a chance to meet me again, Nile. You still have an opportunity to regain your brother and your own childhood friend, Nile. Don''t let it slip because of what your younger self felt at the time."


    Rin''s face turned slightly grim as he read the content of the letter. He had already started grasping what was happening. But, he still needed just one more puzzle piece and everything will go into its perfect ce and the situation will turn clear.


    A few momentster, theva appeared and Rin threw the letter inside of it to get rid of theva. As he waited for the woman to appear again, he sat down on the chair behind the office and thought about what he saw till now.


    [What are you thinking of, host?]


    ''I was just organizing my thoughts. I think I know what is going to happen but I still can''t make sure whether I''m right or wrong.''


    [You look like a detective, host. I can tell that you are fit for the job.]


    ''You know my methods, system.'' Rin replied as he suppressed a grin from appearing on his face. The reason for that was that Lina finally appeared in front of him, sitting on a chair facing the office.


    "H-Honey¡­ Why? Why did it turn out like this?" Her voice trembled ever-so-slightly.


    "He really doesn''t want to meet us," Rin replied calmly.


    "Why?!!! We could''ve fixed everything!!! This shouldn''t be the oue!!" She stood up and screamed loudly.


    Rin tried to keep hisposure in front of Lina as he knew that any mistake now could turn the tables on him.


    ? "Keep yourposure, Lina. This won''t fix things."


    "M-My apologies. I lost myposure there."


    Rin knew how much she respected the husband so he tried to sound as stern as he could so that he can keep control of the conversation.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "But, I'' won''t believe that it will end like this. Not on my watch."


    "..." Rin''s eyes squinted.


    ''She¡­ she''s definitely something else.'' He thought to himself as he sighed.


    "Why so adamant on this?" The boy could only ask.


    The way she tried to get in contact with Nile again and again and again no matter how many times he ignored them was abnormal, to say the least. She didn''t even entertain the thought of giving up¡­ not even once.


    "Because¡­ because I don''t want to lose him." She said.


    Closing his eyes, Rin didn''t reply at all. Soon enough her silhouette started vanishing. Then, the boy merely stood up and left the room in silence.


    Even the system didn''t try to throw any remarks at all during this time. He felt the mood Rin was in didn''t allow for any bad jokes.


    Finally, Rin stood in front of thest room¡­ The master''s bedroom.


    He somehow predicted that this will be thest room he will be in. Thest puzzle piece should''ve been inside the most intimate ce for a couple. The ce where hearts were connected the most and their love would rise up.


    Such a ce, filled with memories for both of them, was also the ce where the story should end. It was as beautiful as it was ironic.


    ''Ok, let''s finish this.'' He thought to himself and walked inside.


    The master''s bedroom was quite spacious and was by far the most beautiful room out of all the other rooms. However, that luxurious room was ruined by the horrible pressure that loomed over it.


    Rin felt his lungs almost getting emptied out of air. But, forcing that pain away, he looked around searching for anything worthy of notice.


    Finally, on top of the bed, he found a piece of paper. No, what he actually found was a stack of papers. At least three or four lettersing one after the other in an orderly manner.


    Rin picked up the pieces of paper and started reading them.


    "January 30th¡­ Hi brother, I''m sorry for not replying quickly. I just received the letter. I have no idea why but the letters that I tried to always send to you never reach their destination. I tried to send them multiple times every year but they never reach you. I know why that is the case but I can''t do anything about it. But, I will still send you letters as many times as I could for as long as I could¡­ to save you."


    Rin''s eyebrows contorted slightly as he continued reading.


    "I have tried to warn you many times. There''s something gravely wrong going on in that house. Something that is trying to change us and destroy us. But, no matter how many times I tried to warn you, you never listened to me. I could only leave that ce as I knew that if I stayed there, I will also be manipted and corrupted."


    The letter then ended there. Without waiting, Rin quickly picked the second one to see where this is going.


    "25th of february¡­ I guess that didn''t reach you too, huh? I don''t know what to do at this point. I tried and tried to help you but I couldn''t do that. I can''t face that, brother. I can''t pull you out of that hole. It''s all because I''m too weak, too scared toe back to that wretched ce. The only thing I can do is to keep sending these letters in hope of one of them ever reaching you. If you see this, run away. Leave that ce and nevere back. Leave everyone and don''t look back. Everything we lived through, the memories of our childhood were all a lie."


    Rin''s hands started shaking slightly as his eyes turned darker and darker. But, even with that, he still picked thest piece of paper which was also thest letter.


    "2nd of april¡­. I have lost you too, brother. I thought that it might still be possible to save you but I was way too stupid¡­ too naive to think it was possible. You already threw me away and fell into that thing''s illusions. You werepletely corrupted and destroyed. However¡­ I decided to finally do something¡­. I''ming back, to end things and kill that thing¡­ I will definitely kill Lina¡­ that wretched demon¡­ I will stop her, even if it means my own death¡­ even if it means everything I loved will perish with me¡­."


    As he was reading that letter, a shadow slowly loomed over Rin''s body from behind. Rin felt the presence behind him and quickly turned around.


    *Swish* *Bang*


    (A//N: Your opinions on the chapter. Was it well executed? Time for the action to start :). )


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it is. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 31 31- Demonic Love

    Chapter 31- Demonic Love


    "WOOOAAAAAAHHH!!" Out of nowhere, Rin found himself thrown in the air like a ragdoll. His body flipped a few times before smashing into the door, breaking it in the process. His body then fell down on the hard ground outside of the room.


    "Ugh¡­ My back!!" He tried to stand up but the cruel pain from the hit assaulted him and made him wince.


    However, that wasn''t his biggest problem at the moment because right in front of him, a huge threat was standing motionlessly.


    "Lina?" He muttered as his face turned serious.


    "Why honey? Why did you do that?!!" She said as she kept looking down at the ground, her face covered by the veil of darkness.


    Rin felt a chill run down his spine just from hearing her voice. But, for the sake of his survival and for the sake of clearing the dungeon, he threw away such thoughts to the back of his head.


    Instead, a wide smirk appeared on his face. His eyes shone with a weird light.


    "So you were a demon, in the end, Lina. As expected."


    "W-What?!!!" Lina finally red back at him with her non-existing eyes. Her broken and twisted teeth gnashed disgustingly, creating a sound akin to someone scratching a wooden table with their nails.


    "I expected that from the moment I read the letters, you were just such an odd thing. I actually sympathized with you at first but I still felt that something was amiss."


    [You know how to bluff, host. I''m almost convinced.]


    ''Shut up! If I die, you die too!''


    "You were trying to control your husband and everything he cared for. Why? Why did you try to do that?"


    Rin wanted answers before he had to face her. He wanted to know her motives.


    "So¡­you were not my dear husband?"


    "No." Rin shook his head honestly.


    ''Now, either I get fucked or I win. Her next words will determine that.''


    "Why do you think I tried to control him? Why do you think I wanted him all for myself?" She asked.


    Then, she touched her chest before adding.


    "He''s my everything. Without him, I would''ve never lived."


    "Huh?" The boy tilted his head at her.


    Of all the responses he expected, none of them included this. Was he wrong about something?


    "Being a demon is the worst thing that happened to me. Everyone hated my race and wanted us to perish. They killed, enved, and mistreated us just because we are supposedly ''created out of evil''. I lived my whole childhood running from one ce to another with my parents. Running away for our dear lives from humans. I lived in fear and hunger for years and years."


    Her face turned grimmer and grimmer the more she talked, he could hear the pain clearly in her voice. Rin knew that she was saying the truth¡­ at least from her perspective.


    "I wanted to find hope, to see the bright side. But, that only ended up with me sitting alone, in a back alley, looking at the rotting corpses of my parents. They died so miserably I couldn''t even cry for them. Then, I continued to live alone. A child that had no home, no family, and no one to ask for help. It was certain that I will die at some point."


    Taking a deep breath, from her disfigured nose, she tried to keep her calm. Rin was surprised she could all these kinds of emotions.


    "That''s when I met him. My husband, the love of my life. He found rotting in a small alley, under the rain. At that time, I was on the brink of death. I had no water or food and I was just simply waiting for my end. Every ounce of hope I had in this life had long gone cold and all I had left was emptiness. My husband was the one that saved me. He carried me back home, fed me, took care of me, and gave me a ce where I could sleep without fearing for my life."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "At first, I was wary of him and I frankly hated him. Humans were the reason for my misfortune so why should I care for them? But, no matter how much I tried to make him leave me alone, he kept trying to talk with me, feed me, teach me all kinds of things and even show me things I never knew existed. Quickly, he turned into the bright sun of my life. I felt attached to him as if fate wanted us to be together forever. Without him, I can''t continue a second in this world. He is the only thing that I live for¡­ the only thing I can breathe for. That''s why I wanted him all for myself, we were supposed to only look at each other and live for each other. No one should be there to take even a small part of his heart, all of his existence is mine and mine alone."


    "That''s¡­ twisted¡­" Rin muttered to himself.


    Out of everything that he thought could be a possible oue, this was the least probable yet also the most logical one out of all of them. All of it was indeed the cause of unhealthy and twisted love.


    "But, on the day of our wedding. His brother¡­ that human waste came and tried to stop our fateful day. He tried to kill me in front of my beloved. That''s why I killed him first, I destroyed his corpse in front of my husband just so that he knows how much I care for him. He only needs me after all. But, he didn''t like that and tried to kill me¡­"


    The hand that was holding her chest tightened and blood soon trickled down her robe, dying it in crimson color. Then, out of nowhere, she ripped her chest open easily. In her hand was a chunk of blood and flesh.


    "I had no choice but to kill him too. But, I wanted to show him how much I loved him. I wanted him to be a part of me for eternity."


    Rin''s eyes moved to her chest where a huge hole was created. There, he could see, as clear as day¡­ two hearts were sitting next to each other, beating slowly.


    "See¡­ To this day, our hearts are still linked together.  They are still next to each other. We are going to be together for the rest of eternity."


    pAn,Da-n0v e1,c ''Goddamn!!'' Rin''s eyes widened from sheer shock.


    "You call that love? Killing your husband is not love!"


    "Who are you to judge our rtionship? It''s none of your business!!!"


    ''She''s totally crazy! Wait¡­ So all of this was actually a yandere situation!! Fuck!!'' Rin''s face turned pale.


    He knew very well how hard ''yandere stories'' are. Yanderes are basically the hardest thing a human could face. No matter how strong, no matter how capable you are, their twisted and mentally broken ideas would always have the upper hand no matter what. They are akin to crazy goddesses. Secretly, Rin liked these types of characters as he found their love, as twisted as it was, something beautiful in a way.


    Rin was someone who liked to cherish anyone he loves a lot. He doesn''t like people quickly but when he likes them, they be something he wants to give his whole attention to. It was weirdly simr to how yanderes work albeit more on the wholesome side of things rather than the twisted side.


    That''s when he''s talking about a normal, human yandere. Now, imagine a yandere that''s also a bloodthirsty demon who ising for his head. It was a very bad situation.


    [You are a hopeless pervert, host.]


    ''How did you evene to that conclusion?!!''


    [You want someone that is obsessed with you. My database only concludes that you are a pervert. Well, considering your hobbies, the chances of that being the case are quite high if not certain.]


    ''I won''t allow such disrespect! I won''t forget this!!''


    "Now¡­ because of you, that peaceful life of ours is ruined¡­ You also tricked me into thinking you''re my husband¡­ I''m going to kill you!!!!"


    Then, Lina threw the pieces of flesh to the side. Her hand then grabbed another part of her body and started ripping the flesh off of her bones maniacally. calling that sight gruesome is an understatement.


    Each piece of flesh that fell to the ground started wiggling left and right as if it was a living being.


    ''This¡­ is not good.'' Rin gulped down a mouthful of saliva as he watched the scene silently.


    (A//N: The arc is reaching itsst parts. I don''t know whether you lot liked it or not so please do give me your opinion if you can. I always wee respectful suggestions :) )


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it is. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 32 32- Two Hearts Linked By Fate (Part 1)

    Chapter 32- Two Hearts Linked By Fate (Part 1)


    The pieces of bloody flesh kept fidgeting and shaking violently. Rin knew that these things weren''t what they looked like at all. The fact that it started doing such things meant that he was not going to face this demon alone.


    Then, much to his surprise, the flesh parts started morphing and changing their shapes. The sloppy sound of bloody meat smashing against each other and deforming wasn''t particrly the most pleasant thing to listen to. Rin felt nauseous merely from a nce at the horrible sight.


    After doing that for almost 5 seconds, the pieces of meat stopped their deformation. Now, each part had legs, arms, and a torso as if they were some kind of creatures.


    "My ability¡­ ''Sane flesh'' makes me able to create summons that obey me out of my own body. Amazing, isn''t it?"


    "Amazing my ass! That shit traumatized me!" Rin retorted with a huge frown. He was trying to hold the urge to puke his stomach out because of what he saw.


    "Shut up!!! You will die anyway so you don''t need to think of anything else."


    ''Not particrly the best thing to fight now. I don''t want to even touch them.'' Rin sighed before activating his ''appraisal'' skill.


    [Sane Flesh Summon]


    [Rank: E-]


    [Skill: None.]


    ''There are 20 of them.'' He noted in his head.


    "Catch that trash and shred him to pieces!!" The demon shouted at the top of her lungs.


    Instantly, all the flesh summons started running toward Rin all at the same time. The sound of their sloppy feet hitting the ground was like a cursed melody to the ear.


    Seeing such a thing, Rin didn''t wait for a second and dashed to ward the other side of the corridor. His speed was luckily in the same realm as these monsters so they weren''t able to close the distance between them that quickly.


    [I never expected to witness this scene, host.]


    ''What scene?! I''m really in trouble here!!''


    [The fact that you are running inside a corridor in a dungeon that is also a haunted mansion while getting chased by creatures made out of the flesh of a demon. Not many can experience this, host.]


    ''What the hell is even that?!!'' Rin clenched his teeth and tried to elerate even more. He felt adrenaline pumping into his veins endlessly.


    *Slop* *Slop* *Slop*


    The sound of the wet flesh hitting the wooden floor was getting closer and closer with every passing second.


    Rin tried to take a peek behind him as he continued his run. It seemed that these creatures weren''t brainless at all. In fact, what he saw now made him certain that they are actually quite smart.


    One of them stopped moving and positioned itself in front of another summon. Thetter then ran toward it and jumped on its hands. Instantly, the flesh summon was sted into the air, crossing tens of meters in less than a second.


    ''What the fuck!!'' Rin''s eyes widened in shock.


    The distance between Rin and the summons was instantly above Rin.


    *BANG*


    "Woaaaah!!"


    mming the ground, Rin was shaken off bnce by the punch.


    "Fuck it!!"


    Beside the boy was the edge of the balcony that leads to the first floor. He wanted to reach the stairs that led to the lower part of the house but because of this, he had no other choice but to erase that n.


    Using his left leg, he pushed himself into the balcony and then jumped down. The second floor was actually quite high, almost 30 meters in length.


    "This was a bad ideaaaaaa!!!"


    *Booommm*


    Landing on a table to the side, hepletely destroyed it along with the vase on top.


    "Ugh¡­That hurts!"


    However, Rin didn''t have time to waste wincing in pain and quickly found a ce to hide. The darkness helped him a lot in this.


    The ce he hid inside was a closet filled with tea cups and tes. There was luckily a space where he could sitfortably.


    *Slop* *Slop* *Slop*


    The flesh summons soon reached the first floor and started looking around. They weren''t able to see Rin when he jumped because of the ruckus that happened.


    ''Fuuh! That was close.'' He took a deep and quiet breath as he watched the monsters search for him.


    But, even he knew that eventually, these summonses will find him as they were 20 and they were also quite smart.<novelnext></novelnext>


    ''I need to get rid of some of them secretly.''


    That was his n from the start. Even though he was technically weaker than them, he could at least kill them without a confrontation. Luckily, he had the power to do such a thing.


    ''There are small sources of light and a faint resemnce of shadows around each monster. It can work.'' He thought.


    Coincidentally, a smirk appeared on his face as his body blended with the darkness,pletely vanishing from sight.


    Rin then made his way through the big hall, searching for the best prey to start with. His eyes scanned every monster, he also made sure to note their position, where they were expected to move in the next 5 seconds, and also which one of them was the closest to him.


    It was something that required extreme focus and high dexterity to execute the assassination perfectly.


    Soon, one of the creatures walked far away from the others and stood near a table where it looked down under it to see whether Rin was there or not.


    Using that opportunity, Rin closed the distance between them quickly and quietly. He then activated shadow maniption and restricted the monster''s movements.


    In his hand was one of the daggers while the other hand moved in and restricted the monster''s movement.


    ''Die.'' He thought and slit the monster''s throat or at least where he expected its throat was. Not much blood dripped down from there as it didn''t even have that much blood inside of it in the first ce.


    [You have killed a Sane Flesh Summon.]


    [Would you like to consume it?]


    ''Yes.''


    Then, Rin hid again and waited for the consumption process to end. A few seconds,ter another pop-up appeared in his eyes.


    [You have gained 200 Action Points.]


    ''Damn! That much?!'' He was delightfully surprised by the huge number of action points he got from this kill. But, when he thought about it, it was logical that he gets this much.


    Not only was this monster a whole rank higher than him, but it was also a part of a D-Rank monster so the action points he can get from that are quite high.


    ''Which one is next?'' He thought.


    The night was still young and the hunt has only started. Weirdly, the one that was prey not long ago has suddenly turned into a predator that was eagerly waiting for one of his prey toe close to him so that he could kill it.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Meanwhile, in the outside world. Rin was oblivious to what was happening there at all. His life was on the line so thinking about anything unnecessary for his survival was stupid.


    A handsome middle-aged man was sitting on a sofa sipping a cup of coffee.  As dignified and elegant as he looked drinking that coffee, anyone could see his face frowning and a dark aura was looming over him.


    In front of him, a beautiful woman could be seen moving left and right as she bit her nails from time to time in hopes of easing her worries.


    Both of them didn''t talk nor did they even want to. Their minds were in chaos because of what happened.


    Then, as they were like that, a beautiful girl came inside the room. Her face was not faring any better than the other two.


    Seeing her, Selina quickly ran toward her.


    "Did you find anything, Aria?!"


    Her eyes had hope and despair in them as they gazed deeply at Aria''s eyes. The expectant look was like daggers that dug deep into Aria''s heart. However, the pain from such a gaze was nothingpared to the heart-wrenching worry she felt at that moment.


    "I checked every other dungeon till the A-Rank dungeon and I couldn''t find Rin. I-I¡­ don''t know what to do¡­" Tears welled up in her eyes as she tried to hold herself from crying.


    Selina quickly wrapped her hands around her daughter and hugged her tightly. She knew how much Aria cherished Rin and loved him with all of her heart so the pain she was feeling must''ve been great.


    "We will find him, honey. I''m sure we will find him." She tried to assure her, but deep down, Selina knew that those words were empty words she tried to ease her worries with.


    Aria hugged her mother back and buried her face in her chest as wept silently.


    It has been almost three days since Rin entered the dungeons yet he still didn''te back at all. The family became worried and entered the dungeon to search for him. However, much to their shock, the whole dungeon was cleared yet there was no trace of Rin at all.


    The fear that he might''ve been killed swelled in their hearts. However, luckily, Damian made sure to add a small object to the bag that Rin carried with him. That object was a magic artifact that was used to check on a certain person. Using that artifact, they knew Rin was still alive which was a relief for them.


    But, the problem was still there: Where is he?!


    And to add fuel to the fire, on that same day, a visitor came knocking on their door. A visitor they didn''t expect at all.


    (A//N: Their first meeting is soon :) )


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it is. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 33 33- Two Hearts Linked By Fate (Part 2)

    Chapter 33- Two Hearts Linked By Fate (Part 2)


    "Y-Your highness?" Damian''s eyes widened in surprise as he looked at the visitor that knocked on his door. A mesmerizingly beautiful woman was looking back at him with her apathetic gaze. Her beautiful eyes scanned the man in front of her for a few seconds before she replied.


    "I apologize for my sudden visit."


    "No, pleasee in. I apologize for my rudeness." Damian immediately shook the shock away and invited her inside.


    "Sorry for the intrusion." Without hesitation, she walked inside.


    In the living room, Selina and Aria were sitting on the sofa with extremely tense looks. But, it wasn''t because of the princess but for a whole other reason.


    The situation was simply not good for them to actually spend time taking care of the princess, not when Rin could potentially be facing a huge threat somewhere.


    ''Why did shee here?!'' Aria tried to keep herposed look as she formed a small, polite smile on her face. Even though her mind was upied with her younger brother, she couldn''t just disrespect the princess of the empire. She still needed to keep face for her father and mother as their daughter.


    The two then stood up and bowed respectfully at her. Elise quickly noticed the weird expressions on their faces. They were pale and noticeably stressed.


    Elise''s sharp mind quickly worked and she quickly understood that something bad happened and she knew very well who was the culprit for that.


    ''What did Rin do?'' She thought to herself.


    "P-Please sit down." Selina invited her to sit on the sofa while she eyed her maids secretly.


    After they made themselvesfortable, Damian cleared his throat and asked.


    "How''s his majesty?"


    "Good."


    "I see¡­"


    Then silence, Elise didn''t try to prolong the conversation and merely eyed them silently. Shepletely ignored the awkward atmosphere.


    "May I ask what is the reason for your visit, your highness?" Aria couldn''t bear it anymore and asked the questions all of them were eager to know the answer for.


    "Well, since I can sense that there is something wrong here, I will be frank with you. I''m here to see your son, Rin." She said.


    "Rin?" They all muttered confusedly.


    "Yes, I have a business with him and I will be more than delighted to meet him as soon as possible."


    ''How the hell did she even get in contact with Rin? Since when did they even have ''business'' together? What is going on? Did he speak with her before?'' Aria asked a thousand questions in her head.


    She didn''t get why the princess herself, a person of the utmost peak of this world wants with Rin. For as far as Aria knew, they never came in contact before except at parties and birthdays in the royal castle where they merely shared pleasantries. The number of interactions they had could be counted on one hand.


    "I-It''s¡­ hard to do that now, your highness." Damian didn''t know whether he should keep the matter a secret or not.


    "I can assume that something wrong happened with him. May I know what is it?"


    Damian was cornered by that question and waited a few seconds before he opened his mouth to reply. But, Selina was the first to speak.


    "He entered a G-Rank dungeon a few days ago and didn''te back. We tried to search for him but there was no trace left of him."


    "Selina¡­" Damian muttered as he looked at his wife with aplicated gaze.


    He knew how much she loved Rin so he was sure that it hurt her a lot to admit this thing in front of the princess. Yet, for some reason, she still told her the truth.


    "I see¡­"


    [Quest Triggered!]


    [Find Rin before he dies.]


    [Reward: 1000]


    ''Huh? A quest?'' Elise was quite bewildered by the sudden quest.


    This was by far the first quest she received from her system since she came to this world more than a week ago. She didn''t know what kind of things could


    ''So he is indeed stuck inside the dungeon. Do you have any idea what''s happening, system?''


    [I think it''s most likely his ability that morphed the dungeon and increased the difficulty so that he could be stronger. He is inside a higher dungeon now if my predictions are right.]


    ''That doesn''t sound like a good thing at all.''


    [It''s most likely the case.]


    ''I never thought our reunion will be this dangerous. Well, nothing could be done.'' Sighing, Elise spoke.


    "I see¡­ Then, I will help you find him."


    "Huh?"


    "I can help you find him."


    "But, you shouldn''t put yourself in danger, your highness. This matter isn''t-"


    "Of my concern? Well, believe it or not, it is. Besides, I do want to meet him sooner rather thanter so it''s the best oue for me in case I find him."


    Then, she looked behind at the guard standing behind her. His face had already turned pale with fright. She knew how worried he was in case anything happened to her. The only thing awaiting him is the guillotine if he doesn''te back with the princess unscathed.


    "Go and get me my weapon." She said.


    "B-But¡­ Your Highness, we can''t-"


    "I''m not asking for your opinion here. Do what I asked of you. As for my father, I will deal with him myself."


    "Understood!!"


    "Wait, your highness." Aria tried to speak but the guard was already running out of the house.


    Elise also stood up to walk out.


    "Your highness¡­ Can I ask you something?"


    Looking back at Aria, Elise could see the threatening gaze that could almost poke a hole in her. She was clearly showing a hostile attitude. But, as rude as it was, Elise didn''t say anything and merely nodded her head.


    "What is¡­ your rtionship with MY brother?"


    "Hmm? Let''s see¡­" Elise''s face shed a cold yet incredibly beautiful smile. It was something rare for her to show any reaction so all three of the Silvereye family members felt their hearts stop for a split second.


    "We are old acquaintances, let''s put it like that. Now, if you excuse me."


    ''Old acquaintances?!'' Aria was even more confused at this point. However, more than confused, she felt a sting in her heart. Something that she never felt before at all.


    It was as if someone was stabbing her heart multiple times. Her mind went into shambles as she tried to understand what was wrong with her but she couldn''t find an answer.


    The only thing she understood was that whatever the princess had going on with Rin, she didn''t like¡­ not the least bit. But, for the sake of her beloved''s safety, she ignored this pain and stood up.


    "I will go with her. Two people are better than one. You both can stay here in case Rines back or if something wrong happens." She said to her parents.


    "Let me go in-" Damian was about to speak but Selina put her hand on his shoulder and shook her head.


    Her eyes were telling him to not do anything. Even though he didn''t understand why his wife stopped him, he still obliged. In the case of their children, she understood them way better than he does so he always follows her in these matters.


    Then, Aria walked to the door and waited for the princess toe back. A few minutester, she appeared again.


    ''She is really¡­ beautiful. She almost looks like a goddess or a fairy. Sigh, I have never seen someone as beautiful as her before. Is that the kind of girl Rin would favor?'' Even though she praised her in her head, her expression was not the least bit ttering.


    "Are you ready?" Elise asked.


    "Your highness¡­ I think our small talk about Rin is still not over. Can you spare some time after wee back?"


    ''Whatever she''s thinking about, it''s gonna be a headache.'' Elise almost sighed in exasperation.


    "Fine. I will try to be as honest as I could. Don''t expect anything outrageous though."


    "That I''m grateful for." Aria''s eyes turned slightly sharp but then returned to her neutral expression quickly. She had already settled the matter for now until they had a longer and ''deeper'' talk about it.


    The two then walked toward the dungeon under the mansion in silence. The atmosphere between them was quite heavy and suffocating but neither cared about that at all.


    Their only focus was one¡­


    ''I have to find Rin.''


    Two identical goals yet for two different reasons and the target for all of that was oblivious for that matter.


    (A//N: The start of a ferocious war between two great forces and the prey is a poor ck-haired boy. I pity him truly. It will be very fun.)


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it is. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 34 34- Two Hearts Linked By Fate (Part 3)

    Chapter 34- Two Hearts Linked By Fate (Part 3)


    When they reached the dungeon wheel in the basement, Aria sighed and asked Elise.


    "What do you intend to do, princess?" She asked.


    Aria was sure that she checked every dungeon the wheel had from G-Rank all the way to the A-Rank which was also the highest-ranked dungeon this wheel could open. S-Ranked dungeons and higher are a whole different story of themselves.


    S-Ranked dungeons are basically legendary ces that are only entered by the strongest of the strongest in the world. The danger of such ces was unimaginable for a normal person. Even Aria was sure that if she entered one of them, her death was set in stone from the first second she steps inside.


    "Did you really?" Elise asked back as she held her chin with her delicate finger seemingly deep in thought.


    ''So, from what you said, he was sent to a harder dungeon, right?''


    [Yes, Elise. That''s most likely the case.]


    ''So, assuming that he wasn''t sent straight to his death. He is either in an F-Rank dungeon, an E-Rank dungeon, or a D-Rank dungeon. But, considering the fact that his system wants him to gain strength as quickly as possible, I will assume that F-Rank dungeons won''t do it for him. That leaves E and D-Ranked dungeons.'' She analyzed everything in her head.


    However, even though she was able to narrow it down, there were still many dungeons that he could be inside.


    ''Wait.'' Suddenly, she opened her eyes and looked at Aria.


    "You said you checked every one of them?"


    "Yes. I''m confident I didn''t leave any."


    ''Why did I forget about this? The system probably sent him to a ce that is not inside the dungeon wheel. That could be the case. But, how can I trigger that ce.''


    [I think I can do that, Elise.] The system spoke out of nowhere.


    ''You can?''


    [Yes, I also have many dungeons programmed into me. Sending you to one of them is not a problem. But, unlike Rin, you can''t get any action points in case you were sent there. This means that you can''t get stronger inside these dungeons. Normally, these dungeons could only be essed by quests so the fact that you are about to enter one of them of your own will changes the restrictions.]


    ''It''s not a problem. Show me the possible E and D-Ranked dungeons you have.'' Elise didn''t bother with that restriction at all, she will have many opportunities to rank up and get stronger in the future.


    Then, in a moment, a long list of dungeons appeared in front of Elise. It was filled with all kinds of dungeons, varying in rank. But, in an instant, the whole list became way shorter than before. The only dungeons left were 10 dungeons. Five E-Ranked and five D-Ranked.


    Reading their names, Elise tried to shorten the list even further. She wanted to make it at least 4 dungeons or less if possible.


    ''What is she doing?'' Aria looked at the girl beside her with a puzzled expression.


    She had been looking dazedly at thin air for quite a while without saying anything. But, Aria assumed it was her way of thinking so she didn''t ask her about it.


    "Do you know what ability Rin has?" Elise asked.


    "It''s shadow maniption."


    Blurting out the name of her brother''s ability like that wasn''t a good thing and Elise knew that but because of the pressing circumstances, she had no other choice. As much as the red-haired beauty hated it, she had to rely on Elise to get her brother back.


    "..."


    When she heard the name of his ability, Elise was taken aback. She had expected all kinds of powers but the one he got was something she never predicted.


    ''Sigh, it''s not time to think about such a thing. That actually helps a lot. There are only two dungeons that could be linked to him. The others are just too vague to be possible.''


    [Aren''t you being way too broad, Elise?]


    ''I have no other choice. I''m gambling with my choices here. If it works then that''s good if it doesn''t then I will have to keep looking.''


    She was aware that assuming things like this was wrong but getting a small lead no matter how insignificant would help greatly.


    "Turn the wheel¡­ Put it into the D-Rank first. I have a hunch that he''s inside a D-Rank dungeon."


    "I already said-"


    "I know, just do what I told you."


    ''Sigh, calm down Aria. For the sake of Rin, I have to keep calm. Keep calm!!'' Taking a few deep breaths, she quickly turned the wheel to the E-Rank.


    Then, both of them entered the portal that appeared in front of them.


    On the other side, the only thing they saw wasplete darkness. Aria quickly used her lightning element to create some light for them.


    "What in the¡­" She couldn''t believe her eyes.


    This ce wasn''t supposed to be here. She was sure she checked every dungeon possible in every rank. It took her hours and hours but she was certain of that. Yet, right in front of her, there was a dungeon she had never seen before.


    "Lava mansion¡­ huh¡­" Elise muttered under her breath.


    She chose this one as the first ce to enter because it just sounded weird. Every other dungeon including the other one she was suspecting all had one singlemon thing between them. They were all vast dungeons varying from ins to mountain ranges to even oceans. Yet, the only one that was considerably smaller in scale was this one, a ''mansion.''


    After exchanging nces for a moment, the two walked inside the ce. They were inside some kind of room.


    "He isn''t here¡­"


    Looking around, there was no trace of Rin¡­ So, they quickly left the room to check other parts.


    However, not even a minute passed when they saw it¡­ A silhouette was standing in the hall on the first floor.


    His body was standing but he wasn''t moving at all. Aria was the first to react as she ran down the stairs quickly.


    She didn''t even need a second to recognize who that person was. His silhouette was all too familiar for her.


    "RIN!!!"


    Elise swiftly followed her down. Deep inside, she was feeling something weird. It was something she never felt before. As if she found something that belonged to her, a part of her body that she lost a long time ago and now was right in front of her.


    When the two reached him, the boy seemed to have heard them since he turned around. That''s when they saw it, a truly horrifying sight that sent a chill down their spines.


    From head to toe, Rin was covered in blood. No, scratch all of that, every part of his being was soaked wet in blood as if he took a bath in that crimson liquid. A huge sword sh covered his chest and ran all the way down to his stomach. They could see his organs from their positions. His left arm was twisted at a weird angle and a huge chunk of his left leg was nowhere to be found.


    His state was so bad that they could only question how a human could still be standing even after suffering from all of that. But, what shocked them, even more, was his eyes. They were glowing ominously in the darkness. Not only that, but his expression was so calm andposed that they almost forgot that he was in a near-death situation with all the blood dripping to the ground.


    Rin scanned the two of them with his eyes. He didn''t know whether this was an illusion or not but aside from his sister Aria, he saw another girl that he knew yet also didn''t quite know. It was as if he knew her for a lifetime but also never met her before.


    Such a weird feeling made his chaotic senses calm down. The fight he just fought was the worst one he ever face, it was a hell on earth where he saw the grim reaper multiple times waiting to harvest his soul at any moment.


    The pain he was feeling was so tremendous that he could not feel anything anymore. The only thing keeping him awake was the skill ''berserker'' that kept pumping his body with the energy he didn''t even need. He tried to close his eyes and fall unconscious, he wanted to just sleep for a long time and ignore all of this suffering. Deep down, he knew that if he fell unconscious, his death was basically set in stone so he tried to ignore these thoughts.


    "E-Elise¡­" He muttered as he felt all the energy seep out of his body as he fell forward. He wasn''t even aware of what he said and was purely following his instincts.


    *Swish*


    Before he could hit the ground, someone appeared in front of him, held his body gently, and supported him from falling. His eyes had long lost that small glint and were now closedpletely.


    "Not the best reunion, is it, Rin?" Elise muttered as she left him to rest on her shoulder. Her eyes calmly analyzed his face silently.


    (A//N: Finally, the duo is back.)


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it is. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 35 35- Mouth-To-Mouth Healing Potion

    Chapter 35- Mouth-to-Mouth Healing Potion


    The moment Rin felt someone holding him and helping him rest, he quickly fell unconscious. Even though he didn''t know who it was or whether it was actually Elise or not but he felt weirdly safe in this person''s arms so his body automatically rxed and he quickly drifted into a deep sleep.


    Elise felt blood dripping on her clothes and sticking to her skin but she didn''t care much about it. It wasn''t disgusting at all for her especially when she knows it was the blood of a person she knows.


    "RINNNN!!!" That''s when Aria finally woke up from her trance and approached them quickly to check on her brother.


    She felt her heart almost leap out of her chest when she saw the horrible state he was in. All kinds of things ran through her mind at that exact moment and rendered her paralyzed from sheer shock. The mere thought of her beloved dying horrified her to no extent. She simply can''t imagine herself handling the pain of losing Rin at all.


    "Don''t scream¡­ He is alive." Elise said with an annoyed look as she lifted Rin up and started carrying him toward the portal.


    "H-He is going to die!!"


    "Not if you stop crying and actually help me get him out of her as quickly as possible."


    Realizing the big mistake Aria did, she quickly shook those thoughts away and supported Rin from the side. She could feel his cold body as blood kept seeping out of every injury on his body.


    "Wait! I can at least make him drink a potion. I can''t rest assured if he stays like this till we go back."


    Elise nced at Aria silently for a moment before replying.


    "Fine. Do whatever you want."


    The two then made him lie down on the floor gently. His breathing was faint and his expression seemed to be in great pain even though he was unconscious.


    Then, Aria pulled a high-grade healing potion out of her pouch. She was d she carried this with her in case of emergencies like this one. It was quite expensive so she made sure to not use it unless it was very important and urgent.


    After that, she approached the bottle from his mouth and tried to pour it in. But, because of his state, the liquid merely fell down his chin and he barely swallowed anything.


    "W-What can I do?" She muttered with aplicated gaze.


    "Help him drink it."


    "I''m asking how?!"


    "There''s only one way you can do that," Elise said meaningfully as she pointed at her mouth.


    Elise quickly caught on to what she meant and looked at the bottle in her hand. She wasn''t sure whether that will work or not but she had no choice but to try.


    ''Here goes nothing!'' She thought before pouring the liquid into her mouth.


    Forget about embarrassment, her mind didn''t even process that she was about to kiss her brother at all. She was in no state to think about such trivial things. She can get all shy and happyter when Rin wakes up safe and sound.


    Lifting his head up, Aria quickly put her lips against Rin''s lips. Her eyes looked deeply at his bloody face before she pried his mouth open with her tongue.


    Tasting the insides of his mouth made her flinch slightly. Because of the sheer blood he lost, his mouth tasted metallic and weird but she ignored that and focused on her task.


    Slowly, she started guiding the liquid inside his mouth and then toward his throat. Luckily, the n worked and Rin quickly started drinking the liquid.


    Then, Aria took another gulp and did the same thing again and again until the bottle was emptied of every drop of liquid.


    "Hah¡­ Hah¡­ I hope this works." She took slow but heavy breaths as she examined Rin carefully.


    Kissing him multiple times made her gasp for air.


    "He''s starting to heal," Elisemented from the side.


    ''That was weirdly ufortable to watch.'' She hid that thought with her cold expression.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Witnessing two people kissing no matter what situation it was was something embarrassing even for Elise. But, besides feeling out of ce, her heart weirdly had another feeling she didn''t get all. However, shaking her head, that feeling quickly dissipated.


    As she was like that, Rin''s body was surrounded by a faint, green aura as injuries on his body started healing at a visible speed.


    Small and big cuts were closing up, his half-destroyed leg was also building flesh and his broken arm was twisting back to its normal shape.


    However, even for a high-grade healing potion, its limits were noticeable, especially on injuries of this caliber. The huge cut on Rin''s abdomen only closed up a little. It goes to show how horrible it was before.


    "What kind of things¡­ did he go through? I can only imagine how hard it was on Rin." Aria muttered with a huge frown.


    Seeing her brother''s state greatly pained her. She didn''t like seeing him feel difort let alone suffer this horrible pain.


    "This is a D-Rank dungeon. I can see why he suffered that much. But, for him to actually solo clear it¡­ He is impressive." Elise didn''t know whether tough or cry seeing such an absurd achievement.


    Most people at their age can''t even face E- Rank dungeons let alone clear them so the fact that he cleared a D-Rank dungeon alone was something historical, to say the least.


    "Now that you mention it¡­ How did he do that?"


    "I don''t really know¡­ Maybe ask him when he wakes up."


    "But, as expected of my Rin¡­ He can do the impossible. He is great!!" Aria spoke with a proud smile as she caressed Rin''s face.


    Elise could only sigh and ignore the weird girl in front of her. She didn''t even want to ask what kind of rtionship they had since she was sure she will immediately regret asking about it.


    A few minutes passed before the healing potion''s effects finally started subsiding and they could finally carry him out of the dungeon. They could''ve done so while the potion was still taking effect but because of his broken bones, they didn''t want to restrict the potion and risk deforming his bone structure because of it since his arm could heal at the wrong angle if they did that.


    Leaving the dungeon, they found Damian and Selina waiting with anxious looks all over their faces. But, the mere sight of their son in that state turned that anxiousness into pure terror.


    Selina didn''t even wait for a second as she ran toward them. Aria quickly assured her before they carried him to his room.


    Selina made sure to use her healing spells on him again and again until her mana pool was emptied and she fell tired to exhaustion. But, with the help of Damian and the other two, in less than a day, he was back to how he was before. Albeit, he was still unconscious the whole time.


    Damian and Aria had to basically drag Selina out of the room before she kills herself because of mana exhaustion.


    The night then passed fairly quietly. Elise was given a room where she could sleep as she insisted on meeting Rin as soon as he woke up. The Silvereye family didn''t get why she wanted to meet Rin this much and could only question what her intentions were.


    "Don''t tell me¡­ did she fall in love with my son?" Selina muttered as they sat in the living room.


    Elise was in her room so they could talk freely.


    "Mother!!"


    "What? My son is extremely handsome and charming, I can imagine him being popr with girls. Making the princess herself fall for him¡­ Kyaa!!! My son is way too vulgar!!" Selina''s body twisted left and right as she held her cheeks with a happy smile.


    "That''s not the case!!" The red-haired Aria didn''t like what her mother said at all.


    She didn''t want Rin to be popr with girls since that could rob her Rin away. She doesn''t want him to forget about her at all and stay by her side.


    ''I must make sure that he doesn''t get swayed by vixens. It''s because I''m his sister that I must make sure that he is safe. Yes, this is what a normal big sister should do to her little brother. There is nothing abnormal about it.'' Nodding in her head, she drifted with her wild imagination to anothernd and left her father and mother talking.


    All of this while Rin waspletely oblivious to the matter, sleeping peacefully in his room, not caring about anything in the world.


    (A//N: Just sleeping while leaving women thinking about him, Giga chad mindset. He is truly the alpha protagonist.)


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it is. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 36 36- A Sleepy Time*

    Chapter 36- A Sleepy Time*


    (A//N: *: means the chapter has mild lewdness. Nothing big.


    **: More lewdness. This may include kissing, touching, and other things.


    ***: Full intercourse. Everything is included from above)


    "U-Ugh¡­. W-What¡­" Rin''s eyes opened slightly as he was assaulted by a strong headache that made him groan quietly. His groggy mind was still not working properly so he had to take a few seconds to register what was happening around him.


    His senses tried to recognize the ce he was in while also trying to recall what happened.


    ''I was¡­ in the dungeon? And then, I¡­ wait, I killed that demon!! Did I die?! Or¡­'' All kinds of chaotic thoughts came and went quickly.


    "Mmm¡­"


    However, a small moan woke him up from his daze as he finally noticed something weird. There was a weird, soft and warm thing resting on his body. He waspletely covered so he wasn''t able to see who or what this was.


    Gulping down a mouthful of saliva, he slowly pulled up the covers to check. Much to his shock, a few strands of red hair appeared in his vision along with an incredibly beautiful face sleeping peacefully. He quickly recognized that person as Aria.


    ''What is she doing on my bed?'' He asked with aplicated gaze.


    But, as much as he was curious, seeing her sleeping so calmly made him hesitate on whether he should wake her up or not. Besides, he could clearly see that the corners of her eyes were red and swollen.


    ''Was she¡­ crying?'' He wondered.


    Shifting his gaze to his surroundings, surely enough, he was back in his room. He didn''t know how he returned to his room but that wasn''t the problem now.


    "Mmm¡­" Aria moaned softly again as she extended her hands and wrapped them around Rin''s neck before approaching his face.


    Rin tried to wiggle out of her embrace but her grip was really strong on him which rendered him paralyzed. Then, when she was close enough, she started rubbing her face against his cheek gently. A satisfied smile bloomed on her face as she sensed the warmth of her beloved filling her senses.


    ''This is definitely not the most optimal situation.'' He sighed as he felt himselfpletely overwhelmed by his sister.


    Besides that, he had another urgent problem. Between his legs, his little friend was reacting because of the defenseless woman sleeping on top of him. To make matters even worse, she wrapped her thighs around his legs and started grinding slowly as she muttered near his ear.


    "Rin~" Her breathy voice tickled his ear gently and made him feel as if he was on the verge of going insane.


    Her voluptuous breasts were pressed against his chest and deformed slightly. He could clearly feel the soft and fluffy pair rubbing against him.


    "Rin~ Rin~" She kept muttering his name as if she was having a dream.


    "D-Don''t¡­ leave me alone." She muttered again.


    Hearing that, all the weird thoughts Rin was having vanished and a warm smile appeared on his face. She was most likely very worried about him. Just imagining her reaction when she saw his state made him sigh with a frown.


    Then, instead of escaping, he wrapped his hands around her back and hugged her tightly before burying her face in his neck.


    "I''m sorry¡­ Aria.." He whispered quietly.


    Even though she was still asleep, she must''ve sensed him closing up on her smile widened and an expression of pure bless appeared on her face.


    The two stayed like that for a while, Rin enjoyed caressing her face and patting her on the head while listening to her quiet breaths.


    Feeling such a peaceful atmosphere made his tired body rx even more and his eyes closed again as he drifted to sleep.


    An unknown amount of time passed before he finally woke up again, looking around him his gaze fell on a pair of red eyes that examined with his face with a smile.


    Seeing Rin wake up, Aria said.


    "Good morning."


    "Mmm, good morning." He replied.


    The two stared at each other for a while not saying anything. Rin couldn''t keep this weird atmosphere going on for any longer so he coughed and asked.


    "How long have you been looking at me while I was sleeping?"


    "I don''t know¡­ a few hours maybe.."


    "A few hours?!!!" His eyes widened with shock.


    However, Aira merelyughed carefreely.


    "Heheheh! If you look at your face right now. I''m just joking, silly."


    "O-Oh! H-Hahahah! Yeah, sure." He tried tough with her.


    ''Your eyes are saying otherwise!''


    Sighing, he quickly tried to rise up from the bed. But, two hands quickly pulled him back down along with a pout.


    "Where do you think you''re going?"


    "Mmm, to wash my face?"


    "Rin~" Aria smiled at him with her eyes closed. However, a strong pressure came down on him out of nowhere. Her eyes weren''t smiling at all.


    "Don''t you know how worried we were? You almost died yesterday!!"<novelnext></novelnext>


    "I''m sorry."


    "I''m not ming you but please, you have to rest today. Your body is still recovering and it takes time. I will make sure you don''t do anything reckless until you are fully recovered!"


    "B-But¡­"


    "No buts, you are going to rest and I will take care of you."


    "Sigh¡­ fine¡­" Feeling exasperated, Rin nodded his head.


    "That''s my Rin¡­" Aria pinched his cheek with a satisfied smile before leaving the bed. Rin watched her mesmerizing body as it swayed left and right tantalizingly in front of him.


    ''I can''t have such thoughts about my own sister!! Wake up, Rin!!''


    As he was having such thoughts, Aria halted for a moment as she looked back at him with a meaningful look. Then, without saying anything, she walked out of the room.


    "Haaah¡­What the hell was that look? Is she joking?" Rin muttered as he spread his arms and legs on the bed while looking at the ceiling.


    ''I can''t check my stats now.  I will keep the daily quests forter too. Dammit! I have too much to do.''


    He had many things he wanted to do and many more to experiment with after what happened inside the dungeon. The things that urred there were simply engraved in his mind for eternity. No matter how strong he will be in the future, that dungeon will stay in his mind until the day he died.


    He simply had never expected all of that at all. Even the fact that he was one step away from death never affected him as much as that fight with the D-Rank boss.


    [You are barely on the first step, host. You still have all the time in the world to discover everything.]


    ''Wow! That''s nice of you.''


    [I will always be there to support you, host. Even if you stay single for the rest of your life, which is most likely the case, I will marry you, host.]


    ''I don''t swing that way though.''


    [I don''t have a particr gender, host. I can be whatever you desire.]


    A chill ran down Rin''s spine when he heard the system''s voice. Even it was the same voice and the same robotic tone, there was a weird vibe to it that he didn''t quite understand.


    After that, Selina and Damian barged into his room and overwhelmed him with questions about what happened. Rin had toe up with a usible lie to make it out of that questioning session.


    Luckily, they believed him in the end and didn''t try to ask anymore. They knew that they can''t just keep pressuring him when he was still recovering.


    "Ah, by the way¡­ The princess wants to meet you." Selina said.


    "Huh? The princess?" Rin tilted his head.


    "Yes, princess Elise. She wants to meet you. She was also the one that pulled you out of that dungeon. Her highness saved your life."


    ''Elise?! Wait, so it was indeed Elise that I saw before. I thought it was an illusion or I was hallucinating because of my injuries.''


    "Where is she?"


    "I''m here."


    Looking behind his parents and sister, he could see a goddess standing near the door while resting her shoulder on the wall.


    Gazing at her silently for a few seconds, he didn''t know what to say. Even though they didn''t separate for a long while, he still felt as if he didn''t see her in years. Hell, he could even say that he longed for meeting her more than he could ever admit.


    "Can you guys leave us alone for some time? You want to talk with me, right?"


    "Pretty much."


    "I see. You both can have your small talk. We will be waiting. Keep it short, honey." Selina smiled warmly at her son.


    ''I feel like she''s having some kind of misunderstanding. Well, I can''t be bothered to exin.''


    "Mother, I will stay here," Aria said.


    "Fufufufu! No, you aren''t. Now, leave them alone."


    "Nooooo!! I don''t want to." Aria said as she hugged Rin.


    "Stop it, Aria."


    "No! Rin is still injured."


    "You sometimes like to act childish don''t you, sweety."


    In the end, Aria was dragged out of the room. She kept ring at Elise as she was pulled out of the room.


    "Sigh¡­" The two sighed at the same time.


    (A//N: Your thoughts on the chapter? :3 )


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it is. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 37 37- Dancing With Death (Part1)

    Chapter 37- Dancing With Death (Part1)


    After everyone left, silence took over the ce. Neither of them knew what to say at all even though there should''ve been many things they can talk about. For some reason, it was really hard for both of them to talk at all.


    "Umm¡­ It''s good to see you again, Elise." Rin said as he didn''t know whether tough or cry in this situation.


    ''Why is it so awkward?!'' He screamed in his head.


    "Good to see you too," Elise replied again as she approached the bed before sitting on the chair next to it.


    "So, how was your first week here?" She asked.


    "Ignoring the fact that I almost killed my own family and also almost killed myself then I''m feeling pretty good." He replied.


    Elise''s eyes widened in surprise for a moment before she returned to her neutral expression. He could see how she was waiting for him to start exining what happened.


    "Well, the first thing was when I awakened. My own skill took over my body and tried to kill my family. I wasn''t able to sense anything at the time but luckily they were able to stop me."


    "Your powers¡­ are shadow maniption, right? You know that this kind of skill shouldn''t exist in this world?"


    "Pretty much. It''s a long story but I guess I inherited this power from¡­"


    "A god." Elise finished his sentence for him with a thoughtful look.


    "It seems that Lili wanted to give us these inheritances. But, why?"


    "Beat me. That goddess is unpredictable."


    "That''s true. However, I know for sure that she has a reason for her actions. She''s definitely hiding something from us."


    "Well, when we meet her again, we can ask her."


    Nodding her head, Elise moved on to the next and arguably the most important topic.


    "What about what happened yesterday?"


    "Ugh¡­" Rin seemed slightly troubled when he heard her question and averted his eyes.


    Elise squinted at him as she kept pressing him to answer.


    "It''s just¡­ Too gory and messed up¡­"


    "You think I can''t handle a gory story?" Elise asked with raised eyebrows.


    "No, not that. It''s just¡­ Ah, whatever. I will tell you what happened." He sighed and didn''t try to refuse anymore.


    As much as he wanted this story to stay hidden forever, he didn''t want to hide it from Elise. They are both involved in this mess and if they both don''t trust each other and work together, they might as well never hope toe back to their world ever again.


    "It all started after I finished the G-Rank dungeon¡­."


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    [A day ago.]


    "Hah¡­ Hah¡­ Hah¡­ Fuck!" Rin clenched his teeth as he touched his left arm lightly to check its condition. But, without even touching it, he already knew that it waspletely broken. The pain he felt was like a surge of electricity in his body was horrible, to say the least.


    But, he had no time to care about his useless arm, now, around him, four flesh summons were closing up on him from all angles. He was able to hunt most of them down with quick sneak attacks but because of a stupid mistake, one of them was able to notice him and alert the others which ended up with him sustaining a strong hit on his left arm that sent him flying in the air before smashing against the wall.


    ''Fuck! I was close to killing them all wlessly. My luck is shit!'' He cursed his bad luck.


    One of the flesh summonses finally reached him and jabbed at his face. Rin quickly dodged it and tried to strike back. However, two other flesh summons were already attacking him at that time which made him click his tongue and dodge again.


    *Swish*


    Without having a single moment to even breathe, Rin kept moving and dodging the uing attacks to the best of his abilities. Their speed was impressive so he had to actually keep his senses alerted to everything around him.


    *Swish* *Bang*


    One of the flesh summonses created a crater in the ground with a punch before grabbing a huge piece of sharp wood and throwing it at Rin.


    *Swish*


    The projectile darted toward the boy at an rming speed and reached him in less than a second.


    ''Shadow maniption!'' Rin''s eyes widened as he quickly activated his skill and stopped the piece of wood in mid-air.


    Jumping in the air, he then kicked the piece of wood back from where it came from.


    *Ssh* *Ssh* *Bang*


    "Ugh!!" Another one used that moment and kicked him in the side, knocking the air out of his lungs.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Another one followed beside it and punched Rin in the stomach. Rin spat blood out as he was thrown to the ground.


    ''System!! Did you finish consuming the corpses?!'' He asked hurriedly.


    The fact that he was facing these things head-on when he clearly weaker could make many people wonder whether he was eagerly searching for his demise or whether he becamepletely insane because of pain.


    [Already finished. Do you wa-]


    ''Put every point in strength as quickly as possible!'' Rin rolled to the side as he avoided a kick that could''ve blown his head off his shoulders.


    He had no time to see how many points he had or what he should rank up, he needed a surge of power now more than ever or he is over for.


    The system didn''t try to ask anymore and did what he asked for. Instantly, a weird feeling took over Rin''s body and made him freeze for a moment. The flesh creatures didn''t waste that opportunity and attacked him all at the same time.


    *BOOOOOOOOOOMMM*


    A huge cloud of dust erupted from the point of the hit and covered all of them. But, as quickly as it came, the cloud of dust was swept away.


    "Y-You guys¡­ are really¡­ fucking¡­ ANNOYING!!!"


    Under the four flesh creatures, Rin was holding their punches with his right hand. Even though it was shaking uncontrobly, he was somehow able to resist the attack of the four of them all at the same time.


    But, that wasn''t the end, clenching his teeth, Rin pushed his hand up and ended up propelling the four creatures away from him.


    "Hah¡­ Hah¡­.Fuck!! That was close." He murmured as he wiped the blood that trickled down his face and stood up.


    The amount of strength he felt inside of his body at the moment was iparable to before. It was as if he was inside a new body that he didn''t recognize. The feeling was addictive and very pleasant. It almost worried him that he might turn into a battle junky if he continued ranking up.


    ''Let''s try this new evolution!'' He grinned like a maniac and shed with his dagger at one of the monsters.


    Just a simple swing was more than enough to send an air wave of mana strong enough to slice the ground. This attack was something simple to execute. Imbuing some mana into the dagger and then shing created that effect. He learned that when assassinated one of them.


    What Rin wasn''t aware of was that through this fight, he was slowly learning many new things and gaining strength without even using Action Points. His talent was getting nurtured by this life-or-death situation and eventually evolving at an impressive speed. His mind was also creating new tactics, techniques, and new ways of using his powers.


    The dagger sh reached the flesh summon and hit it square in the face. However, sadly for Rin, it wasn''t enough to kill it.


    "Tsk... Just die!"


    *sh*


    "You get away from me!"


    *Kick*


    When he tried to finish the monster off, another one tried to stop. But, at this moment, Rin was way different from the Rin of a minute ago.


    Using that moment, he threw the dagger toward the monster and killed it. Two were killed in less than 10 seconds.


    ''Even though I''m only F-Rank in strength at most. How can I overpower them like this? It doesn''t make sense.''


    [Do you want me to exin, host?]


    ''No, leave it forter.'' He shook his head and focused on the two left.


    Just two more and he was over with. He knew there was still a horrible demon somewhere in the house, but he tried to stay optimistic and focused for now. He can deal with Lina when he kills these two.


    But, before he could even do anything¡­He sensed an aura behind him that wasn''t there a few moments ago.


    *Swish*


    "WHA-" His mind couldn''t register what happened at all.


    "You are a very tenacious bug. But, it''s all over now." A scary voice spoke to him.


    With a shocked look, Rin could only look down at his stomach. There, a huge sh that basically crossed his whole torso could be seen.


    "Blurgh!" Rin vomited blood from his mouth as he fell down on his knees.


    "You humans will always be inferior. Demons are the greater race, we are the ones that deserve to control this world. We are the ones that should''ve been destined for greatness. Yet, it always somehow works up for you puny creatures. I fucking hate all of you!! With every fiber of my being! I curse all of you!!" The demon yelled loudly.


    "Now, for the sake of my peaceful life. Go and rot in the afterlife, trash!"


    (A//N: Cliffhanger hits again :) )


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it is. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 38 38- Dancing With Death (Part 2)

    Chapter 38- Dancing With Death (Part 2)


    *Swish*


    With a swipe of her w-like nails, Rin''s head was closer than ever to ending up flying off his shoulders. At that exact moment, time seemed to stop as Rin watched the end of his life approaching him. For some reason, no matter how much he tried to move or dodge he couldn''t do that at all.


    His mind screamed for him to try and dodge or he would die, yet all he could do was watch how everything was about to end.


    [Host!] The system shouted in his head.


    But, even that didn''t make him budge at all. Somehow, Rin sensed himself enter a dazed state he had never felt before. Everything around him moved in a very slow manner while his body was the only thing unaffected.


    ''Why is that?'' He asked himself.


    [You aren''t meant to fear anything, Rin.] A deep voice spoke in his head out of nowhere. But, even though Rin should''ve been surprised by it, he didn''t question it. It was as if it was the natural course of things in this situation.


    ''Really?''


    [You obtained my powers by fate so you are destined to be the one to provoke fear in others. You aren''t the prey, Rin¡­ you are the hunter.]


    ''Why?''


    [We are special, Rin. We can''t feel or act like lowly beings. We can''t be weak.]


    ''Pfft! What a load of bullshit.'' Rin chuckled.


    Inside his head, he could clearly gaze at them¡­ the same eyes that he saw when he awakened. He didn''t feel anything from them except amusement.


    ''You talk about ruling this and not fearing that. Just shut the hell up! I don''t need to listen to your words that sound like what every protagonist in bad novels hears when they are about to get a weird surge of power out of nowhere. Plot armor working its wonders after all.'' He shook his head with a sigh and then red at the eyes coldly.


    ''I don''t want to be a perfect being. I don''t fucking want to rule anything or do whatever you want me to. I have your powers now so I''m the one in control. You are gone! Dead! Give it up.''


    [You are making a mistake, Rin.]


    ''I did a bunch of those in my life. Another one added to them won''t change things. I have my own fucking will. My feelings are also mine, dumbass.'' His eyes turned a degree colder as he yelled his true feelings.


    [You will waste those powers!]


    ''So what if I wasted them? They are mine now. I have already decided what my goals and dreams are.''


    [How dare you?!] The voice boomed in his head like lightning. The anger and frustration in the entity''s voice were immeasurable.


    ''h, h¡­ Yeah, I''m listening. Anyway, this is the end of our conversation. I will give you a warning. Either you leave me and my loved ones alone or I will personally make sure to dig your grave, pull you out, revive your ass and then torture you to death again!''


    [You insolent fool! Do you know the consequences of what you''re saying?! You are going to ruin everything!]


    ''I don''t care¡­ I will do what I see fit. I am not a pushover, bastard. I will have my own fate in my own fucking hands!''


    Coincidentally, Rin''s eyes started glowing ominously outside.


    [Berserk skill has been activated!]


    [All stats have been increased by one full rank!]


    [The host will lose 40% of his sanity!]


    [Shadow Maniption has leveled up!]


    *Swish*


    Instinctively, Rin''s hand moved in and shed with the ws. Embers of fire flickered left and right as the two shed violently.


    "Die! Die! Die! Die!" The demon shouted as she tried to overpower Rin.


    However, thetter didn''t reply and merely looked deep into her eyes with his widened gaze. His horrifying glowing eyes stared deep into her soul. Coupled with an eerily neutral expression, Rin looked uparably different. Even his previously calm aura was now so chaotic that even his own family won''t be able to recognize him at all.


    *Swish* *ng*


    The two simultaneously pulled and shed again. The flickers of light along with the aftershock of each hit messed up the whole hall and destroyed whatever was left intact there.


    ''What is wrong with him?!'' Lina thought as she kept shing left and right with her full power.


    She never thought this stupidly weak human could actually go head-to-head with her and even be equal to her.


    As she thought so, Rin quickly changed his approach and jumped back. Then, in a wless manner, he vanished inside his shadow. His body was engulfed in darkness and his eyes closed for a moment. The feeling was weird but he wasn''t in a good enough state of mind to actually sense it properly.


    As if he was driven by instinct, his body moved inside the darkness for a few seconds before he jumped back up, appearing behind the demon. His dagger stabbed toward Lina''s back.


    "AAAAAGGGGGHHHHHH!!!" A loud scream of pain echoed in the whole mansion.


    "YOU BASTARD!!!" Swinging her ws, Lina sliced Rin''s arm at thest second before he escaped.


    Blood trickled down his clothes and soaked them even wetter. Yet, his expression didn''t change at all. It was as if he lost all sense of everything around him except the battle.


    Instead, he quickly dissapeared into the shadow again. Because of his sudden level-up for the skill, his control over the skill increased dramatically.


    At first, such a thing was possible but still very hard and consumed a huge amount of mana. But, the level-up coupled with the berserker''s skill that increased his mana pool by a whole rank made him capable of using it pretty freely.


    ''Where did he go? Where will he attack from?!'' Lina looked around her restlessly as she waited for him to appear again.


    *Swish*


    ''From under me!!'' Lina quickly used both of her hands to hack Rin before he could stab her with the dagger.


    Yet, much to her shock, the only thing that appeared was a dagger¡­ Her closed eyes could be seen widening up under thatyer of skin that covered them.


    ''A decoy?!!''


    Much to her shock, Rin used the dagger as a trap and used that moment of shock as a good opportunity. His body reappeared from behind with the other dagger already on the move to slice her back. He focused on that spot as he knew it was the weakest part of her body with the least defense.


    "Dammit!! Dammit!! Dammit!!! You absolute trash! I will definitely end your life in the worst way possible! I will send you to the deepest parts of hell!!" Lina screeched from the pain as she grabbed Rin''s broken arm.


    Then, she swiftly swung him around and threw him in the air. After that, she used that moment to jump after him and pierce him with her ws.


    Rin was in a bad spot, not only from the fact that he had lost his bnce but also because of the damage inflicted on his broken arm. Previously, his arm turned blue in color because of the trauma inflicted on his bones but now was now basically not any better than a bloody mess of flesh and bones.


    However, not even that pulled a reaction out of his nk face. He had no idea that this should be a horrible situation nor did he even consider his chances of survival.


    *Swish*


    Instead, his whole mind was solely focused on the battle, it was the type of focus that made him incapable of thinking of anything else. His mind was not there to make him act like a human but more like a killing machine focused on destruction.


    That was the effect of the berserker''s skill, it was a tool to create battle monsters that could only live on top of the corpses of their prey. Berserkers weren''t meant to be humans, they weren''t meant to be sane creatures. They are creatures of death and blood. Pain and suffering didn''t matter to them¡­ The only thing that mattered was to end the lives of everything in front of them.


    "This is the end!!" Lina shouted as a wicked smile filled her disgusting face. Slitting the air, she aimed for Rin''s head.


    Then, in a split second, a mere insignificant moment that even the demon ignoredpletely, was more than enough for Rin to do something out of this world. A move that even the craziest of humans would never even consider.


    *Swish*


    "WHA-" Lina couldn''t believe her eyes, she couldn''t even utter a single word at what she saw.


    A demon that could literally rip her own flesh and turn it into creatures that fight for her waspletely and utterly shocked at the sight.


    ''Is he even¡­ human?'' She asked in her head as her vision was coveredpletely by a crimson liquid.


    (A//N: Cliffhanger is back baby. He is going ham one chapter after the other. How long is going to continue for? Jokes aside, how do you rate this chapter out of 10? I enjoyed writing it so much!)


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it is. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 39 39- Dancing With Death (Part 3)

    Chapter 39- Dancing With Death (Part 3)


    At that exact moment, it seemed as if the whole world went silent as Lina watched the seemingly crazy human being she was fighting with do the unthinkable.


    His dagger that he used to attack her multiple times twisted in his hand and instead of aiming for her, he aimed for¡­ his leg?


    Yes, Rin aimed the dagger at his leg, his left leg to be exact. The small sh of lighting from the de was soon drowned in a horrible crimson color as his sword dug into his leg. Rin''s face stayed nk as he did so without even hesitating for a second.


    Then, while the dagger was still in his leg, he swung it up, slicing a huge chunk of his leg along with it. Blood gushed out like a fountain from his leg as his leg bone appeared outside. Hell, anyone could see clearly what was under his flesh as clear as the light of day.


    Rin then held the huge chunk of flesh in his hand and then threw it down at Lina who was still frozen in her ce. She wasn''tpletely crazy, she knew how painful it was for humans to do such a horrifying thing. Even demons feel a lot of pain when they lose parts of their bodies.


    Yet, the boy in front of her did it as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. He was in no way normal at all.


    *Swish*


    The piece of flesh flew down and smashed against her face. Lina quickly shook her head as blood invaded all of her orifices and made her spit it out with a disgusted look. Demons weren''t capable of eating human flesh so it was as disgusting for her as it was for any other sane creature to consume.


    Rin seemingly knew that fact for some odd reason so he used it to his advantage and it indeed worked wonderfully. Because of it, Lina lost focus and didn''t try to attack him. Using that moment, Rin span in the air as he fell down with his dagger turning at an rming speed before¡­


    *Swish* *Ct*


    The dagger pierced her neck and exited from the other side.


    "Ugh!!! YOU!! BLURGHH!!!" Spitting blood through her words, Lina''s ugly face twisted with pain as she tried to pull the dagger out. However, Rin wasn''t going to let that happen, he quickly shed with the dagger.


    "AAAAAAAGHHHHH!!! GET OFF ME!!"


    Then, a series of punches and kicks came down on Rin as he kept trying to slice her head off. Again and again, Lina hit him on the injury he had on his chest. The pain a human could sense from such a thing happening could easily send them to their grave but not in this case as Rin didn''t even try to stop for a second.


    Was it not for the fact that the dagger in his hand was bad quality, he would''ve been able to easily cut her head. However, her tough skin stopped the dagger a few times and made it harder for him to cut through her flesh.


    *BANG*


    All of that happened in less than a few seconds while they were still in the air. It was so fast that many would barely be able to follow them with their eyes.


    Rocks and pieces of broken wood flew everywhere and destroyed whatever was left of the house. Standing up on his feet, Rin looked down at the demon under him. A moment before the impact, he was able topletely sever her head.


    His cold eyes looked down calmly at the demon as she breathed herst breaths. In her eyes, he couldn''t see hatred or anger, only pure sadness, and regret.


    "I-It''s over¡­ I''m sorry¡­ h-honey¡­ I-I will follow you¡­ now.." She muttered under her breath.


    "All I¡­want is-"


    *Swish*


    Before she could even finish herst words, Rin''s dagger dug deep into her chest and pierced the two hears inside of her. The sound of the hearts popping like a balloon echoed in the room.


    As he gazed deeply at her face as she slowly but surely died, he didn''t feel anything. It was as if what he did was nothing impressive.


    [You have killed D-Rank Boss: Lina, the demonic lover.]


    [You have cleared the dungeon.]


    [You have gained 4000 Action Points.]


    [Berserker skill has leveled up!]


    [Would you like to consume it?]


    Without answering, Rin nodded his head and stood silent as the process of consumption started. The only sound he listened to was the sound of his blood trickling down to the ground. His half-destroyed leg was getting worse and worse by the moment yet he used it as if it was intact.


    He didn''t care whether he was about to die or not, he just simply stood there for an unknown amount of time. He couldn''t feel anything at all.


    That''s when he heard the sound of Elise and Ariaing toward him from behind. For some reason, the moment he saw them, the skill was deactivated and he lost consciousness immediately.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<novelnext></novelnext>


    "That''s the gist of it¡­ I can only recall that happening.." Rin said with aplicated gaze.


    He never thought that a skill would make him cut half of his leg to use as a decoy to attack an enemy. It was nothing short of crazy if not downright psychotic. He questioned himself and the skill that was called ''berserker''.


    The skill simply changed himpletely. It was as if someone else was controlling his body. Even his style of fighting changed from how he used to be. It was aggressive, reckless, and downright suicidal. The skill didn''t care about Rin''s body and merely used it as a tool to kill the enemy in front of her.


    That was quite clear from how at that time, the pain didn''t seem to be that important to him. His sole focus was the demon and nothing else.


    "That''s a scary skill," Elise muttered after a few moments.


    "Yeah, I never thought that it will work like that. These types of skills usually in games just give the yer a temporary boost in strength while taking some of his rationality and that was it. I didn''t assume it will turn me into a crazy battle junky who sacrifices his body to kill an enemy." He chuckled awkwardly.


    "You were lucky."


    "That''s right if you didn''te at the time¡­ I don''t even want to know what would''ve happened. I really want to thank you, Elise. You saved my life, it''s a debt I don''t think I will even be able to repay any time soon."


    Rin was about to bow slightly to show his appreciation. However, Elise stopped him and said with her stoic tone.


    "A ''thank you'' is more than enough. Keep your head up."


    Rin could clearly see in her eyes as a weird emotion shed there and vanished before he could even recognize what it was.


    "Mmm, I understand." The boy didn''t try to persuade nor ask her about this behavior. It was simply none of his business.


    "Sigh, anyway, I don''t think I need to tell you why you should never use this skill again, right?"


    "Yeah, I don''t want to die young. I still have many things I need to do."


    "..."


    Looking into his eyes, Elise could see something that she never saw before in Rin''s eyes. It was something that kept disappearing as time went on. Back on earth, even though he tried to stay optimistic, Elise could see how he was slowly losing hope and giving up to despair.


    The moment he lost Mika, that light of hope finally dimmedpletely. She thought that the only thing that was restraining him from ending his own life was the promise he had to his dragonpanion.


    Yet, now, she could see that it was different. She can clearly see that the hope he had before was now back, stronger than ever. The hope to get stronger, find his dead family, and get them back.


    ''Good for you.'' Closing her eyes, she thought calmly.


    "So, now that we put this matter aside. Let''s focus on you."


    "Me?" Elise tilted her head.


    "Of course, I need to know your side of the story."


    "My side of the story, huh? Well, as you already know, I''m the princess of the kingdom. I''m the youngest one out of all the princes and princesses. But, I''m also the most loved one of all of them."


    "I can see that being the case. You look really beautiful." Rin praised honestly with a small smile.


    "..." Elise''s face changed slightly for a moment before it returned to normal. She didn''t know why she reacted to his words like that.


    "Elise?"


    "Nothing. Ehem, anyway, except for the fact that all my siblings hate me, nothing major happened."


    "Good."


    "Oh, now that I recall something. The protagonist of this world proposed to me and I refused."


    "...Excuse me?"


    (A//N: Bombshells are meant to be dropped after all. How is the story so far? I got contracted and it was all thanks to you, I appreciate all the support guys.)


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it is. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 40 40- Women Are Scary!

    Chapter 40- Women Are Scary!


    Rin blinked a few times as he tried toprehend what she said as he didn''t quite get it at the first time. Or to be more precise, his mind didn''t register what she said from surprise.


    "I said that the protagonist of this world came to purpose to me for marriage and I turned him down. He said that he loved me and I refused."


    ''System, what are the chances that you can revive me if I get a heart attack in the future?''


    [Depends on your attitude with me, host. I might consider it if you cherish me.]


    ''Means it''s zero, ok¡­ got it.'' He ended the stupid exchange with a sigh and looked at Elise.


    He really didn''t know what to say so he tried to ask for more information to understand the situation even further and to also be able to see whether it was a disaster or not.


    "Is it¡­canon?" He asked.


    "Canon?"


    ''I forgot she doesn''t get these terms.''


    "I mean¡­ is you refusing his proposal rted to the original story?"


    "As much as I remember¡­ The princess did refuse him at first just like I did. But, I don''t think she was as ''stern'' as I was with it."


    "By ''stern'' you mean¡­"


    "I closed any possible chances for that to happen."


    "I see¡­. Hmm, not the best start to this world to be honest." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.


    "You mean that I should''ve epted him?" Her eyes turned slightly colder than usual. She wasn''t angry at Rin but at what she assumed he meant with his words. However, he quickly denied that and exined.


    "It''s not that. I was just talking about the fact that our rtionship with the main characters will be quite ''hostile'' and potentially problematic in the future and I was trying to find a way to create a n around it. It was actually good that you refused him, we don''t have to follow the plot all the time and we can have our own free choices."


    "Well, I never intended to be faithful to the game''s story. If we follow it exactly as it is, we will only end up being left behind or even dead. Especially me since I seem to be a viin character at the start of the story."


    "Wait, you are an enemy to the protagonist?"


    "Yeah, the princess was at first an enemy but that changed after that."


    ''I really need toprehend the story of this world. It''s just getting messier and messier the more we kept going.''


    "Being an enemy with the main character is going to be a tough challenge. He is a very strong character. But, we have our systems and our skills that we can use to our advantage¡­"


    The main protagonist of each world was obviously very special and also incredibly overpowered. It was the type of overpowered that scales incredibly great as the game goes on and ends up being a monster through and through at some point.


    But, the fact that none were able to finish a single world, they don''t know the extent of their powers and so Rin and Elise can''t simply base their ns on things they didn''t quiteprehend.


    "Sigh, for now. I think we should just train until the new year starts and then go to the academy. We have to find ways to gain strength and the best ce is the academy. We can leave if we need to at some point in the future." Rin suggested.


    "That''s what I thought. I actually don''t have any idea where dungeons are or any other major useful information apart from the general ideas around this world."


    *Bang*


    Suddenly, as they were speaking, the door was opened and two people fell down on the ground. Rin was surprised as he looked at his mother and sister as they stood up awkwardly with a smallugh. Beside them stood Damian with his hand on the door handle as he sighed.


    "Why did you do that, honey?" Selina reprimanded him with a cute pout.


    "Yes, father. It was uncalled for." Aria added as she took her mother''s side.


    "You two¡­ stop spying on them. You aren''t small kids."


    Quickly catching on to what was happening, Rin tapped his forehead with a long sigh before looking at Elise apologetically.


    Thetter merely nodded understandingly and didn''t take any offense to it. Then, she stood up and said.


    "We can continue our talk another time, Rin. You can rest now. I will excuse myself now."


    Her elegant behavior made them freeze for a moment until she left the room.


    ''She somehow became even more beautiful than before. I can''tprehend how that is even possible.''


    [Perfection doesn''t exist, host. There is always a better thing in the world.]


    ''I hardly can believe that I can meet someone as beautiful as her.''


    *Tap*


    "Ah! What was that?" Rin scratched his head as he looked at Aria with a weird expression.


    For some reason, she tapped him on his head with an angry pout. Her eyes were slightly teary and her cheeks were red. Rin didn''t get what she was getting angry about.


    "Stupid¡­" She muttered and then walked out of the room.


    "Huh?" He tilted his head in confusion and looked at his mother for an exnation.


    "She''s worried about you, Rin. Aria made sure she sat beside you the whole day while you were unconscious. I even found her crying alone from sheer worry." Selina exined.


    Hearing that, Rin''s heart felt warm and fuzzy and happiness bubbled in his chest. He really appreciated how much cared about him and how much she cherished him as her brother.


    But, the fact that she hit him on the head was still unanswered. Maybe she was so worried that she thought he didn''t care about his health so she became angry at him for being that negligent. Women are scary.


    ''I don''t even think my sister cared that much for me back on earth. Ah, I really miss her, man.'' He clicked his tongue with nostalgia before shaking those thoughts away for now. He can reminisceter.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "You should rest now, sweety. You can call for me or the maids if you need anything, ok?" Selina said with a small smile as she kissed his forehead.


    "Fine, thanks."


    After that, they left the room and for the first time since he woke up, he can finally have some time for himself. He made a note in his head to talk with Ariater and make sure she wasn''t angry with him.


    "But, for now¡­ Let''s train!!"


    Getting rid of his shirt, he went and started doing his daily quests. It seemed that even though he didn''t do them yesterday, the system didn''t punish him as it merely was out of his capability to do them when he was stuck fighting for his life.


    "I want to amass as many points as possible before the start of the school year. Ah, right! I want to check my stats and skills."


    [System Profile]


    [Name: Rin Silvereye.]


    [ss: Shadow Bringer (First Phase)]


    [Race: Human/ ???]


    [Stats]


    [Strength: F]


    [Agility: F-]


    [Dexterity: G+]


    [Intelligence: G+]


    [Charm: A-]


    [Magic: C-]


    [Action Points: 4600]


    [Skills: Shadow maniption, Appraisal, Plot Detector]


    **SKILLS**


    *[Shadow Maniption]


    [Rank: ???]


    [Level: 2]


    [You are the ruler of the shadows and the sole sessor of darkness. The night is your domain and the light is your ally. Where bright light exists, dark shadows are present.


    *(First Phase: Shadow Bringer) You can control your shadow and the shadow of your enemy to some extent. It depends on your mana, strength, and dexterity.]


    *[Appraisal]


    [Rank: E-Rank]


    [Level: 2]


    [Nothing can hide from your eyes. None could try to stop you from seeing the truth no matter what. It''s you who decides whether secrets stay secrets or not.


    *This skill allows the host to appraise items, skills, and living creatures. The higher the difference between the host and the target, the less information will be avable. It depends on your intelligence.]


    *[Berserk]


    [Rank: G-Rank]


    [Level: 2]


    [Anger is a double-edged weapon. It can be the downfall of a human into craziness or the reason for his rise to the peak. The Berserker is a warrior who dances on that thread of insanity and omnipotence for the sake of beating his opponent.


    *Activating this skill will increase all the hosts'' stats by 1 rank-up. But, in return, the host will lose 40% of his sanity and drown in anger. The skill can stay activated as long as the host has mana.]


    "I got 4600 action points?! Damn, I''m filthy rich!" Rin beamed with happiness as he saw the sheer amount of points he got. He can easily make all of his stats at least rank once except for charm and magic which made him really excited.


    However, he pped himself and calmed down, he can''t use them now. He wanted to keep them until he had more action points and then he can use them all to gain a huge boost. The thought of all of that suffering giving him these results made him forget all the pain.


    [I fear for your sanity, host. You might turn into an Action Points addict.]


    ''Being addicted to that doesn''t seem to be that bad. I will turn this into my own drug!''


    [Degenarate.] The system whispered.


    ''Hey! What did you say?!''


    [Nothing, host. You are imagining things.]


    (A//N: He might turn into a crazy Action Points farmer. That sounds like a cool idea :) jk lol. Btw, would you like to get a stat update like that from chapter to chapter or should I just show the stats that ranked up at the time without showing the full thing or the progress so far?)


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it is. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 41 41- Aria’s Reward (Part 1)

    Chapter 41- Aria''s Reward (Part 1)


    (Wholesome chapter alert! Too much fluff and sugar. Take your insulin people!)


    After that, Rin started his daily training as usual. He had already grown ustomed to it after a few days of that high intensity. It still exhausts him greatly, but, at least, he doesn''t basically fall to the ground unconscious.


    After that, he took a shower and ate something. Finally, when he finished all of that. He decided to go to Aria''s room to talk with her.


    The fact that she was still angry and didn''t even talk with him through all of that made him feel guilty for ignoring her. So, with that in mind, he walked toward her room.


    Reaching there, he knocked on the door.  He wasn''t a moron to open the door without knocking or even opening it without getting an answer from inside. He respected her privacy and didn''t want that trust to get crushed because of his mistake.


    After knocking a few times, he didn''t hear an answer. However, he was sure she was inside so he waited patiently for her to open the door.


    "Aria, it''s me, Rin¡­ can Ie inside?" He asked.


    However, even that didn''t get him a single answer. So, the boy assumed that she was asleep or something so he turned around to leave.


    "Rin?"


    Suddenly, he heard a whisper behind him, he turned around, and much to his surprise, he could see through the half-opened door, two gorgeous eyes peeking at him with a hesitant look.


    "Oh, so you weren''t asleep?" He asked with a small smile.


    Aria averted her eyes for a second before she answered.


    "No."


    "I see¡­ Well, can Ie inside to talk?" He asked.


    "Mmm, sure."


    Opening the door for him to enter, Rin walked inside and examined the room with an impressed look. It was basically the same as his room except that it felt more ''feminine'' for him. Everything looked elegant and in order.


    The most notable thing however was the smell of the room. Aria''s addictive smell was filling the whole room. A small whiff of it and Rin already felt himself rxing slightly. Her smell was simply calming for him.


    [I apud you, host.]


    ''What now, system?'' Rin held himself from sighing as he asked.


    [You enjoy your sister''s smell. Isn''t that uneptable?]


    ''Don''t turn me into a pervert! I just thought that her smell calms me down. It doesn''t need to be sexualized for me to actually say that. I just appreciate her as my sister.''


    [And other things you say to yourself to make it sound normal, host.]


    ''You will never get it. I genuinely don''t feel anything weird toward Aria. Besides, I can''t just fall in love with my own sister. It''s fucking weird and quite frankly not my cup of tea.''


    "Rin?" Aria called for him gently.


    "Ah! Nothing, I was just admiring how beautiful your room is. It''s nothingpared to my room."


    "O-Oh! T-Thanks." Aria fidgeted with her fingers secretly as a small blush appeared on her face.


    After that, Aria walked to her bed and sat down before she tapped on the side of the bed indicating for Rin to sit down next to her too.


    Thetter obliged and sat down. He could feel Aria''s warmth next to him and he could hear her rhythmic breathing. The atmosphere felt weird, to say the least.


    "So, how are you now?" Aria tried to start a conversation so as to not keep this awkward silence anymore.


    "W-Well, it''s not bad. I''m basically fully recovered. See, even my leg is fine."


    "Good. You know, when I saw you in that state, I felt as if my whole world was crumbling. I felt as if I lost you and that scared me to death." She said with a sad smile as she touched her chest.


    "You are very precious to me, Rin. I know that you don''t remember me very well because of your memory loss but I will tell you that we weren''t that close before. We actually didn''t talk much as you were quite silent and introverted."


    ''I guess that description fits this character. I feel sorry for them, I must''ve treated them coldly.''


    Aria coincidentally shook her head and continued.


    "You were just cold and distant but nothing else. However, I still made sure to take care of you as my little brother. That''s why when I thought I lost you¡­ I couldn''t bear to live any longer."


    Rin listened silently as she spoke her heartfelt words. Even if he wanted to say something, he knew that he won''t be able to utter a single word.


    "I know that this world is dangerous and I know that you will have to face danger sooner orter. But, please, I beg you, don''t do something that could kill you. You don''t have to be anything special, just rely on me and our parents and we can face any challenge together. You don''t have to put your life at risk."


    Tears welled up in her eyes as she spoke those words. Then, her arms extended to his cheek and continued.


    "Will you promise me that?"<novelnext></novelnext>


    Gazing deeply into his eyes, she waited for his answer anticipatedly.


    Rin however shook his head and muttered to her.


    "I can''t."


    "Huh?" Aria didn''t quite register what he said.


    "I can''t promise you that. But, listen to me¡­"


    Aria was about to release him when he held her hand. His hands held hers gently but firmly to assure her and to also convey what he felt.


    "Even though I do not quite remember anything, I still consider you guys as my family. I do want to rely on you when I need to but I also want to cherish you and protect you. I can''t bear the thought of letting you guys face threats for my sake while I just stand on the side and watch you get hurt for my sake. I can''t bear the thought of being a weakling that doesn''t act when he needs to."


    His grip on her hand tightened slightly and a determined look appeared on her face.


    "That''s why I have to get stronger¡­ stronger than anyone else. I want to be so strong that no existence could ever try to threaten you. That''s my goal. But, I can''t do that without putting my life on the line for it."


    "Rin¡­" Aria whispered his name.


    She understood. She understood how resolved he was just from one single nce in his eyes. She had asked herself many times whether this Rin was actually the Rin that she knew or maybe he was nothing but a fraud.


    However, if she had to be honest with herself, she liked this Rin way more than the other Rin. He was more expressive, kind, and gentle which contrasted with the old him.


    ''I''m really naive. I can''t stop him because of my selfish desire. But, I don''t want him to do anything. I just want him to stay beside me¡­ forever. I want him to be mine forever. I want him to shower me with endless affection and love while I take care of everything that threatens our precious life together. I want him to sleep next to me, hug me, kiss me and do all kinds of things to me. I want us to rely on each other and support each other through thick and thin. Is that too much to ask?'' Sighing under her breath, Aria nodded her head to Rin in understanding.


    "I get it. I''m sorry. It''s just, seeing you almost die made me hate the idea of seeing you suffer at all."


    "Hahaha!" Rin chuckled gently and then smiled again.


    "Don''t worry. Even though I can''t promise to put my life at risk. I can promise you one more important thing¡­"


    Then, Rin turned around and faced her with apletely serious look that made Aria visibly flinch with anticipation.


    "I promise you that I won''t die. I will alwayse back alive. No matter what, no matter when and no matter how, know that I''m going to be always alive and well for your sake."


    After that, Rin raised his pinky finger in the air.


    "Hm?" Aria tilted her head in confusion at his gesture.


    "Pinky promise. Never heard of it?" He asked.


    "No. What''s that?"


    "Well, it''s simple, we cross our pinky fingers together and chant a small song to seal our promise."


    "Oh! That sounds nice. Ok, let''s do it."


    ''Ah! I always wanted to do this scene. What the hell! This looks so cool! Watching anime characters do this was cringe but me doing it looks great!'' Rin chuckled in his head.


    "Fufufu!" Aria suddenly then startedughing.


    "Hm? Why are youughing?"


    "Nothing¡­ you just look cute." She replied with a warm smile.


    "Hey! Where did thate from?"


    "You do look cute though. Like a fluffy bear."


    "I''m not fluffy. I didn''t train every day to be called fluffy." Rin pouted jokingly as he turned around.


    "Ok, fine. I''m just joking. You look dashing, Rin."


    "That''s better."


    After that, both of them looked at each other andughed happily. This small conversation was the start of their actual rtionship. A bond forger with trust, respect, and most importantly love.


    However, how they ended up like that is a story for another time. The wheel of fate will turn and the inevitable will happen¡­ It is only a matter of time.


    (A//N: fluffy chapters are nice. I will take this chapter and the next chapter to deepen Aria''s character and to settle their current rtionship before anything major happens.)


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    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it is. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 42 42- Aria’s Reward* (Part 2)

    Chapter 42- Aria''s Reward* (Part 2)


    So, the two of them put their pinky fingers together and looked at each other. Rin then took the initiative to sing it for her.


    "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." He said as he gently shook their fingers together.


    "Huh? Cupcake, fufu! That''s weird!" She said.


    "Hey! I only tried it now, you know."


    Then, they both released their fingers. It was done, the promise was sealed and Rin will have to keep it no matter what. Death wasn''t an option in the first ce and it will never be an option any time soon.


    After that, they took the time to chat idly about insignificant topics. The mood was just perfect and they found it quite enjoyable talking to each other.


    Now that Rin thinks about it, he didn''t have any deep conversations with Aria at all. They just treated each other nicely and that''s it. He noticed that he didn''t really know much about Aria except the general knowledge he collected here and there.


    But, through this conversation. He got to know Aria more, what she likes and dislikes, what she wants to do in the future, and many other things.


    However, what surprised him, even more, was the fact that they shared a lot of simrities together. They liked many simr things and hate many simr things. It was a good surprise for both of them as it meant that they are not that different from people.


    Finally, after a few hours, Ariay on the bed with a sigh. She doesn''t remember thest time she enjoyed talking with someone for this long like this before. Rin shared the same thoughts as Aria too. It was fun to talk with her, Aria was a cheerful, mature yet also cute person. She was a great mix of all these traits into one single person.


    "Neh, Rin."


    "Hmm?"


    "What do you think of the princess?"


    "Elise?" He asked before he quickly closed his mouth shut.


    "Elise, huh? So you both are on first name bases."


    Aria''s look made Rin feel nervous. He tried to stand up to leave but Aria was faster as she held his hand and pulled him to the bed.


    Then, she pinned him on top of her and made him gaze deeply into her eyes without a chance of escaping at all.


    Her soft body was sticking closely to his body, he could clearly feel the weight of her soft thighs on his legs as she moved ever-so-slightly from time to time which weirdly stimted him. Her body simply felt way too good even though they were barely touching.


    It felt as if she doing this on purpose to him. However, Rin stopped himself from thinking about any lewd thoughts. Luckily, he was good at self-control so he can do that much in front of this gorgeous woman.


    ''I''m not like those virgin MCs who can only think with that part.'' He thought to himself.


    "Rin, focus!" She cupped his cheeks to make him look at her.


    She heard what Rin said but tried to hold herself from grinning widely. Even though she didn''t get what he was saying, she understood that Rin was aware of her as an individual of the opposite sex.


    Since she was young, Aria was aware of her rare beauty. She knew that she was basically very attractive to the opposite sex with her curvy body. But, she didn''t even entertain the thought of attracting men around her.


    That''s whys, most of the time, she wears clothes that cover her body. Rarely had she worn anything even remotely revealing as she felt disgusted by the weird looks men gave her. Especially nobilities, those bastards made her feel as if she wants to puke.


    Many tried to ask for her hand in marriage but she adamantly refused it and made sure no one ever puts a hand on her at all.


    ''My everything is for Rin. No one will dare to do anything to me. I only want My Rin to look at me like that and touch me however he wanted.'' She thought in her head as she started moving her butt left and right teasingly.


    She made sure to make it look as if it was not her intention to do so just to see Rin''s reaction.


    "A-Aria¡­"


    "Answer my question." She said as she increased the speed very slightly.


    ''Is she crazy? Stop it, Aria. I''m a man too.'' He gritted his teeth and tried to ignore the soft feeling weighing on his crotch.


    "Well, she just had something to talk about with me. That''s all. I can maybe consider her a friend of mine at most."


    "Is that true? What if you''re lying to me now, hmm?"


    Increasing the intensity up another notch, Rin was starting to feel a pleasant feeling there and was on the verge of ''waking up''. He tried to hold that in and push Aria away. But, the difference in strength was very apparent as Aria easily ignored him and continued her attacks.


    "Why are you trying to go?"


    "I just want to wake up." He replied as he hid his struggle.


    "Hmm, no. I don''t want to. Let''s stay like this for a while."


    "How long?"


    "An hour maybe," Aria suggested after thinking for a bit.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "An hour?! No, I have to go, really."


    "No~" A


    ''She started acting like a spoiled child. '' Rin wanted to scream at the top of his lungs at how unfair the world was.


    It was mental torture for him to bear all of these stimtions and still keep it himself. Rin was a healthy, straight boy and the girlying on top of him was basically the reincarnation of seduction.


    Her breasts and butt were plump and perfectly round. With a single move, Aria could basically turn any man into a rabid dog who can only think with his dick rather than his brain.


    That would''ve been the same case for Rin if he didn''t have the mental capacity of 5 grown-ass men or he would''ve already bounced on Aria and ravaged her.


    "What are you thinking of?"


    Suddenly, Aria whispered in his ear with her breathy, warm voice. Rin felt a shudder run down his spine from that soft voice.


    ''System, save me!'' He asked for help from the only person that he could ask for help.


    [Many will curse you to hell for this, host. Please, be silent.]


    ''System?! Are you mad too?!!''


    [I might retire soon, host. I can''t bear this.]


    ''Stop with this bullshit and help me, please!''


    [Enjoy, host.]


    ''No, you traitor!''


    Rin cursed under his breath and then looked at Aria. Her deep, red eyes made him lose himself in them for a second. They just worked to absorb his soul and make him stare at them in a daze for hours and hours if he didn''t look away quickly.


    "Your teasing is really bad, Aria."


    "What teasing?" She asked with a mysterious voice.


    "T-This teasing. You areying on top of me, you know?"


    "What''s wrong with that? I''m just spoiling my little brother. Or, are you thinking of something else, Rin?"


    Her eyes shone with a weird light as she gazed at him deeply, never averting them not for a second. For some reason, doing this to Rin was so enjoyable and quite exciting.


    She never thought getting these reactions from him will excite her this much as she was never someone to enjoy such things. Yet, at this moment, Aria discovered something about her that she never knew before.


    ''What is this? It''s so much fun. Looking at Rin struggling and feeling nervous made my heart beat wildly. It''s so intoxicating. Oh no! I might get addicted to this~~~''


    Feeling her breathing turning erratic and her face flushing red, Aria started closing up on Rin with her small, plump lips opening slowly. Her mind was in shambles at the moment as she lost control over her actions for a moment.


    ''Kiss¡­ Maybe if I kiss him¡­ I will get an adorable reaction from him. Maybe he will even kiss me back. Maybe¡­''


    She kept giving excuses for herself as she got closer and closer to Rin''s face. As she was barely a few centimeters away from him, the door knocked suddenly.


    "Aria, Rin, are you there?"


    ''Tsk, mother. WHY NOW?!!!'' Aria felt quite displeased but quickly shook her head and dismounted from Rin who breathed a sigh of relief.


    ''A second ago was Aria about to¡­ No, I can''t think of that now!'' He quickly shook his head and focused on the real world.


    "I enjoyed our time together, Rin. Let''s do it again soon."


    ''No! I don''t want to challenge my mental fortitude again!'' He sighed with a smile.


    "Maybe another time as you said. But, not here."


    "Oh! Even though I had a great ''reward'' for you. Well, that''s unfortunate."


    ''I don''t even want to know what kind of reward she was talking about.'' The boy didn''t know whether tough or cry.


    (A//N: I would take that reward, to be honest :) )


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    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it is. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 43 43- A Laugh Of Seduction

    Chapter 43- A Laugh Of Seduction


    A few days passed peacefully, Elise decided that she will stay for a week before she returns to the capital and prepared herself for enrolling in the academy. She also needed to train more before the new year. The fact that she still didn''t gain any new skills weighed on her mind greatly which is also the reason why she decided to stay in the silvereye mansion for a while.


    Damian and Selina were more than d to let her stay. Especially Selina who kept giggling as she looked at Rin and Elise with a meaningful looks. Her imagination was running wild about their rtionship which both of them were too tired to deny.


    She even went as far as to allow her to stay with Rin in a secluded house if they wanted which was obviously returned with a hard no from both of them.


    "Hah¡­ Hah¡­ I''m dead." Rin muttered as he wiped the sweat from his face. In his hand was a dagger and his other hand was dangling tiredly.


    "You are being too soft, Rin. Keep your posture straight and try to put more strength into your attacks." Aria replied with a stern look on her face.


    "Sigh, I know¡­" He shook his head before sitting down to drink some water.


    ''Aria is really strict when ites to training.''


    But, even with that, Rin didn''t really feel any kind of annyoment from her attitude. In fact, he pretty much appreciated that. Aria was always a serious person when it came to training and other important stuff but instantly turns into a tease and a chill person when they are rxing or when there is nothing to do.


    In the past few days, she made sure to tease him at every possible opportunity. This new hobby of hers made her feel thrilled and excited for some reason. Even the light in her eyes changes as she tries to extract as many cute reactions as possible from Rin.


    Thetter did try to fight back with teasing of his own and he did seed at it. He sometimes whispers in her ear out of nowhere which makes her blush greatly and even pouts sometimes when he teases her too much. That went on for a few days as they went back and forth between them.


    "What are you doing?" Aria asked as she peeked at him.


    "Nothing, I was just wondering what Elise is doing?"


    "Huh? Why are you thinking about her out of nowhere?" Aria''s eyes turned slightly colder but then quickly returned to normal.


    It didn''t go unnoticed by Rin but he didn''t try to mention it as he knew that the two girls weren''t particrly on good terms at the moment. He didn''t know why though as he they were both quite simr and could be friends if they tried to talk with each other.


    "Well, she wanted to train alone so I wondered whether she needed help or not."


    "Hmph! She can deal with her own problems." Aria replied as she crossed her arms together, emphasizing her huge breasts even more.


    "She''s my friend, you know."


    "I don''t care."


    "Come on, Aria. Don''t be like that. Elise is a good person. You shouldn''t treat her like that." Rin coaxed her as he patted her head. Even though she was angry, Aria instinctively leaned on his hand to enjoy the pat even more.


    "You will never get it, Rin. We both can''t simply co-exist in the same ce."


    ''Next to you.'' She added in her head.


    "Sigh, you are really stubborn."


    As they were like that, the person they were talking about came toward them. She was wearing simple yet flexible clothes that were practical for training and other activities. However, even under these clothes, her perfect body can''t be hidden at all.


    In fact, these clothes made her hidden body even more attractive as they left room for imagination to run wild.


    Rin could only admire her mesmerizing beauty whenever he saw her. But, he obviously hid that fact from everyone to avoid embarrassing situations.


    "Hey, Elise!" He said with a smile.


    Thetter nodded at him simply and then looked at Aria with the same gesture. Thetter replied but she didn''t look happy at all.


    "I will be returning to the capital tomorrow. It seems that it''s one of my siblings'' birthdays." She said.


    "I see. Well, you were going to go back sooner orter." Rin nodded his head.


    "The thing is, you and your family are invited too."


    "Huh? Shouldn''t this be a private birthday?"


    Rin knew that in this country, nobility and royales aren''t as they are depicted in other fiction. They are still greedy and sly but they aren''t as social at all.


    Parties were a rare thing between them and even rare that they invite other nobilities to their parties. The only exception to that is huge events like this one. Rin assumed that they won''t be invited to it as it is not a tradition to do so.


    "Father invited all the nobles for this. He also made sure to remind me to invite you too. He wants to meet you."<novelnext></novelnext>


    ''The king wants to meet me? Wait, is this some kind of misunderstanding?''


    At that moment, he felt a chill run down his spine as he rigidly looked at his sister. The aura around her turned extremely cold for a second.


    However, her face didn''t change at all with the same calm smile she always had.


    ''She''s pissed!'' Rin sweated profusely as he tried to calm down the situation.


    "I also wanted to meet the king myself. This is a good opportunity to get to know him."


    Elise understood his intentions and could only sigh under her breath exasperatedly.


    "Anyway, we will depart tomorrow. Make sure to prepare yourself."


    After that, Elise walked back inside the house. For some reason, Rin felt that she was bothered by something. He didn''t quite get what it was but he was sure that it wasn''t a simple matter for Elise to be annoyed with.


    ''I will ask her when I have the time.''


    Then, both Rin and Elise walked inside to get prepared. Even though it was a sudden thing, they had to keep face and go even if it was inconvenient for both of them.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Meanwhile, unbeknownst to everyone, in an unknown ce somewhere in the world.


    A man was sitting behind a desk in his office. His hand was holding a pen as he scribbled something on a piece of paper. In front of him, stacks and stacks of documents were piled waiting for him to touch them.


    As he finished writing on that paper, he stopped and stretched his rusty limbs with a yawn. Looking at the man, he was quite old with a body clearly overweight.


    Resting his back on the chair, he breathed out a long sigh. He then clicked his tongue seemingly remembering something unpleasant.


    ''That bitch of a wife pisses me off. I don''t get what''s the problem with having some fun with younger women. I mean, what the hell?! Did she look at her own body? She''s uglier than a pig. Seeing her alone makes my dick goid.''


    A huge frown appeared on his face the more he recalled all the arguments he went through with his wife. He really hated her and would''ve divorced her in a heartbeat was it not for the fact that her family was way bigger than his and they would basically destroy him if he made her angry.


    ''Goddamit! Why do I have to suffer through all of this? I just want some fun. Is that too much?! Fuck this shit! Anyway, I should finish all of these student documents and then go to sleep.''


    Then, he returned to work. As he was like that, a small gush of air ruffled his hair slightly. At first, the man didn''t really think much about it but when his mind registered the odd thing about it, he quickly turned around.


    ''How can there be air inside when it''s¡­'' Before he could even finish his thought, a smell reached his nostrils and made him visibly freeze in his ce seemingly turning into a statue.


    "Fufufu. Tired, are we?~" An incredibly sweet and melodic voice spoke to him from the darkness of the room in the corner. The windows were wide open.


    The man quickly woke up from his shock and looked at the invader with a wary look. Normally, a person will either run away or try to take a fighting pose against a threat but the man just simply looked at the person he didn''t know.


    "Poor man, I heard your cry for help from afar and came to salvage your life~"


    Appearing from behind the veil of darkness, the man''s tired eyes widened in shock. Not because he knew her but because she was by far the most attractive woman he had ever witnessed in his life.


    Living a life of debauchery, he had already seen all kinds of women varying in beauty but this one took the cake and at it all in that department.


    More than beauty, she was like a walking, talking sexual desire in disguise. Her whole being exuded a charm far from what any normal woman could do.


    Before he could even say anything, the woman had already vanished and appeared behind him before she wrapped her delicate white arms around his neck gently. Her incredibly addictive voice whispered in his ear.


    "How about I help you rx? Maybe go to sleep too?~"


    The man''s reasoning flew by the moment she touched him. Then, he turned around and looked at her with hazy eyes.


    "Yes¡­ mydy."


    (A//N: A major character appeared. This is one is simply ''fun''. Hope you like her.)


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    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it is. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 44 44- Royal Invitation (Part 1)

    Chapter 44- Royal Invitation (Part 1)


    "Rin Silvereye¡­ huh?"


    Resting her back on the chairfortably, her sensual breasts giggled at her every moment. Her silky ck hair was gently resting on her shoulders looking like strands of the midnight sky. Her incredibly captivating red eyes were eyeing a document in her hand. Her other hand was resting on her thighs.


    Looking at the picture of the boy, the woman didn''t know what to do. Since almost a week ago, she has been hearing these weird thoughts in her head out of nowhere. At first, she thought it was one of her numerous enemies casting some kind of spell on her but then the idea soon faded away as she kept listening to these thoughts every single day.


    The person that was speaking in her head was a young boy and his name was Rin. She had never heard of that name before and that was why she ended uping here, to the academy to search around for his identity.


    "Hmm, what an interesting boy~" A mesmerizing smile bloomed on her face.


    One mere nce at him and she was already interested in him. For some reason, he gave her different vibes from normal men.


    He was weird, funny, and also very weirdly chaotic. She had never met someone that felt this messy to her. All the people she met in her life were pretty straightforward people that she could easily categorize into groups as they basically share the same characteristics.


    However, Rin was not like them. She didn''t get whether he was a good person who liked to help people or a selfish man who only cares about what he has in his hands.


    *Lick* *Lick* *Lick*


    The sound of licking woke her up from her thoughts and made her look down. There, the old man that was working here previously was licking her shoes happily. His crazed expression as he enthusiastically worked with his tongue would''ve made people squint with disgust


    "Sigh, that''s enough."


    *Swish*


    "Agghh!!"


    Kicking him with her heel, the woman kept stomping on him again and again until he fell down unconscious with a huge shoe mark across his face. Yet, even that didn''t make him feel anger or humiliation instead he had a goofy smile on his face as if he was having the best dream of his life.


    "Disgusting trash." The woman murmured under her breath before looking at the picture again.


    ''I have to meet this boy. Hearing his thoughts is very weird indeed~ Maybe he will entertain me for a while~''


    Just the mere thought of seeing him in person weirdly thrilled her. The fact that she was excited to meet a person and a man at that was a new thing for her. But, that didn''t make her hesitate at all as this was the first time in a while that she found something fun to do.


    Then, she stood up and lifted the man from the ground with a click of her fingers before resting him on the chair.


    "Sweet dreams~ and thanks for the hospitality~" After that, she vanished into the darkness, leaving the man on his chair, seemingly asleep.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    "The capital! Finally, we are here." Rin muttered with an excited look on his face.


    The journey to the capital took almost 24 hours in the carriage which was basically akin to mental torture. Rin had never missed modern transportation this much before.


    "Aria, wake up." Looking down, he found Aria sleeping on his thighs. He had decided to give her ap pillow after she begged him for it.


    His legs were numb from theck of blood circting there but looking at Aria''s cute face while she was asleep made him forget that and instead enjoy ying with her face while she is asleep. Just poking her soft cheeks and tickling her made her grunt and moan cutely.


    This side of Aria was new to him but he liked it nevertheless.


    "Wake up."


    Suddenly, a hand extended from his other side and pushed Aria. Thetter fell to the ground with a loud thud. She then opened her eyes and scratched her head cluelessly.


    When her groggy eyesnded on Elise who pushed her now, she sprang into her legs and red at her.


    "Why did you push me?"


    "Look around you. People will see you sleeping like a baby when you are inside the royal castle."


    "Oh¡­" Realizing her blunder, Aria clicked her tongue in embarrassment.


    The three then left the carriage to find a long queue of maids and butlers standing in front of them.


    "Wee back, your highness!" They said in unison.


    ''Maids! Damn, I never thought I will see real maids in my life.'' Rin blinked a few times in astonishment at the sight.


    As a self-proimed weeb (Anime fan) he obviously knew of the existence of maids and he actually liked that concept a lot. Not to the point of turning into a pervert but enough to wish to meet one if he could.


    Now, his small wish was fulfilled.<novelnext></novelnext>


    *Poke*


    "What?"


    "Nothing."


    Aria looked at her brother and quickly poked his cheek with a small pout. Hearing his thoughts made her conscious of his preference.


    ''Should I wear maid clothes for him? Or maybe I can use them to tease him. Oh! That sounds like a good idea. Wait for me Rin, I will tease you lots and lots until you won''t be able to resist, and then¡­ then, ahh! No, Aria, control yourself. It''s not the time nor the ce for such thoughts. Heheheh!'' Giggling in her head happily, she followed the group inside.


    Damian and Selina were first to reach the royal castle as they traveled in a carriage of their own while leaving Elise, Rin, and Aria in another carriage. From what Rin understood, they had some matters to attend to before so they had to go first.


    Walking inside the castle, Rin admired the ce silently. Comparing it to his house was mere delusion. The size, the structure, and the decorations were simply iparable.


    It was an amazing piece of architecture that even the modern world couldn''t replicate that easily.


    Behind them, two maids and two butlers walked silently. They worked as guides for Aria and Rin.


    Both of them did visit this ce before when they were young but to be fair, they don''t recall it very well. Besides, it seemed that the king was aware of Rin''s memory loss.


    The three finally reached a huge door inside the castle that apparently led inside the throne room where the king was. Rin weirdly didn''t feel nervous at all meeting this great figure. Hell, he felt as if he was meeting a normal person that was his equal. This feeling of superiority made him question his mind for a moment but soon shook those thoughts away.


    ''It''s not the time to think about this.''


    The butlers opened the door for them and the three walked inside. The throne room was big but not too big, it was also noticeably more beautiful looking than the parts of the castle.


    On a huge throne right on the other side of the room, sat a middle-aged man. He was very handsome with golden hair and that was the stark contrast to Elise''s white hair. His blue eyes were sharp yet soft at the same time.


    He had an arrogant demeanor that befitted a king of a huge empire yet that arrogance didn''t feel overbearing or annoying and instead worked to make people instinctively respect him because of it.


    The three then bowed to the king. Thetter smiled slightly and then said.


    "Please, raise your heads, Damian''s children." He said.


    The two did that and the king then continued.


    "I wee you to my home. Please, feel free to treat it as your home." He said.


    "We are thankful for your hospitality, your majesty," Aria replied.


    Nodding his head in understanding, he then looked at Rin. His look turned slightly stronger.


    "You are Rin, huh? You really grew a lot, boy. You look just like your father! Hahahhaha!"


    All this time, Elise was standing still and being silent. However, seeing the conversation not going anywhere, she tried to stop her father.


    "They are tired from the journey, father."


    "Hahaha! My bad! I was happy to meet both of them. Your father is a dear friend of mine. We shared the battlefield in our heyday so seeing his children makes me feel nostalgic."


    Then, the king changed his posture and continued.


    "The reason why I wanted to meet both of you, especially Rin was because of a different reason."


    "Isn''t it for the birthday, your majesty?" Rin asked.


    "That''s the second reason. The first reason is something else."


    "What is it?"


    "Well, let''s cut to the chase. Why don''t you marry my daughter?" He said with a wide grin.


    "..."


    "..."


    (A//N: Rin is one lucky motherfu- I tell you.)


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it is. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 45 45- Royal Invitation (Part 2)

    Chapter 45- Royal Invitation (Part 2)


    Rin blinked a few times at the king''s sudden request. He wasn''t too shocked but he still had to take a few seconds toprehend him. After that, he calmly shook his head at the king and said.


    "I''m grateful for the offer. But, I will have to refuse." Rin''s eyes were serious as he gazed at the man who was at the top of the empire.


    "I do believe that each person has the right to choose who they want to spend the rest of their lives with. Eli-, her highness the princess is no exception. She has the right to decide for herself as I also have the right to do so."


    Even though many would consider the way Rin replied as disrespectful or even rude but the king didn''t take any offense to it. In fact, his grin widened as he startedughing loudly.


    "Interesting, boy. Your name was Rin, right? You''re the first to refuse my daughter''s hand in marriage. That''s why she most likely took interest in you." He said.


    ''More like the chances she will kill me if I ept are quite high.'' He broke a sweat just thinking about it and shook his head quickly.


    He was d he was able to get out of this sticky situation fairly easily. But, Rin was too naive to think that it was the end for that.


    "Father¡­" A cold voice spoke out of nowhere.


    Everyone looked at Elise and immediately felt nervous. Her usual demeanor was cold and even distant but Elise at that moment was simply outraged. Her aura alone was able to create small gushes of wind around her. It wasn''t extremely strong or suffocating but it was still impressive.


    "E-Elise." The king tried to calm his daughter down and try to exin that he was joking. But¡­


    "I did mention that I don''t like bad jokes, didn''t I?"


    "Y-Yes." The king nodded his head with a small yet restrained smile.


    "So why the bad jokes, father?"


    "N-No, as I said, it''s not like that."


    "Then what is it like? Mind exining?"


    The atmosphere kept getting tenser and tenser as time went by. No one knew what to do. The maids were already sweating profusely from stress.


    "Don''t take offense to it, your highness. His majesty was merely trying to joke around." Rin spoke to defuse the situation.


    Even though he was speaking respectfully, he tried to send a message with his eyes to Elise.


    ''Calm down, Elise. Even though he''s your father, he''s still the king.''


    The fact that the king was scared of his daughter''s anger was proof of how much he loved and cherished her and took notice of her emotions greatly.


    Luckily, Rin''s words and his meaningful look calmed Elise down and made her apologize for her slip of emotions. Then, the group continued the conversation normally with some awkwardness from what happened.


    ''I never saw Elise that angry? Was she that against getting married to me? Or was it the idea in general?'' Rin couldn''t deny that if it was the first choice, it hurt him that she thought like that.


    It wasn''t that he was in love with her or anything like that, but since they knew each other for a long time and also the fact that she was a very gorgeous woman through and through, Rin would be lying if he said that he wasn''t feeling attracted to her.


    However, he has nothing to do with that, maybe with time, she wille to soften up a little for him.


    [Don''t worry, host. You don''t need anyone else when you have me.]


    ''I''m not that desperate to have a lover, ok?! Besides, you are already a male in my head so it''s a hard no.''


    [You are very shy, host.]


    ''No, I''m not, and don''t even think about ying me. I have an eye on you, system.''


    [Keep your eyes on me.]


    ''...''


    Sighing, Rin knew that no matter how much he tried to stop the system, it will keep teasing him again and again non-stop. It was something engraved into its very existence.


    After chatting for some time, the king let them go and rest and also prepare for the party tonight. As he heard, many nobility came to the capital for the party and so Rin was aware that the castle will be filled to the brim tonight.


    Aria and Rin then left the castle and headed toward the house where they will settle for the two or three days they will spend in the castle.


    Each aristocrat had at least one vi or mansion in the capital for such asions. But, because of their rarity, these houses were abandoned most of the time to collect dust for years and years.


    That''s why manymoners were angry because of it. The price for a smallnd was high so seeing the nobility own vastnds with abandoned mansions, they could only try to protest this unfair treatment.


    To solve that, the king and the aristocrats decided to hire thesemoners to take care of these houses and also live there too. It was a good decision that made both parties happy.


    When they reached the ce, they quickly settled down and organized the rooms where they will sleep tonight. After that, Aria came knocking on Rin''s door.


    "Do you want to explore the city?" She said with a warm smile.


    "Oh! That sounds good."


    "Let''s go then!"


    Then, Aria basically dragged Rin out of the house toward the heart of the capital.


    The capital was by far the biggest city in the whole empire and not for a bad reason. All the major trading, businesses, and also the major governments are ced here.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Not only that but mostmoners try to hunt for job opportunities and live herefortably. It was basically the dreand for the poor and the ambitious.


    That''s whypared to the silvereye dukedom, the capital was way bigger. Even the streets and the buildings were in better condition.


    ''It''s filled with people. It reminds me of my old world.'' He thought.


    "Rin, here, here," Aria called for him.


    As he tried to walk toward her, he was stopped in his tracks.


    "Hey there." Two girls were blocking his way.


    He looked at both of them confusedly.


    They were both cute but could only hang their heads down in shame if they werepared to Elise or Aria.


    "Do you want to have a cup of coffee with us?" One of them said with a charming smile.


    ''Hot dudes have it easy, for sure.''


    [In the mouth of every other man, I must say, host. Go rot in hell.]


    ''Shut up! I was like that not long ago. Let me have some fun once in a while.''


    "Neh, are you fine with that?" The other blushed and tried to touch him.


    *Swish*


    "How do I help you,dies?" Aria grabbed one of the girl''s arms and said with a cold smile that exuded a scary aura.


    "N-No, w-we were just talking with him."


    "I see. Well, he is pretty ''busy'' right now. Maybe another time."


    Then, without waiting for them to even speak, Aria dragged Rin away from them silently.


    "Aria¡­ Wait¡­ Oi! Hold a second." He stopped her in her tracks.


    "Don''t tell me¡­ are you jealous?"


    He tried to peek at her face but she looked away quickly. However, he could see that the tips of her ears were pretty red.


    "No, I''m not. I was just trying to help you."


    ''C-Cute. I want to tease her.''


    "Oh! Man, I was about to ept their invitation." Clicking his fingers together with a regretful look, he tried to speak withoutughing.


    "I know that you''re teasing me. Stop it!" Aria said with a pout.


    ''Tsk. She''s way too sharp. I thought my acting was good.''


    "Dummy," Aria murmured and continued walking.


    Then, for the next few hours, both of them strolled around the city, visiting monuments, trying the food there, and many other things.


    Was it not for the fact that they were both brothers, everyone thought that they were a lovey-dovey couple.


    "Look at those two. My god!"


    "They are both so gorgeous. Are they in a rtionship? They fit perfectly together. The girl especially looks like a goddess!"


    "That boy too! Ah! Maybe he would ept married women. Silly me! Fufufuf!"


    "I want to steal that girl and lock her in my house forever."


    Everyone was speaking and murmuring behind them. The two could hear those whispers quite clearly, but, except for thest one, Rin didn''t bother with them at all. He only focused on Aria.


    ''They can say what they want.''


    Having an incredibly handsome face made him quite confident when walking with a beauty like Aria and never feel insecure like that.


    The date ended in the afternoon as they returned home. There wasn''t much more time left before the party so they had to end the journey.


    But, what they didn''t know, is that this party tonight was something they will never forget. Especially Rin.


    (A//N: Calm chapters for now. Trying to put some basic fluff here and there, nothing major. But, things are about to shift as we approach the end of the first arc. The second arc will beplete chaos so enjoy!)


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 46 46- A Touch Of The Past (Part 1)

    Chapter 46- A Touch Of The Past (Part 1)


    A few hours passed after that calmly. The day was long in this world but it still felt too short for Rin to do everything he wanted to do.


    The beautiful sun reached the horizon, giving it''sst few rays of light to the world before it was submerged in darkness for hours toe. The beautiful moon took over as the light that kept the world frompletely losing its only source of light. The small milky stars in the sky looked like small cosmicmps shining silently as they drew the gazes of every person to them.


    "A beautiful night," Rin muttered as he looked through the window. His eyes were longingly admiring the beauty of the night when the door knocked.


    "Rin, we have to go," Aria said to him with a smile.


    "I''m-"


    Before he could finish his words, Rin was speechless as saw the girl in front of him. Aria was wearing an evening dress that reached her white and tender legs. The dress also wrapped around her curvy body and exuded her charm to another level. Her red hair was decorated with a hairpin that was tucked to the side.


    "Hmm, is anything wrong?" She asked while feigning ignorance.


    Inside, however, her heart almost leaped out of her chest from happiness. She was really d that Rin had a reaction when he saw her dress.


    "You look gorgeous, Aria." He praised honestly.


    "I-Is that so? Thank you. You also look handsome, Rin."


    ''I know.'' He thought in his head.


    "Arrogant. But, I still like that side of you." She murmured to herself with a satisfied grin.


    The night couldn''t start any better for her. However, she knew that many challenges were waiting for her at the party so she needed to stay alert for any potential threat.


    After that, they left the room to find Damian and Selina waiting for them in their formal clothes. They also looked quite stunning in their clothes. The whole family was made of beautiful men and women.


    Then, they mounted the carriage and went to the castle. The night streets were bustling with people. The capital had another nickname other than ''the heart of Aviresion'' and that was ''the sleepless city''.


    No matter the hour or the time, the capital was always filled with people. The nightlife here was especially unique as this ce was filled with taverns, brothels, and many other forms of entertainment for themoners.


    There were no such things as phones orputers or any form of technology that could be considered entertaining. That''s why; the popce used these methods to have fun and relieve themselves.


    20 minutester, they reached the evening hall where the party will be held. There, they found many carriages like theirs parked in front of the huge door that led inside. Many people could be seen entering the hall.


    Young and old, they all wore beautiful and extravagant clothes that exuded the deep charm of the rich.


    Rin didn''t really care about them much as he already had a skeptical idea about the nobility in this world. You can''t me him for that since he was well aware of how corrupt these people could be.


    ''I might end up punching someone in the fact if they turn out to be how I thought. Let''s hope for the best.''


    After that, the group entered inside. There, they were weed by a huge group of people standing around as they talked with each other in groups. You can hear theughing and the pleasantries they shared with each other.


    Looking around him, he also found young people of his age talking with each other.


    ''Where is Elise? Oh, there she is. Inside the biggest group of people.''


    The biggest group was obviously talking with Elise who was trying to calmly speak with them. Her world-ss beauty was now even more stunning as she wore a blue dress long dress and had light makeup on her beautiful face.


    Coincidentally, Elise looked at him too, and nodded her head secretly. He also nodded his head and then turned around.


    ''I can''t talk with her now. She seems to be busy.''


    She was by far the star of the party even though it still didn''t even start. Rin''s eyes then looked behind Elise. There, another beautiful girl was speaking with another group that was way smaller than the other group.


    What drew Rin''s gaze about the girl was the weird nces she gave to Elise from time to time. He could see the anger and deep hatred in her eyes.


    ''Royal drama. Elise sure has it tough, man.'' Rin sighed as he took a drink from the waitress that was going around.


    There was obviously wine and other alcoholic beverages, but Rin was given a cup of juice since he was still young for drinking. He heard that the legal drinking age in this world is 20 years of age. Which also coincidentally fits the time when young people graduate from their academies.


    Looking around him, Rin could see that Aria and his parents were already talking with people. Their social skills were very high since they were also aristocrats. Rin, however, was what you could call an introvert. He wasn''tpletely useless socially but he still has a hard time talking with strangers.


    ''I will just find a quiet corner to drink my juice in. I don''t want to talk with anyone.''


    "E-Excuse me."


    ''Aaand my n was immediately ruined.'' He sighed as he turned to look at the person that called for him.


    She was a girl that was clearly younger than him by one or two years. She was also pretty cute and had this warm aura of innocence around her. It was as if she was still not tarnished by the cruelty of this world and remainedpletely pure.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Hi, excuse me for my rudeness." Rin smiled while replying.


    "N-No, you don''t need to apologize. My name is Nora Brinston, the daughter of the baron Brinston. It''s my pleasure to meet you. "


    "Rin Silvereye, the pleasure is all mine."


    Even though he was talking with her, Rin''s eyes were wandering around searching for something. As he predicted, soon he found a couple staring directly at them.


    Their eyes were filled with worry yet also hope.  It didn''t take him long to click everything together. It was clear that her parents wanted her to strike up a conversation with a high-ranked noble''s son. Getting him to fall in love with her or even befriend her will be hugely beneficial


    ''Shit like this sure is tiring. I feel bad for her.''


    "I already heard about you, mister Rin. I was really eager to meet you." She said with a nervous look as she pursed her lips.


    "..." Going silent for a moment, Rin thought about it for a second before he spoke.


    "Hey, let''s go there to speak. It''s quite loud here." He said, pointing at a corner of the hall where not many people were standing.


    "Y-Yes, sure."


    When they walked there, they finally vanished from her parents'' vision. When Rin made sure of it, he sighed and rested his back on the wall.


    "You sure have it tough¡­ Umm, can I call you Nora?"


    "Huh? Ah! Yes, please address me however you want." She replied while still looking confused.


    "Don''t worry. I already know that your father and mother pushed you to talk to me."


    "N-No that was-"


    "It''s ok, I''m not displeased or anything. I admire your courage to speak with me. I''m, on the other hand, incapable of striking up conversations with strangers. It''s quite tiring you know?" Rolling the liquid in the cup with his hand, Rin took a small sip before looking at Nora.


    "If you don''t want to talk with me, you can go. I will make it as tough as you were able to befriend me or something."


    "Mister Rin, I didn''t mean to¡­"


    "If it isn''t Rin Silvereye."


    Before she could even finish her words, a voice cut her off. The thing is, it wasn''t Rin who did that.


    Then, an arm coiled around Rin''s shoulder. Beside him, a blonde-haired boy along with two other boys appeared. The three surrounded them quickly.


    ''Who is this frivolous-looking garbage?''


    [Probably just another frivolous-looking garbage, host.]


    ''Good answer, system. You get a point.''


    [Much appreciated, host.]


    "Hmm, can you please remind me of your name? Oh. And also release my shoulder." Rin said calmly.


    "Oh! Why the distant attitude, Rin? We are friends, aren''t we?"


    Looking at his two friends, the two nodded with kind smiles.


    "We yed together before and had so much fun. I feel really hurt, Rin."


    "Again, my memory is quite fuzzy so I don''t remember you."


    Rin was getting annoyed with these three so he released himself from the blonde boy''s grip and tried to walk away.


    Nora was still stuck in her ce, not knowing what to do in this situation at all.


    "Come on. Don''t be like that. Here, why don''t we share a drink together? For old time''s sake."


    ''Bro, I''m about to punch your overly friendly and kind face. I hate these types of people.''


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 47 47- A Touch Of The Past (Part 2)

    Chapter 47- A Touch Of The Past (Part 2)


    Picking up a cup of juice from the te when a waitress passed by, the blonde boy gave it to Rin as he mustered a kind and friendly smile.


    Rin had no idea what this guy wanted from him being so friendly and such. So, he held the cup in his hand without trying to protest. He didn''t want to create amotion and would rather make the boy leave on his own ord.


    So, to do that, he decided to humor him for a while until he gets bored and then leave. Besides, he didn''t seem to be a bad person¡­ on the outside at least.


    Nora stood behind Rin as she tried to say something but didn''t find a way to do that at all.  Her shyness and social anxiety made her shudder and stay quiet.


    Rin was aware of her attitude but he didn''t have the time or the opportunity to ask her about it. He had to take care of this matter first.


    "To Aviresion." The boy said as he hit the two cups together before sipping from his own cup.


    Rin did the same and the two then looked at each other. The blondie took a long breath and said.


    "I did hear about your memory loss and at first, I didn''t believe it. However, it seems that it is indeed true. I''m really sad for you, Rin. I hope you restore it soon."


    "Yeah¡­ your concern is appreciated," Rin replied tly.


    "Oh! Right, silly me. I forgot to introduce myself. The name is Kin¡­ Arthur Darkde."


    ''My god! And here I thought I heard every possible edgy name in existence. This one takes the cake and eats it whole, I tell you."


    "Fufufu!"


    At the same time, three random people in the hall startedughing out of nowhere. The guests around them were startled but they didn''t try to mention it¡­ not with these three women precisely.


    "Nice to meet you, Kin," Rin replied.


    "Drop the formality man. We are friends. I would feel shy if you treat me so distantly." Arthurughed as he tapped on Rin''s back a few times.


    "So, how have you been? Is life good?"


    "Not bad, I guess. How about you?"


    "Great! I''m really excited about the academy. You know, I heard many things about it and I must say, I''m really intrigued to experience it myself."


    "The academy, huh?"


    "Yeah, the Divine Sapphire Magic Academy. Arguably, the most important ce in the whole world. Millions of people dream of entering it yet only a few thousand are able to do so. We are the lucky few, brother."


    ''Hearing that. It just sounds like every magic academy in existence. Wait, so the next arc of the story is the magic academy arc? Wait, If I recall correctly, it''s the first arc of the story. The game starts there.''


    [Yes, host. Everything that happened till now is a month prior to the original timeline.]


    ''Oh! How magnanimous of Lili to give me this one month to prepare myself.''


    [The goddess is especially very kind to you, host.]


    ''Hmm? Why is that?''


    [Confidential information, host. You must ask her yourself when the timees.]


    ''Alright, then. Keep your secrets.''


    "Rin?" Arthur clicked his fingers in front of Rin to wake him up from his daze.


    "Ah! My bad. I was just thinking about something?"


    "Mmm, Rin." Nora suddenly tucked on the hem of his sleeve.


    "I will leave now." She whispered in his ear before walking away.


    Rin was still quite confused as to why she was acting like that. Was it out of shyness? Or maybe something else entirely different.


    "Man, this party is boring. Hey! Why don''t we go to the balcony? It has a good view over the city and it''s way quieter than here." He asked Rin.


    "Yeah! Let''s go."


    "I agree too." The two boys nodded vigorously.


    "Alright, fine."


    Sighing, Rin agreed to his proposal and the three of them left the hall area to the balcony that was closed. No one was able to see them when they left because of the sheer amount of people.


    "Ah! The cold breeze of the night! What a great evening to be alive." Arthur muttered with a blissful look.


    "I must agree." Rin closed his eyes for a few seconds to enjoy the cold air.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Wearing a tight suit wasn''t fun at all, especially in the hot weather of this part of the year. It was still summer after all.


    "Man, it''s been a while since I enjoyed a beautiful night with my friends. I appreciate all of you. Especially you, Rin. You are one of my best friends."


    ''This dude can say shit like that with a straight face.'' Rin didn''t know whether tough or cry at Arthur''s friendly attitude. It felt almost¡­ too good to be true for Rin.


    "I forgot to ask, Rin. How is your family?"


    "They are doing good."


    "Great, great. What about Aria? Is she fine?" Arthur asked as he gazed at the sky above him in a daze.


    The question sounded harmless. However, Rin had this gut feeling that something wrong was going on. Taking a peek behind him, the two friends were standing there, closing any possible route for him to escape.


    ''A trap, huh.'' He closed his eyes with a sigh and replied.


    "What do you want, Arthur?" Rin''s eyes were as sharp as ever.


    "Nothing, really. It''s just¡­ you know, I really want you to set me up with Aria."


    "Huh?"


    "Come on, man. You know what I''m hinting at. I''m in love with your sister. I''mpletely head over heels for Aria."


    "I see."


    "Good. Since we are on the same pa-"


    "But, I refuse."


    "Huh?"


    "I said no. Forget about it." Rin said.


    "You¡­"


    One of the boys was about to get angry and approach Rin. But, Arthur held his hand high in a gesture to stop him.


    After that, he wrapped his hand around Rin''s shoulder.


    "Rin, my friend. How cruel are you? We are friends, aren''t we? Why are you doing this to me?" Arthur''s face feigned sadness.


    ''This dude¡­ What kind of past did he have with the old Rin?'' He could only wonder in his head.


    "You know. You always helped me before to talk with her. You even helped put the two of us alone in a room. But, unfortunately, I failed to make a move on her. She''s too hard to get, you know. ''I don''t want you to touch me, you filthy scum'' she said. I was really hurt you know. But, I won''t give up on making love to her." Arthur clicked his tongue calmly as he recalled the past.


    "... What did you just say?"


    Seemingly frozen, Rin asked.


    "Ah! I forgot that you don''t remember anything. Well, since we have been friends for a long time, you have always been the middleman for me and Aria. You helped put us in a closed room together to ''bond'' more. I tried to make a move, but she resisted furiously. I, unfortunately, couldn''t make her submit to me. Ah! How sad!"


    "..."


    "But, don''t worry. With your help this time, I can finally get my hands on Aria and get a taste of her beauty." Arthur whispered in Rin''s ear.


    The two friendsughed sinisterly as they looked at the ck-haired boy who was still frozen in his ce. They were already surrounding him from all angles, not leaving a chance for him to escape. It was a method to not only close any escape routes but to also pressure him more and more.


    "She will definitely be delicious, Rin. So, will you help me? I want to make her mine, Rin. I will even use force this time."


    Arthur''s smile turned into a wicked grin filled with vile lust and incredible darkness that Rin had never seen before.


    "I''m¡­"


    "What did you say?" Arthur closed on him to hear what he muttered.


    Then, Rin turned around and said in the coldest and angriest tone possible. His anger reached a point where his expression turned eerily calm. His pure dark aura erupted like a raging volcano, startling the other three. Rin then grabbed Arthur by the face and lifted him up.


    "I''m going to murder you."


    Rin waspletely outraged. Not only because of what this human trash said about Aria but also because of his old self that followed his orders and almost ended up harming Aria because of it. Forget about controlling himself! Forget about weighing the pros and cons of what he was about to do! Forget about the consequences!! He was going to utterly destroy this scumbag.


    (A//N: Old Rin was trash, man. He pisses me off even though I created him myself lol. Stay tuned for the fun ride in the next chapter.)


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    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 48 48- As Dark As His Shadows

    Chapter 48- As Dark As His Shadows


    Arthur struggled greatly in Rin''s grasp as he tried to release himself. He was already starting to feel suffocated with each passing second with him being in the air. The hard grip on his jaw made his teeth clench tightly.


    ''What is wrong with this fucker?!'' He thought with a distressed look. Then, his gaze shifted to the two friends he had with him.


    It didn''t take a genius to understand what he meant with that nce. So, they shook away the surprise and rushed to help their friend.


    "Stay there, insects," Rin muttered as he used his shadow maniption to freeze both of them in their ce. He had made sure to check whether they were really strong or not but it turned out that he was stronger than them.


    So, with a simple thought, the two were frozen in their ce, he could see the horror in their eyes as they tried to move.


    *Swish* *Swish*


    With a simple kick, he sent both of them flying in the air before smashing against the other side of the balcony.


    ''H-hah?'' Arthur couldn''t believe his eyes.


    His two friends were infamous E-Rank awakeners. They were considered great talents even for their age and could easily overpower 90% of the people their age. So, the fact that Rin was able to toy with them like that made him feel his chest tighten and his heartbeat increase exponentially.


    His struggles increased as he started punching Rin''s arm with his full strength. Hell, he even imbued mana into his punches so the strength of these hits could easily break a normal''s person''s bones.


    "Tell me one thing." Rin finally said something in a chill tone.


    "Release me, fucker!! Release me now!!" He shouted.


    "How many times did you try to put your hands on Aria?"


    Looking deeply into his eyes, Arthur''s struggles stopped for a good 3 seconds. Inside his two purple irises was a deep abyss. He had never felt anything remotely close to what he felt at that moment staring at the boy''s calm eyes.


    ''He''s¡­not normal.'' Arthur''s face became as white as a sheet of paper and sweat dripped from his forehead profusely.


    The cruelty he saw in those eyes was so horrible that he felt his lungs emptying from the air at once. Arthur had seen demons before as he did visit ve merchants before. He saw all kinds of chilling gazes and bone-deep hatred from these demons. But, in front of him, there was evil even worse than that of demons themselves.


    "Answer me," Rin said as he shook Arthur a few times like a useless doll getting yed with by an angry child.


    "N-No, LET ME FUCKING GO!!!" Arthur screeched loudly.


    ''He isn''t speaking. I guess I have no other choice.'' Rin thought to himself as he looked at his hand.


    For some reason, a thought crossed his mind that he wanted to try. At that moment, his mind felt clear yet shrouded, as if he was getting controlled by something yet also having full control over himself. A feeling of contrast that never urred to him before. However, he didn''t feel any difort about it as his sole goal now was to torture the human in front of him.


    Without hesitation, he started executing the idea as it was realized in his head. A part of his shadow started moving and creeping up his leg.


    Arthur watched this scene in pure terror. He still didn''t understand what kind of powers Rin possessed for him to do everything like this.


    The shadow reached his hand and then started morphing into another shape. Soon, the ck shadow turned into a rectangr-shaped thing.


    "You know. I''m still learning about my new powers so the fact that I can only do this much actually amazes me. What makes me even more delighted is the fact that I have something to experiment on. Be happy, insect. You have a purpose now." Rin said calmly as he closed his hands on Arthur''s face.


    Thetter then covered his eyes with the rectangr shadow,pletely obstructing his vision.


    "Let me tell you a fun fact. In this existence, the darkest thing is a ck hole. The second darkest thing is a shadow. However, as they say ''the brighter the light, the darker the shadow''. So, theoretically speaking, shadows can get darker than a ck hole if the light gets bright enough."


    "Ah¡­ Ah!!!!!"


    Then, out of nowhere, Arthur started screaming at the top of his lungs as he moved frantically trying to get the ck shadow off his face. What he was seeing at that moment wasn''t something that should exist.


    The darkness he was seeing made his eyes burn as if they were on fire. If it was not for the fact that he still didn''t turnpletely blind from that torture was a miracle in and out of itself.


    The shrieks loudened and the struggle increased along with the hellish pain Arthur was feeling. He had never thought a pain such as this could exist in this world. Yet, here he was, experiencing it firsthand.


    "You have a few minutes at most before you turnpletely blind. I suggest you start speaking before the time runs off. How many times did you try to put your hands on Aria?"


    "AHHHH!!! AHHHH!!!" Arthur didn''t reply and merely kept screaming endlessly.


    "Speak!"


    "Ah!! A-A few¡­ a few times!! Ahh!!"


    "How many?"<novelnext></novelnext>


    "F-Five¡­ times. I tried it five times!! Please, end this¡­ Please! I will die. I will lick your shoes, I will be your servant or anything¡­ Just please, I beg you¡­ Ah!! My eyes!!!"


    "Did you ever seed in assaulting her?"


    "NO!!! I swear to the goddess I never put my hands on her!! Enough, man¡­ Hick¡­ Please.." He then started crying like a baby.


    Rin sighed and then released him. The boy fell down and started getting the shadow out of his face. After getting rid of it, the shadow returned to Rin and merged with the rest of his shadow as if nothing happened.


    Looking at Arthur, he was a ragged mess. His mouth was drooling profusely, his blue eyes were now so red and bloodshot that it was scary. Tears kept falling from his face like a waterfall.


    "Five times, you said. Ok, I will go with five punches to the face and then release you." Rin clenched and unclenched his fist a few times as he spoke about what he was going to do next.


    "Huh!! No, wait!! I beg you. I will apologize!! Please! I won''t tell anyone!! Man, I''m sorry¡­ I am really sorry¡­ I will never try to hit on Aria ever again."


    Arthur had already prostrated himself in front of Rin while shaking violently. Seeing this, Rin grinned widely. Arthur felt a sense of hope when he saw that smile but then his hopes were crushed.


    "Refused."


    Then, the boy started approaching him slowly.


    "Wait! Please! Save me!! Anyone!!! Save me!!!"


    *Step* *Step*


    Rin walked toward him as he enjoyed his screams.  His mind didn''t register the fact that he was acting so out of character that it was scary. He never thought that someone like him could turn out to be this cruel and heartless. Even if the person in front of him deserved it, Rin never thought he will be the one to pass a hellish and cruel judgment on him.


    Now, even under the tearful begs of the culprit, he didn''t feel anything except delight and ecstasy.


    ''This is how things should be. You should be for your life. You should cry for help as you feel me approaching.'' He thought to himself. The glow in his eyes returned without him noticing.


    The weirder fact is that he didn''t activate the berserker skill at all. In fact, he didn''t activate anything at all at that moment.


    When he was close enough, Rin extended his arm to grab Arthur.


    "Leave me alone, you monster!!"


    Then, in a split second¡­


    *Swish*


    His hand was grabbed out of nowhere and was stopped in its ce.


    "I think you should stop, darling~ Your eyes look scary now~" An impossibly sweet and addictive voice spoke next to his ear.


    Rin immediately released his arm and jumped back to create some distance between himself and this stranger.


    When he took a nce at the mysterious intruder, Rin felt his mind freeze for a second. The stranger that appeared behind him was a very seductivedy d in a ck dress. Her mesmerizing red eyes looked at him with an amused look.


    Every inch of her body was so charming that it almost put Rin in aplete daze. However, he shook those thoughts away and readied himself for a fight.


    "Who are you?" He asked warily.


    "Oh? You didn''t fall for my charms. You are indeed a very interesting boy, Rin~" The woman smiled as she crossed her arms under her boobs emphasizing them even more.


    "I said who are you?"


    *Swish*


    Before he could even notice anything, the woman vanished and appeared behind him. Then, she wrapped her arms around him and pushed her chest against his back before whispering in his ear sweetly.


    "Let''s say that I''m here for you, darling~"


    (A//N: The fateful meeting number 2... We have many fateful meetings lol :))


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    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 49 49- Charming Devil*

    Chapter 49- Charming Devil*


    "Came for me? What are you on about?" Rin asked with a confused look. For a second, his mind stopped working but he quickly regained hisposure and distanced himself from the woman before she could do anything. His mind was in chaos as he could see the difference between them.


    Her speed and aura were more than enough topletely crush Rin and he would not be able to resist for even a second. She was way stronger than him.


    "Oh my! Aren''t you too cautious, darling? I don''t bite¡­ only if you want me to~" She said with a sweet giggle that sounded like a serene melody in his ears.


    For as much as he knew, he never met this woman before nor did his family mention her before so he was questioning whether she was lying or not.


    ''Besides, her looks alone scream a red g. I must not fall for her charm.''


    "Oh? That''s too cruel. Here, you don''t like my looks?" Positioning herself seductively, she gave him a wink.


    Rin had to keep eye contact unless he wanted to fall victim to her charming aura and end up toyed with.


    "It won''t work on me. Now, I will ask again before I expose you to everyone in the part. Who are you?"


    "So stern, aren''t you, Rin?" She asked as she sighed and rested her back on the balcony and looked up. The scene alone was akin to a mesmerizing drawing created by a great artist.


    "Well, my name is Evelyn¡­ Nice to meet you~"


    "What do you want from me?"


    "Nothing really~ I was just passing by and saw you having some fun so I wanted to watch."


    ''Ah, right. That trash can is still here¡­ Damn, he lost consciousness.'' Rin could only click his tongue before he dragged him to the other side of the balcony and threw him against the wall. Seeing his face alone made him feel disgusted.


    "So, Evelyn...I won''t try to ask for the ''real'' reason why you are here. Anyway, I''m leaving now. It was nice meeting you."


    Rin started walking away while keeping an eye on her in case she tried to do something funny behind his back.


    "You are awfully wary of me. Am I that bad of a person in front of you?~"


    ''How did she¡­'' Before he could even react, she somehow changes ces in an instant. He had made sure to keep looking at her the whole time without blinking yet he wasn''t able to perceive her movements at all.


    "I really don''t know what you are trying to do. But, I really don''t want to have anything to do with it. Have a good night."


    Giving up on creating distance between them, Rin quickly then strolled toward the door that led inside the hall. However, before he could leave, Evelyn said a few words that made him freeze in his ce.


    "How is this new world, Rin? Are you enjoying your stay here?"


    ''Huh?...'' Rin''s eyes widened in deep shock as he quickly tried to turn around and face Evelyn. But, the moment his face twisted to the side, a shadow loomed over him and quickly caught him off guard with a sudden attack.


    Rin felt his lips getting sealed by a soft thing. An overwhelming feeling invaded the whole being that made himpletely freeze.


    Evelyn took that opportunity and pried open his mouth before she let slip her tongue inside it. Using her graceful technique, she wreaked havoc inside his mouth and swirled around freely.


    Rin tried to regain hisposure but the weird sensation he felt at that moment made him unable to resist. Evelyn smiled in her head and increased the intensity of her attacks on his mouth.


    *Slurp* *Shmack*


    She sucked, licked, and yed with his tongue as she pleased while making lewd sounds without a care in the world. On that balcony, the only sound that echoed was of the two making out loudly and lewdly.


    ''W-What the hell?!'' Rin''s mind was racing as he tried to figure out what was going on. Rin wasn''t aplete virgin as he did kiss a girl before in his previous life so he did have some experience. But,pared to that, this was in a whole different realm.


    As much as he hated to admit it, the kiss felt unbelievably good to the point where even his will crumbled easily with a mere taste of the woman''s sweet saliva.


    After an unknown amount of time, thest walls of defense Rin had, had already fallen down and he was nowpletely at the mercy of Evelyn.


    Their mouths were soaked wet with saliva as it dripped on their chin. Evelyn made sure to lick around his mouth too and suck his lips yfully.


    But, luckily or not, at that moment, both of them heard footstepsing toward the balcony and the door was sprung open violently.


    "Rin!!" Aria came running outside as she looked around, seemingly in search of her brother. When her eyesnded on him, a wide and relieved smile appeared on her face.


    "Where were you? Did youe here along with someone?" She asked as she approached him.


    "Ah¡­ yeah.." He replied with a strained smile.<novelnext></novelnext>


    ''Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! What the hell was that?!'' He screamed in his head.


    After kissing him, she then whispered in his ear.


    "Since this is our first meeting. I will leave it at that. But, don''t worry. We will meet again, very very soon, darling~"


    After that, she vanished and left him alone as Aria entered the balcony area.


    "Rin¡­ are you hiding something from me?" Aria looked at him sharply as she pressed him for a quick answer.


    "Ah! Right, that scumbag over there. Do you know him, Aria?" Rin changed the topic skillfully.


    He can''t expose what just happened to Aria or he was basically as good as dead.


    "Ah! Isn''t that the crown prince?" She asked with a surprised look.


    "The¡­ what?"


    "It''s the crown prince. How did he end up here unconscious?"


    "Wait, wait, wait. That trash can is the crown prince?!"


    "I do agree that he is a scumbag but he is the crown prince indeed."


    ''So that''s why he was able to do all those horrible things and not get punished for it. This fucker! I will definitely not forget this.''


    "Rin? Is everything fine?"


    "No. It''s not. I have something to tell you."


    Then, Rin quickly bowed his head in front of Aria and continued.


    "I want to apologize deeply for all the pain the old me made you go through. I''m genuinely sorry and I will make sure it never happens again."


    "Huh? R-Rin? What came into you?" Aria blinked a few times with a blushing face. For some reason, she didn''t hate the scene in front of her at all. Rin''s extremely serious face coupled with his graceful aura made him so eye-catching even for someone like Aria who spent every day with him.


    "He told me about how I tried to put both of you in a room before so that he could hit on you. I don''t remember such things so I can only say that I''m feeling really ashamed of what I did. I''m really sorry for all of that."


    ''So¡­ he was apologizing for that? I wasn''t really angry about it or anything. It wasn''t his fault after all and instead it was all because of the prince.'' A swirl of emotions shed in Aria''s eyes. She didn''t know what to say at all at that exact moment.


    So, instead, she used anothernguage to express what she wanted to say.


    Pulling him in, she hugged him tightly and finally replied.


    "It''s fine, Rin. I don''t mind it that much. You were getting pressured by the crown prince so you had no choice¡­ I ca-"


    "No!" He shouted.


    "If I wasn''t a spineless coward, I would never allow such a thing to happen. I did promise to protect you and cherish you yet here I am breaking the promise before, multiple times. It''s inexcusable. That''s why I won''t allow this to happen ever again. I will make sure he never steps closer to you."


    ''Oh¡­ my¡­ Rin!! T-That''s unfair. How can you say all of that with a straight face?! No! Calm down, Aria. You mustn''t show an unsightly expression in front of him! Breathe in and out¡­ in and out¡­ in and¡­ Ugh! I can''t stop myself from smiling. I''m so happy!!!''


    The raging emotions inside of Aria made her hesitate to speak. But, Rin thought it was because she was still thinking about the matter.


    "Would you give me another chance?" He looked at her with puppy eyes and a sad look.


    ''H-He''s too cuteeeeee¡­ I want to hug him forever and squeeze his cheeks!''


    With one critical hit after another, Aria was totally exhausted from all the mental attacks that Rin assaulted her with. She was on the verge of losing control over herself.


    (A//N: Kisses a woman and then hugs another in less than 2 minutes. Rin sure knows his way withdies :3 )


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    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 50 50- I Love That Side Of You Too

    Chapter 50- I Love That Side Of You Too


    After hugging for a while the two finally released each other. The problem they had with each other was mainly solved and now they could finally focus on the other matter that was equally if not even more important.


    "What did you do to him, Rin?"


    "I¡­I guess I overdid it?" He scratched his head with an awkwardugh.


    "I really don''t care about what happened but I can''t stop worrying about the fact that you could face a cruel punishment for what you did. Beating up the crown prince is an unforgivable sin for the royal family."


    "I don''t really care that much. I don''t regret doing it one bit. Besides, I can rely on Elise to help me clear my name."


    ''That woman again. Why does it always end up linked to her somehow? It feels as if she was meant to always stay by Rin''s side'' Gritting her teeth, Aria tried to keep calm.


    Then, she approached the crown prince and hit him in the face with a few rough ps. She wanted him to wake up before they do anything. Maybe if they spoke with him, they can reach an agreement or something.


    After a few moments, the blonde boy finally opened his eyes and stared dazedly at the space in front of him. His eyes were unfocused at first but then regained their rity.


    "Your highness¡­" Aria called for him coldly.


    "Huh? W-What¡­Where am I?" He asked.


    Then, his eyes fell on Rin, and then, as if struck by lightning, he jumped in his ce as he screamed at the top of his lungs.


    "S-Stay¡­Stay away from me you monster!! Help!!! Help me! Anyone. This monster will kill me!!!"


    *Swish*


    Rin quickly pped him on the face and said coldly.


    "Shut up. You''re annoying. Don''t scream like that when Aria is talking to you."


    "Hahaha!!! No!! Please, don''t do that again?! Anything but that darkness!! I can''t go back there."


    ''He''spletely traumatized. Damn, I didn''t expect covering his eyes with a shadow would be that painful."


    [It''s something that defies thews of this world, host. The shadows weren''t supposed to ever engulf someone''s vision so his body had an unnatural reaction toward it. Besides, you are very sadistic, host.]


    ''Me? Sadistic? Come on, I''m like the nicest and kindest person I have ever met. You can''t use me of such degeneracy!''


    [Say that to the person that grinned when he saw the crown prince squirming like a dead fish a few minutes ago.]


    ''I grinned? What? I really don''t recall doing such a thing. I was very angry so I don''t recall what I did except for what happened to Arthur.''


    [Well, it is what it is, host. I pity who will warm your bed in the future.]


    ''S-Shut up! I will always treat my woman with care and affection. Except if she wanted to y like that then I mightpromise for her sake. Let me make this clear, I am NOT a sadist at all and will never be one.''


    [And other lies you tell yourself.]


    ''What did you say?!''


    [Nothing, host. You are imagining things.]


    "Rin, he is totally out of it? What did you really do?" Aria asked as she eyed the prince with aplicated gaze.


    He had crawled to a corner and started shaking violently as he covered his face. He looked like a scared mouse that was on the verge of losing it. The fear he had at that moment of the boy named Rin was unimaginable. His eyes were still in great pain just from recalling that inhuman torture.


    "Let''s not divulge into details now. I will try to calm him down for now before the others discover this."


    Then, Rin crouched and said to Arthur in the calmest tone possible.


    "Listen here, Arthur. What happened here will stay here. You must not tell anyone about it or you know what will happen. I will make you go through pain even worse than what you experienced before. You got it?"


    "Yes!! Yes!! Please, just no more! I¡­" Tears trickled down his face as he prostrated himself in front of Rin as if he was worshipping him.


    "Sigh, I don''t know what to say anymore." Aria shook her head with a sigh.


    "Ok, the problem is solved. Get inside, your highness." Rin pped his hand and kicked the prince back on his legs. Then, he pushed him toward the door.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Act normal as if nothing happened. Oh, and drag those two with you."


    "I-I understand."


    In a matter of moments, Arthur gathered his two friends and they left the balcony.


    "It''s about time we get inside too," Rin said.


    However, much to his surprise, Aria didn''t look at him and instead was gazing at the moon on the horizon.


    "I want to stay here for a while. Will you apany me?"


    "I don''t mind. But, is everything ok? Are you still mad because of what happened? I''m sure ever-"


    "It''s not that, Rin." Aria sighed.


    "I understand that you don''t want to exin what made the prince act like that. But, I''m just worried. Worried that your powers might start changing you. Ever since that ident at the church happened, I feel like something is affecting you from the inside. It''s as if you are fighting something that wants to take control over you."


    "Hahaha! It''s not really the case. Look, I''m as normal as ev-"


    "You know, this is the first time you have ever hit another human being. As I said, I don''t care about that since you did it for my sake and I''m really grateful for it. But, I fear that the Rin that I care for might vanish one day. I''m¡­ I''m terrified that you might just leave me alone and leave."


    "..."


    "Our lives are really precious, Rin. This world is extremely dangerous and filled with the unknown. What you have seen until now is nothingpared to what hides in the darkness. Things that are¡­ truly and utterly malicious. People that could easily manipte millions and even billions of humans just for the sake of their twisted goals. I don''t want you to fall into the hands of one of these disasters."


    "... I know."


    "Then¡­"


    "It''s true that my own powers are trying to manipte me. You know, when I fought the demon inside the D-Rank dungeon a few days ago. I had a conversation with the same entity that tried to control me on the day of the awakening. It told me many things and tried to change the way I think and act. It tried to change me as a whole. But, Ipletely refused it. The thought of making the people I care for suffer because of mere power isn''t what I want. Besides, I do all of this for your sake and also for everyone else''s sake. I can''t bear seeing you guys get mistreated at all."


    "But, it can end up harming you."


    "We already had this conversation before, Aria. You can''t change my mind now. That entity couldn''t and nor could you. I have set my mind on protecting the people I care for. I don''t want to lose anything ever again¡­ nothing."


    In his eyes, Aria could see the sheer determination that he had. However, there was something else that she saw hidden deep inside. It was a hint of sadness and regret¡­ A lingering feeling that she could barely notice.


    ''What¡­ kind of things did he go through before to have that expression on his face? What did you live through in your old life, Rin?'' Aria thought in her head.


    As much as she wanted to ask him that question, she couldn''t do that. Her mouth couldn''t move to speak those words at all.


    "Anyway, let''s not make this atmosphere gloomy. Hahaha! I can assure you that the Rin you know will never disappear. I''m still me and I will always be me. Nothing will ever change that. I already promised you that and I will promise you again and again and again until you are satisfied."


    "I''m sorry. I was just being a worrywart for no reason." Aria pouted and tried to avert her gaze from him.


    Rin smiled at her cute attitude and pulled her into a hug. He then enjoyed her beautiful smell before he whispered.


    "I love that side of you too."


    "W-W-What?!" She asked with a furious blush.


    "I mean it. So, keep that side of you intact for when I need it."


    Pulling out his tongue and winking at her mischievously, he started walking away before opening the door and entering the hall again.


    "Haaah! What was that¡­" Aria fell to the ground as she breathed heavily.


    Her heart has never beat this loudly before in her life. She could barely hold herself from grinning widely like an idiot.


    "Attacking my heart like that¡­ You are too much, Rin. But, I would dly hear you repeating those words, again and again, a hundred¡­ no, a million times more."


    (A//N: Fluff chapter along with character development. You can say the first 50 chapters focused on Aria. Now, it''s time to focus on Elise since she didn''t have much time. Do tell me if you don''t like warm chapters like these or if they are good enough.)


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    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 51 51- Fragment Of The Shadow Monarch’s Dagger (Part 1)

    Chapter 51- Fragment Of The Shadow Monarch''s Dagger (Part 1)


    Returning to the party, Rin found the guests standing near the staircase that led to the second floor and where the king and the star of the partye from. This was themon urrence in such parties as the king should give a speech before his daughter or son came out and started receiving gifts from the people around him.


    ''It''s about to start.'' He thought to himself as he watched from the sidelines.


    He didn''t have any reason to get closer nor did he want to get closer. He just wanted the party to end peacefully so that he could go back and resume his training and preparations for the academy.


    ''I seriously hate ces like these. They are not made for me.''


    [You will have to bear with these things from now on, host. The greater you be, the more attention you will get.]


    ''Can''t I just get stronger in peace?''


    [You are asking for the unreasonable, host. You already know how greedy and curious your kind are.]


    ''I know, I know. I was just voicing my dreams. Look, here hees.''


    From upstairs, the king came down slowly. His aura immediately took over the hall as everyone fell silent watching him in awe and respect. His demeanor was indeed worthy of respect as it showed nothing but deep pride.


    "First of all, I must thank all of you for epting the invitation to my daughter''s birthday. I am truly grateful for it." He said with a loud voice.


    His domineering tone made everyone unconsciously fall silent and listen quietly for his speech. After that, the king started speaking about many topics that surrounded his daughter, the royal family, and some other matters.


    ''So boring. Just cut to the chase man.'' Rin rolled his eyes as he sipped the rest of his cup of juice silently.


    He had no idea when this speech will be over so he decided to search for Elise. He didn''t have a chance to speak with her since he came here.


    ''There she is. Damn, she also looks bored like me.''


    Elise was standing on the other side of the room, and around her were many people. Most of them were handsome young men and women.


    They were all sons and daughters of nobles from around the kingdom that came here merely to speak with Elise. The birthday was a secondary thing.


    ''They are quite smart. Creating a rtionship with Elise before the start of the new school year will help them greatly. Sigh, I can''t imagine myself turning that sly anytime soon.''


    [Youck the mental capabilities to do that, host.]


    ''And youck a brain! Just shut up!''


    [Yes, host.]


    As he was having that banter with his system, Elise looked at him from the corner of her eyes. She could see that he was looking at her too but his eyes were not focused on her. It was as if he was looking at something else.


    ''Is he talking with his system?'' She wondered.


    Then, she sighed and started walking toward him. The other youngsters around her were surprised by her weird behavior. One of the handsome boys asked her curiously.


    "Where are you going, your highness?"


    "I have some matter to deal with." She replied coldly without stopping for a second.


    The group looked at each other and then at the person the princess was walking to. Many of them didn''t know him at first but one of them quickly recognized Rin.


    "That''s the son of Duke Silvereye."


    "Oh! That boy? I never met him before?" A girl muttered.


    "Does he know her highness?"


    "Who knows? But, her highness does seem to know him since she''s walking toward him."


    "Or maybe she just wants to strike up a conversation with everyone and not leave anyone alone."


    "That may be the case. Her highness is truly the epitome of benevolence and kindness."


    And just like that, the group''s respect and awe for the princess increased exponentially without her knowing anything about it.


    "You seem bored?" When she reached Rin, Elise said.


    "I''m just trying to pass the night quietly." Rin kept rolling the cup in his hand without looking at Elise.


    "Beating up my brother doesn''t seem like ''passing the night quietly'' for me."


    Rin visibly froze in his ce and then, his eyes shifted toward Aria who was watching the speech from up close next to his father and mother.


    "She told you, huh?"


    "I would''ve known either way."


    "Sigh, well. I wasn''t intending to hide it, anyway."


    "What did he do?"


    "It''s a long story."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Then make it short."


    "He tried to assault Aria so I dealt with him."


    Rin wasn''t looking at Elise at the time or he would''ve been taken aback by her reaction to his words. Her teeth clenched a frown appeared on her delicate face for a split second before vanishingpletely.


    "I¡­"


    "If you want to say anything along the lines of ''I apologize for his horrible behavior''. You don''t need to. I have nothing held against you, Elise. It''s a mistake on my part."


    "And now, for thest part of this beautiful evening. My daughter, Maria, pleasee out."


    Their conversation was cut short by the appearance of the princess as she strolled down to stand next to her father. Maria was a gorgeous girl most likely younger than Elise by one or two years at most.


    She had an adorable face and a petite body that provoked the men''s desire to protect her and cherish her. Her long blonde hair dropped to her shoulders and her ck eyes were glowing faintly with a young innocence that was still not touched by the world.


    ''Why do I have a feeling as if this girl is¡­''


    "She''s one of the heroines."


    Rin''s eyes widened as he started back at Elise. He was rendered speechless.


    "Yes, she is indeed a heroine. After I rejected the protagonist, she ended up helping him and they quickly became friends. You know what happened next."


    "I wasn''t shocked about that."


    "Hm?"


    "Your mind-reading abilities are scary, Elise. It''s as if you could read my mind." Rin said jokingly.


    "..."


    "She looks like a typical ''happy-go-lucky'' girl. Any boy will fall for her instantly with that personality."


    "Did you fall for her?"


    "Huh? Obviously not. I''m just stating the facts. Why did you ask me that?"


    "No reason in particr."


    "Hmm?" Rin hummed as he thought of something before a mischievous smile appeared on his face.


    "Don''t tell me. Are you jealous of her, Elise?"


    The moment he spat out thest word, Rin''s body shuddered as he felt a strong pressureing from Elise.


    "It''s a joke! A joke! I didn''t mean it." He replied as he shook his hands frantically.


    Then, as if it was an illusion, the aura vanished and Elise replied.


    "I was just joking. I returned your prank." Her face was still as serious as ever.


    "Huh? That didn''t look like a joke to me."


    "It was funny."


    "Beat me if it was!"


    The two kept going back and forth idly without a care in the world. If the others saw how Elise was acting in front of Rin, they would die from shock or potentially be frozen in shock for eternity. Elise was never a friendly person at all so seeing her ''joke'' around was a first for anyone.


    Meanwhile, Maria had already started speaking.


    "I thank all of you for this great night. I can''t believe that my 15th birthday will be this joyful. I truly thank all of you for this great night." She said with a beautiful smile on her cute face.


    Meanwhile, her eyes were secretly looking at a corner of the room where Rin was standing. She was taking nces at him from time to time curiously.


    "Now! Maria shall receive your gifts. We will call for your names in order for Maria to properly thank you." The king said.


    In a matter of moments, two butlers came out with a long list. After that, they started naming some people along with their gifts.


    The gifts varied from jewelry to mana cores to dresses and everything in between. Maria kept thanking each and every person who gave her a gift. Her smile was truly like a warm breeze in the cold that melted the hearts of people.


    As the gifts kepting, Rin caught a glimpse of something in the corner of the room that he only noticed now when the gifts were pulled out. It was so eye-catching that he could see it from under the pile of gifts there.


    "Rin?" Elise called for him when she saw his weird behavior.


    However, thetter didn''t respond and merely kept looking at the thing silently. His mind waspletely upied by it to the point where everything else turned into a blur in front of him.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 52 52- Fragment Of The Shadow Monarch’s Dagger (Part 2)

    Chapter 52- Fragment Of The Shadow Monarch''s Dagger (Part 2)


    He didn''t know why, but he felt a weird connection with that thing. It was as if it was calling for him through his own mind and telling him to get closer, to approach it and touch it. He had no idea why but he was sure it has something to do with his own powers.


    "Rin?" Elise called for him again for a second time. Her hand was tapping on his shoulder.


    "Ah¡­ My bad. I was just thinking about something." He said with an awkward chuckle.


    After that, he shook his head and tried to erase those thoughts before he actually falls for them. As much as he is intrigued to know what kind of thing triggered this reaction from him, the consequences of his actions will be too big for him to risk it.


    ''Keep your cool, Rin. I almost fucked this party up once. I can''t do it twice.''


    Coincidentally, as he was having these thoughts, another person was called for and then the butler said something that caught Rin''s attention.


    "An old ck dagger of an unknown origin."


    ''An old ck dagger?'' Rin had a killing suspicion that the wrapped-up object was what he just described.


    The noble that got that dagger smiled and started exining.


    "My father found it in one of my raids a long time ago and has been sitting there as a family heirloom ever since. So, I decided that it could befit the royal treasury instead of my humble house."


    ''That sounds so fucking shady! Man, it screams red gs! Are people too stupid not to notice that detail?''


    [Not everyone has the same thought process as you, host.] The systemmented.


    ''It doesn''t need a massive brain to see that. But, the fact that it''s a ck dagger is too much of a coincidence. Not only do I use daggers as my main weapon but also my ability is literally to manipte shadows.''


    Meanwhile, the king asked the butler to open up the wrapped-up dagger for them to see it clearly. When it was revealed, Rin froze again.


    The dagger looked very unique, it was palpablyrgepared to normal daggers with a brown hilt and red de guards that resemble that of a demon''s mouth. It looked so intimidating and menacing even though it was a simple and old and rusty sword.


    However, that feeling of dread that seeped through every person present didn''t apply to Rin. Thetter was simply mesmerized by the dagger. Its unique design and beautiful carvings along with the midnight ck de made it look like a piece of old yet beautiful art.


    [Quest triggered!]


    [Quest section has been updated!]


    [Retrieve the fragment of the Shadow Monarch''s dagger.]


    [Reward: 1000 Action Points.]


    ''...'' Rin couldn''t say anything for a good 10 seconds as he read the quest silently.


    Then, he looked at Elise and said with a mysterious look.


    "Hypothetically speaking, what are my chances of infiltrating the royal treasury?"


    "Zero percent," Elise replied without giving any confused looks.


    "I bet. Fuck!" Rin cursed under his breath.


    "So, that sword is indeed rted to your powers as I predicted."


    "Sigh, I even got a quest that told me to get it.  The reward is 1000 Action Points."


    "1000?"


    "Yes, It''s too big of a number for me to not actually try to get it. However, if I get caught stealing, It''s the end for me."


    "... I can help you."


    "You will?"


    "Obviously, we did agree to help each other when we needed it."


    "Thank you, Elise. You are really a kind person!" He said as he grabbed her hands instinctively.


    Realizing his blunder, he quickly retracted his arms away from hers.


    "Oh¡­ My bad, I didn''t mean to touch you out of nowhere."


    Elise didn''t show any reaction at all and merely watched the rest of the party silently. However, in her head, she was thinking about something.


    ''Why did I feel like that when he touched my hands?''


    All of her life, Elise had this deep disgust from any remote skin contact with a person of the opposite sex. The reason for that disgust is something that happened to her when she was young. Ever since that ident, she could not even bear to touch a man even if neither of them meant it.


    The moment she does that, her heart starts beating loudly and a strong urge to puke assaults her. Not only that, but any contact would make her mind stop working and a strong, gut-wrenching fear fills her whole being.


    It was a trauma that she hid her whole life and didn''t tell anyone about and doesn''t intend to tell anyone about it anytime soon. It was a scar that she felt so disgusted with and made her hate herself greatly.<novelnext></novelnext>


    However, at this moment, when Rin touched her, she didn''t feel the disgust and panic attacks that usually happen to her. In fact, it was far from that. His warm hands actually felt weirdly good to touch.


    She did touch Rin before when she found him inside the D-Rank dungeon but his horrible injuries made her forget about thatpletely. But, now that she was in a calm state of mind, she could think about it. He had somehow made her enjoy his touch to a certain extent even though they were merely acquaintances for the longest time.


    ''Is it rted to the goddess? No¡­ that''s not logical. I still have my thoughts and personality intact. That means that it has something to do with him.''


    Her feelings were iprehensible. But, the good thing is that she didn''t hate it at all and that was more than enough to change many ideas in her head. One thing for certain, Rin wasn''t someone that Elise hated to be next to.


    "So, how should we do it?" Rin asked.


    Shaking those thoughts away, Elise spoke out with a contemting look.


    "Tonight, after the party. We can use the darkness to stealth our way inside the treasury. There will be some guards but I can deal with them since I''m the princess. The only problem we have is how to not alert my siblings and my father. They can easily notice our auras if we don''t be careful."


    "Can''t we just hide our auras?"


    "We can. But, it''s still quite risky."


    As they were contemting the possible solutions¡­ Rin''s eyes widened as a wide grin appeared on his face.


    "I think I have the right solution for that."


    Seeing the mischievous smile on his face, Elise tilted her head in confusion.


    "However, let me warn you. It will be quite an ufortable ride. So bear with it for me." He said.


    "Just tell me what are you nning?"


    "I can''t right now. Tonight, at midnight, just wait for me in your room and at midnight exactly, I will knock 7 knocks on your door. Seven exact knocks, to indicate that it''s me. After that, I will tell you the n."


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    A few hours passed and the party was finally over, everyone then started leaving the hall after making sure to congratte the princess for the one-thousandth time.


    Rin and his family also left the hall and went back to their house. Rin''s mind was upied with how to infiltrate the castle and reach Elise''s room. However, not to raise suspicion, he made sure to leave the nning forter at night.


    But, when the time for the family to sleep came, Rin faced the first major problem before he could even start the n in the first ce.


    "Rin¡­ can we sleep together?"


    "Aria? Why is that?"


    "Please, just this once."


    "I-I mean, it''s fine with me but¡­"


    ''My n is ruined!!'' He screamed in his head.


    Aria''s eyes turned sharp as she red at Rin.


    "Do you have something you want to do?"


    ''Your precise women intuitions are way too overpowered, big sis.''


    "W-Well, I just wanted to train tonight since I couldn''t train the whole day. That''s what I intended to do. But, for the sake of my lovely big sister, I will postpone my ns for tomorrow. Now, let''s sleep."


    Pulling Aria inside the bed, he hugged her tightly and closed his eyes with a satisfied smile. Aria waspletely frozen at the sudden contact but then quickly calmed down and dozed off in his arms. Her face was fully buried in his neck and her calm breathing kept tickling him from time to time.


    When he was sure that she was asleep.


    ''Sorry for lying to you, Aria. But, I have to do this. Thanks for your understanding.'' Kissing her on the forehead lightly, he made his way out of her grasp and covered her with the nket before walking silently to the window.


    Taking a look back, he saw how Aria was murmuring something under her breath.


    "Stay here¡­ Rin~," She said with a small smile.


    ''You are too adorable, sister.''


    *Swish*


    After that, like a shadow, he vanished into the darkness as if he was never there. The only trace left of him was the half-opened window that let in some of the moonlight that illuminated the whole city.


    (A//N: I''m stealth.)


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 53 53- Fragment Of The Shadow Monarch’s Dagger (Part 3)

    Chapter 53- Fragment Of The Shadow Monarch''s Dagger (Part 3)


    Under the veil of darkness, a figure could be seen as it moved sneakily from one street to the other. Rin was wearing an all-ck outfit that helped him blend with his surroundings perfectly. Even though his agility wasn''t that high, barely in the F- realm he was still quite fast.


    That was because his mana core was so pure and his mana was by far the best type of mana in existence, it made his abilities way stronger than his actual rank.


    So, his F- agility could actually bepared to F+ or even borderline E- agility. Rin tried to ask the system about the reason for this great quality of his mana but he didn''t get a satisfactory answer at all.


    ''The night is beautiful. I never really liked it that much before.'' Rin thought to himself as he admired the scenery silently.


    Night had always been something that he rted to loneliness and fear. Things that made him almost lose his sanity at some point. The sense of dread he had at the mere thought of spending hours and hours alone in the dark ate away from his mind.


    However, now, for some reason, he started liking this darkness. Maybe it was influenced by the Shadow Maniption skill or maybe it was because he now had a family he cared for but either way, Rin felt as if this atmosphere is where he belongs.


    The journey to the castle took him almost 25 minutes on foot, running at full speed. He had 30 minutes before midnight.


    Rin silently watched from up a tree near the castle. In less than 2 minutes, he saw almost 20 guards going around on patrols. He was sure there were more around the ce and these were merely the ones that guarded this part of the castle.


    ''Don''t betray me now, Shadow Maniption.'' Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and activated his skill.


    In a matter of seconds, his shadow engulfed his body and started pulling him inside it. The scene looked really creepy yet also mesmerizing. The way the shadows gently caressed Rin''s body and pulled him in was like a child hugging their father or something along those lines. They treated him with such care that it could be seen by anyone. That shows the high level of affinity Rin had with this element.


    When his body was fully submerged in the darkness, the shadows started moving toward the castle silently. In the past few days, Rin had tried to master this technique he used in the fight against Lina. He had no idea that it was something possible but it seems it was indeed possible and also very easy.


    The level-up of the skill increased his control over shadows and helped him learn it quicker than expected. However, the problem is that it consumed a huge amount of mana so he could only keep it for a maximum of 4 minutes before he needed to leave and regenerate his mana.


    The shadow moved past the gates and made its way toward the inner parts of the castle. Rin made sure to memorize the way to Elise''s room before leaving.


    From time to time, he would pop his head off from inside the shadow to check his surroundings before submerging it again. The castle was quiet and no one seemed to be working at all at this hour except for the guards.


    Rin''s journey was very smooth till he reached upstairs. Everything was working perfectly. There were no guards that noticed anything suspicious.


    ''Now, if I recall correctly, Elise''s room is around this corn- Oh shit!''


    Feeling the presence of someone, Rin quickly hid around the corner and took a peek secretly. There, he could the silhouette of a person standing in the corridor in front of Elise''s room.


    It was dark but the moonlight revealed who it was to him.


    ''Isn''t that princess Maria? What is she doing here?'' He cursed as he watched her carefully.


    The girl looked around her as if she sensed that something was off, her intuition was very sharp for someone her age.


    ''Fuck! I only have 1 minute before my mana pool is emptied.''


    [Maybe she''s giving a visit to Elise.]


    ''At this hour? Man, my luck is dogshit.''


    [I might argue against that, host. Your luck is by far the best in the whole universe.]


    ''Hahaha! How is that?''


    [Well considering the fact that you inherited the powers of the strongest existence that ever lived, got reincarnated, given another chance to revive your own family, and also get another one. I dare say that''s the luckiest a human could be, host.]


    ''Wait, what do you want to say?''


    [I want to say that you are indeed a very lucky and gifted person. You are liked by fate, host.]


    ''So you want to say I''m the protagonist?'' He asked.


    [I will leave those interpretations to you, host.]


    ''Oi! Don''t throw that in my face and leave! Hey, system! Answer me.''


    However, the system ignored him and didn''t reply at all. Rin sighed and focused on the matter at hand.


    It seemed that during this weird conversation he had with the system, Maria decided to walk straight toward him.


    Rin felt a chill run down his spine as he quickly tried to hide somewhere before she finds him. He had barely 35 seconds before the time is ver so he had to hurry.


    ''Damn it! If I can just drink a mana potion! But, I have to at least deactivate Shadow Maniption before using one and that will expose me. Please, just move quickly and don''t look back.'' He prayed in his head.


    Luckily, it seemed that his prayers were answered since Maria didn''t stop and continued walking until she vanished somewhere.


    Breathing out a long sigh of relief, Rin deactivated his ability and made his way to Elise''s room. Then, he knocked seven times on the door.<novelnext></novelnext>


    After a few seconds, the door opened and Elise appeared in front of him. She was wearing casual clothes: a shirt and long trousers that hugged her soft thighs. Her huge breasts werepacted inside the shirt as she left one button open possibly to make it easier for her to breathe.


    This casual look made Rin''s mind freeze for a good 3 seconds. It seemed no matter how much he looks at Elise, he will never get ustomed to her jaw-dropping beauty and amazing curves.


    "It''s 12:02¡­ you arete."


    "Maria was standing in front of your room for some reason. She was about to knock on the door but then decided not to for some reason."


    "Did she discover you?"


    "I don''t think so. She just walked away without looking back."


    Squinting her eyes, Elise sat down on the bed casually.


    "If that girl discovers this, consider the n screwed."


    "Hmm? Why?"


    "That girl is¡­plicated."


    "Complicated?"


    "I can''t exin it in words. You have to see for yourself to understand. Anyway, let''s focus on the important things now."


    "Ah! Yeah! Let me drink a mana potion first."


    Pulling out a bottle filled with a clear blue liquid, Rin gulped it down and made a satisfied sigh. He felt his huge mana pool filling up till the 30% mark. So, he pulled another two more bottles and gulped them down which ended up almost filling his mana pool again.


    "How big is your mana pool?" Elise wondered.


    "It''s C-. What about yours?"


    "..."


    "Elise?"


    "..."


    "Hey! Don''t stay silent like that. I will feel like I''m some kind of freak." Rin smiled awkwardly.


    "That''s most likely because you are."


    "Huh? Aren''t you the same?"


    "Mine is E+."


    "Damn, that''s unexpected. I thought we both had the same stats."


    "We don''t."


    "I mean. It is indeed high but it can barely suffice for using Shadow Maniption. The skill consumes a huge amount of mana. Sigh, anyway, we should go before anyone discovers us."


    Then, Rin approached Elise and extended his arm for her. Thetter looked at him questioningly.


    "Just grab my hand. You will see for yourself." He exined with a smile.


    Elise didn''t hesitate any further and touched his hand. Then, Rin quickly activated his skill and the two of them were engulfed in the shadows.


    "Hm?" Elise looked slightly surprised as she unconsciously tried to release herself. However, Rin was quicker to calm her down.


    "Just let it do its work."


    Then, the two of them vanishedpletely from the room as if they were never there in the first ce.


    Elise opened her eyes again and looked around here. However, all she could see is darkness around here.


    "Wee to my world." Rin stretched his arm with a grin as he floated in the darkness in front of her.


    "Buckle up. We are going on a journey."


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 54 54- Fragment Of The Shadow Monarch’s Dagger (Part 4)

    Chapter 54- Fragment Of The Shadow Monarch''s Dagger (Part 4)


    Staring around her curiously, Elise asked Rin.


    "How did you do this?"


    "I honestly don''t know how. It''s as if I could instinctively pull it off without much effort. As long as there are shadows, this world exists."


    "It looks quite amazing." She praised honestly.


    "Thank you. Now, shall we move?"


    Elise nodded her head and the shadow started moving as it left the room and went toward another part of the mansion that was quite deserted. There were no guards walking around as much as the other parts of the mansion that were filled with people.


    Elise made sure to guide Rin precisely toward the treasury so the trip didn''tst long and they were finally near the treasury. When they made sure it was impossible for anyone to sense their presence around there, they made their way toward a huge door made out of an unknown material. There were two guards standing on each side of the door guarding it.


    However, Rin could clearly see that they were barely holding themselves from falling asleep. They didn''t even have the energy to speak with each other.


    "How are you going to make them open the door?"


    Elise didn''t say anything and merely revealed herself before walking toward them.


    One of them felt her presence and immediately straightened himself up with a shocked look.


    "G-Good evening, y-your highness. What made youe here at this time?"


    "I have something I want to get from the treasury. Open the door."


    "As you wish, your highness!!" Without hesitation, the guard opened the door for her.


    Rin was still hiding so that he doesn''t get exposed. Then, when he saw a good opportunity, he returned inside his shadow and sneaked past the guards, and followed Elise inside. The guards then turned on the lights inside and closed the door.


    "Do tell us when you want to leave, your highness." Those were the only words they left for Elise.


    "That was stupidly easy."


    "They can''t argue back," Elise replied as she casually looked around.


    "I mean, shouldn''t it be more strict to enter this ce?"


    "Not really. This treasury doesn''t have that many valuable things. This kingdom in fact doesn''t possess any great treasure at all."


    "Wait, Aviresion isn''t that strong?"


    "No. It''s actually one of the weaker kingdoms in Divine Sapphire."


    "Damn, and here I thought it ruled over the world." Rin shook his head in disappointment.


    "It is what it is. We don''t really need this ce anyway. We can rely on ourselves."


    Rin was quite taken aback by Elise''s weirdly cold reply. He knew that she didn''t really like this ce that much and he also didn''t like it either but the way she phrased it felt weird to him. But, before he could even voice out his concerns, she changed the topic.


    "Let''s search for the dagger." She said.


    "I can feel its presence here."


    The ce they found themselves inside was a big room filled with shelves left and right. Many weird artifacts could be seen everywhere that Rin didn''t recognize. Not only that but there were countless weapons, armor, and many more things.


    The two walked in between the shelves searching for the dagger. Rin tried to locate it with the connection they had.


    "Oh! Here it is." He eximed when he saw the familiar clothes the dagger was wrapped in.


    Opening it up, he looked at the dagger excitedly. Now that he was close to it, the weird feeling of attraction was way stronger than ever.


    "It looks really old. The de is also really damaged."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "I know.  But, let me see."


    The boy then extended his hand and touched the dagger lightly. Instantly, without any prior alerts, his vision cked outpletely. When he opened it again, he found himself in a whole different ce.


    Looking around him, he was seemingly in some kind of vast in. Around him, thend was coated in a dark red color and countless weapons could be seen plunged into the ground seemingly with no owners in sight.


    The sun on the horizon was setting quietly yet the only thing Rin could describe it in was¡­ ''sad'' and ''angry''.


    ''What¡­ is this ce?'' He tried to speak but instead ended up only speaking in his head.


    The body he was in didn''t allow him to control it at all. Yet for some reason, he could sense everything around him, from the horrible stench of blood to the sound of the howling wind as it caressed his body.


    "I''m sorry, my love." A voice suddenly spoke and woke him up from his daze. Looking at the person in front of him, he couldn''t quite discern their faces for some odd reason.


    But, one thing he was sure of, the person in front of him was a woman and she was most likely in her mid-20s, her body was riddled with injuries as blood trickled down her body and into the ground. Her armor was broken beyond repair and the small pieces left intact of it were stuck to her body lightly. Other than that, he couldn''t see her face, hair, or anything that would make him recognize her¡­ if he knew her that is. But, he had this weird hunch that this woman wasn''t a stranger at all.


    "It''s the end¡­" She said with a voice full of sadness.


    Then, she quietly approached Rin and sat beside him before she put his head on herp. Rin was quite a in shock at her weird behavior. However, he couldn''t get rid of this sense of familiarity he had with her.


    ''I feel like I know her. But, who is she? Why can''t I see her facial features?''


    "Do you remember the first time we met? We didn''t really like each other, didn''t we?"


    Then, she started rubbing his hair gently and affectionately, her eyes looked at him with adoration and love. Rin was sure he had never seen anyone that had this much love for a person. Her whole being was simply engrossed in him which was something he had never felt before.


    But, seeing such a level of affection anyone would think she was obsessed with him or that she was downright crazy. However, the emotions he felt from her were so pure that he couldn''t find anything weird about it, as if things were meant to be like this all along.


    "Then, things happened, we fought together and grew up together as we strode to our goal. We supported each other through thick and thin. No matter how hard it was, no matter how crucial it was, neither of us gave up on the other. I thought we were really going to make it, I thought achieving our goal was only a matter of time. Weirdly, my goal changed along the way and I lost my reason for following it till the end. However, at that moment, my sole purpose became to see your smile and feel your warmth. I just wanted you to be happy because your smile is the most precious thing I have. But¡­"


    Her face contorted with pain as she held his cheek gently. Then, with a swift move, she kissed Rin lovingly. Her kiss was so gentle yet so strong that it made him feel as if the whole world vanished and the only two left were the two of them.


    Tears trickled down the woman''s face before falling on Rin''s face.


    "I''m sorry, my love¡­. We¡­ We couldn''t make it. I''m really¡­ hick¡­ sorry." She said.


    "I guess we weren''t meant for this. Maybe we made a mistake along the way that ended up with us right here. But, I don''t regret anything. Dying beside you is the greatest wish of my life. There is no better ce for me than being next to you."


    ? "I''m d I was able to meet you, to know you, and to fall in love with you. It was by far the happiest moment of my life. I always thanked fate for allowing me to meet you."


    Then, out of nowhere, his vision started cking out again. However, at the veryst moment, he heard the moment say something.


    "I love you so much. I adore you, &¨¦&)=¨¤." Thest word she said turned into gibberish before his eyes cked out.


    The next moment, he returned to where he was. Rin was still frozen in his ce. He still didn''t quite get what the hell happened but he tried to calm down.


    "Rin¡­" Elise called for him.


    "Ah! Sorry, I was just¡­"


    "Why are you crying?" She asked with a confused look on her face.


    "Huh?" Extending his hand to his face, he could feel the wet tears on his face.


    "Why am I¡­ crying?" He asked in a daze.


    ( A//N: shback? Future? What the hell was that? Did you like the chapter?)


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 55 55- Right And Wrong (Part 1)

    Chapter 55- Right And Wrong (Part 1)


    Rin''s mind was in shambles from the sheer amount of emotions he felt at that exact moment. He couldn''t recall what he saw but the lingering feelings from it were still there as vivid as ever. Tears kept trickling down his face so he quickly wiped them and tried to calm his beating heart.


    Elise sat beside him and kept looking at him with a confused gaze. She had seen Rin cry before when he lost Mika and also when he lost his mother and sister. He was sad, broken, and depressed.


    However, the emotions she saw in Rin''s eyes at that moment were far from normal sadness. It was as if she was looking at a being that lost his half. It was as if she was looking at someone whose soul waspletely shredded to pieces with no chance of ever fixing itself.


    That flicker of horribly dark sadness took her aback and made her question what really happened in that split second when Rin touched the dagger.


    "What did you see?" After a long time, she asked again.


    "I¡­ don''t know. But, it felt extremely painful as if thousands of knives were stabbing my heart again and again and again. I have no idea why I felt like this." He clenched the clothes on his chest as he tried to recall what he saw.


    But, each time he tried to remember, a strong headache assaulted him and made him stop thinking for a good 4 seconds.


    "You don''t need to try and forcefully recall it. Calm down." Elise said.


    "Ah! You are most likely right. Sigh, I don''t want to ever feel that way again. It''s the worst possible thing I could ever go through."


    "..."


    "Anyway, sorry for worrying you." He tried to say it jokingly but the answer he got made him blink in sheer surprise.


    "It''s ok. Take care of yourself." Her reply was nd and cold but it was still a nice reply that Rin never thought will ever get from the cold and aloof Elise.


    ''Did she start softening up for me? I wish that''s the case but she''s still as cold as ever.'' He thought as heughed at his own naive thoughts.


    "Anyway, let me check the dagger first. It better be worth the mental torture I went through."


    Elise watched silently as he looked deeply at the dagger for a good 5 seconds. After that, Rin''s eyes widened in shock.


    "What the fuck?!" He eximed loudly.


    "What did you get?"


    "Here, you have the appraisal skill, right? See for yourself." He gave her the dagger.


    Elise didn''t get why he didn''t just say what made him shocked but she still used Appraisal nevertheless.


    Then, just like Rin, she had a surprising reaction on her face. She had no idea that out of all things, it would be this kind of power.


    [Fragment of the Shadow Monarch''s dagger]


    [This is one fragment of 3 other fragments that make the full weapon. Each fragment is scattered across the vast universe. Find them toplete the whole weapon.]


    [Rank:???]


    [Durability:???]


    [Level: 01]


    [Skills: Ruler''s Army]


    [Ruler''s Army: You can use this skill to absorb any opponent you kill and turn them into a servant that you could summon. The moment the creature turns into your servant, it loses 60% of its initial prowess.]


    "See?" Rin asked.


    "It''s quite¡­ interesting."


    "Not interesting. This is outright stupidly powerful. I can literally create a whole army of creatures that fight for me. It didn''t even state any number limit. This is insane!" Rin felt a rush of energy assault him at the mere thought of the vast possibilities he had using this weapon.


    "This Shadow Monarch¡­ who is he? To possess such strength. What kind of existence was he?" Elise asked with a suspicious look on her beautiful face.


    "I''m also intrigued to know. He is definitely something else. I can only imagine how powerful he was and using this dagger, he must''ve been some kind of supreme being even among gods."


    [That''s what I exined before, didn''t I, host?]


    ''I didn''t fully believe you at the time.''


    [Do you still have trust issues, host? Did you experience a case of infidelity before?]


    ''Shut up¡­ just shut up. I don''t have the strength to argue with you about how you ended up with that conclusion.''


    [I will take that as a yes.]


    ''Fuck no!''


    [It''s a joke, host. I am sure that you are a loner. There is no way you could get cheated on if you never had a partner in the first ce.]


    ''... I hate you. I genuinely hate you with every ounce of my being.''


    [I love you, host.]


    "Sigh, anyway. It''s really something else. But, we have to leave now before anyone cou-"


    "Anyone could what?"


    Out of nowhere, a gentle and warm voice spoke to them. Elise and Rin sprang up on their legs and looked around them warily.


    "Oh! Please, drop your guard. It''s me, Maria, big sister."


    Out of the shadows, Maria came out smiling toward them.


    "What are you doing here, Maria?" Elise asked with squinted eyes.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Even under the pressuring gaze of Elise, Maria didn''t seem to be that worried as she replied with a nonchnt smile.


    "I couldn''t sleep so I decided to take a stroll around the castle. That''s when I saw both of you enter the treasury then I decided to follow you."


    ''Who would believe that?'' Rin thought in his head.


    "I''m telling the truth, really."


    Her innocent attitude and pure smile didn''t quite fit the situation which made Rin feel tense and on alert.


    He had no idea how she was able to enter the treasury without making a single sound. Hell, how did she even get past the guards without initiating a conversation which Rin and Elise could hear in this quiet ce?


    It all simply didn''t fit together and it made him feel as if this girl Maria wasn''t the same person she pretended to be. She had a secret that he didn''t quite grasp yet.


    "And now that you came here, are you satisfied?"


    "I am, actually. Wait, no! I wanted to get to know Mr. Rin personally."


    "Me?"


    "Yes! I have been interested in you, Rin."


    ''She really quickly dropped the honorifics, didn''t she?''


    "Why are you interested in me?"


    "I mean. Look at where we are. You have sneaked inside the empire''s most precious ce to get a dagger while apanying Aviresion''s scared princess. Is there anything normal about that, Rin?"


    "You weirdly¡­ have a point." Rin looked troubled as he replied honestly."


    "Hehehe! You are really funny, Rin. I like you. Why don''t we be friends?"


    "I will dly refuse."


    "Huh?! Why?!" Maria asked with a sad look.


    "Enough, Maria. Stop this stupid y of yours and get to the point of why you are here."


    "Heeh? You are so boring, big sister. That''s why no man will ever like you."


    Instantly, a cold aura erupted around Elise and engulfed the room. Her face was still as calm as ake but her aura was raging quietly.


    "Get. to. the. point." She repeated slowly.


    "O-Ok, ok. You win. But, I didn''t lie about the fact that I was interested in Rin. He''s such a unique person and I couldn''t hold myself from getting curious about him. However, I also came to this ce for another reason¡­ that dagger, can you give it back to me?"


    "Can I ask why?"


    "It''s mine so it''s only natural I get it back. Besides¡­"


    "Besides?"


    "That dagger is actually¡­ found in the demon''s territory."


    "Huh? Wait¡­"


    "Yes, Rin. That dagger is indeed something created by demons¡­ a cursed object that shouldn''t be touched by a human unless that person wants to get corrupted."


    ''Wait¡­ if that was the case¡­ No! it''s not the case here. This dagger is one of the deceased Shadow Monarch''s belongings. It can''t be something created by demons¡­ unless¡­'' A weird thought crossed Rin''s mind for a second before he shook it away quickly.


    "Can I ask your permission to take this dagger with me? I know I''m being unreasonable since I was about to steal it anyway. But, how should I exin this¡­ it''s something I urgently need."


    "Ok! You can take it."


    "I really need it so if you could find it in yourself to¡­ huh?"


    "I said it''s yours now! You can use that dagger."


    "Are you serious?"


    "Moo, Rin! You are too slow! Come on, I said yes twice."


    "But¡­ that was too easy!"


    "Hehehe! Well, I do have one condition though."


    "What condition?"


    Maria chuckled happily and then replied.


    "Follow me and you will know."


    Rin quickly looked at Elise with aplicated gaze. His eyes asked ''what should we do?''


    However, Elise didn''t know what to do either. Maria was a very mysterious and unpredictable person so she can''t really wrap her head around what that little girl was scheming. But, on the other hand, they also can''t risk her telling the king and the other princes and princesses or they will be in trouble. Stealing from the royal treasury isn''t aughing matter at all.


    ''Fuck! This really turned bad!'' Rin could only curse the world for this bad oue.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 56 56- Right And Wrong (Part 2)

    Chapter 56- Right And Wrong (Part 2)


    After thinking about it, Elise whispered to Rin secretly.


    "We should follow her for now. But, be careful."


    Rin flinched at the mere feeling of Elise''s breath tickling his ear out of nowhere. But, heposed himself and nodded at her.


    After that, the two of them followed Maria while keeping an eye on their surrounding. The weird thing is that they didn''t leave the treasury at all and instead walked to another part of the room they didn''t see before. Here, there were no shelves at all and instead, right there, stood a pedestal made out of marble.


    On top of the pedestal was what looked like a golden key. The key was three times the size of an average man''s fist and had weird engravings on it that Rin didn''t quite understand. The other weird thing about it is the broken chain attached to the upper of the key. All in all, the key looked really unique.


    "What''s that?"


    "Hehe! Just watch! It''s something neither of you has seen before. Or maybe you have seen it before." Her eyes looked at Elise meaningfully before she picked up the key.


    After that, she closed her eyes and seemingly channeled her mana into the key. Instantly, the engravings on the key started lighting up slowly until the whole key was covered in a warm white light.


    After that, Maria took a deep breath and extended the key in the air as if she just shoved it inside some kind of invisible keyhole Elise and Rin couldn''t see.


    After that, she twisted it ever-so-slowly until it turned 90 degrees to the right. The movement looked simple but the oue was far from that. The moment the key turned to the right, it made a clicking sound and everything around it changed drastically.


    A weird portal appeared there, it was barely the size of Rin''s body. Comparing it to a dungeon portal, this one was, as mentioned before, smaller and also way darker than the other portal. Besides that, Rin felt a heavy feeling when he looked at it which made him unconsciously want to get away from it.


    "Amazing, isn''t it?" Maria asked with an energetic smile.


    "What''s that, Maria? What are you doing?" Her sister asked with a wary look on her gorgeous face.


    "Don''t be like that, big sister. I just wanted to show Rin the condition I had for him to get the dagger. It''s a good deal and it won''t even be something dangerous or threatening for his life."


    "So what you want is inside that portal?"


    "Pretty much. See, big sister? Rin is way quicker to catch on than you. Is he really smarter?"


    "No." Rin and Elise replied at the same time.


    "Hey! It''s ok if I deny that but you shouldn''t have denied it too!" Rin looked to the side with a sulking look.


    "..."


    "Fine, fine. I get it." He shook his head with a sigh before he focused on Maria again.


    "Fine. A deal is a deal. Let''s go."


    "Aren''t you scared that I might do something bad to you?" Maria questioned him with an iprehensible smile.


    "Heeh? You will? I mean, if you want to do so, go ahead. But, I don''t think you are that type of person, to begin with. Although you are quite the oddball."


    Maria''s eyes widened for a moment before she returned to normal and chuckled.


    "Rin is really such an interesting person. I really like you!"


    ''What is she on about? Man, let''s just focus on the matter at hand for now.''


    "Fufufu!" Laughing again, Maria walked toward the portal and went inside.


    "Follow me." She said beforepletely vanishing inside.


    "Let''s go, Elise." He said.


    However, thetter didn''t move and looked down at the ground the whole time. He understood that she must''ve been deep in thought.


    "Elise? Is everything ok?" He asked with a concerned look.


    "Nothing."


    "It''s not nothing¡­ You have something troubling you?"


    "No¡­ It''s not¡­"


    "You don''t have to hold it in. We are friends, aren''t we? You can rely on me."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "..."


    His words hit a weird string in Elise''s heart. Her whole life, she lived with the idea that she must not let herself trust another person no matter what. Because of her trauma, she believed that the only trustworthy person in this entire world is Elise herself and no one else. So, she worked to make herself the most perfect version she could reach.


    She tried to learn everything that she thought she needed for the future. Her whole being despised the thought of being weak enough to need someone else''s help. However, at this moment, she actually hesitated from refusing his proposition.


    ''What''s wrong with me? Get a hold of yourself, Elise.'' She thought to herself before her expression returned to neutral.


    "It''s really nothing."


    Then, she started walking toward the portal under Rin''s confused gaze. But, before she entered it, she looked back and said.


    "Thanks for your concern." and then vanished inside.


    Rin, being left alone, sighed and scratched the back of his head a few times. After that, he clicked his tongue.


    "Tsk! Showing such a face¡­ You are really ying around, Elise." He murmured with a troubled look before following after them.


    When he came out of the other side of the portal, the ce was unbelievably dark. Rin was sure that his vision was good in the dark because of his powers but this ce was so dark that he couldn''t even see his own hands.


    "I will light it up in a second. Be careful, the sight you will see isn''t quite the pleasant one." Maria warned them before she lit up an old torch.


    The sudden light made Rin squint his eyes. However, the next second, his whole being froze in his ce at the sight he saw.


    Elise had the same reaction as Rin as she didn''t quite understand how to react to the sigh.


    In front of them was a long tunnel that extended seemingly to no end. The ce was old, dusty, and humid. The air here was heavy and stinky as if this room didn''t get aired in at least 200 years.


    But, this wasn''t the thing that made them freeze with shock. On each side of the tunnel, rows, and rows of creatures that resembled humans were chained to the wall.


    Their arms, legs, and necks werepletely shackled in thick chains that looked hard to break. Their bodies were incredibly skinny, weak and so stinky that it made Rin almost throw up. Another thing that horrified Rin was that even though they were in such a horrible and inhuman state¡­ they were all alive.


    How did he know that? Well, each and every one of them had his eyes open and looked around. But, he could clearly see it with his own eyes.


    ''They are all¡­ blind?''


    Dry blood that turned into ayer of brown paint from how old it was covered their bodies from head to toe.


    "Wee to the ''Hall Of The Damned''," Maria said.


    "What the hell is this, Maria? What is this ce? Where did you send us?" Elise asked one question after the other with an agitated look.


    Even though she had a good tolerance toward gory sights but this was just too much for any person to look at. The scene was a straight scene from hell itself.


    "Calm down, big sister. I will exin what this ce is in a second."


    "As both of you already know. The humans and the demons didn''t get along for the longest time.  Wars ensued between both parties again and again as they butchered each other relentlessly. However, by far, the most important war that was also the reason for the end of the demon race and the rise of the human race was the ''Blood Moon Massacre''. At the time, the human race was able to eradicate most of the demons, and the ones that didn''t die ended up being imprisoned inside this ce."


    "Wait¡­ do you mean that these were demons? And they have been here for.."


    "Almost 250 years now if my calctions are right."


    Taking a look around him again, Rin could see more and more how broken these creatures were. Even though they heard their voices, they didn''t react at all. Their blind eyes looked nk and empty as they were devoid of any possible emotions. No anger, no hatred, no sadness, and no regret. They were empty shells of their old selves.


    "That leads us to the condition I want to set for you, Rin."


    "What is it?"


    "Kill one of these demons and the dagger is yours," Maria replied with a wide smile.


    "Are you serious?" Rin''s face turned extremely serious.


    "100%. Just stab one of them in the heart and then you can consider that dagger your own. I won''t ask for anything else. So, will you do it?"


    (A//N: Hard choice indeed.)


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 57 57- Right And Wrong (Part 3)

    Chapter 57- Right And Wrong (Part 3)


    Rin fell into a dilemma over her request. He really didn''t know whether he should kill these creatures or not. Rin still didn''t quite grasp many things about this world and one of them was the demon race.


    No matter where he went, everyone hated demons to the core as they were ''creatures of evil, born from evil and serve evil''. However, that didn''t mean that he totally swallowed that idea. The reason for that was the things he heard from Lina, the demon he fought in the Lava Mansion dungeon not that long ago.


    He was sure that she wasn''t a sane person at all but he couldn''t forget what she said. Her childhood was passed running from one ce to another after she lost her family because of the human race. He had no idea whether it was the actual truth but he was sure of one thing¡­


    ''I have no grudge against these creatures. I don''t even know if they were the actual evil creatures or not.'' He felt a myriad of emotions run through his head.


    Were the humans really the victims? Were they really the advocates of the good? Is it really the truth? Questions like these assaulted his mind as he became more and more confused by the second


    Maria, seemingly catching that reaction of his, spoke out.


    "Why the hesitation, Rin? You know that they are evil, right?"


    "I mean¡­ I didn''t really see them doing something bad with my own eyes. I can''t guarantee that I''m killing creatures that deserve death."


    Maria''s eyes widened in what seemed like a surprise. Her beautiful lips then curled into a small, innocent smile. But, the words that came out of her mouth next made him forget about that smile immediately.


    "Are you stupid?" She asked.


    "Huh?"


    "Look around you, Rin. What do you see?"


    Then, she extended her arms in different directions as if she was weing something into her embrace.


    "Look at them. These filthy things aren''t even worth keeping alive. Yet, our benevolence ended up preserving their miserable andpletely useless lives."


    "How do you even call this benevolence? They had been trapped inside a dark shithole for the past 250 years. 250 years! That''s worse than dying hundreds of times." Rin retorted.


    "Pfft! That''s just naive, Rin. These creatures killed humans before. Their hands are soaked in the blood of your kin. Are you saying they are worth forgiving?" Her voice was rising ever-so-slightly the more she talked.


    "I never said that. But, I just don''t think that pure evil exists in this world. There is noplete ck orplete white¡­ there is only a grey color. That also includes humans."


    "Huh? What are you even saying? Big sister? Are you going to stay silent? Aren''t you going to tell him what happened to mother?" Maria changed her focus from Rin to Elise.


    Thetter kept her cool and didn''t reply immediately.


    "I think his words are right, Maria. History is written by the victorious. We can''t be sure that they are really indeed the creators of destruction as they were drawn to be in front of the poption."


    "Even you, big sister?"


    "Listen Maria. I understand that you hate demons and that''s totally fine. But, I would rather not kill anyone that doesn''t wish for my misfortune. It''s not my way of things."


    Chuckling lowly, Maria asked him.


    "Then what? Are you going to return the dagger to me, then?"


    "I would prefer wee to an agreement in our negotiations if possible. But, if things came down to it, I will give it back to you."


    "..."


    "So, what do you say?"


    Maria kept silent and instead walked toward one of the random demons that were sitting there. When she was close enough, she pulled out a sword from somewhere. After that, in a swift motion, she stabbed the creature in the neck.


    Thetter made a small, inaudible groan before they died quickly. Their empty eyes lost whatever light was left in them and sumbed to the grim reaper.


    "See? It''s not that hard. Why can''t you do it? Look, it didn''t even dirty my sword. My de is cleansed by the holy water of the church so it automatically cleans itself from anything evil or tarnished. Look, it''s as clean as it was before I pulled it out."


    "Sigh, just stop it, Maria." Elise intervened with an exasperated sigh.


    "I CAN''T STOP!!!" Maria shouted at the top of her lungs. Her eyes were ring at Elise and Rin.


    "Did you quickly forget how mother died, Elise? She died by the hands of these things." Using her sword, she lifted the creature''s shin to show it to Elise.


    "Mother''s life ended quickly and viciously. They took her away from us yet you don''t have an ounce of hatred toward them. Are you even her daughter?!"


    Elise was left speechless, she really didn''t know how to reply at all. Obviously, she was aware that their mother died at the hands of demons many years ago. But, even then, she really didn''t feel any attachment toward this deceased mother of hers. She was not even her real mother, technically, since this Elise isn''t the same Elise of the past.


    But, she obviously can''t say this to Maria as it will only make thingsplicated.


    "I''m sorry for your loss. I understand how you feel¡­"


    "Sorry? Understand? How will you even understand?! You will never know my pain." Maria was seething with anger at Rin. However, what she didn''t notice was that tears started trickling down her face.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Rin, on the other hand, merely smiled at her. The smile made her freeze in her ce. She didn''t know why, but through that smile, she saw many things. Deep sadness, regret, hope, and ambition, all these emotions somehow coexisted in his eyes and reached her.


    "Trust me¡­ I know." He replied in a small voice.


    After that, he looked at the dagger in his hand and then continued.


    "Will you find it in your heart to give me the dagger on a whole other condition? I swear to keep this as a favor that I will never forget."


    Falling silent, Maria looked down and didn''t say anything. Her anger weirdly vanished and instead, a sense of calm filled her heart.


    "Just take it¡­"


    "Hm? What did you say?"


    "I said, just take it."


    "Really? Just like that?"


    Surprisingly, Maria chuckled and replied in her usual happy tone.


    "Do you want me to regret giving it to you?"


    "No! I deeply appreciate it." He thanked her quickly.


    "Sigh, sorry for the unsightly behavior I showed. I always get worked up¡­ when such a topices up."


    "I don''t me you. You rightfully can mourn the death of a loved one as much as you want. However¡­ I want to tell you something."


    "What?"


    "See that hatred in your eyes. You can only deal with it in two ways."


    "Hoho? What are they?" Maria eximed amusedly.


    "You can either let it consume you and then fall into a dark abyss where the only fuel for you to advance is revenge and then end uppletely destroyed beyond repair. Or¡­"


    "Or?"


    A glint shed in Rin''s eyes as he continued his words.


    "Or you can control it and make yourself turn into a better person that understands how life works. That''s when you will realize the thing you have always been missing."


    "And what is that thing, Rin? Mind telling me?"


    "It''s not a ''missed thing'' for no reason. You have to find it yourself. When you do, you wille to thank me."


    "Fufufuf! That sounds so profound. Do you perhaps write books by any chance, Rin?"


    "No, not really!"


    ''I did try in my previous life to do that but someonemented on my book ''Your book was so bad on so many different levels that I could only be amazed. You aren''t cut for this thing, author-san :3'' After that, I never wrote a single word ever again.''


    [Wheez.]


    ''What did you say, system?''


    [Nothing, host. You are imagining things, as usual.]


    "Anyway, I think we should end our talk here. It''s getting way toote and I have to go back before dawn."


    ''If Aria finds out I left the house, she will skin me alive.'' He shuddered at the mere thought of facing an angry Aria in the morning.


    "It was nice talking with you, Rin. I had sooo much fun. I was really right on the mark when I said that you are really one of a kind. Isn''t he, big sister?"


    "..."


    Elise didn''t say anything at all in that regard. Rin didn''t expect her to say anything either as he already knows her way too well¡­ to a certain extent.


    After that, the trio left the prison and returned to the treasury together.


    (A//N: It will sure make you hesitate on which side you want to take: the demon''s side or the human''s side. It will be fun.)


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 58 58- The End Of The Beginning

    Chapter 58- The End Of The Beginning


    (We finally reached the end of the first volume :3 Here is the finale.)


    When the group returned, Rin quickly left the castle and returned to the house before dawn. He had no idea whether Aria had woken up yet or not but he had to hurry up nevertheless. If she finds out that he was out in the night while she was asleep, she will kill him with questions.


    ''Hurry your ass up, me!'' He urged himself to run faster.


    If the journey to the castle took him 25 minutes, the journey back took only 15 minutes. He had to use mana to elerate even more.


    When he reached the mansion, he quickly jumped from the window. There, he saw his sister asleep peacefully while hugging his pillow. He could see a trail of drool on her cute mouth as she murmured some incoherent words.


    ''Sigh, thank god, she''s asleep!'' He breathed out happily and quickly changed his clothes beforeying beside her.


    ''I''m exhausted¡­ I need to sleep.''


    Then, as his eyes were about to trail to sleep, he heard a whisper next to his ear. Most of the time, this whisper was like a sweet melody in his ear. However, at that exact moment, it sounded more like a death sentence to him.


    "Where have you been, Rin?" Aria asked.


    Rin''s heart stopped for a moment before he rigidly looked at Aria. His expression changed quickly from surprise to drowsiness as if she has just woken up from sleep. He then rubbed his eyes and tried to sound as sleepy as he could.


    "*Yawn* what do you mean?"


    "Good acting, little brother. But¡­"


    She then cupped his cheeks and continued as she gazed at him with her hypnotizing eyes.


    "I know you more than you know yourself. You think I will believe that acting of yours?"


    "Huh? What do you mean? Are you still half-asleep, Aria?" Rin kept the front without flinching. Any mishap means his end.


    "So you won''t admit it?" Aria murmured to herself before a weird glint shed through her eyes.


    "Admit wh- Woaaah!!" Before he could even finish his words, Aria moved closer and licked his neck.


    "What are you doing, Aria?!"


    "I once heard you could determine whether a person was lying or not from the taste of their sweat. I was trying it out."


    ''No! Not that!! Where did she even hear about that stupid thing?!'' He cursed in his head.


    He had seen this in a certain anime before but he onlyughed it off as a bizarre act in a bizarre anime and didn''t think much about it. Now, ironically, it became the source of this mental torture.


    Aria smiled mischievously and tried to lick him again, more thoroughly this time to get a stronger reaction from him. He was simply inside her trap now, with no chance of escaping any time soon.


    ''Why can''t I hear his thoughts when I need them the most? Does it work on and off automatically? Dammit! I have to get him to admit where he went.''


    "Speak. Where did you go?" She asked as she squinted her eyes.


    "W-Wait, Aria."


    *Lick*


    "Speak. I won''t give you a chance to lie to me."


    ''Why do I have to go through this hell? You know what, screw it! If she wants to y this game, I can y it too. Don''t think I will be a virgin wimp just because you are stronger than me.''


    Having had enough of this mental torture that tested his self-control, again and again, he decided to let loose a little bit. He wanted to show Aria that even if he was tame most of the time, he can still turn into a wild beast if the moment calls for that. Aria wasn''t aware of it, but she was a recipe for disaster for any man if she uses her seductive body and touched them all over. Rin was no exception for that equation.


    Besides, he was pretty much aware of all the weak points Aria had and he could easily exploit them to his advantage. So, with that in mind, he extended his arm behind Aria and poked the side of her ribs.


    "Kyaah!" Aria made a cute sound like a squirrel as she grabbed his arm.


    Grinning evilly, Rin said with a low tone.


    "What is it, dear sister? You felt something?"


    "N-No! I was just surprised." Averting her eyes nervously, she tried to hide her embarrassment.


    "Oh, really? Ok, how about this?"


    Then, he poked her on the side again with two fingers.


    "Kyaaah!" Aria''s eyes widened as a healthy blush appeared on her beautiful face.


    Rin knew that Aria was vulnerable in those areas and couldn''t control her reactions when touched there so he made it his B-n when he was cornered by her and needed to escape.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Stop that! Rin, I''m warning you." Pinching his cheeks, Aria pouted angrily and tried to get rid of his yful arms that kept moving around.


    "Heheh! This is merely the beginning! Now, for the main part. I call this move, ''the one thousand tickles of destruction''!"


    Then, without hesitation, Rin started tickling her body from head to toe. He made sure to touch every weak point whenever he reached one.


    Aria quickly lost control and fell on top of Rin as she giggled loudly.


    "Hahahah! Stop it! No! Everything except that ce!! Kyaa!!!"


    "You are not going to run away! You think teasing me was a good idea? Think twice, Aria. I''m not a pushover."


    Then, he threw her on the bed and climbed on top of her before continuing the session of tickling. Aria lost her breath fromughing and felt pain in her stomach.


    Her body kept twitching left and right and it kept touching Rin all over. He knew how destructive her curves were but he tried to keep a clear and sane mind so that he doesn''t turn into a lustful beast.


    "P-Please." She begged.


    "Ok, I will stop¡­"


    Aria''s eyes shed with hope but then quickly got crushedpletely.


    "After a few minutes, that is."


    "Nooooo!!!"


    After that, Aria''s horrible torture started. On that day, she learned that Rin was not the docile and cute brother she thought he was. That same boy can turn into a monster in human skin when he wanted to be. However, that monster was still her Rin that she loved so she really didn''t care how he acted¡­ In fact, secretly, her body was weirdly enjoying these tickles.


    However, that will be a story for another day.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Meanwhile, Elise who was unaware of this war between the two was sitting in her room. She was training her ability while she read a book.


    In her hand was another book that she kept throwing in the air, making it float before pulling it to her hand again. The training was hard but she was able to get ustomed to it quickly.


    As she was like that, she heard an urgent knock on the door. Putting the book back in its ce. She walked to the door and opened it.


    There, she found her maid, looking extremely pale and distressed. Elise asked her confusedly.


    "What''s wrong, Maya?"


    "Y-Y-Your highness¡­" The woman couldn''t even speak as she choked on her own tears.


    "Calm down, Maya. Take a deep breath and tell me what happened."


    After a few moments, Maya finallyposed herself enough to speak.


    "His majesty¡­ was found dead."


    "What?"


    "Someone¡­ had assassinated his majesty."


    ''Assassinated?! This isn''t a part of the game''s plot!''


    Then, Elise to the king''s bedroom where she found many maids and butlers gathered along with her other brothers and sisters.


    Making her way through as quickly as she could, she finally saw it¡­ the horrifying sight of the king.


    The king was pinned to the wall with a sword as if he was some kind of picture. Blood was dripping from the wall it created a pool on the ground. His face was bent down and his limbs were disfigured beyond recognition. Whoever the killer was, he definitely didn''t like the king at all.


    His death was so horrible that most of the people present didn''t dare to approach him from how disgusted they were. That is not to mention the fact that the smell inside was gut-wrenching, to say the least.


    However, the thing that made Elise''s heart stop beating for a second was slightly far away from the king.


    There, she saw a shadow that belonged to no one, thrown to the side with no owner at all. Its form was so twisted that it didn''t resemble that of a human. However, with a close look, she could see that this shadow belonged to the king himself. Beside that shadow were a few words written in blood.


    The brighter the light, the darker the shadow.


    ''Shadows? What¡­'' A huge frown appeared on Elise''s face.


    The king was killed by someone¡­ and that someone can manipte shadows.


    (A//N: Finally, the end of the first volume. I enjoyed writing and I hope you all did enjoy reading it too. I made some mistakes here and there but I do hope it was up to the standard. Anyway, the name of the first volume is ''shy Beginnings''. In the next arc, mysteries will get more enjoyable and thrilling and Rin and Elise''s rtionship will be tested thoroughly. It will be an evil ride, so buckle up :3)

 Chapter 59 59- A Crime Of Shadows (Part 1)

    Chapter 59- A Crime Of Shadows (Part 1)


    Elise just kept staring nkly at the ce where the shadow wasying. She didn''t know what her face looked like at that moment as the horrible truth weighed down on her consciousness.


    Taking deep breaths, she tried to grasp herposure again and try to think rationally but the sheer shock of what happened was just too much even for the cold and rather aloof girl that was Elise. The sheer implications of what happened were big enough to basically ruin any possible n she created with Rin.


    Her mind raced around as she imagined what will happen in the future. First and foremost, the plot might as well be considered fully destroyed. There is no possibility where the plot will go normally after this.


    The king was an important character in the TOI since the start and could even be considered a supporting character that will help the yer in future quests and ordeals. Not only that, but without the king, manyte-game events will never happen at all. Elise was relying on those events to gain strength quickly but now, it all went to ruins.


    The second problem and the most important one was the possible cause of the king''s death. As much as she wanted to deny it, the possibility that someone or something in this world could use Shadow Maniption other than Rin weighed on her mind.


    She had seen with her own eyes how stupidly strong that skill is and how massive its potential is. It was to the point where she believed that even her gravity maniption skill won''t stand a candle in front of a fully developed Shadow Maniption.


    The vast possibilities that skill possessed were just frightening, to say the least. But she was d it was in the hands of Rin as she more or less trusted him with it. Now that there is a possible second existence with the affinity, that ease vanished and a dreadful feeling filled her heart.


    That''s why, to kill off any potential problems, for now, she had to find the cause of death and hope it won''t be the worst-case scenario.


    "D-Dad¡­" A girl suddenly spoke behind Elise and made her wake up from her daze. She looked back and expectedly, she saw a shocked Maria standing there.


    A small frown shed across her face before vanishing, she had already imagined this reaction from that girl. The fact that she lost her mother and also her father.


    "NOOO!!" She then screeched and tried to run toward him as fast as she could, her eyes were already streaked with tears.


    However, before she could reach him, Elise had already grabbed her arm and stopped her.


    "Stop, Maria."


    "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!!! LET ME GO! Dad is in danger, I need to save him. He will die!!"


    "Don''t you already see? He''s dead, Maria."


    "No, no, no, no!! Shut up, shut up, shut up! He needs help now!!"


    Sighing, Elise had no other choice but to do such a thing. With a swift move of her arm, she hit Maria on her nape. Maria instantly widened her eyes in shock and then closed them as she fell unconscious.


    Elise then supported her and carried her to one of the maids and said coldly.


    "Take her to her room and keep an eye on her. She won''t wake up for a few hours."


    The maid quickly nodded and carried Maria out of the room. After that, Elise looked at her siblings that were standing there with varying looks of shock stered on their faces.


    "No one is to leave this ce for now. Our father has been killed by someone and we must find them." She said with a domineering voice filled with authority.


    At that moment, Elise looked like royalty through and through. Even her brothers and sisters felt as if they needed to follow her orders or they will regret it.


    However, that moment of shock quickly vanished and some of them clicked their tongues in frustration.


    One of the girls stepped up and red at Elise with a clearly pissed-off look. That girl was her other sister, Charlotte. (A//N: Check chapter 19 for reference. Charlotte is the one that threatened her before.)


    "Who gave you the right to order us? Huh? Our father is dead and you still act as cold as ever. I''m amazed, Elise."


    The others secretly nodded their heads at her words. They didn''t think Elise had the right to say anything at this moment to them or order them around as she pleased.


    "Don''t you see how horrible the situation is?! Don''t try to-"


    "Listen here, Charlotte." Elise cut her off.


    "It''s true that our father died. But, even more, important is the fact that the king of this country is dead! You think it''s time to whine like babies while looking at the whole kingdom copse, huh?"<novelnext></novelnext>


    After that, she unleashed a little bit of her aura. Charlotte''s face paled slightly.


    "I''m the crown princess and the sole sessor for the king and I shall take this to my hand and see to it as I see fit. You only listen and do what I say. No one is to leave this ce until I tell them to do so. Where are the guards?"


    She asked her maid Maya.


    "They are on their way.  The doctors will also arrive soon."


    "Good. Tell them to close any possible exits from the castle. No one is allowed to leave the castle either."


    Elise had no idea what to do at the moment but one thing for certain is that she must close this ce before the culprit runs away¡­ if he wasn''t already out of the castle, that is.


    "This fucking bitch¡­" Murmured Charlotte under her breath with a furious look.


    The others had already cowered back in fear of Elise. Hating Elise was a thing and insulting her publicly is a whole different thing. If things continue like this, she will soon be crowned as the empress and that will mean she will have clear authority over them.


    Making her an enemy was the stupidest idea possible at that moment. So, swallowing their anger, they stayed silent and watched her work.


    As Elise waited for the guards and doctors to arrive, she approached the most important detail of the crime scene to inspect it.


    She needed to understand what or how this mysterious killer did this crime before trying to expose them.


    ''I need to also get in contact with Rin before he leaves. I can''t do it without him.'' She thought to herself.


    Rin was the most knowledgeable about this element so it was the only right thing to ask him about it. What Elise didn''t notice at that exact moment was the fact that she wanted to rely on Rin.


    Hell, she even thought that without that ck-haired boy present, she can''t solve this mystery which was a first for Elise who never wanted to rely on or trust anyone other than herself.


    However, that wasn''t the time to think about such things so she totally ignored that detail as it didn''t even cross her mind at all.


    ''It doesn''t look any different than Rin''s shadow.'' She thought as she recalled how Rin''s powers worked.


    However, after looking at it for a long time, she recognized a crucial detail that could not be missed. When Rin uses his powers, his shadow and the shadow of the things that he controls be way darker than before.


    It was a detail she ignored for now as it didn''t seem to be that important. However, in front of her, the shadow of her father looked¡­ faint. It was as if someone had used an eraser and tried to delete his shadow rather than controlling it but instead could only wipe a little bit of its color away.


    ''What does that mean? What did the killer use to finish him off?''


    Another crucial detail in the shadows was the writing near it.


    ''The brighter the light, the darker the shadow? What does that mean? What does the killer want to imply?''


    Her brows creased slightly as she fell into thought. That''s when the door opened and the guards finally came here along with a group of old men wearing formal clothes and carrying huge bags in their hands.


    Their expressions turned sour when they saw the dead body but since they were extremely professional, they understood what happened and went to work.


    Reaching the king, they tried to pull him out of the wall and get rid of the sword that pierced his abdomen.


    "Wait! Don''t touch the sword." Elise instructed.


    ''It''s the only possible way I could get some kind of lead on this person. Dammit! I don''t even know whether their fingerprints will be useful or not.''


    (A//N: Fun fact: Maria''s mother that died isn''t actually her real mother. Her real mother is alive. The deceased one is actually Elise''s biological mother but because Maria was very close to her, she called her ''Mother''. I hope that clears things up for those asking.)


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 60 60- A Crime Of Shadows (Part 2)

    Chapter 60- A Crime Of Shadows (Part 2)


    The guards looked at her with questioning gazes but they didn''t try to voice theirints as they were talking to the crown princess and no one else other than her.


    Elise quickly approached them and said with a serious tone.


    "Use a cloth to pull out the sword. I need that sword for now."


    "As you wish, your highness." The guard answered.


    After that, one of them get a piece of fabric and used it to pull out the sword. However, when he exerted force on the sword, it didn''t budge at all. Using even more force, it still didn''t move.


    ''What is going on?'' He asked himself in disbelief. The guard knew that he wasn''t extremely strong but he at least assumed that he was capable of pulling a sword out of a dead body for certain. But, it seemed that this was not the case here.


    Feeling embarrassed at his weakness, he channeled his mana into his arms to enhance his strength and gritted his teeth before pulling as hard as he could.


    "Hngh!" He groaned under his breath.


    Yet, even then, the sword didn''t move an inch out of the King''s body. It was as if the sword fused with his body or even fused with the wall.


    "Help me here. It''s stuck."


    The other guard nodded and the two tried to pull it out together.  This attempt wasn''t a sess either and the two could only look down in shame. How useless were they?


    "Sigh, get out of the way." Elise shook her head in exasperation and walked to the sword.


    Gripping it tightly, she used her right arm to get it out. Her moves were as swift and elegant as they could get.


    *Swish*


    With a full move, the sword exited the king''s body as if it was a hot knife exiting a piece of soft butter. It looked so easy that it made everyone look at her with a stupefied gaze.


    After getting it out, Elise looked at one of the butlers there. Thetter flinched but still approached her quickly.


    "How can I-"


    "Hold this for me. Be careful not to touch the body of the sword at all costs. Understand?" She cut him off.


    "Y-Yes, your highness." He said.


    The moment she put the sword in his hand, his eyes widened as his body almost fell down to the ground. A huge frown appeared on the butler''s face as he tried to lift the sword up with his full strength but couldn''t do so and had to bend down in defeat.


    "Is it really that heavy?" She asked.


    After that, she picked up the sword again and inspected it thoroughly. Except for its unique blue color, the sword looked weirdly normal. Elise tried to recall seeing it before somewhere however, she couldn''t recall anything. She then asked her siblings.


    "Who''s sword is this?"


    They all looked at each other with confused looks. It was as if they were surprised she asked that question.


    "Speak quickly."


    "You don''t know? That''s the sword of the empire, Soul Eater." One of them finally answered.


    Elise''s face contorted slightly for a second before she looked at the sword again with surprised eyes.


    ''This is the soul eater? Wait, this isn''t the same one. No, it doesn''t look like the one I remember.'' She thought to herself.


    The Soul Eater is one of the 5 Great Swords that exist in this world. These swords were the ones used by each king in the greatest war between the human race and the demon race¡­ The Blood Moon Massacre. These swords carried a huge amount of strength that would turn anyone who uses them into a supreme being no matter who he was. However, the problem with this sword in particr is that its powers never appeared after that war.


    The other four swords were given to other kings and each one of them was a weapon of mass destruction that could easily wipe a kingdom out of the face of the world if it was used by the right hands.


    Elise obviously heard of this sword as it was one of the main items that the yer gains in the game and it was a monstrous weapon. It was so powerful to the point that no one in the history of TOI was able to make it reach its full potential.


    Many tried to focus solely on this sword but could not level it up to the maximum level at all. Hell, no one even knows what is Soul Eater''s highest level at all.


    ''But, if I recall correctly, this sword could only be used by pure bloodline royalty and no one else. Wait¡­.'' Seeming going through many thoughts, a small detail took her whole focus that she seemingly passed.


    ''Pure bloodline royalty? H-How did anyone use this sword and kill the king? The only two pure bloodline royalties in this kingdom are me and him¡­ huh? Maybe another royal family assassinated him? No, that won''t exin how they got a hold of the sword when it was clearly inside the treasury.''


    The more she thought about it, the more things didn''t make any sense. She couldn''tprehend how anything was possible at all.<novelnext></novelnext>


    ''I don''t even know where to start my investigation from. Dammit!'' She cursed under her breath before she put down the sword.


    After that, she took a few deep breaths to calm herself and then called for one of the guards that were guarding the king''s bedroom yesterday.


    "Did anything happen yesterday that was weird or suspicious? Did you see anything?"


    "N-No, your highness. We didn''t see anything at all. In fact, the whole night, the king was awake as he had some work to do and the light of the room was turned on the whole time."


    ''So it was not an ambush attack? Being able to kill the king while he''s awake without making amotion, how is that even possible?!'' Elise felt herself on the verge of losing her mind.


    Such a crime was too perfect to be true. Elise was a firm believer that a perfect crime doesn''t exist at all as humans are faulty by nature and even the smallest detail could reveal many things.


    However, in front of her was a seemingly wless execution of a n that should not be even possible in the first ce.


    Rubbing her temple, she walked to the door and looked at her siblings.


    "You all, I''m going to question each one of you¡­ one by one."


    She knew that it was useless to think that they were the ones to kill their own father.  Besides, none of them were pure bloodlined so they couldn''t use the sword. However, it was still a possibility she couldn''t ignore.


    "Stop right there, Elise. Why are you questioning us? Shouldn''t you be the prime suspect in this?"


    "Me?"


    "Yes, you! Soul Eater is a sword that none of us could use. However, the only one that could use it is you! You are the one that killed our father!!" Charlotte hissed loudly.


    "Yes, she''s right. You have no right of using us when you are the most suspicious one."


    "Stop acting as though you are some kind of empress. You just wanted our father dead to seed his throne quickly."


    They all jabbed at her with words one after the other. Finding this opportunity, they wanted to turn the tables on her for their sake and even potentially ruin her.


    ''These morons. Sigh, I don''t even know why I''m trying this hard to fix this huge problem.''


    Elise was genuinely thinking about abandoning everything and just leaving this ce along with Rin. They can change their identities and enroll in the academy with new names.


    ''Besides, I''m not going to seed to the throne. It will just hinder me.''


    As she reasoned with herself, the idea started to sound more and more appealing. However, she tried to also think on the other side of the matter. If Elise runs away, these scumbags could use that against her and she will be a wanted criminal that allegedly killed the king and ran away.


    ''If things came down to this. I have no other choice.''


    She ignored her siblings and walked to one of the maids.


    "Call ever noble that was still in the capital. We need to set up a meeting¡­. Many things will change drastically from here on."


    After that, she made everyone except the doctors and the guards to leave the ce. She was still intrigued to see what they will discover from the king''s body after analyzing it.


    "I will be taking a breather outside. Call me when you finish."


    After walking outside, she rested her back on the wall with a long sigh. Her face didn''t look normal at all.


    [Are you ok, Elise?]


    ''I''m fine. Just a small headache.''


    [There is always a solution, Elise.  Don''t try to overthink and just do your best.]


    ''You are right. I should calm down and not overthink. I should narrow the leads first. Thanks for the help, system.''


    [I will always try to assist you as much as I can, Elise.]


    (A//N: Do tell me if the chapters are boring or not engaging enough. Your opinions matter to me, guys)


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 61 61- Laughing Nightmares (Part 1)

    Chapter 61- Laughing Nightmares (Part 1)


    Elise''s mind didn''t calm down for a long time. She was still conflicted about what she had to do from now on. Even if she solves this mystery, she was sure that many things will drastically change, and that will most likely affect her directly.


    But, even then, she couldn''t choose her next step carefully as usual. There was this weird uncertainty in her heart that didn''t allow her to think rationally.


    Everything in her mind was ''what if''. She simply couldn''t find the right answer to anything. That''s why she opted to try and rx for now until things be clearer or until she finds the answer herself. Either way, at this moment, she was not in the mind to actually make any move.


    As she was like that, her maid Maya came toward her and informed her of what was happening.


    "All the noble families are still in the capital so they wille here tomorrow. The meeting will be set for tomorrow too. Is that to your liking, your highness?"


    "Good enough. What about the doctors? Did they finish checking the body?"


    "They are yet to finish, your highness. They said that it will take a few more hours."


    "Fine. I will be in my room then."


    Excusing herself, Elise walked back to her room and sat down on her bed. Her body felt weirdly exhausted even though she was fine yesterday. This was the first time she felt this drained in a long while.


    ''What is wrong with me? Tsk.'' Clicking her tongue, she closed rested her back on the soft bed and closed her eyes before putting her arm on her face.


    Her mind and body werepletely exhausted as if she ran in a marathon for 2 days while solving a mathematical equation.


    That''s why, in less than 2 minutes, she sumbed to the sudden urge to sleep and quickly drifted away.


    ''I need to¡­ rest for¡­ a little bit.'' She thought to herself before she lost consciousness.


    An unknown amount of time passed until she opened her eyes again. The strong headache was still there as if it never left and her body was still tired. But, she still felt a little bit better than before.


    Lifting herself up, she looked around her groggily. Her mind was still affected by the long nap she took. That''s why, when she tried to stand up, her body swayed left and right for a moment.


    Grabbing her forehead, she gritted her teeth and tried to recuperate.


    ''Did I¡­ get sick or something? This isn''t normal.'' She said to herself.


    Her body had never reacted like this before even in her previous life. Elise did get sick multiple times, but, no matter how severe it was, she was never that affected by it. Her pride won''t allow her to turn into a weak mess because of a mere sickness.


    The mere thought of bing vulnerable for even a single second horrified her to the core. She can''t get rid of the dread she had toward that feeling. That wicked feeling of weakness and hopelessness was something she hated.


    ''I can''t¡­ let this affect me¡­'' Biting her tongue, she felt a surge of pain rush through her body along with a metallic taste in her mouth that she recognized as blood.


    ? But, ignoring that pain, her mind finally started waking up and she could finally at least stand straight without getting hit by strong vertigo.


    Walking to the window, she opened it to take a peek outside and to also breathe some fresh air. The time was night and there was no sound of anyone outside which did make her feel slightly confused.


    But, she quickly ignored that detail as the pain she felt at the moment was upying her mind and stopping her from thinking about anything else.


    Inhaling the cold air of the night, she tried to calm herself and ease the pain.


    "Why is it¡­ so dark? What time is it, system?" She murmured under her breath.


    Her question was casual as she always asked the system for the exact time instead of looking for it herself.


    After waiting for a few seconds, she didn''t hear the distinct feminine voice of her system. Tilting her head confusedly, she spoke again.


    "System, what time is it now?"<novelnext></novelnext>


    Again, no reply at all. This made her tired eyes open up and she looked around her with a serious gaze.


    "System, where are you? Answer me." Her voice was getting more and more alerted the more seconds passed without her getting an answer.


    ''What''s going on?''


    Her tiredness was now gone as it was reced by a sense of dread. She was still trying to wrap her head around the situation when she felt a heavy pressure on her chest. This feeling wasing from the window where she stood.


    Quickly closing the windows, she walked to the door and opened it quickly.


    "Maya." Searching for her maid with her eyes, she didn''t see anyone.


    The corridor was empty of any humans. Even the guards that usually walked around the ce at night weren''t there.


    Her alerted mind became even more alert. She was finally aware of the sheer severity of the situation. After that, her eyes went straight toward something that she put on her table before she went to sleep a few hours ago. It was the sword that killed her father, the Soul Eater. Then, she quickly picked it up and put it on her waist. She didn''t want to get out without having a good weapon to use.


    Without waiting any longer, Elise ran down the corridor searching for any person. She opened every door she found, but the rooms were empty. There was not even a single trace of people. Even the king''s bedroom was empty with no trace of the horrible crime that happened there.


    "This is very weird. What the hell is going on?"


    Walking toward the entrance, she left the castle quickly in search of any person. Hell, even a small animal will do as those also were nowhere to be found.


    Looking around here, the streets of the city were eerily quiet. The bustling capital of Aviresion was now turned into a deste city. The streets were empty, the buildings were closed.


    Not a single light could be seen turned on.


    "Am I dreaming?" She asked herself as her hand instinctively pinched her cheek. The pain rushed through her body and filled her mind. But, that didn''t seem to wake her up from this supposed dream.


    ''Let''s try to calm down. I recall that I fell asleep, then I woke up from sleep to find myself in this weird ce. Is it a dungeon of some sort or an illusion spell cast by someone?''


    There were many possible reasons for this weird phenomenon. However, it all seemed way too odd to be a nightmare, too perfect to be a dungeon, and too real to be an illusion. She had even looked around and found that every single detail from the real castle was there. Hell, even the same spots of dust that weren''t swept because of the worker''sziness were there


    As she was like that, her ears caught a small sounding from behind her. She didn''t hear it until thest second. But, her body, as if possessed by something, moved on its own as it dodged whatever was about to attack her from behind.


    Jumping in the air, she created a distance between them and looked at the culprit with wary eyes.


    In front of her, a ck humanoid thing stood still. It had no face and no distinct features. Just a lump of darkness that took the shape of a human.


    It was also different from the lump of darkness that Rin turned into the day he awakened as this one was simply as t as a thin piece of paper.


    "Who are you?" She asked as she put her arm on the sword and readied herself for any sneak attacks.


    The creature didn''t say anything for a few seconds. But, its body did react to her voice since it started twisting and turning then, it changed its form.


    "Wha¡­" Elise could only watch as the thing changed its formpletely.


    Now, standing in front of her, was a gorgeous girl with long white hair and impossibly alluring eyes. The girl had a great figure and wore casual clothes that should not look attractive on her yet it gave her an aura of calmness and serenity that only befitted her.


    Yes, the girl in front of her was Elise¡­ another Elise. The two looked so eerily simr. However, the only difference between the two was that this Elise''s eyes were as dark as the abyss itself while Elise''s normal eyes were a beautiful shade of blue.


    (A//N: Elise Vs Elise¡­ Ready¡­ Fight!! Jokes aside, this fight will really be a turning point for Elise. This whole arc actually will be a turning point for her.)


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    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 62 62- Laughing Nightmares (Part 2)

    Chapter 62- Laughing Nightmares (Part 2)


    ring at the weird clone standing in front of her, Elise tried to understand what kind of thing it was. It didn''t seem to be something that exist in this world. In fact, she had never heard of a creature like this one before in TOI so she can exclude the possibility that its something that lives in Divine Sapphire.


    The next thing she deduced was that this creature was just exactly as strong as she was. How did you find that out, you may ask. Well, the fake Elise was unleashing her aura in its full glory without any restraints so she could clearly feel her level of strength. The two were equal in that area.


    ''It tried to attack me so it''s safe to assume that it''s hostile.''


    "Who are you?" Elise asked as her eyes turned sharp like des. Her breathing calmed down greatly and her heart became as tranquil as a divineke untouched by the howls of the wind.


    She looked like a supreme goddess, a calm yet dangerous goddess.


    However, the enemy didn''t respond, not that Elise expected them to respond in the first ce. Instead, the fake Elise charged toward her at full speed.


    The clone''s arms were moving behind her and then, out of nowhere, it pulled out a sword that was eerily simr to Soul Eater that Elise possessed.


    ''It can also clone my weapon?'' Clicking her tongue, she unsheathed her sword and met the clone halfway.


    *BAAAAAAAAAAANG*


    The two swords shed violently, the sparks of fire generated from the des covered their expressions from each other. Yet, even in between those sparkly things, Elise could see the dark abyss that was the clone''s eyes.


    They were so devoid of any human resemnce that it almost scared her. It was even colder and emotionless than a hard machine.


    The sh was equal in everything. No matter how much Elise tried to overpower her opponent, the other Elise simply stepped up and made it even again.


    "Hah!" With a hiss, she pushed the clone away before charging toward it again. This time, she secretly activated Gravity Maniption. Then, ever-so-slightly, she altered the weight of her enemy.


    This skill, as strong as it was, didn''t possess that much prowess because of its low level. However, even with that, with constant practice, Elise learned many secrets about it.


    For example, Elise can alter the weight of another object/creature. However, the bigger the change, the more mana it consumes. With experiments, she deduced that the most she can affect is around 10 kilograms give or take before her mana pool ispletely exhausted. (A//N: By affecting 10 kilograms, it means that she can make her opponent heavier or lighter by 10 kilograms. Hopes that exins it. Oh, 10 Kg is 22 pounds for the American readers.)


    Back to the fight, the clone that was about tond on her legs felt the sudden change and that made her lose bnce for a split second. Elise was searching for that moment, so she quickly closed the distance between them and shed with her sword.


    The Soul Eater was such a great sword, even though it should''ve been heavy, it was actuallyfortable in her hand as if she had trained with it for a long time. Thepatibility was just impressive.


    The sword approached the clone at an rming speed. When it was barely a few inches away from her, the clone did something that took Elise aback.


    Instead of trying to dodge, she simply extended her arm to meet it halfway as if it was the most obvious thing to do. *


    *Swish*


    The sword sliced through her hand like butter. But, the moment it tried to exit from the other side, cutting the arm in half, it suddenly got stuck.


    ''Huh?'' Elise didn''t get what happened in the first tenth of a second.


    The flesh around the sword suddenly twisted and turned before it engulfed the swordpletely, fixing it in its ce.


    Then, with her other hand, the clone stabbed Elise. Her sword was aimed at Elise''s throat.


    ''No, you don''t.''


    Ducking down, the sword Bareilly grazed Elise''s hair, cutting a few strands of it before passing her.


    Then, without waiting any longer, Elise pulled the sword out and backed away. She wanted to take a few deep breaths and analyze what just happened.


    However, the clone didn''t seem to be keen on the idea of giving her those precious first few seconds since it immediately attacked her again.


    *BANG*


    Elise had no choice but to sh with the clone again and again and again. The two moved left and right and shed like two raging tornadoes that want to shred each other to pieces.<novelnext></novelnext>


    *ng* *ng* *ng*


    Each thrust, each slice, and each sh sent a shiver down Elise''s spine. Even though she was fighting a deadly opponent and even though she was ying with her own life, she still couldn''t stop herself from feeling some¡­ excitement.


    The fight, the adrenaline rush, and the feeling of sweat umting on her face was such an exciting feeling for her. Bear in mind, Elise was never someone who enjoyed fights since she knew they were merely a stupid gamble with one''s life.


    Yet, at this moment, a small smile crept to her face. Her eyes had a weird glint to them as she parried and attacked ruthlessly like a blood-thirsty beast or a battle-junky that desired to swim in the blood of their enemies.


    ''Show me more!'' She thought in her head in the spur of the moment.


    The calmer Elise would''ve been shocked beyond words at the attitude she was giving right now. This was her? Impossible. Since when did she enjoy deadly battles? Did she lose her mind because of stress? That was possible in this case.


    Elise wasn''t at any disadvantage since both of them were even in everything. However, she can''t stop herself from starting to get exhausted from the constant exertion of power. She had been like this for the past 5 minutes.


    The clone simply fought her with a nk face as if it didn''t matter to her whether this was a good fight or not. She simply wanted to kill Elise and that was it, no hidden motives or scheming ns. Just a full-on all-out offense.


    Using her skill, Elise kept on altering the opponent''s bnce point left and right. Her method was to use the skill for a split second before deactivating it and then reactivating it again. This reduced the amount of mana she needed for her skill to stay activated while also sparing some of it to keep her body enhancement activated for longer.


    After an unknown amount of time, Elise felt her body starting to tire out. She can''t forget that she was still feeling exhausted from the constant fighting. Her plump, red lips were agape as she breathed in and out audibly. Her big chest was rising up and down rhythmically along with it. Her looks now weren''t worse at all, in fact, this state she was in made her look like a wild yet an incredibly seductive woman.


    "Aren''t you tired?" She asked with a sarcastic tone.


    Then, rested the sword on her shoulder and continued.


    "I know that this isn''t a mere game. Isn''t it time to reveal who you are? The fun is diminishing quickly."


    The clone looked at her nkly for a while without making any reaction.


    ''Sigh, it obviously won''t¡­''


    However, before she could even think about it, a weird urrence happened. The clone in front of her contorted her face to form what could only be described as a pure, evil grin that shook her to the core.


    No one should ever see themselves looking so contorted and evil ever in their lifetime. It was akin to a nightmare.


    Elise''s sarcastic expression turned gravely serious in a moment.


    After that, she lifted her hand and clicked her fingers together. The sound reverberated around them. So much so that the whole ce literally shook violently.


    The streets cracked, the buildings started to crumble and the sky was literally peeling off like a sticker.


    "Woaaah!" Losing her bnce, Elise felt her body sway left and right as the ground beneath her cracked and turned to rubble.


    ''What the hell is going on now?! It''s really turning into a sick fucking joke!''


    In a matter of seconds, the whole world around her turned into pure destruction


    All the destroyed debris and what remained of the ce were then swept away so simply, leaving both of them in a ce that could only be described as a void.


    Elise looked beneath her at the endless darkness and questioned how she was still floating in the air after all of that.


    However, her mind didn''t have the luxury of thinking about anything else at the moment as in front of her, the grinning clone finally opened its mouth and uttered one single word.


    "Smile."


    "Huh?" Elise groaned confusedly.


    Then, everything changed again.


    (A//N: Happy new year, everyone. I hope you all have an amazing year with great sess. I wasn''t intending to write another chapter for the non-priv readers tonight, but here it is. I have one request for all my precious readers, I would love it if you give this book some of your precious golden tickets to help me out. I will be endlessly grateful for your support. Have a great day, guys :) )

 Chapter 63 63- Laughing Nightmares (Part 3)

    Chapter 63- Laughing Nightmares (Part 3)


    The world rumbled and shook around Elise as if it was getting shaken by a raging storm. She didn''t get how this was possible when she was literally floating in the void with no solid objects around her.


    The more dreadful fact is that the creature in front of her, who was still grinning at her, didn''t seem to be affected by this change. It was as if this whole mess was not rted to them.


    ? Gripping her sword tightly, Elise tried to keep her calm and get ready for whatever was going to happen.


    *RUMBLE*


    The void world turned upside down with the loud and chaotic change. Cracks upon cracks spread all over the ce.


    ''What do they intend to do? Either way, I can''t wait for whatever they are nning to happen.'' Resolving herself, Elise charged toward the clone.


    Her feet could weirdly step on the emptiness yet still feel a hard ground beneath her. However, she ignored all of those weird facts and focused solely on destroying her enemy.


    "Haah!!" With a low growl, she attacked the clone.


    Thetter''s grin didn''t vanish at all and instead seemingly grew wider.


    "Smile." They said again, in that same, inhuman tone.


    Then, they pulled their sword and shed with Elise again. The moment they crossed swords, the world shook violently in response as if its demise was rted to this fight.


    "Who are you and why are you targeting me?" She asked the clone with a cold tone.


    "Smile." The fake Elise responded.


    "What do you mean ''smile''?"


    Elise was aware that it was useless to ask these questions and she didn''t expect a satisfactory response. But, before, when she asked her clone a question, it triggered this change so assumed that if she kept asking, changes will keep urring in response.


    Another thing she pinpointed was that this clone can''t use Gravity Maniption. They had other powers but not that skill. This was a good thing as if this clone had the skill, she would''ve had to deal with a bigger, more threatening problem.


    ''Fuck this! I can''t just keep this for longer.''


    Elise had already started to lose her footing. The fight was going in a direction she didn''t like.


    "Smile." The clone said.


    Her voice sounded like a broken record, a cursed one at that. She kept repeating those words as if they were the only things she could say.


    "Smile, smile. That''s enough." Elise''s anger was reaching a boiling point.


    Her sharp and cold eyes had bloodlust seeping out of them. Her wild aura became even more chaotic.


    The Soul Eater''s aura also became violent, losing its calm blue hue and coated in a darker shade of white, the same color as Elise''s aura.


    "Die!"


    Using her full power, she unleashed her strongest attack so far. Stabbing with her sword, she appeared in a sh as she closed the distance between them.


    In a split second, the whole world froze and Elise could somehow perceive it in that slow motion.


    "Smile, smile, smile, smile, smile."


    Then, the clone''s face started morphing and reshaping itself just like before. The change was faster than the blink of an eye.


    Her gorgeous face was now a whole different one. A face that belonged to a man. The face was pretty average, with a lot of facial hair covering half of his face. He had two small, brown eyes and a huge nose.


    "Smile." The voice also changed along with the features.


    Elise''s calm and tranquil eyes instantly widened to the extreme. Her heart which was beating calmly stopped for a second and her breath got stuck in her throat.


    ''What¡­'' She asked herself inplete disbelief.


    That face, that cursed face that haunted her nightmares for years and years, never leaving her alone. The face of the same person was the reason for her hellish life and her constant, traumatic torture.


    He was the man that was behind all of her sadness, anger, and fear. She could barely look at that face without getting a panic attack. She would feel the urge to vomit and hyperventte just to calm her heart which was beating like drums in her ears.


    "Why don''t you smile, Elise?"


    The voice asked again, in that same tone she knew and hated to the deepest of her bones. The voice that would easily send her to the deepest abyss of nightmares and fear.


    "Are you going to smile for me, Elise?" The wicked grin widened and the face of the man contorted along with it, making him look like some kind of devil in human skin.


    *Swish* *BOOOOM*


    All of this happened in that split second when the world froze. The next moment, Elise was sent flying back, before tumbling to the ground. Her bodyy there limply for a moment. Anyone could see how she was shivering visibly.


    Her eyes were still looking horrified as if she was still in disbelief. But, even with that, she helped herself up, using the sword as a support.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Instantly, pain assaulted her ribs and made her grunt painfully. Holding her chest, she assessed her injuries.


    ''I broke¡­ a few ribs¡­''


    Looking back at the creature in front of her. It still had her body form but with the face of a person, she knew in the past.


    A mere nce at him and she could only tighten her grip on her shirt as she was sure her hands were shaking now.


    "Smile for me, Elise."


    All those wicked words were like a cursed call from the devil himself for her.


    ''Why can¡­ I see his face? How¡­ do they¡­  know.''


    Tears glistened in her beautiful eyes as she closed them and tried to calm down. However, the moment she closed them, all those bad memories came rushing back to her and submerged her in her own fears and traumas again.


    The emotions she felt at this moment weren''t new but they were still as painful and suffocating as they were before.


    The creature saw that and decided to approach her, slowly.


    Elise instinctively started retreating. Her feet didn''t listen to her and instead listened to the screaming fear in her head.


    "Stay away!!"


    The clone didn''t listen and continued walking toward her.


    "I said don''t get close!!"


    Her aura raged even more and turned into a crazed mess of anger, frustration, and, deep, soul-crushing fear. Then, in the spur of the moment, she held her sword high and attacked the clone.


    The fear in her eyes didn''t vanish, but, more than that fear, her desire to shred that face to pieces so that she could never see it again was even more intense than that. She would pay anything, do anything, just so that she never see that face again.


    She would give away anything purely to never see that face in her sleep again so that it never hunts her wherever she goes. It was a deep wish of hers that she could only hide in her heart.


    "HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!" Her loud, beautiful voice echoed in the whole void.


    *CLANG* *CLANG* *CLANG* *CLANG*


    She shed and stabbed madly. Her only goal was to erase that face, to erase that wicked smile from her eyes to never appear again.


    However, thetter merely parried her attacks as if they were nothing.


    "Die!! Die!! Die! Just fucking die!!"


    ''I can do it¡­ I won''t allow it to let me down! I can erase that fear!!'' She thought in her head.


    However, deep down, Elise knew that it was only hopeful thinking and not a real determination. She wasn''t ready to face that man at all. Hell, she knew the face in front of her was a fake copy but she still could feel her body acting up from seeing it.


    How is she going to face the real fear? How is she going to face that horrible past when her mind was still haunted by it? From where will she get the courage to actually forget about that part of her lifepletely?


    That was simply impossible and frankly naive.


    As she was like that, dancing between hesitation, fear, and determination, the clone finally opened its mouth again and said something, different than anything else.


    In the deep silence, his voice rumbled in her ear loudly.


    "Do you love pain, Elise?"


    It was an odd question. However, the meaning behind it was far darker and more horrible than it may seem. For Elise, that question was doom itself.


    "SHUT UP!!!!!"


    "Why don''t you love pain, Elise? It''s such a beautiful way for the person to feel alive."


    "SHUT UP! SHUT UP!"


    Closing her ears, she shook her head.


    ''I don''t want to listen¡­ I don''t want to¡­ H-Help¡­'' She thought in her head as tears trickled down her face.


    "Pain is beautiful, Elise¡­.Just like you." Whispering near her ear, he said in a slow manner.


    "I SAID SHUT UP!!"


    (A//N: Elise''s past will start to get revealed as she faces it bit by bit. It''s quite traumatic but it will make you love her even more¡­ hopefully :) )


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 64 64- Mmm, Good Morning? (Part 1)

    Chapter 64- Mmm, Good Morning? (Part 1)


    Feeling the pain in her chest intensifying, Elise could only close her eyes to avoid looking at the face in front of her.


    Anyone who would look at her at the moment will never think she was the same person. Elise was a cold, smart, and frankly unfriendly person who doesn''t care about anyone else except herself and her goal. She wasn''t an evil person but she wasn''t a good person either.


    Her idea was ''to take what''s rightfully hers and do what she needs to do''. If helping other people or teaming up with others collided with her goals then she will dly do it as she won''t lose anything. However, she will never go out of her way to help anyone just purely out of a good heart.


    But, the Elise of that moment looked like a scared and trembling child that lost her mother and could only sit there, frozen in her ce while waiting for someone to help her out of her misery.


    The sheer difference between the two people was just way too huge. However, that goes to show how deep and rooted her trauma was and how easy it was for that horrible thing to control her mind and soul as if it were nothing.


    After whispering such words, the clone stood up again and pulled out its sword. The fake Soul Eater was glowing ominously with a ck aura that was oozing out malicious intent and strong bloodlust.


    "Pain is a very very beautiful thing and so is you. That''s why the only right thing to do at this moment is to merge both of these things together."


    *Swish*


    The sword then moved, ready to serve judgment on Elise. Her eyes watched as the de closed on her face. The reflection of the sword shed across her eyes along with the few tears left in her eyes.


    For some reason, at that moment, her heart suddenly calmed down. The mind-numbing fear she had felt before suddenly vanished and a tranquil sensation enveloped her body and soul. The feeling was warm and peaceful akin to the embrace of a loving mother albeit more intense and more heart-shaking.


    "Elise¡­"


    In her head, she heard a voice that she knew very well. A voice she weirdly didn''t hate at all and instead felt attached to it on a deep level. How would she even exin that to herself? She didn''t know but what she understood was that the voice helped her calm down.


    Her head then arched to the side, and the de passed her head and instead sliced through her shoulder. Blood sttered everywhere along with bits and pieces of her flesh.


    An intense pain assaulted her body but she gritted her teeth and jumped back. Her hand was on her shoulder to try and stop the injury from bleeding any further but her attempts were faced with failure as the blood kept oozing out and coated her hand with an ominous red color.


    The injury wasn''t light at all. In fact, if anyone could look closely, a part of her shoulder de was very apparent. Anyone could discern the white color of the bone from flesh and blood. No one could imagine the pain she was feeling at the moment.


    Yet, even with that, her mind and heart were still as calm as ever. The warm, loving, and gentle voice were still ringing in her head. The pleasure she felt from merely hearing that voice made her want to close her eyes and just listen to that voice for hours and hours¡­. No, for days and days without stopping. That''s how much she loved that voice.


    However, even that feeling didn''t make her aware of her thoughts at that moment. She was merely following her instincts that simply longed for that warmth and sought that affection. like a fire in the heart of the biting snow.


    ''Thank you¡­'' She thought in her head as she grasped the sword in her hand even tighter.


    "Why did you escape from me, Elise? Do you not love pain anymore? Do you hate that feeling?"


    Taking a deep breath, Elise''s eyes calmed down considerably as she met those disgusting brown eyes straight. The fear was still lingering there but because of the voice, she was able to at least stand straight and think rationally.


    "No¡­" She said.


    The clone didn''t say anything as if it was waiting for her to speak.


    "I said no. I don''t love pain at all. I didn''t like anything you ever did to me. In fact, the hell I lived through at the time is still haunting me to this day. I can''t stand your face or even anything remotely rted to you. JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!!"


    Her voice rose up a notch at the end but she still kept her calm and elegant demeanor.


    "Huh? There is definitely something wrong with you, honey. How can you not ept that great experience? How can you not bask in the glory of life? Pain is the way for us to feel alive. I want you to live, Elise. How can you hate that?!"


    For the first time, the grin on the man''s face was erased and instead, a frown appeared in its ce. He looked quite angry and shocked at her words.


    "No! You are nothing but a monster! A fucking psychopath! You turned my life into hell and ruined everything I cared for. ''Pain is the way for us to feel alive''? What a load of nonsense. Because of that pain that you praise so much, I am now still suffering and living in constant fear and distress. You have ruined me!!"


    A sh of ferocity passed across her face before it vanished again. She had to keep calm or she will fall into his trap again. Was it not for the voice, she didn''t even know what would''ve happened to her so she must not lose that opportunity at all costs.


    "I can''t stand the thought of you living in my head! I want to get over this and live my own life. I want to fix myself. But, for me to do that¡­ I have to erase you from my head!"


    Pointing the Soul Eater at him, she said with a low yet intimidating tone. The aura around her at the moment was so domineering even though it wasn''t that strong. It had such a sense of divinity that made anyone who witness it prostrate themselves to pray for her like some goddess.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "You aren''t in your right mind. This is wrong¡­ Why are you acting like this? Why are you not epting my love? Why are you doing this to me? Do you hate me? Am I not your most dear person? Didn''t we share a strong bond? How can you say that? This is not Elise¡­ This is not MY Elise that I love and care for. You are a fake! Where is Elise!!"


    The man''s face turned grimmer and grimmer and he started biting his nails violently. The nails were quickly destroyed and blood trickled down his fingers.


    He looked like a maniac that lost his mind.


    "Give me back Elise! NOW!!"


    Then, he started running at his fastest speed. Discarding the sword, he merely swung his arms as he approached Elise. The sole thought he had was to grab her with the palms of his hands and ruin her. How dare she hides his Elise from him?


    "I won''t let it happen twice. I won''t throw this chance twice."


    *BANG*


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    In the outside world, Rin jumped from one of the walls and climbed up to the balcony. His hands were plunged into the bricks tightly. Looking back at the view behind him, he could see how high he reached after climbing for 10 minutes straight.


    "Wow! What a view! This castle is way too huge!!" He murmured to himself as he continued climbing.


    When he reached the window, he luckily found it open so he jumped inside without hesitation. He had made sure to check whether Elise was awake inside or not. Thest thing he wanted to do was to barge on her changing or even worse... naked.


    ''That doesn''t sound like a ba-... Ok, I need to p myself before I start acting like that.''


    *p* *p*


    His cheeks turned red from the hits but he still smiled with a satisfied groan.


    ''Now we can go.''


    "Her room is indeed beautif-" As he looked around, his eyes fell on a beautiful goddess sleeping on the bed silently.


    Her figure was mesmerizing and her beautiful face while asleep looked so pure yet so lethal at the same time.


    Rin found himself frozen as he silently appreciated her beauty. Then, he quickly shook his head and tried to erase the thoughts in his head.


    "Why is she asleep? The king died yet she is still not awake?" He scratched his chin and approached her.


    ''How should I wake her up now? Am I even allowed to touch her shoulders or something?''


    [I suggest you give her a kis-]


    ''Ok, you shut up. Keep your suggestions to yourself.''


    "Mmm, Elise. Oi, Elise. Wake up, we need to talk." He tried to sound as gentle as possible.


    But, she didn''t show any signs of waking up.


    Instead, a small frown appeared on her face as she murmured.


    "No¡­ No¡­"


    ''Is she dreaming?''


    (A//N: I know many of you will be like ''this is plot armor''. I can only say, bear with me. It is not a plot armor at all.)


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 65 65- Mmm, Good Morning? (Part 2)

    Chapter 65- Mmm, Good Morning? (Part 2)


    Elise''s face then turned pale and her beautiful eyebrows crescented tightly as if she was in pain from what was happening in the dream. Small beads of sweat fell down her fair white skin and made it glow slightly under the rays of the sun.


    As much as the sight looked breathtaking, Rin couldn''t care less about it as he felt slightly worried about Elise. He knew that it was merely a dream but he couldn''t ignore her pleading murmurs.


    "Leave me alone¡­ No¡­ No¡­"


    ''What should I do?'' He thought to himself urgently.


    He knew that trying to forcefully wake her up will be wrong as it could scare her. Besides, he had tried to wake her up multiple times now and she still didn''t respond. Having no other choice, Rin decided to do something he had never thought will ever happen.


    Extending his arm, he grabbed her hand that was out of the nket and hanging to the side. He was hesitating at first but when he heard her frail voice again, he resolved himself and grabbed her hand. Then, he started rubbing it gently while making sure not to put too much pressure on it.


    "Elise¡­ It''s ok, rx." He whispered close to her.


    He tried to sound as gentle as possible not to scare her awake. A few moments passed while Rin kept whispering soft and reassuring words to her as he kept massaging her small hand.


    He had never thought this small gesture could actually feel good for him. For some reason, touching her fingers, her small palm, and feeling every part of her cold hand made his heart beat slightly faster.


    "Am I nervous because I touched her hand? What am I? A toddler?" He sighed at his weird reaction and ignored it for now.


    As he kept watching her ever-changing expression, he could see that she wasn''t as pale as before and the frown vanished from her face. Instead, she now looked rxed and¡­ happy?


    A small smile crept to her face out of nowhere. Rin felt his heart beat even more loudly when he saw that smile on her face. She just looked so bewitching that he could only keep his eyes on her.


    ''I really am a fucking creepy bastard. But, I really can''t pull my eyes away from her. What is wrong with me? Did I fall in love or something?'' All these thoughts kept crossing his head every couple of seconds.


    Sighing, he shifted his gaze to the hand he was kneading since a while ago. A sh ofplicated emotions appeared in his eyes.


    ''Even though she''s always brave and cold. Somehow, at this moment, she looks so weak and vulnerable.''


    Rin had a deep respect for Elise. He didn''t know much about her as she kept everything to herself, including her emotions. Ever since he knew her, he kept seeing how she acted and could only respect her more and more as time passes.


    The way she treats others was cold but he knew that deep down she wasn''t a bad person. The fact that she was ready to protect everyone at the shelter and help them when they needed her was already enough for him to judge her as a kind person. Not only that, but her calm demeanor, cleverness, andposure made him look up to her.


    But, seeing her right now suffering like that, he asked himself: Is she really as strong as she appeared on the surface? What was she hiding? What could be her goal for epting that reincarnation offer in the first ce?


    Then, as he was like that, he heard a sound behind him.


    *Knock* *Knock*


    Someone was knocking on the door. Rin froze in his ce and didn''t say anything. If someone finds out that he was really inside the crown princess''s room, he was as good as dead.


    "Your Highness. Are you awake?" Maya asked from behind the door.


    ''Shit! What should I do? Where should I hide?''


    Standing up, he tried to release himself from Elise and leave the ce before the maid decided to enter the room to wake her up.


    But, much to his bad luck, Elise suddenly grabbed his arm again. Her face frowned slightly as if she didn''t like the idea of him letting go of her hand.


    ''Mmm, princess! What are you doing? Let go of my hand.'' He tried to release himself quickly as he could hear the doorknob twisting ever-so-slowly behind him.


    Yet, he didn''t know that this situation could get worse. With a swift move, Elise pulled him in and threw him on the bed beside her. Rin was amazed that she did that with one hand and could only question how strong her body was.


    After putting him on the bed, Elise then wrapped her body around him and rested her arms on his back before pulling him closer to her body. She was now basically hugging Rin like a pillow.


    ''Oi! What the hell- Leave me-'' Before he could try to wiggle out, the door opened and Maya walked in.


    Holding his breath in, Rin had no other choice but to get closer to Elise as much as possible and make it look as if he was a part of her body.


    Now, that was good and dandy¡­ Until he realized the grave mistake he did. His nose caught a very beautiful smelling from the girl next to him. Then, he felt two soft mounds pressed against his chest and getting deformed.


    His neck was also feeling tickly from her rhythmic breathing.


    ''Fuck! This bad! Hold it in, Rin¡­ Hold it in¡­ Think of something peaceful. Oh! I got it! Cats¡­''


    *Fuuh*


    ''Cats¡­ Soft and fluffy¡­ Cats.''


    The smell of Elise was invading his mind and body without any restraints. He had slept with Aria before on the same bed but he never had this intense of a reaction at all. In fact, at this moment, he could feel his heart almost leaping out of his chest from how fast it was beating.


    The cat trick was useless against this lethal woman who was pulling the strings of his heart while still sleeping peacefully.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Your highness¡­ Wake up¡­" Maya said as she shook her shoulders lightly.


    Her eyes fixated on the other side of the bed as she felt that it looked odd. Was her princess'' body that big? Or was she just hallucinating?


    "Mmm¡­ What is it May-" Elise seemed to have opened her eyes at that moment.


    Then, her hazy blue irises fell on the person next to her.


    ''Ok, I may rest in peace now. I hope I was a kind person so that I can go to heaven or something.''


    Elise kept looking at him for more than 5 seconds as if she didn''t understand what was going on.


    However, much to his shock, she then turned around and spoke to Maya again.


    "I''m awake now. You can go."


    "Yes, good morning, your highness."


    "Good morning."


    After that, Maya gave her another nce and left quickly.


    After making sure the door was closed, Elise turned around to Rin and looked at him silently.


    "Mmm, good morning?" He said with an extremely awkward smile.


    "..."


    "Wait! just before you do something. Let me exin."


    "..."


    "I swear that I didn''t do this on purpose."


    "..."


    No matter what he said, Elise just kept looking at him silently. The more bewildering detail is that there was no anger in her eyes at all. In fact, she looked far from angry, and instead¡­ she was in a good mood?


    ''Am I hallucinating? Why is looking at me like that?! Hello, Mrs. Elise?!!!''


    "Can you leave the bed first?" She asked.


    "Ah! Yes, sure."


    The whole time they were speaking, their bodies were glued to each other as if it was the most normal thing to do. He then jumped off the bed.


    "When did youe here?" She asked.


    "20 minutes ago, give or take."


    "..."


    "No, I didn''t sleep beside you for 20 minutes straight. Actually, I didn''t even do anything. You pulled me into the bed while you were asleep."


    "... I see." She murmured with a calm gaze.


    ''''I see'' my ass! Mrs. Elise! Why are you not even remotely displeased by this?! Am I dreaming or something.''


    "So it was indeed your voice, after all."  Rin didn''t hear that whisper under her breath.


    "Sigh, I heard the news so I came rushing here. But, when I found you asleep and seemingly having a nightmare, I just sat down on the chair and waited for you to wake up. What did you see? It didn''t look normal at all."


    "A look at my past." She replied mysteriously.


    "A look at your past? What does that mean?"


    However, Elise stood silent and looked out the window for a few seconds. A sh of emotions passed through her eyes.


    "I faced my own past¡­ and I lost¡­"


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 66 66- Im Ruined (Part 1)

    Chapter 66- I''m Ruined (Part 1)


    "Huh? I don''t really get it." Rin titled his quizically.


    The way Elise phrased it sounded mysterious especially when she didn''t give any context prior to that.


    "You don''t have to get it." Looking back at him, she said with a serene look on her face.


    Anyone would''ve thought that she was fine and that Rin had nothing to worry about at all. In fact, Elise was so good at hiding what she was thinking that no one could discern it at all. But, Rin felt different at that moment. He, with his own eyes, saw the sh of emotions that passed through her eyes for a split second there and then vanishedpletely.


    ''So she''s hiding it.'' Rin thought with aplicated gaze.


    For some reason, he felt his chest tighten at that moment. The fact that she hid it from him was unpleasant. He knew that she had every right of keeping her secrets and also had every right not to trust Rin enough to tell him. However, he could not stop himself from feeling disappointed.


    "I know that you are lying, Elise."


    "Hmm?"


    "But it''s ok¡­ I understand."


    "No, it''s not really the case¡­. It''s just¡­" Averting her eyes, Elise didn''t finish her sentence but Rin was able to understand the meaning.


    "I see¡­ Well, I can''t force you to tell me. It''s not like we are that close." He scratched his head with an awkwardugh.


    Elise merely looked at his face silently. The words he said at that moment didn''t sit well with her at all. In fact, she was amazed at how much she hated them. Her heart and mind were telling her that she was doing the wrong thing but she didn''t get why it was the case.


    Elise had never felt like this before she was rightfully confused.


    After that, he stood up and continued.


    "Anyway, I think I should leave before the maides back. We will talkter."


    The whole time, Rin kept his face as calm as possible and even tried to smile a little but deep inside, he could only ept it how it was.


    ''I really overestimated myself. Hahaha! I''m such an idiot. Why did I even think I had the right to ask her about her past? Sigh, I shouldy some boundaries. Keeping it as professional as possible is the right thing to do. We are just partners that coincidentally ended up entangled in the same mess and we share simr goals.''


    When he reached the window, he readied himself to jump. But, a calm voice stopped him.


    "It''s not that I don''t want to tell you¡­ My past¡­ It''s really disgusting and horrible. It will definitely make you change your ideas about me¡­. and I don''t want that." Elise said with some difficulty.


    On the nket, he could see her hand trembling slightly at the mere thought of those memories.


    Rin was stunned in his ce for a second before he shook his head.


    "The past is the past, Elise. What we are today isn''t what we were yesterday. You told me that, didn''t you?"


    "..."


    "You can rightfully never tell me about it and I can ept that. I was just disappointed in myself for stepping out of our boundaries¡­." His eyes lingered on her face the whole time.


    He could see her expression change ever-so-slightly.


    "But, let me tell you this one thing¡­ I will never change the way I treat you¡­ I knew you for a long time, Elise. I have enough confidence in my judgment and I can safely say that you are a good person."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Me? A good person? You are wrong. I was never¡­ a good person." Elise''s brows crescented slightly and her hands tightened into fists.


    "I''m a dirty person through and through. I can never rte myself to the word ''good''. I''m just ruined, Rin."


    Elise didn''t know why but at that moment, her feelings started spilling out like a broken dam. She just had this urge to tell him everything and break into tears. She just wanted to get rid of this heavy weight and find salvage in someone else¡­ to find salvage in Rin.


    But, she couldn''t do that. Her sins and traumas are made for her to carry for the rest of her life. They are stigmas that she has to bear with. She had no right to ask for help. Not when she was that corrupted.


    ''Please¡­ just let me be.''


    Silence enveloped the room. Neither Rin nor Elise spoke for a long time.


    Then, Rin simply turned around and walked back toward Elise. She was taken aback at first but then waited curiously for what he was intending to do.


    After he sat down, he took a deep breath.


    "Can I tell you something? One of my secrets, I mean."


    Elise didn''t nod or shake her head. She just waited for him to talk.


    "I never told anyone this before. But, my father actually died when I was young and¡­ I was the one who killed him."


    Rin said with a sad smile. He had never thought he will pull out this secret here and in front of Elise.


    "How¡­ How did he die?" Elise asked cautiously.


    "At the time, I was around 9 or 10 years old. He always would take me to and from school as it was way too far. But, being the childish brat that I was, I wanted to stay and y with my friends. Just seeing them through the window of the car as they yed andughed while I had to just go home right away. I remembershing out at him multiple times just because he didn''t allow me to stay and y with them."


    "..."


    Rin''s head arched up as he took a couple of deep breaths before closing his eyes and continuing.


    "One time, I just had enough of it. I didn''t want to go home at all. So, I decided to sneak out of school along with a couple of my friends. We were about to go to the arcade to y and I was just thrilled to just escape and have some fun. As we were walking, I was just so excited that I could only run ahead of them to reach the ce first. But, because of my excitement, I didn''t notice the green light being on and I just crossed the street without a care in the world."


    Rin could still vividly remember that scene, bit by bit, second by second. Hell, he remembers it clearer than something he did a few hours ago. It was just etched deep into his soul.


    "A car came rushing toward me. My body froze in its ce as I watched the car approach me quickly. I just felt that I was really about to die at that moment. However, at thest second, the driver turned the wheel to the far right. The sudden turn made the car twist and then eventually smash into a wall. The ident was so violent that half of the car was blown into pieces. People quickly came rushing to save the driver while I was still frozen in my ce from fear. But, when I saw the person they pulled out from the car, I just couldn''t believe it. It was my father, bloodied from head to toe. I don''t recall much after that but what I know is that he died on the spot because of the ident. No, I killed him with my own hands."


    Elise''s eyes widened slightly and a small frown appeared on her face. Her mind couldn''te up with words to say at all.


    "Since then, I was unable to forgive myself. The thought that my own father died because of my own recklessness just ate away from my sanity. You know what made me hate myself even more? It''s the fact neither my sister nor my mother med me for it. They cried, hugged me, and tried to assure me with all kinds of kind words. They knew that I was the reason for his death yet they didn''t despise me for it at all. That made me me myself even harder. I just wanted them to hate me, to curse at me, or even hit me again and again just so that I don''t destroy myself even more than that because of self-hatred. But, they did nothing of that sort. In fact, I felt that they got closer to me after that. That day, I swore on myself to carry the me for the rest of my life and to protect the two of them even if it meant I die because of it. I had to atone for my sin or I can never face my father again. But here we are, I lost all of them and I am the one to me for being a fucking moron through and through. I swore to protect them but failed at doing that miserably. Hahaha!" Heughed mockingly at himself.


    After saying all of that, Rin bent forward and rested his arms on his knees.


    "It was also the same time when my life started changing for the worse."


    (A//N: Finally revealing some of Rin''s dark past. He isn''t as normal as he seems to be.)


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 67 67- I’m Ruined (Part 2)

    Chapter 67- I''m Ruined (Part 2)


    Memories kept rushing back to his head like a broken dam and made him frown a little bit but he didn''t stop speaking at all. He had no reason to stop speaking when he had already spilled the bean for Elise.


    "Before that ident, I was a very outgoing and sociable person. I loved being with friends and being outside, going everywhere, and having fun. Everyone liked me and I also enjoyed that attention a lot. Hell, even my parents were happy for me to be this popr. But, I never thought that trait will be my curse in a sense."


    Elise''s eyes shifted to his hands, Rin was rubbing them together from time to time in a rhythmic manner. It didn''t take a genius to see how much he was hurting just recalling all of that. However, she didn''t try to stop him as that would look like she spat on his courage to tell her all of that.


    "My friends that saw the ident at the time told everyone else. So, by the time I returned to school after a week or so, everyone was looking at me with weird gazes. They would whisper to each other in secret about me. But, it didn''t take long for those whispers to be loud enough for me to hear them. I tried to speak with them again but all I got was ''Don''t get near me, you could kill me'' or ''You killed your own father, why are you not in jail?'' or ''Go away, monster!''"


    "... That''s¡­" Elise tried to say something but couldn''t find the word.


    "But, since I was still ming myself at the time, I epted that and I quickly became a loner. All those supposed ''best friends'' I tried to be with just left me. Since, then, I decided to change schools to another one far away just so I don''t meet another person from my old primary school by coincidence. But, I still kept my distance from everyone just for the sake of my sanity and nothing else."


    After saying all of that, he finally looked at Elise again with a small yet extremely gentle smile.


    "Yet, here we are. I let down everyone in my life and lost many things and it all had more or less been my mistake. I don''t think that anyone could be any worse than that. I''m aplete and utter failure of a human being."


    "..."


    Seeing that Elise was still silent while gazing deeply at him as if he was the only thing in her world. Rin simply coughed and stood up again.


    "That''s why¡­ I know for certain that whatever you experienced in the past isn''t your fault, Elise. Don''t lose hope in fixing that. Not that I have any right to say that to you, haha!"


    After that, he walked to the window and put his foot on the edge intending to jump any second now.


    "Wait¡­ I-"


    "You don''t have to tell me now. I want you to firste to terms with it. When that happens, we can talk again. Anyway, let''s focus on the huge problem we have. Emotional talks can wait! I will see youter."


    *Swish*


    After that, Rin jumped off the window. Anyone would''ve been shocked and thought he was about tomit suicide or something. But, Rin already had a n.


    Straightening himself, he pierced the air as he dived into the ground. A second before hended straight on his face, he activated his skill. The ground beneath him changed in color and soon, he was engulfed by his own shadow and vanished from the face of the world.


    ''Damn! That looked so cool! Rate it from 1 to 10, system.'' He thought to himself with a cheeky giggle. Swimming inside his shadow was an experience he will never get bored of.


    [4/10, host.]


    ''Ah! Come on! That was at least a 7 or an 8.''


    [...] The system didn''t respond at all with his usual sarcastic tone.


    ''What is it?'' Rin asked.


    [Are you really fine, host?]


    At first, Rin was surprised by the weird question but then smiled slightly with a sad look.


    ''I already grew ustomed to it. I have no other choice but to carry this burden till the end.''


    [Ipliment your ability to be this cheerful even though you hate yourself that much, host.]


    ''I want to keep a smile just for the sake of everyone else around me. Do you want me to turn into a gloomy and edgy person?''


    [No?]


    ''Then, I will keep smiling until the end.''


    [...]


    ''But, I hope that Elise will be able to truly find happiness in the near future. She deserves it.''


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    After that, inside a huge conference room in the castle. Many people were sitting around a huge table. They were all older people, wearing formal yet also luxurious clothes.


    The atmosphere was extremely heavy to the point where the butlers and maids had to excuse themselves before they end up suffocating from the sheer pressure being emitted from each and every person there.


    Their faces looked grave as if a disaster befell them and they didn''t know what to do about it.


    "Is everyone here?" Elise asked as she looked left and right.


    After that, she looked to her side to her brother, the crown prince, Arthur.<novelnext></novelnext>


    He nodded his head and said in a loud tone.


    "We shall start then!"


    Now, many would ask the same question. Elise was the crown princess and Arthur was the crown prince so how is that even possible? Aviresion was a very different empire in that department.


    At birth, the king will choose a female and a male as the new crown prince and princess. When they get old, they start a campaign of sorts. Then, the popce will choose one of them as the new king or queen through voting.


    This process was good for two reasons: The first one was that it reduced the chances of conflicts between siblings as everything was determined from birth.


    The second thing it solves is the matter of who is more capable of ruling the empire. If the female was better than the male then she was going to be the queen and the sole ruler of the kingdom even if she was a ''woman''.


    That''s why, at this moment, Elise and Arthur sat next to each other in the ce of the king as a sign of who are the next sessors to the throne.


    "As you already heard. The king was assassinatedst night in his room. We have no idea who is the culprit." Arthur said.


    "It''s most likely a rival empire trying to ruin us." One of the nobles said with a low growl of anger.


    "We aren''t certain whether that''s true or not. But, it''s a possible case." Elise replied.


    "They even dared to use our heirloom sword to do it! Those bastards! If I find them, I shall end their lives with my own hands." Another one added.


    "We don''t want to jump to conclusions until everything is clear. I witnessed the crime scene with my own eyes and I''m certain there is something fishy about this whole matter. The way his Majesty died without even making a single sound or even some resistance just isn''t normal." Elise exined.


    "What do you want to say, your highness?" Damian finally spoke with squinted eyes.


    Everyone looked at Elise and waited for her to exin what she meant.


    "I do think that the king, most likely, killed himself¡­ with his own hands."


    A bombshell was dropped that made everyone go silent in shock.


    Elise didn''t care about their reactions as she continued.


    "He most likely used the sword to do that too."


    "Wait, your highness. What do you mean? These are not some light words." An old man said as he tapped on the table.


    "I know what I''m saying, Viscount Eaglefield."


    "There is no way his highness willmit suicide!"


    "Yes, that''s just not possible."


    Then, arguments erupted everywhere as they started discussing with each other.


    *Smash*


    "Silence, please."


    Elise domineering voice made the whole room quiet again. Then, with an exasperated look, she exined.


    "Who said that ''hemitted suicide''? I merely said that ''he killed himself''. As for whether he did that willingly or not, it''s a whole different matter. But, it''s almost certain that these people were able to control his majesty in some way¡­ and then they made him end his own life."


    "What?"


    "No way."


    "Your highness." Damian finally spoke and asked.


    "What about the other matter? The matter of the disfigured shadow." He said.


    The ce was submerged in silence again as if every voice heard before was fake. The constant change between silence and noises was truly impressive.


    "Well, that''s a key point in my theory. These people, whoever they are, can to some extent manipte shadows, Duke Silvereye."


    (A//N: These two are about to pull Rin''s feet at this rate. What the hell are they doing, I wonder :))


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 68 68- I’m In Your Care, Partner

    Chapter 68- I''m In Your Care, Partner


    "What do you mean, your highness?" Damian asked with a mysterious tone. He knew that Elise was aware of Rin''s powers so when she said that, he tried to read between the lines to unveil her meaning.


    "It''s as I said it, Duke Silvereye. These people can manipte shadows and they are very good at doing that too. The fact that they were able to use it against someone as strong as his majesty the king is more than enough proof of how much they are dangerous."


    Sighing, Damian tried to keep hisposure and calm expression unless he wanted to arouse the suspicion of the other nobles around them. Even now, they are still looking shocked and confused.


    They even started asking each other about this as they never heard of this power before and they wanted an exnation.


    "How is that even possible? I have never heard of such a power before."


    "Me too. Shadows? Is that even an element in nature?"


    "It may be possible as her highness mentioned, they found a disfigured shadow with no owner thrown in the room. How can you exin that?"


    "Maybe it was an illusion of some kind."


    "I doubt that it was the case as illusion spells don''t usuallyst that long."


    Discussions went back and forth like that between everyone. They all wanted a clear exnation yet the only thing they got is even more mystery. Who were these people? Why did they kill the king? What were their intentions?


    Such questions were left unanswered.


    Sighing, Elise looked at her brother coldly. Thetter flinched a little bit and then nodded his head. Her eyes said clearly ''take control of this conversation. I''ve had enough.''


    "We can leave the matter of the investigation forter. We have invited you here to discuss another urgent problem. The session¡­"


    One word was more than enough to make everyone frown visibly. This matter was something they unconsciously wanted to avoid as it was too problematic andplicated. However, they had to find a solution eventually no matter how much they tried to run away from it.


    "We have to start the campaigns for the new ruler as soon as possible and that''s why we need your help to-"


    However, before Arthur could finish his words, Elise cut him off.


    "There is no need for that."


    Everyone looked at her quizzically.


    "I''m not going to fight for the throne. Arthur is more than capable of taking this responsibility." She said.


    "Huh?" A weird sound escaped the mouth of multiple people.


    Their minds didn''t quite register what she said as it was way too shocking for them. Doesn''t want to fight for the throne? What is this nonsense?


    "What is the meaning of this, your highness?"


    "I think I was clear with what I said. I do not want to be the next ruler of Aviresion."


    Since the moment Elise was reincarnated in this body, she had already decided not to be the next queen. There were many reasons for that but the most important one is the fact that if she was to be the queen, she will lose her freedompletely. She will be shackled by responsibilities and work to the point where she will have to abandon her goal.


    Besides, she knew that she didn''t have the patience nor the desire to ever sit on the throne. Living a more simple and straightforward life was her desire and she won''t change that for anything in this world.


    In her mind, her ultimate goal (After achieving everything she desired.) was to buy a small house in a small vige and live, a simple yet fulfilling life far from any pain, hardships, or sadness. She just wanted to be happy and that was all of it.


    "How can you say that, your highness?" Viscount Eaglefield eximed with a distressed look.


    Frankly, Viscount Eaglefield didn''t like the idea of Arthur taking the throne. He knew about how incapable Arthur was. He liked to y with women, enjoy his time and live avish life to the point where he rarely goes back home and spends his time doing whatever he desired.


    That''s why, he trusted Elise more to be the next queen as he could feel her aura, her demeanor, and even her cleverness were all on point.


    "I am not here to discuss this matter. It''s a decision I took and I will never go back on it. I will leave the matter of the preparations for you all. As for the funeral, it will ur next week before my departure."


    Yes, the start of the new academic year was only two weeks away so Elise had to leave the kingdom as soon as possible.


    The academy was very far away from here, right in the heart of the continent, surrounded by all the empires and kingdoms as a form of protection shield in case of emergencies.


    After that, Elise stood up and excused herself. She left the whole matter for the nobles without any hesitation. Even though many will find this attitude of hers rude but no one had the right toin or say anything.


    ''I''m not in the mood nor the state of mind to care about politics.'' Clicking her tongue, she walked in the corridor.


    "Boo!"<novelnext></novelnext>


    Suddenly, a person appeared behind her and made a light sound close to her. Elise didn''t turn around and continued walking as if nothing happened.


    "Have you listened to the conversation?" She asked.


    "Ah! I thought I got you. Hehehe!" Rin chuckled.


    Elise merely eyed him silently to make him act more serious.


    "Well, yes. I also checked the shadow myself."


    "What do you think?"


    "I, for sure, am still incapable of altering shadows'' forms like that so whoever did that has more mastery over this element than me. But, there is still something bugging me." Rin said with a difficult look on his face.


    "My system had stated clearly that no one in existence possesses this power except me. Yet, there is someone else who has it? This doesn''t make sense at all."


    Elise went silent for a few moments, seemingly deep in thought.


    "What if they weren''t actually users of that element?"


    "What do you mea- Oh¡­" Rin was about to ask when the realization hit him.


    "Another form of power that can affect shadows?" He voiced out his thoughts with squinted eyes.


    "Correct. They must''ve used some kind of trick to do that. It is definitely within the realm of possibility. Except¡­"


    "Except?"


    "No, nothing. Anyway, our only lead, for now, is the Soul Eater. It''s still not touched and could possibly contain their fingerprints. They can still be smart enough to hide those but I don''t think they thought about that detail."


    "But, Elise¡­ We were there at the time when the crime happened. We were inside the treasury and the sword was still there at the time. How did they do it?"


    "Considering the fact that they were able to control someone as powerful as the king and made him kill himself without as much as a small noise then hiding their presence from us isn''t that hard to do."


    "Fine, fine. But, how are we going to use their fingerprints? It''s not earth here and they certainly do not possess the technology to identify these fingerprints."


    "That''s our problem. We have to find a way to extract that."


    The two went silent for another minute as they continued walking.


    "Let''s put this on hold for now. This world is a vast ce. I''m sure that there exists a method somewhere. Besides, I feel that something is going to happen."


    Rin then advanced forward and continued.


    "I don''t think this will be ourst interaction with these people. They will definitely appear again when we expect it the least."


    "You sound confident."


    "It''s just a hunch. Anyway, I think it''s time we focus on our next step, the academy. Don''t forget that the whole plot starts there and our interactions with the main cast will increase. It''s going to be extremely troublesome."


    "I did some more in-depth research on the academy. Let''s just say that we aren''t going there to merely study. Most likely than not, we will get entangled with the main character and that will trigger many events and quests."


    "Every world in TOI is like that. They are bizarre and ever-changing and now that a main key point of the story had been altered. We can only expect the worst, Elise. However¡­"


    Turning around, Rin smiled at Elise and said.


    "I''m in your care, partner."


    He then extended his fist for her.


    Looking at him silently, many emotions filled Elise''s heart before they all were washed away with a mere look at his face. After that, she sighed and extended her arm too.


    ''You are weird¡­ Rin. But¡­ I weirdly don''t hate that.''


    (A//N: Finally, the official start of the academy arc. It will arguably be the biggest arc in this world. I have been preparing it for a long time. Also, don''t worry about all the loose plot points I made in this part. It will all perfectly connect at the perfect time.)


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 69 69- To The Academy (Part 1)

    Chapter 69- To The Academy (Part 1)


    (Chapter number: noice :) just so you lot have a paragraph to drop that meme in)


    10 Dayster.


    In thest two weeks, Aviresion faced a huge change never witnessed before in the history of this kingdom. The death of their king was akin to a lightning bolt that befell everyone. The whole poption loved that king since he was a kind andpassionate king who cared for his people and put them his priority.


    With him, Aviresion was able to develop at a fast rate and be a respectable kingdom that can''t be ignored at all. It was still extremely weakpared to the other empires around it but it was still an evolution for the better.


    However, now that he died, chaos ensued in multiple parts of the country. Many didn''t believe that he would die just like that and even more feared the unknown future waiting for them.


    However, for better or worse, the nobles were able to calm down their people. They hid the fact that the king was assassinated for obvious reasons and made sure to reassure the people of the future of Aviresion.


    After that, the news of the princess leaving her position as the crown princess was dropped like a bombshell. Elise was put in high esteem for her ethereal, fairy-like beauty and her mysterious personality which was the best breeding ground for rumors and baseless stories that only worked in fueling her image in their eyes.


    That''s why, when she just left that ce, many were extremely sad and even some tried to infiltrate the castle just to beg her not to leave them.


    Meanwhile, Elise didn''t really care about those things and merely focused on getting ready for the academy. She made sure to note every major event that will happen and also some predictions for the course of events after all the major changes in the plot that urred in thest month.


    ''We really wreaked havoc in the whole story in less than 20 days. I''m impressed.'' She thought to herself with a sigh.


    Not only did Rin almost kill his parents, die in a D-Rank dungeon, and literally almost killed the crown prince. But Elise also had her fair share of events that ruined the plot on her side.


    The biggest one is the death of the king but there was also the nightmare she saw. Even though she hid the details from Rin, her mind was still working to find an exnation for it. But, in the end, she could only put it aside for now.


    After all of that mess, the time for the departure finally came.


    The time was early in the morning, the sun was still barely peeking at the world from the horizon. Its beautiful rays illuminated Elise''s snow-white face and gazed silently at the sky. She was enjoying the cold breeze of the morning and the fresh air that apanied it.


    "Your highness, we will depart now." Maya came and told her.


    "I''ming."


    "The journey to the border will take 3 days and then from there, representatives from the academy will take care of the rest."


    "I know."


    ''The first hard part of the academy¡­  The test.'' Elise''s eyes turned slightly sharp just from recalling that event.


    The test was the prologue of this world and the start of the actual story and what a start it was. It was safe to say that the prologue made Divine Sapphire one of the most yed worlds in TOI. Many loved it to the point of iming it to be the best start for a game in history.


    Huge ims but in Elise''s point of view, it was a very intriguing way of presenting Divine Sapphire. This world was rich with all kinds of mysteries, creatures, cults, and organizations that work in the shadows and twist the world however they wanted.


    But, for better or worse, the heart of that start is the protagonist and not Elise and Rin so the way they will deal with that can determine how the story will go.


    ''Hopefully, it won''t twist too badly. We won''t be able to predict anything if things went down really bad.''


    After that, she turned around and left the castle. Sitting inside the carriage, she watched the scenery move from the window.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    "Oi, Rin, hurry up! We will bete."


    "I know, I know," Rin shouted from inside his room.


    He was sitting on the table, scribbling something on a piece of paper. After that, he lifted it up to check it carefully before nodding with a satisfied look on his face.


    ''This should work just fine.''


    After that, he stood up and walked out to the front door where he found his family. Selina was already holding a handkerchief while sobbing silently.


    "My little boy grew up and now he will leave his mama! Hick!"


    Rin smiled at her and then hugged her tightly.


    "Take care of yourself, mother. We will be back before you even realize it."


    "I will miss both of you so much. Mama will be extremely lonely. Don''t forget to send me letters every week and also eat properly. Don''t stay awake all night and also don''t seduce many girls. You are a very handsome boy Rin so take care of yourself and don''t let some bad girls get close to you."


    "Ok, mother. Thest one was unnecessary though."


    "I will make sure that he won''t go around ying with girls, mother," Aria said with a proud smile as she tapped her chest with her fist.


    ''Do you take me as a gigolo or something?!''


    "Fufuf!" Aria snickered.<novelnext></novelnext>


    After that, Rin turned to Damian and nodded at him.


    "Don''t forget what we talked about yesterday, Rin."


    "I know."


    "You are very special, Rin. But, people in this world hate special individuals so don''t trust anyone without making sure they weren''t getting closer to you with bad intentions."


    "That''s true, Rin. You don''t know how talented you are so don''t let anyone use you. I will also make sure that you don''t get in trouble."


    ''I''m sorry, sister. Trouble is the only thing that will follow me there.''


    Aria''s face turned grim a little bit but she tried to keep herself fairlyposed.


    ''I already know about everything, Rin. But, don''t worry, your big sister will protect you. I will be by your side the whole time.''


    As much as she didn''t believe it at first, she was now sure that this world was an actual virtual world and that she was a virtual character inside of it.


    But, that didn''t make her question whether she was a real person or not as she was sure of that. Her feelings were real and that was enough of a proof for her.


    "Take care, father."


    Extending his hand, Rin wanted to shake his hand. However, thetter surprisingly smiled and then pulled him in for a hug. Rin never expected a serious man like Damian to actually do something like that but he quickly woke up from his daze and hugged him back


    After that, they both left the house and embarked on their journey.


    "Are you excited?" Aria asked with a smile as she rested her head on Rin''sp. A sweet smile bloomed on her face.


    "I am. But, after all the things that happened in the past month. I have a bad hunch."


    "A bad hunch?"


    "Yeah. There is something going on in the background¡­ something big that I can''t quite grasp yet." He exined.


    "With all the things that urred, I''m sure our time there won''t be as peaceful as we think."


    Aria silently looked at him with aplicated gaze. Then, she extended her arm and touched his cheek softly.


    "Don''t worry too much. I know that no matter how hard it is, we can challenge everything that stops us. So, just do your best!"


    "Mmm, you''re right. However¡­" A wide grin appeared on Rin''s face.


    "I''m also excited about meeting many people. I heard girls from other kingdoms are quite the feast for the eye. Maybe I can try my chances at getting a girlfriend."


    His voice sounded amused and it was clearly an attempt to tease Aria. However, thetter''s face still changed and her smile vanished.


    ''Are? Why is the carriage turning very cold? Hmm, it''s still morning.'' Rin thought to himself as he looked down.


    His body flinched instinctively and he broke a sweat.


    "Mmm, Mrs. Aria."


    "Yes, Mr. Rin?" She said with a smile that wasn''t a smile at all.


    "I was joking¡­ Hehehe!" He said as he tried to defuse the tension.


    "About what?"


    "You know that I won''t try to get a girlfriend, right?!"


    "Oh! How can the handsome Rin Silvereye leave girls alone and single? You should try your luck and strike a few girlfriends."


    "As I said¡­ Woahh!"


    "Come here! I will teach you how to hit on girls!"


    "Wait, wait!! No!!"


    After that, Rin was tortured for hours. But, that''s a story for another time.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 70 70- To The Academy (Part 2)

    Chapter 70- To The Academy (Part 2)


    "Rin¡­ Rin¡­ Psst, Rin." A soft voice called for the ck-haired boy. He was deep asleep so he didn''t react to it that quickly.


    "Mmm, what is it?" He replied with an annoyed tone.


    "You need to wake up, we are about to reach the border," Aria said in a hurried tone.


    Hearing that, he quickly woke up and rubbed his eyes. Rin had almost forgotten that he was inside a carriage from howfortable Aria''s thighs were. They were better than any other pillow he had ever rested his head on. Besides, Aria kept gently caressing his face and running her fingers through his hair which was akin to a heavenly massage for his tired body.


    Now, unfortunately, he has to actually leave that heaven and go back to the real world.


    "It''s been 3 days, huh."


    The journey was rather quick as they didn''t stop a lot throughout the trip.  They also didn''t face any threats, monster attacks, or even bandits. He had no idea whether this was because Aviresion was a safe haven or because of pure luck. Nevertheless, the trip went smoothly.


    Looking out of the window, Rin''s breath was taken away by the site. At the end of the way, there was a huge grass in. The sight was worthy of admiration but that wasn''t what made Rin speechless.


    Right at the end of these grass ins was a gigantic cliff. He could see with his own eyes how dark the pit these grass ins were overviewing. It was dark, almost purely ck with no ends to it on either side. Countless people could be seen standing there in groups. He recognized them as the students that came here to enroll in the academy.


    "What the¡­"


    "Amazing, isn''t it?" Aria said with an excited smile.


    "Why is there a massive hole there?" He asked.


    "That''s the Gate Of Licaria."


    "Licaria? Wait, isn''t that¡­"


    "Thend of demons? Yeah, it is. That''s the only known way to reach the other side of the world where the demons live."


    "Why are we here then?"


    "Didn''t you know? The academy is exactly above the gate."


    "..."


    "The great founder decided this ce as the most suited location for his academy. He wanted to show future generations the dread and pure evil the demons could inflict on humans. Just one look at that gate and any person will feel really ufortable."


    "What if the demons leave the gate and attack humans again?"


    "Impossible. The gate is tightly sealed by an extremely strong magic formation that couldn''t be destroyed."


    ? "That''s such a stupid idea." Rin sighed and tapped his forehead.


    "Why?"


    "Can''t you see the ring w in that logic?"


    "Mmm, no?" Aria said after giving it some thought.


    ''This girl¡­''


    "Let me exin this, Aria. Demons hate humans, right?"


    "Right."


    "So, if they have a chance to invade the human world again they will jump at that opportunity like hungry wolves, right?"


    "Yes, possible."


    "So, let''s assume that in the future, the seal was broken. Who do you think will be the first to perish?"


    Realizing what Rin meant, Aria smiled at him.


    "So you think that demons can easily destroy the academy?"


    "Pretty much."


    "Oh, my cute Rin." She patted his head with an amused look on her beautiful face.


    ''She''s treating me like a child.''


    "Fufuf! I don''t think you have any idea about the power level of the academy. So let me tell you something." She pointed out.


    "The academy found a way to rank its students and staff through their power level, achievements, and their importance in general. These things umte and get quantified to create a number. That number will determine the student''s rank in the whole school."


    ''Sounds so generic but I will allow it.'' He thought in his head.


    "What does generic even mean? Ehem, anyway, to put it in scale.  The top 500 students can easily wipe out a whole city district singlehandedly. The top 100 can erase a whole city out of the face of the world singlehandedly and the top 10 students¡­ Well, let''s say that they are the closest to the peak of strength in this world. Each one of them is a monster through and through. They even have their own sses that they attend alone far from any contact with other students."


    "Are they really that powerful?"


    "Yes, they are and more. I can assure you that if they decide to rebel against humanity, they can easily overpower multiple kingdoms and win. That''s not to mention the professors that are also extremely strong. And then, we have the headmaster¡­ Also known as ''the strongest creature to ever exist''."


    Rin''s face frowned slightly at the funny nickname. It sounded so arrogant yet domineering.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "From what I heard, he''s a mysterious man, at least a few hundred years old, and had even participated in the Blood Moon Massacre. He is power is unfathomable. But, to this day, no one had seen him at all except for very few people. He is the most mysterious human I have ever heard of."


    ''I can already see where this is going.''


    Strong individuals mean trouble for many reasons. First of all, Rin knew for a fact that the plot will revolve around these individuals even though he never yed this world at all. Second of all, he was worried about what kind of changes the butterfly effect will do to these people. They can just pop up in front of him out of nowhere and ruin everything for him, for all he cares.


    "Rin?"


    "Aaah. Nothing, nothing. By the way, what rank are you in, Aria?"


    Hearing his question, Aria smiled proudly and said.


    "I''m in the top 100. Exactly rank 78."


    Rin was very surprised but also not quite. He knew that Aria was stupidly strong and even with all the skills and stats he had at the moment, he had no chance of beating her at all so it didn''te as much of a shock if she was in the top 100. Hell, she could toy with him with one finger while asleep and he won''t be able to even put up a decent fight."


    The carriage finally reached the grass ins and stopped. When Rin got out, the strong wind hit his face and made him squint slightly.


    ''There are too many people.''


    Rin quickly scanned the ce searching for Elise. They had agreed prior to this that they should travel separately.


    But, no matter how much he searched, he couldn''t see her at all. With a sigh, he turned around, he looked at Aria.


    "What are you going to do now, Aria?"


    "I''m going straight to the academy. This ce is the testing area so I can''t stay here."


    "I see¡­" Rin''s eyes looked down with a slightly sad expression.


    "What? Are you going to miss me?" She asked.


    "Obviously."


    Seeing him like that, Aria had the sudden urge of hugging him tightly and eating him up. His sad face looked like that of a cute puppy that can''t leave his owner.


    ''Ah! My cute Rin is the best. But, I don''t want him to be sad.''


    "Don''t worry, it won''t take long. I will be waiting for you on the other side. Ok?"


    After that, she hugged him tightly and whispered in his ear affectionately.


    "Be careful, Rin. Even though this test won''t be something you will risk your life for, it''s still quite hard. Just do your best and I''m sure you will be fine."


    "Mmm, I know."


    The two then hugged for a long time before unwillingly parting from the hug. Rin could see that Aria was holding tears.


    "Why are you even crying, silly?"


    "I''m worried¡­"


    "Weren''t you encouraging me just a moment ago?"


    "Even then!"


    *Flick*


    Rin flicked her head lightly with a mischievous grin.


    "It will probably take me a few hours. But, I think you can wait for a few hours, right?"


    "You cocky rascal!"


    "Hahaha!" Rin chuckled heartily at her cute pout.


    After that, he bid Aria farewell and walked toward therge group of people standing there. They were all whispering to each other secretly as if they were speaking about some important matters which wasn''t the case since Rin heard their topics and it was really mundane and unimportant. But, the tension and the stress made them act like that.


    Sweeping the ce again, with his violet eyes, he could see that most of them aremoners from their normal clothes with some nobles here and there. They were all from Aviresion since these are the borders between the academy and their kingdom. Other kingdoms conduct their tests within their own borders.


    When he reached them, many eyed him silently as if he was some kind of unique animal. Their assessing eyes weren''t malicious but weren''t with good intentions either.


    However, it didn''t take him long for Rin to finally face the first hurdle in this test and it wasn''t even rted to the test.


    "Hey, you!!"


    Rin rolled his eyes secretly as he thought.


    ''And here we go.''


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 71 71- The Way Of A Totally Unimportant Character

    Chapter 71- The Way Of A Totally Unimportant Character


    Rin heard a loud and annoying voiceing from behind him. At first, he thought that it was directed toward him but when he turned around, he was surprised to see that he wasn''t the one getting called.


    Instead, he saw a boy, possibly his age standing while getting surrounded by a group of guys that were quiterger than him in size and looked quite intimidating.


    "You look kinda rich, aren''t you?" The supposed leader of this group of idiots spoke again with a grin, making his friends snicker loudly.


    Many looked at this interaction but no one wanted to stop them as they had way too many things on their mind to bother helping another person.


    Looking at the boy who was in the middle again, Rin had a weird feeling that he saw him before. Trying to remember, he squinted his eyes and scanned his features carefully.


    The boy was shorter than him with a weak frame, and a lean body with no muscles at all. His face was extremely soft and gentle and his hair was a beautiful shade of grey. His eyes had a unique red hue around the irises with a blue color in the middle.


    He was the type of guy who gets targeted by older women. A hard bottom in every possible rtionship and what women consider as a ''tastymb'' to eat whole.


    Rin wouldn''t be surprised if he knew that this boy had a harem or was like the¡­


    ''Wait!'' His eyes widened in shock at the realization.


    ''Why did I forget the only soft-looking bastard of those 10? He''s the fucking protagonist!'' pping his forehead at his stupid mind.


    ''Now that I think about it. This scenario fits him perfectly. Face-pping a bunch of morons is indeed so protagonist-like. Sigh.''


    "Oi, you hear me?! Why are you silent, huh?!" The leader growled again angrily.


    However, the boy didn''t respond and merely ignored the bunch as if they didn''t exist at all. His attitude was weird and it quickly caught the attention of everyone. They couldn''t understand what he was thinking about.


    "Was he scared shitless?"


    "Most likely. He couldn''t even speak from fear."


    "Hahaha! This will be entertaining!"


    Such things could be heard everywhere around Rin. However, his mind had only thought of one thing.


    ''This is¡­ the legendary face-p scene! Fuck, that''s so protagonist-like!'' He didn''t know whether tough or cry at this scene.


    Rin wasn''t a huge fan of the face-pping plot element as it is nothing but azy way for the story creator to make the main character look more dazzling than ever and to also hype up the consumer.


    ''Ah! Whatever, let''s just mind our business till Elise reaches this ce. Don''t look at them and treat them as if it was nothing but thin air.''


    "You little bastard, why are you silent?! Speak the fuck up!"


    However, thetter still didn''t move at all as if he was frozen in time. Rin was also starting to feel that something was eerily weird about this. Even if this was actually a face-pping scene, shouldn''t he start speaking at the very least?


    "You bastard!" Seemingly having enough of this weird boy, he grabbed him by the cor roughly and punched him violently in the face.


    ''Here ites¡­'' He closed his eyes, ready to hear the bullies scream in pain as the protagonist unleashes his great powers and beat them up senselessly.


    *Bang*


    ''Or not¡­''


    Instead of what he expected, the punch didnd right on the protagonist''s face drawing out blood from his nose. Then, without waiting, he punched him again and again and again. Each punch was strong enough to be heard from afar.


    The boy''s face was ruined with relentless punches. It was to the point where Rin thought that his face will never recover from that beating.


    ''Why is he not doing anything?! Is he dumb?'' Rin thought to himself.


    Even when he was getting beaten up, he didn''t try to resist or even protect his face. He just took the punches silently without making a sound.


    After that, the bully threw him on the ground and continued kicking him with his feet.


    "Oi, you fuckers also help me here. This dude is way better than any punching bag I ever punched, hahaha!"


    His friends joined the fray and they continued beating him up. The sound of hits echoed throughout the whole ce. Even those who were amused by it were now looking at the group with ufortable looks.


    ''Should I stop them? This is just really weird.''


    He wasn''t expecting any of this so he could only entertain the idea of helping the protagonist. But, he quickly shook those thoughts away and decided to follow with the n. He didn''t want to trouble Elise or potentially change whatever was intact of the plot to bepletely unrecognizable.


    But, even with that, it seemed that he had made a grave mistake of watching the fight for too long.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "What are you looking at, bastard!" One of them caught Rin looking at them.


    Thetter quickly averted his eyes and prayed in his head.


    ''Please, just ignore me. Please! I don''t want to beat the fuck out of you all and ruin the plot, please!'' Closing his eyes, begged pitifully.


    But, fate didn''t seem to be going to let him off the hook.


    "You fucker, I''m talking to you. Come here!" He shouted again as he signaled for him to get closer.


    The others also heard him and they stopped hitting the protagonist and instead focused on Rin as their next target. Looking at his clothes, they seemingly thought he was even more wealthy than the poor lump of beaten meat thrown on the ground.


    ''Sigh, why? Just why?'' He asked whoever was the culprit for this.


    "Are you his friend?" The group surrounded him and asked.


    "No?"


    "Liar! I could see that you wanted to stop us! You think what we did was wrong, huh?! Do you want to say that we are bad guys?!"


    Rin went silent for a few seconds, making the groupugh loudly as if they enjoyed this guy more than the other one since this one could speak.


    "Sigh¡­" Inhaling and then exhaling, Rin opened his mouth and said.


    "Listen. You four have two choices now." He made a peace sign with his hand in the middle of his words.


    "Either you just leave me alone and consider this as nothing but a stupid joke which I highly rmend you do. Or, we can go down the other road and end up with you guys either dead or paralyzed for life. I can also mentally scar you for life if that''s your kink."


    He said with a calm and eerily cold tone. Even if he didn''t want to ruin the plot, he ain''t going to tolerate anyone insulting him or even trying to step over him.


    ''This is not a game, fuckers! It''s the real fucking world.''


    "Huh?... Pffft, hahahahahhaha!!"


    The group erupted inughter at his words. Their amused looks as they caught their stomachs andughed loudly made the others shudder in fear of what they were about to do to Rin.


    "Even though he''s extremely good-looking. Sigh, what a waste he will ruin that face now."


    "True. I would''ve wanted to speak with him. But, I wish him all the luck."


    "I would still suck his¡­ Ehem, nothing."


    The ones who were sad for Rin were mostly girls while most guys snickered happily to see this gorgeous boy turn into an ugly mess. They couldn''t tolerate someone as handsome as Rin stealing all the light from them.


    "Hahaha! What did you just say? You will paralyze us for life?! Hahahaha! You are a funny guy, I tell you."


    The leader then bent forward and whispered in Rin''s ear menacingly.


    "This ce isn''t your castle and you are not going to ask for your parents'' help, Mr. Noble. Wee to the academy."


    Anyone would''ve felt fear from this threat except Rin who only had one thought.


    ''You really want this? Fuck! I''m really sorry, Elise. It is what it is. I will try to keep them alive.'' He apologized to Elise in his head. He really didn''t want to do this but since he stumbled upon a bunch of scumbags itching for some beating, he couldn''t say no, could he?


    *Swish*


    Then, without hesitation, the leader tried to punch him in the face. The move was fast but for Rin, it looked as if the moron was moving in slow motion.


    Extending his head, he grabbed the fist with his left hand. Then, with he tightened his grip around it.


    "What?" The bully couldn''tprehend what happened.


    "I tried to warn you. Don''t me me for what is going to happen. Now, I will show you the way of a totally unimportant character."


    (A//N: He will show them Da way.)


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 72 72- Ruthless Boogeyman

    Chapter 72- Ruthless Boogeyman


    Rin''s grasp on the guy''s hand was so tight that thetter frowned from pain and tried to release himself quickly. However, Rin''s strength stat had already evolved beyond recognition ever since he came here. A meremoner couldn''tpare to him at all.


    "L-Let go!!" He shouted as he pulled as hard as he could.


    However, Rin merely shook his head and increased the strength of the grip before he started twisting his hand to the left. The bully''s whole body seemingly moved along with his hand from the sheer pain.


    "I said let go! What the fuck are all of you doing watching him like that?! Do something!"


    The leader''s shouts woke hisckeys from their trance and made them charge toward Rin. Thetter simply ignored them and instead extended his other arm and grabbed the bully by the head.  Thetter tried to resist and even tried to kick him with his free leg but with a swift side-step, Rin was able to dodge his futile attacks as if they were nothing.


    "You really made a grave mistake, man. You could''ve just listened to my warnings and walked away. But no, you have an itch for trouble. Now, you fell in the wrong hands and I won''t let you run away." Rin said with a sigh.


    After grabbing the guy by the head roughly, he made a low grunt and then lifted him up in the air.


    "Woaaaah!!! No! Hurry up and get me down! Ahhh!!!" The man struggled for freedom. He felt his skull getting crushed from the pressure and his brain was swinging left and right as if it was put on a swinger.


    "Ok, have a safe trip."


    Looking at the group approaching him, he simply smiled and threw the leader at them. Thest thing they expected was for the rich boy to do such a thing.


    "Be caref- woahhhh!!!!"


    *BOOOOM*


    Landing on them, the whole 4 peopley there motionless. The hit was strong but Rin was sure that it wasn''t enough to harm them or knock them out.


    But, Rin wasn''t over with them. He had one strong belief and that is ''to either finish your job properly or never do it in the first ce''. So, he will only stop when these scumbags will never think about bullying or abusing someone ever again in their miserable lives.


    It may sound vicious but it was the right thing to do just so he can avoid any possible troubles in the future. One had to be cruel sometimes so that people won''t be even crueler than him.


    So, with light strolls, he approached them all the while, he was flipping the hems of his shirt.


    "W-Wait!! P-Please¡­ We weren''t going to do anything."


    "...."


    "We are extremely sorry! Please, spare us!!"


    Seeing the cold aura around Rin and his intimidating presence as he get closer and closer, fear crept into their hearts so they did what typical bullies will do¡­ beg for forgiveness. They porstrated themselves in front of him while shaking fearfully.


    However, Rin didn''t respond and continued walking toward them.


    "S-Save us!! He''s going to beat us up!!" The leader found no other way but to look for help from the other people around them.


    However, no matter where he looked, everyone would avert their eyes as if they didn''t see anything. They had seen how cruel these guys were to the poor boy before so they didn''t want to help them at all.


    "See? No one will save your sorry asses. That''s what you get for being a bunch of trash bags. It was only a matter of time before you mess with the wrong person and get taught a good lesson. I just happen to be that person, so don''t take it to heart."


    *Smash*


    With a sh, he sent a punch to one of the guys. Thetter wasn''t able to even see the punching at all. The only thing he registered was his jaw twisting along with the pain that follows it. His body swung along with it and fell a few meters away. One punch and the boy was knocked out cold.


    "Yaaaaaahhhh!!!" They all screamed in fear and tried to run away.


    "No, no. There is no running away. Everyone will get their fair share of beating."


    Taking two steps, Rin grabbed one of them and pulled him. Then, he twisted him around and kneed him in the stomach.


    "Bluurgh!" Thetter spat out a mouthful of saliva along with all the air in his lungs then fell down unconscious too just like his peer.


    Rin then threw him away as if he was getting rid of some garbage before he chased after the two left. The leader and hisst conscious friend ran for their lives. They tried to hide between the people. However, everyone will just scurry away from them.


    Rin was like a boogeyman for them, a nightmare they want to run away from. They forgot about their dignity and their cocky attitudes. In front of deep fear, they just lost whatever they valued and merely ran away.


    But, even that didn''t help them as Rin quickly closed the distance.


    "No! Fuck! Let''s try to gang up on him!!" The leader said with a whisper.


    "Are you mad? He will kill us!"


    "We have no other choice, moron. We have to use our abilities."


    "F-Fine."


    After that, they turned around and faced Rin.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "You gave up running?" He asked as he tilted his head.


    "Let''s do this!!"


    "Yes!! I will follow you till death, leader!!"


    Suddenly, the leader''s hands ignited in mes. The fire was bright and very hot. At least twice the normal heat emitting from normal mes. In a moment, his whole arm was consumed by it.


    "Fire fist!!"


    He then punched the air using his full strength. The fire in his hand distorted and formed what seemed to be a ball of fire in the shape of a fist. The fist then flew toward Rin at an rming rate.


    ''I used my strongest attack from the start! He can''t dodge this! Hehehehe! Burn, you bastard!!'' Snickering maniacally, he waited for the sight of Rin''s body getting caught on fire and his loud screams of agony and pain.


    ''That''s something.'' Rin thought with azy look as he fought the urge to yawn.


    [Are you bored, host?]


    ''Out of my mind.''


    [Then I suggest you try to learn new techniques with Shadow Maniption. It''s still stuck in level 2. Learning how to use it and inventing a few tricks can also benefit you greatly, host.]


    ''That sounds like a great idea! Well, let''s see¡­. Oh! I got it.''


    Rin then extended his arm and waited for the fire punch to hit him. Meanwhile, everyone just looked at him as if he was crazy. Even though he did show great strength before, that didn''t mean that he can face literal fire with his bare fists. That''s just lunacy.


    "Be careful!!" One of them screamed worriedly but Rin totally ignored them.


    *BANG*


    The mes burst in a huge explosion and covered Rin. Everyone closed their eyes to not watch the horrible sight that will happen in a few seconds. Everyone except the two bullies, that is.


    "Hahahahah! You get what you fucking deserve!! Burn in mes, you monster!!" The leader shouted at the top of his lungs. The fear he felt at that time scarred his ego and so he wanted to restore whatever was left of it.


    However, seconds passed and the screams didn''t erupt. In fact, except for the sound of the mes flickering eerily, there was nothinging from Rin.


    Then, in a split second, all the mes were swept away and Rin appeared again,pletely intact. There was not even a single burn mark on his body or clothes as if he was never even touched by them in the first ce.


    "That was warm."


    "Wha-"


    *Swish*


    Then, he swiftly blinked from his ce and appeared behind them. The two couldn''t react from the sheer shock.


    Rin casually grabbed them by the neck and then smashed their heads together. The crispy sound of bones cracking echoes in the ce.


    "AAAAAAAAAAGGHHH!!!" The leader screeched from pain as he held his head. His body twisted and turned from the hellish pain. As for the other bully, he was unconscious from the hit as he couldn''t handle the pain at all.


    "You are still awake, huh?"


    Rin then grabbed him by the cor of his shirt and intended to punch him again, just to send him to dreands.


    But, as his fist swung in the air, a hand extended and grabbed it swiftly. Rin was at first shocked but when he smelled the familiar and extremely addictive smell of this certain person, he rxed and looked around with a soft smile. All of his scary aura and cold demeanor were gone in a moment as if they were never there in the first ce.


    "Hey, Elise."


    Elise looked at him calmly and then at the boy he was holding and then back at him again.


    "Care to exin?"


    *Swish*


    Sighing, Rin threw the bully away and then dusted his hands.


    "It''s a long story."


    "I''m all ears."


    (A//N: He is ruthless.)


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 73 73- The Protagonist’s Charm

    Chapter 73- The Protagonist''s Charm


    Elise didn''t seem to be angry at all even when Rin recounted what happened to her in detail. In fact, he could see a sh of disdain appear in her eyes when she looked at the bullies. That made Rin sigh in relief as he thought that she will scold him because of it.


    "That''s why I had to beat them up a little bit."


    "A little bit, huh?" She murmured as she scanned their injuries.


    They were all unconscious now, two of them had their skulls literally broken while another one had his jaw dislocated. Thest one was the luckiest as he only had a bruise on his stomach from the knee he got from Rin.


    After that, she looked at Rin again silently.


    "Hahaha! Maybe not a little bit." He scratched his head.


    But then, he felt that something weird was going on. The whole ce seemed to have gone silentpletely. Even when Rin was beating up the bullies, there were still some whispers and gossip around them.


    However, all he can hear now is the sound of the gushes of wind that moved around them.


    "Hm?" With a confused expression, he looked around him. That''s when he noticed the weird atmosphere that took over the people present.


    They all had widened looks as they eyed them, or to be more precise, they were eyeing Elise. It didn''t matter whether it was a guy or a girl, they all had the same stupified expression on their faces.


    "Mmm, Elise?"


    Thetter didn''t seem to be aware of the gazes she was garnering so she looked at him quizically. Rin merely pointed at the problem with the index finger.


    Elise didn''t take long to catch on but she just shrugged her shoulders lightly and started walking away.


    "Let them be."


    "Hmm, fine."


    He can see that most of them recognized Elise. They were all Aviresion citizens after all. But, not even a single person dared to approach her or even talk to her. It was also the same case for Rin before and now.


    The reason for that was something that neither Rin nor Elise were able to pinpoint at all. It was all because of their ''presence''. Everything about them, from their aura up to their demeanor as a whole, was just so strong, and oppressive. They had an air of royalty around them that far outmatched any other royal prince or even king.


    It was as if these two were born to reign supreme over any other existence. It was a pure and raw presence that made everyone just ignore the idea of talking with them and merely admire them from afar.


    After walking away, the two sat down on the soft grass.


    "I think I know what happened to the protagonist." Elise suddenly said.


    "Hmm?"


    "See? He''s still motionless. It''s most likely because of the game''s plot itself. The story starts exactly after he gets beaten up by the bad guys."


    "Wait, really?"


    "Yes."


    "Damn, that sounds tough. But, why did he not at least say anything or move? He just stood there like a broken doll and took the beating silently. Shouldn''t he look more¡­ human?"


    "I don''t really know."


    "It may be some kind of bug or maybe it was meant to be like that from the start. We will never know."


    ''Any idea, system?'' He asked in his head as ast resort.


    [You can''t ess this information, host.]


    ''Nice. You have been really useful with this stuff, system.''


    [I will always be at your service, host.]


    ''Sigh. Yes, yes!'' Rolling his eyes, Rin focused on Elise again.


    "So, when is the test starting?" He asked.


    "It should be one or two hours from now if I recall correctly. Are you ready? It won''t be easy at all."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "You already warned me so I won''t be that shocked."


    After that, the two talked about many things, most of them rted to what will happen when they get to the academy, their ns for the future, and how to deal with any possible inconsistencies in the plot that will surely ur


    Meanwhile, slightly far away from them, a bloodied boy, Phillipe, finally woke up. He grabbed his head with a pained look on his face. Feeling the sticky blood on his hand, he frowned a little bit but then rxed when memories rushed back to him.


    ''I got hit by bullies? Ugh, my head and ribs hurt.'' He thought to himself.


    Some people looked at him from afar but no one approached to help him stand up or check his injuries.


    His eyes then wandered from his battered body to his surroundings. He scanned the ce lightly but when his eyes caught a glimpse of a beautiful white color the shade of snow, his eyes widened and a myriad of emotions shed across his face.


    He felt his heart rate increase and his breathing went erratic as if he was running in a marathon. All of his being focused on the goddess sitting there. Every part of her attracted him immensely and yed on his heartstrings as if they were the strings of a violin.


    ''She''s¡­ so beautiful.'' He thought in his head.


    After that, as if he was someone in a daze, he stood up and strolled toward her. He didn''t even notice the person sitting beside the girl of his dreams. She was the only person he ever loved or even cared about. He could still recall the first time he saw her. Since then, his whole mind was upied by her silhouette and her cold expression.


    Without noticing it, he was already in front of Elise, looking at her intently.


    Rin had already noticed this weird behavior and instinctively readied himself to move in case this soft-looking boy does anything stupid. He knew that ''lucky pervert'' scenes are included in the plot and he frankly didn''t want to see Elise being in one of those scenes.


    "Mmm." Waking up from his trance, the boy tried to say something but ended up fumbling with his own words. His cheeks turned red and he started fidgeting as if he didn''t know what to do.


    "What do you want?" Elise asked him coolly.


    "Mmm¡­ D-Do you remember me, your highness?" He asked awkwardly.


    "You are Phillipe, the son of Duke Melinia, right?"


    "Y-Yes!!" The boy''s eyes brightened when he discovered that she still remembered his name. That was, for him, a great improvement he didn''t imagine was possible.


    But, sadly for him, Elise only recalled him just because he was the protagonist.


    "So, do you need anything?" Rin was the one to ask this time.


    When he heard his voice, Phillipe finally noticed the other person sitting very close to Elise. Aplicated expression appeared on his face but he tried to hide it. When he scanned the dark-haired boy, he felt thoseplex emotions intensify.


    Phillipe had met many people in his life because of his position as a noble, most of them were good-looking men who could flutter the hearts of girls easily. But, the person in front of him was by far the most handsome he had ever seen. It did not even concern his looks only, his whole being was oozing with such a strong aura that was extremely beautiful yet also weirdly alerting. Just like a wolf hiding in sheep clothes.


    ''Why is this person¡­ sitting next to her highness?'' He asked himself as his heart felt great unease and difort.


    *Click* *Click*


    "Oi! Are you ok? You get dazed a lot." Rin said as he clicked his fingers close to his face just to catch his attention.


    "A-Ah! Yes! I mean no! My apologies!" He said hurriedly with a frustrated look.


    ''I can see why he attracts older women. This dude just looks too innocent and pure. Older women would eat him whole. He also has such a charming aura that puts everyone around him at ease. That''s dangerous.''


    It was indeed the case, the protagonist was extremely attractive but not in the normal sense. Looks-wise he was average at best but it was his whole aura that makes people unconsciously get attracted to him. That was, for Rin, the most lethal type of main character.


    In his eyes, those characters are capable of attracting women more than good-looking protagonists. He didn''t know why, but it has always been the case.


    His gaze then shifted to Elise. Thetter seemed calm and collected as if nothing was happening.


    ''Why am I even worried? Am I jealous or something?'' He asked.


    He did indeed feel ufortable imagining Elise getting with this fellow over here so he was sure at least that his feelings for Elise weren''t merely ''partners'' or surface-level acquaintances. She was at least an important friend to him at this point. A friend he was ready to protect at all costs.


    As he was swimming in his own thoughts, Phillipe finally spoke.


    "C-Can we please be friends?!"


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 74-Jealousy Ls A Lethalweapon

    Chapter 74- Jealousy Is A Lethal Weapon


    "..." Both Rin and Elise went silent as they looked at Phillipe intently. Neither of them knew what to say at this moment.


    Rin especially was holding the urge to sigh out loud. He was aware that this request wasn''t merely for the pure intention of staying friends forever. He could see his eyes when he looks at Elise. The sh of emotions was so deep and noticeable that even Rin could see it quite easily. That boy was head over heels for Elise.


    Rin then looked at Elise from the side. The both of them shared a long gaze as if they were conversing through their eyes.


    After a long time, Elise finally opened her mouth.


    "I already gave you an answer, didn''t I? You should give up. That''s for your sake." She said.


    "Please, I know I sound unreasonable but I don''t want to give up." He said in a high tone.


    ''I apud your tenacity, Mr. Protagonist. You have balls of steel.''


    He really admired that level of willingness to go above and beyond for the sake of his love even if he was certain that it will never flourish. That may look bad in many people''s eyes but Rin saw that in a better way than most. That was most likely because of his itched belief that not giving up no matter what, is the right thing.


    However, Rin wasn''t going to sit on the side. He had already got Elise''s intentions and he will simply go through with them.


    "I suggest you just leave it at that."


    "W-Who are you?" Phillipe said with a defensive look on his face as if he was facing some kind of rival.


    ''He thinks I''m his rival in love. He is truly as pure as he looks.'' Rin smirked in his head but kept a cold front.


    "Rin Silvereye. Nice to meet you, Phillipe."


    "What?! You are Rin Silvereye?!" Phillipe shouted.


    "You know me?" Rin was surprised.


    "Y-Yes!"


    "Wow. Was I that popr, Elise?" He asked with an amused look.


    "You cause trouble so it will obviously attract attention."


    "But, I''m innocent. I barely even did anything."


    "Say that to the next king."


    "Ouch!" Rin made a fake pained look as he held his chest.


    Watching that interaction, the frown on Phillipe''s face grew even bigger than before. At this point, he was already considering Rin as his enemy. The fact that the cold and aloof Elise would actually act friendly and even joke around with him was a huge red g for him.


    He was scared that maybe they were more than acquaintances and that they potentially had a romantic rtionship that he didn''t know of.


    ''Is her highness really¡­'' Despair crept to his heart as he paled visibly.


    Just the mere thought of the love of his life being taken destroyed his heart to pieces. It was the worst pain he had ever felt in his entire life.


    ''It can''t be¡­ It just can''t be. This must be some kind of evil thing done by this person. He must be manipting Elise.''


    His mind, being deeply in denial, made him create weird excuses just to make their rtionship sound fake andpletely delusional. That''s why, in less than a second, that rivalry turned into outright hatred toward Rin.


    Silently, he red at Rin as if he was his mortal enemy. The hatred in his eyes was as if Rin had murdered his whole family in front of him.


    Thetter quickly noticed this change in emotions and was genuinely taken aback. He didn''t know what happened for the protagonist to look at him like that.


    "You¡­ what did you do to her highness?!" He suddenly asked.


    "Pardon me?" Rin blinked a few times.


    "Y-You must''ve been manipting her for her to speak with you and get close to you!! What did you do to her?!"


    ''Wait, don''t tell me. Is he actually¡­ retarded?'' Rin seriously thought as he scratched his chin.


    As for Elise, she merely shook her head with a sigh. She really didn''t know how this person was the protagonist. She even questioned whether he was really the same person everyone yed with inside the game. She doesn''t recall him being this annoying.


    "I didn''t do anything."


    "You are lying! Her highness has never been close to you before. Howe you suddenly became on friendly terms out of nowhere?"


    "Well¡­" The two looked at each other again for a brief moment.


    "Chemistry was good?" Rin replied quizzically. He didn''t even know what to say at this point.


    "You want me to believe that?!"


    ''Now, he''s being stupidly unreasonable. Should I just beat him up?... No, I can''t do that, it will just fuck up everything.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Then, secretly, Elise nudged him. He looked at her and she nodded her head as if she was telling him something. Rin also nodded his head in understanding.


    "Listen here, friend. Even if you don''t believe me. Here, look at Elise. She can testify for herself that I didn''t do anything. You are just being delusional and in denial."


    "You should just move on. You might meet the love of your life out there. But, it certainly not me."


    After that, he stood up, and dusted off his clothes, intending to walk away. Elise also stood up and followed him.


    "He is such a pain."


    "It''s most likely the butterfly effect messing up his character. It''s already changing many things." Elise exined.


    "At this rate, the story will be unrecognizable soon."


    "We should just follow the n. If things change then we adapt."


    "Easier said than done. I already have the itch to punch the protagonist in the face." Rin clenched his fist lightly as a sign.


    "Don''t even think about doing it," Elise warned.


    "I won''t. But, I apud your patience with him."


    "If it wasn''t for the fact that he was a protagonist. I would''ve skinned him alive already." Elise''s eyes turned sharp and cold for a split second before returning to normal.


    "Wait, what?"


    "It was a joke."


    ''That didn''t sound like one, Mrs. Elise.''


    As they were conversing like that, a sound caught their attention. The two quickly looked in a certain direction. The others didn''t feel it until a few secondster.


    "Here he is."


    *Swish*


    A silhouette appeared on the horizon flying toward them at an rming speed. At first, it appeared as a small shining star but in less than a second, the silhouettended in front of them.


    *BOOOOM*


    A cloud of dust exploded around the ce where the personnded.


    ''Superheronding.'' Rin thought in his head with a smirk.


    However, the moment he felt the presence of the person closer than ever, his smile turned into a frown. The frown turned grimmer and grimmer the more he felt the aura around this person.


    He had met strong people and his father was one of them. However, their auras couldn''tpare at all. His aura was suffocating, strong and dangerous. His body was screaming for him to just run and get as far away as possible from there or he will be constantly in danger.


    The cloud of dust finally dissipated, revealing a tall man. He looked to be slightly old, probably in his 50s.


    He had long white hair that reached his shoulders and a thick beard that was also slightly on the longer side. His eyes were as sharp as des and his body had extremelypact and dense muscles hidden under a tight suit.


    Everyone looked normal when they saw him except for Rin and Elise who were slightly pale. The constant exposure to his aura was like being surrounded by knives that are glossing over your skin, sending chills down your spine.


    ''What is this¡­ aura?'' Rin questioned as he gulped a mouthful of saliva.


    "Don''t panic, Rin. We must bear with the pressure." Elise whispered to him.


    "I know. But, it''s still impressive. It''s as if he wants to kill us at any given moment."


    After glossing over everyone, his eyes eventuallynded on Rin and Elise. His mere gaze made them frown even harder.


    ''He focused his pressure on us? Ugh!'' Rin clenched his teeth and tried to keep a fairly calm face.


    But, still, his gaze seemed to be piercing them and staring right into their soul. It was as if they could not hide anything from him.


    After that, he nodded his head as if he understood something before he opened his mouth.


    "Wee to Divine Sapphire Magic Academy. My name is Donnie Cleardawn. It''s a pleasure to meet everyone here." His voice was loud, yet calm andposed.


    "You all came here to enroll in our honorable academy. But, unfortunately for you, only a handful of you are going to be able to have that opportunity. The reason for that is the test that you will go through now."


    After that, he lifted his hand in the air and simply snapped his finger.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 75- Running Like There LsNo Tomorrow (Part 1)

    Chapter- Running Like There Is No Tomorrow (Part 1)


    The moment his fingers clicked together, the ground around them shook violently. It was as if an earthquake had just hit them out of nowhere.


    "Woah!!"


    "Fuck!!"


    Many fell to the ground as they couldn''t maintain their bnce. Only a handful was able to stand still but with some difficulty. The only people that didn''t even show any struggle with keeping their bnce were Rin, Elise, and the protagonist, Phillipe. The earthquake was strong but they had great bnce and a very flexible body that can resist such powers.


    Donnie looked at them silently before closing his eyes and walking to the side. What appeared behind him made everyone gasp in surprise. A very long bridge was erected right on the edge of the cliff that extended deeper into the surface of the hole as if it was some kind to cross the hole from.


    The bridge was made out of strong wood but no one in their right mind would even think about crossing it. The hole was already intimidating enough when they were this far away from it. Even a mere nce at it sends shivers down their spines.


    ''How did he¡­?'' Rin titled his head in confusion. He wanted to know what exactly happened for a bridge that size to appear out of thin air. Was it his ability? But, that thought alone made him even warier from Donnie.


    Everyone gulped down a mouthful of saliva after what they heard. They already knew that the test to enroll in the academy was brutally hard. Most of them heard the rumors that it was so hard that only 1% of the candidates are able to pass it sessfully. The others will only fail and end up ruining their potential future.


    So, it was understandable for them to be anxious as the truth was dawning on them more and more as time passes.


    "Every year, the test changes ording to the higher-up''s decision. They can vary in difficulty depending on the individual but the only constant is that they are as fair as they could be. You all will have equal opportunities no matter what. Bear that in mind so that none of you will have the right toin after the test ends." His voice sounded even colder than before as it reverberated in their ears.


    No one dared to speak under his sharp gaze. Even though they knew what the test will most likely be but no one dared to ask at all.


    "See that bridge. It leads to the heart of the Gate Of Licaria. That''s where the teleportation portal that sends you to the academy is. The test is simple, I will be running ahead of all of you and all you have to do is follow me. But, be really careful, if you don''t want to fail, don''t fall behind the group. You must stay close to me at all times. You can use your abilities or use mana, it''s not important."


    "What will happen if we fall behind?" Phillipe lifted his hand and asked. His voice was still timid but was also full of determination.


    "You won''t die. But, you will see things that you won''t like. I don''t rmend even trying to see for yourself what could happen in that case. Any other questions?"


    "How long is the distance will be?"


    Donnie looked at Phillipe silently before turning around and started walking to the bridge silently. When he reached there, he said coldly.


    "The distance is wherever I stop."


    For some reason, no one liked that sentence. Wherever he stops? How long will it be then? It can be 100 miles or 1 million miles, they will never know until they reach the end.


    "Onest thing before we start: When I reach the end, you all have 1 single hour after that to reach the end. If the time ends, then my subordinates will go out to fetch you."


    The pressure kept building up the more Donnie spoke. He was creating such a huge burden on their minds. A strange bridge, unknown distance, and even great consequences for failure. He concocted a perfect test for their soul and body.


    But, even with all of that, they all quickly lined up around Donnie. Everyone wanted to be as close to him as possible just to not lose track.


    "Are you all ready?"


    Without waiting for a response, he started jogging on the bridge. A secondter, everyone followed suit and started running after him at a slow pace.


    In a moment, everyone was on the bridge, running toward the unknown. However, behind all of these people, Rin and Elise still didn''t start.


    "They are all truly naive," Rin murmured.


    "We should also leave now," Elise said and started running.


    "Mmm, go ahead, I will follow suit in a second."


    After nodding her head, Elise barked off, leaving Rin alone. When he waspletely alone, Rin looked up at the sky, his eyes instinctively squinted for some reason. But, a momentter, he sighed and scratched his head, and muttered.


    "I''m really hallucinating now."


    *Swish*


    After that, he vanished from his ce, leaving a small cloud of dust behind that eventually disappeared too.


    Reaching Elise, he reduced his pace and started jogging at her speed. Almost 20 meters away from them, they could see the group running.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Should we just stay behind?" He asked.


    "The chaos will start soon so we have to create some distance before it''s toote."


    "Sigh, I hope that everything goes ording to n."


    The group kept running at a very average speed. Their worries soon dissipated when they hit the 30-minute mark of continuous running since everything seemed good and dandy.


    However, at exactly 30 minutes, something changed. Donnie''s speed started increasing slowly. At first, no one said anything but when they felt the distance between them and Donnie increasing, they started to question what was going on.


    But, they had no time to idle around so they could only increase the pace to close the distance again before Donnie vanishes out of their sights.


    At some point, everyone was running at almost full speed. But, even then, no oneined since they thought if they increased their speed, the distance will be shortened and they will finish quickly. But, the harsh truth still didn''t dawn on them.


    Rin and Elise also increased their speed but they were still merely joggingpared to the others. Looking to his left, Rin broke a sweat when he stared at the Gate Of Licaria. There was this weird thing he felt that he didn''t quite understand.


    His mere nce turned into a long gaze that caught Elise''s attention.


    "What''s wrong?"


    "Huh?"


    "... Nothing."


    ''Why am I feeling like this? I could swear¡­ someone or something was calling for me.'' He thought deeply.


    Soon, the one-hour mark was crossed and everyone was starting to question what was happening.


    "Are we¡­  going to run for more than an hour?"


    "I''m starting to feel tired."


    "Hopefully we don''t need to run for longer."


    Donnie was already aware of their thoughts and could only shake his head at how naive they were. But, he was about to crush their hopes.


    At exactly one hour, he increased his pace again. He could hear gasps of shock when they saw him getting farther and farther away. Unconsciously, everyone started to run at full speed and even started to use mana to enhance their body.


    Those who already started using mana did have a boost of energy but they were soon about to regret that decision. They not only have no idea how long the journey is but when their mana pool will be emptied, it was basically over for them.


    "Some are already falling behind," Rinmented when he saw some tired bunch, most of them were overweight and not quite athletic.


    On the other hand, Rin and Elise were still not tired at all. In fact, they still didn''t start running at their full speed so everything was good and dandy. Their stamina was far better than the other people around them after all.


    Another hour passed in a sh. No one felt the passing of time as they were busy regting their breathing and trying to preserve their energy as much as possible. Despair was starting to creep on them slowly but surely. It was already 2 hours yet there was no sight of an end to this marathon. In fact, Donnie kept increasing his speed endlessly as if he was taunting their hopes and crushing them casually.


    There was even a bunch of them that were now behind Elise and Rin. Both of them could hear their rugged breathing and loud groans.


    ''The trip is still long. I pity these people, truly.'' Rin thought in his head.


    It was merely the beginning, the real test didn''t even start.


    At the 3 hours and 30-minute mark, something started changing.


    "Am I imagining stuff or is the bridge getting¡­. narrower?" Someone asked with a fearful look.


    (A//N: Yes, it is a reference from HunterXHunter. It''s one of my top 3 so I wanted to inspire something from it but it will be different with my personal touch after all.)


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 76- Running Like There LsNo Tomorrow (Part 2)

    Chapter 76- Running Like There Is No Tomorrow (Part 2)


    When one of them muttered those words, everyone immediately looked at the bridge ahead of them. At first, it was easily 80 feet wide. But, as they continued running, it was slowly but surely getting narrower and narrower, making them get closer to each other.


    "Why is it getting smaller?"


    "Beat me! We are barely keeping up with the professor and now we have to also mind whether we have enough space to run or not."


    "It''s turning really bad really quickly!"


    "But, we have to keep going! We can''t give up! Brace yourself, everyone!"


    With that shout of encouragement, the mes of determination ignited again in their hearts as they forgot about their exhaustion and solely focused on running.


    "We should also elerate a little bit more." Rin suggestion.


    His reason for that was that when the bridge bes extremely narrow, they will eventually invade their space. Rin wasn''t keen on the idea of running around sweaty dudes grunting non-stop like a bunch of dogs.


    Elise seemed to share the same thoughts. So, with that in mind, they started closing the distance between them and the group.


    "Huh?"


    "What?!"


    Everyone noticed the duo passing beside them and then moving ahead. The pure ease they showed when doing such a thing took everyone by surprise. Everyone was struggling to keep running and yet these two were simply running without breaking a sweat. How is that fair?


    Phillipe, who was slightly ahead of everyone also noticed the two of them approaching him at an rming pace.


    His eyes followed Elise for a long time before shifting to Rin. A mere nce at his infuriatingly handsome face made him want to strangle him to death. He really couldn''t bear the thought of another man being close to his beloved. Not even one single bit.


    ''Get away from her, you trash!!'' He screamed in his head as his eyes turned a degree colder.


    Rin did notice that change of expression but didn''t try to even look back at him. He didn''t have the patience or the time to keep arguing with that boy. Elise also ignored himpletely as if he was thin air or something.


    The two eventually passed him and now, they became the closest to Donnie. Thetter also seemed to see that since he nodded his head at them.


    ''Since both of you are challenging me. I won''t hold back.'' Donnie thought as he felt a rush of excitement in his old and possibly dormant heart. He was extremely interested in these two youngsters. Donnie had seen many talents in his life, more than he can count. But, these two evoked some feelings in him he had never felt before.


    ''Something is different with these two. Who are they?'' He wondered.


    "His speed increased again?!"


    "Ugh! I can''t keep up anymore!!"


    "Please! No more than this! I''m barely running at this point!"


    "My legs feel like hot jello!"


    Comints erupted everywhere from the unfairness. At this point, the distance between the group and Donnie was increasing and they couldn''t close it anymore.


    ''This fucking sadist! He enjoys tormenting them.'' Rin thought with a small grin of amusement.


    He figured out why Donnie was doing this and it was because of them. But, neither of them was going to back out.


    ''I can''t let them get far away from me! I must protect Elise at all costs.'' Phillipe clenched his teeth and exerted more strength to keep up.


    He was already trying to find a way to get rid of whatever curse or spell Rin was putting on Elise. Even though at first, he only considered it as a mere probability, somehow, it turned into a certain thing for him. Love is truly blind.


    A few minutes passed and the bridge was now less than 30 feet wide. Imagine hundreds of people running on a bridge that narrow. The sight was amazing, to say the least. That''s when it started.


    "Hey! You stepped on my leg, you fucking moron!"


    "Fuck! You hit me in the back didn''t you?!"


    "Oi! Stay away from me, trash! I can''t run when you are stuck to me like that!"


    "Your breath stinks, you bastard! Do you have a dead pig inside your mouth, goddammit!! Go breathe somewhere else."


    The umtion of stress, anger, and frustration started to take a toll on the candidates. That''s why fights ensued everywhere. No one wanted to fall back so they had to stick close to each other. On the other hand, they also didn''t want anyone close to them since it makes them unable to run freely. This collision of emotions created a chaotic mess.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Everyone started shoving each other and pushing with their shoulders. The fights grew more and more intense as time went on.


    At some point, they were even throwing punches at each other as if it was some brawl inside a bar.


    "It started, huh?" Rin muttered.


    "We are far. They can do whatever they want."


    The sound of punches and kicks echoed in the silent void. At this point, thend was far gone and the only thing surrounding them was the ck void of the Gate of Licaria.


    The 4-hour mark quickly passed and from all the people running, only a few were still visible from Donnie''s point of view. The others were still running but they were very far away. There were also a few thatpletely stopped as they couldn''t continue running anymore.


    Running for 4 hours straight was extremely hard for them as they weren''t even that strong, agile, or had enormous stamina.


    Meanwhile, Phillipe kept his speed. At some point, he had gotten rid of his shirt and was running with his bare chest out in the open. Sweat kept trickling down his body as if it was a waterfall. Even an idiot could tell he was getting exhausted but something was keeping him going.


    ''Her highness, her highness, her highness¡­. HER HIGHNESS!!!'' He kept repeating the name as if it was some kind of spell for more energy.


    Everything was going very smoothly for Rin and Elise. But, if they learned something from this world, it was that things never go perfectly ording to n at all.


    "RAAAAAA!!!" A loud screech of a monster suddenly shook the bridge and made everyone close their ears.


    Rin and Elise quickly looked to the side with extremely serious expressions. That''s when it appeared¡­ A huge figure flew from under the bridge and rose to the high sky. Its shadowpletely covered the bridge as if it was a full eclipse.


    "What the hell is that?!" Rin eximed.


    Looking closely, he could see that it was some kind of bird¡­ an unusually giant bird. Its body was at least the size of a building. The bird was hairless but with very red skin and a giant beck. Its most noticeable feature was its singr eye in the middle of its face.


    "RAAAAAAAA!!!" After screeching again, it dived down at full speed, aiming at the bridge.


    "Fuck! Be careful, ELISE!!" Rin shouted as he immediately used shadow maniption and jumped on Elise. Then, he covered both of them in the shadow and vanished inside the shadow.


    *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*


    The moment the bird hit the bridge, a huge wave was generated that propagated left and right.


    "WOAAAAAAHHH!!!"


    Screams erupted from the candidates as they held on the bridge for their dear lives. Fear took over their bodies and made them unable to move. The more unlucky bunch were even sent flying in the air and were about to fall into the ck hole under them.


    Donnie clicked his tongue when he saw the huge problem that urred and then stopped before dashing toward them. His priority was to not let anyone die under his supervision. If anyone dies, it will be a huge scandal that will ruin the academy''s reputation.


    ''What are my subordinates doing?! How can they let a demon hybrid just attack the bridge?!'' He had many questions but he quickly forgot about them and focused.


    *Swish*


    Unleashing his aura in full, he sted into the air aiming for the students. He was faster than the blink of an eye. Luckily, he was able to reach on time and he grabbed everyone before they fell down. His strong body carried the four or so students before throwing them on the bridge and moving to the next ones.


    Meanwhile, the bird screeched again and looked around it searching for any delicious prey it could hunt Its eyes eventually fell on two silhouettes.


    "Are you ok, Elise?" Rin asked worriedly.


    "I''m fine."


    "Good¡­ What was tha-" Before he could even finish his words, his eyes fell on the bird and for a good 3 seconds, their eye contact didn''t get cut.


    Instinctively, Rin used his appraisal skill to scan the monster in front of him.


    [Hybrid wing Bird.]


    [Rank: E]


    [Skills: Sharp Eye (Level 3), Intimidating Screech (Level 4)]


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 77- Hybrid Clawing Bird(Part1)

    Chapter 77- Hybrid wing Bird (Part1)


    For some reason, Rin wasn''t surprised that it was an E-Rank monster and the reason for that was that he had already met a D-Rank monster and even killed it, not that he was proud of the method he used to do such an unheard-of feat.


    Normally, this was an E-Rank monster so Rin should be able to beauty quite easily since he killed a far stronger monster basically single-handedly. But, Rin himself knew that that was wrong¡­ very wrong.


    Ignoring the fact that he almost died on multiple asions through that tedious fight, he was also under the control of the berserker skill which basically abused his body to the extreme. It even made him cut his own flesh to use in the fight which is nothing short of insanity. There were also the different natures of the two monsters.


    While the other was an insane demon woman, this was a bird¡­ a huge one at that. These small things can go unnoticed but the fact is that the ranking of a monster sometimes doesn''t reflect how hard it is to kill for a certain individual to kill it.


    So, by that logic, Rin can''t say with confidence that he can kill this monster quite easily. It might be a hard fight for all he cares.


    "Listen, Elise. On my signal, we start moving backward very slowly while keeping eye contact, ok?" He whispered near Elise.


    "It will attack us at any moment."


    "Just trust me. I think this bird won''t attack us unless we do something eye-catching."


    "Rin, what are you even saying? It has a skill called ''sharp eye'' so it doesn''t have bad eyesight or something like that. It will clearly attack us." Elise reasoned as she tried to pull out her sword.


    "Please, Elise. I can feel something weird from this bird. It''s as if it''s trying to speak with me through its eyes. Let''s try my idea and if it doesn''t work, we will fight."


    Gazing at his eyes, Elise was taken aback slightly by the sheer confidence he had in his words. She didn''t know from where he got that much confidence but she sighed and nodded her head at him.


    After that, the two stood up very slowly, and with very quiet steps, they started to retreat ever-so-slowly while keeping eye contact with the bird. The shocking thing was that the bird didn''t attack them at all. In fact, it only kept gazing at Rin silently as it tilted its head left and right like a chicken.


    The pressure from it also decreased a lot as if it was under some kind of hypnotization.


    ''It''s¡­working.'' Rin thought in his head as he wiped a bead of sweat trickling down his cheek. The fact that he even attempted such a risky and reckless thing amazed him. He had no idea that this was actually a possibility in the first ce.


    ''We are getting farther and farther away.''


    When Rin was starting to smile happily because his n was a resounding sess, something really stupid happened.


    "I WILL SAVE YOU, YOUR HIGHNESS!!" A scream so loud that it made them flinch echoed in the whole bridge before a silhouette appeared in the air. Phillipe seemingly was trying to ambush the monster from behind and save Elise.


    ''I will definitely save her highness. Then, then she will definitely ept me!!'' His mind was already clouded by his intense desire to get recognition from his beloved.


    "No! You fucking idiot!!" Rin tried to activate his shadow maniption again and stop him or the n will be ruined. Rin knew how big of a disaster it will ur if they fought a creature that can fly on a fucking bridge. The worst oue is one of them falling into the Gate Of Licaria.


    But, sadly, he was veryte.


    "RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!" The bird turned around and used its skill ''intimidating screech''. Waves of sound erupted like a chain of explosions and smashed against Phillipe. His face turned extremely pale and his body started falling down, losing all its momentum.


    "Fuck!!" Rin cursed and dashed toward the bird.


    ''If he dies now. We arepletely and utterly fucked!!'' Rin thought.


    The idea of the protagonist dying at the start of the story was just too catastrophic for Rin to even imagine. Forget about changing the plot, if this moron dies, the whole world around them could crumble because of it and they won''t have the chance to even do anything to change that.


    Both he and Elise will be robbed of their opportunity to be stronger and may even die because of it. The consequences were numerous. That''s why, Phillipe must not die at all costs, for now.


    Elise didn''t stand idly either, she channeled her mana and activated gravity maniption. Then, she tried to restrain the bird before it can do anything.


    "Ugh!!" Groaning painfully, Elise felt all of her muscles contracting violently because of the sheer strength of the monster. She can barely hold it for a few seconds. But, for her, that was more than enough time for Rin to reach the bird.


    ''I never thought I will try the Shadow Monarch Dagger in such a situation. But, Vo!''


    *Swish*


    Vanishing from the surface of the bridge, Rin used the bird''s shadow to appear on the other side of the bridge where Phillipe was.


    "RAAAAA!!!" Breaking the gravity restraints, the bird sent its w toward Phillipe, intending to pierce his body.


    *BAM*


    But at thest moment, Rin appeared in front of the w, using the dagger in his hand to sh with the w. Metal swarf flickered everywhere as Rin used his whole body to avert the w.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "AAAAAAAGHHH!!" Clenching his teeth to the point where they were about to crack from the pressure, he kept pushing the w with all his strength. The veins on his arms bulged and his muscles flexed so hard that he felt as if they were about to burst out of his skin.


    "JUST. GET. THE FUCK. BACK!!!" He shouted.


    "RAAAAA!!!"


    Meanwhile, Phillipe was still in a daze as he watched Rin''s back. His eyes were wide in shock, still lingering on the moment he was about to die and Rin saved him.


    *Swish*


    The monster lost all of its calmness and flew in the air, creating a strong gush of air that made Rin cover his face.


    Then, his eyes shifted to Elise, his mind worked quickly as he created an image in his head.


    "Don''t get close, Elise! Keep using your powers to break its bnce in the air. Its focus is on me."


    "I know," Elise replied.


    "RAAAAAAAA!!!!"


    After flying high enough, the monster dived again aiming for Rin. But, instead of falling on him, at thest second, it changed its direction and flew above the bridge. its beak opened wide ready to eat him whole.


    "Shit!!" Rin understood its intention and tried to avoid the sharp beak.


    "RAAAAA!!!"


    ''Fuck! The intimidating screech!'' Rin''s body froze for a second because of that shitty skill and he lost his opportunity to fall back into his shadow.


    *Swish* *BANG*


    "Fuck it!!"


    The beak then caught his body and flew high in the air. The beak was already closing on him to crush himpletely and render his bones into pure dust.


    ''No you don''t!'' without hesitation, Rin used the dagger and plunged it inside the bird''s mouth.


    "RAAAAAAA!!!"


    Blood sttered from its pierced tongue along with a loud scream of pain.


    The monster started shaking its head violently. The whole world around Rin started shaking as he was thrown left and right. At some point, Rin couldn''t even determine left from Right at all. An urge to throw up assaulted him and made his situation even worse.


    "WOAAAA! AGHHH! Fuck! This isn''t fun!!!!" He cursed.


    His brain was rendered into a mess because of vertigo that assaulted him. But, even then, his hand didn''t stop wreaking havoc inside the monster''s mouth. The dagger kept piercing and creating holes in its tongue, beak, and the other parts of its throat he can reach. The pain must''ve been really unbearable as the monster eventually opened its mouth and threw Rin in the air.


    Looking around him, Rin found himself at least 100 meters up in the air.


    "No, no, no¡­ No!!!!" He shouted as his body started falling down.


    ''This bad, really fucking bad!!''


    But, he had forgotten one important thing and it''s that no matter how bad the situation is¡­ It still can get worse.


    "RAAAA!!!" The monster then flew toward him like an arrow. But, the moment it closed the distance between them, it changed its bnce and flipped around. It wanted to grab Rin with its ws.


    "You think I will die that easily! Think twice, chicken!!"


    (A//N: The chance that you will get killed by a chicken is slim¡­ But never zero.)


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 78- Hybrid Clawing Bird(Part 2)

    Chapter 78- Hybrid wing Bird (Part 2)


    A split second was all that was left for Rin before he get crushed by the sharp ws aiming for him. He was at aplete disadvantage no matter how he looked at it. Not only was he now falling down from a very high altitude, but he also didn''t have any possible way of using shadow maniption at all since there were no shadows around him in the first ce.


    The strong wind assaulting his body got more and more intense as he got closer to the Gate of Licaria. His death was certain.


    But, even then, Rin was weirdly calm andposed. His erratic breathing became stable and his eyes closed.


    He didn''t know why, but he was anticipating something happening. His guts told him that he was indeed in a very dangerous situation but he won''t die at all¡­ His end wasn''t here.


    Miraculously, at thest moment, he felt his body moving slightly without his control. Opening his eyes, he smiled and thought in his head.


    ''Thank you, Elise. I owe you one.''


    The small diversion in his falling trajectory basically messed up the bird''s aim. Elise had simply increased his falling speed for a very short amount of time, making the bird''s ws miss by a hair''s breadth.


    Rin''s hand quickly extended and he grabbed the end of the bird''s w.


    "AAAAGGHHH!!" Rin groaned loudly.


    The fact that he stopped the power of gravity that was pulling him with one single arm took a huge toll on his biceps.


    ''I''m pretty sure the muscle is shredded! Fuck! This hurts!!!'' He cursed under his breath as he tried to ignore the pain.


    "RAAAAAAAAA!!!" The bird screeched and flew all over the ce in a frenzy to get rid of Rin. Each swing injured his muscles even more. It reached a point where blood umted under his skin. Some blood vessels ruptured and leaked blood inside. The injury was as painful as it sounds.


    "WOAAAAH!! Stop swinging, you fucking chicken!!" Clenching his teeth, Rin plunged his dagger into the bird''s leg. Blood splurted out of its leg like a fountain and fell on Rin directly, covering him in an ominous red color.


    "RAAAAAAA!!!"


    "Maybe this was a very bad ideaaaaaa!!!"


    The creature became even crazier as it started shaking violently. Rin''s hand lost its tight grip on the leg and was falling quickly.


    ''Can''t I do something? Think, Rin.'' His mind raced to find a way out of this mess before he dies.


    Time was very tight and he had to do something before he falls down.


    A few moments passed before his clouded eyes lightened up and a wide grin appeared on his face. He had found a good n.


    "RAAAAAA!!!" The bird''s rampage continued.


    Elise watched this with a frown on her face, she could see that Rin was struggling greatly but she couldn''t help him at all. Even if she tried to use her ability on the bird, she wouldn''t be able to do so because of its chaotic movement.


    "I-I''m sorry¡­" Phillipe tried to speak to her.


    However, before he could even finish the first word, Elise looked at him with an extremely cold look. If res could kill then Phillipe would''ve been dead a hundred times by now.


    At first, Elise didn''t really care much about Phillipe except for his importance in her ns. She even ignored his clinginess just for the sake of the future. But, now, she could say with a straight face that she hated this person a lot.


    After a mere nce, she looked back at Rin''s fight as if she didn''t feel Phillipe''s existence at all close to her. Her whole focus was on the ck-haired boy struggling in the middle of the air.


    The boy cowered in fear and didn''t say a single word. His face returned extremely grim.


    ''I fucked up! Now she hates me to the bone!''


    ''Ok, I can do it. I can definitely do it! It''s hard but I can do it! Give me some encouragement, system.''


    [You are very good-looking, host.]


    ''That''s not the type of encouragement I neede- WOAAAAAH!!!''


    The bird suddenly decided to dive down from the air. Rin''s body was now in a higher position than before.


    "Ok! Here goes nothing!"


    *Swish*


    Releasing his hand, hepletely let himself free in the air.


    "You idiot!" Elise shouted.


    Rin body then started falling down at the same speed as the bird. Being way smaller, he was able to quickly exceed the bird.


    ''I''m close to its face.'' He thought.


    This was the easy part, the more challenging part was yet toe. Rin then changed his grip on the dagger and span in the air with his whole body.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Take this!!"


    *Swish*


    The dagger then was sent flying toward the monster''s eye. Thetter didn''t feel Rin''s presence until he was beside it. But, by that time, it was toote.


    "RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"


    The dagger plunged into the monster''s eye. The eyeball was popped like a balloon as blood flowed out endlessly. The monster''s free dive stopped and it started struggling in the air.  It swung its legs and wings everywhere trying to get rid of the dagger. In the middle of that frantic resistance, Rin was hit by one of the wings. The hit was so strong that he felt some of his bones rumbling and shaking.


    ''I really didn''t think about this part at all! How am I going tond on the bridge?!'' He thought as clear distress appeared on his face.


    "You are amazing, young man." Suddenly, a voice spoke near his ear out of nowhere. Looking to the side, Donnie was there as he grabbed Rin by the waist and pulled him up before flying toward the bird.


    "RAAAAA!!!"


    "Air des." Extending his hand, he summoned some transparent sharp objects andunched them at the bird.


    The magic attacks pierced the monster''s body and killed it on the spot. It had no time to resist at all.


    "That''s your dagger right?" He asked.


    "Yes¡­" Rin replied while still in a daze.


    With a small smile, Donnie sted after the falling bird. When he reached it, he grabbed the whole monster by the wing and dragged it with them.


    Carrying something that was at least a few thousand pounds of weight was certainly something amazing to look at.


    Reaching the bridge safely, Donnie put Rin gently on his legs.


    "Rin." Elise came rushing toward them.


    "That was a close call," Rin said as he dusted his clothes casually.


    "You almost killed yourself." She said with an angry tone.


    "There was nothing I can do. I would''ve died a hundred percent if I didn''t do anything."


    "That was still reckless. What if the bird saw you before you threw the dagger at it."


    "I would''ve died, for sure," Rin said as he grabbed his chin with a small nod.


    "..."


    Elise was speechless at how lightly he took the fact that he was an inch away from death multiple times in a few minutes. She had no idea how he was able to speak about this so easily as if it was nothing.


    "Your name was Rin, huh? Nice to meet you." Donnie intercepted.


    "Yes! Thanks for the help!"


    "It is my duty to keep an eye on you youngsters. But, what happened today is a first for me."


    Rin and Elise secretly looked at each other. This was indeed something that happened in the original plot line but the way it happened waspletely different.


    First of all, the bird should''ve only appeared at the end of the test when everyone reached the end line except Phillipe. That''s when he will face it and end up engaging in a bloody battle with it before he wins eventually.


    But, not only did the bird appear way before the end of the test, taking Rin and Elise by surprise, it also didn''t aim for Phillipe as in the game but instead was aiming for them.


    But, they obviously wouldn''t mention any of this in front of Donnie so as to not raise his suspicion.


    "Sigh, I should check on my subordinates. Lazing around and leaving a dangerous creature like that roaming around the candidates is an unforgivable sin." Donnie thought as he closed his eyes for a few seconds.


    Rin and Elise watched him intriguingly to see what he intended to do. He was now using a spell called ''Soul link'' and it was basically a magical cellphone that linked two or more individuals by a soul link that made them able tomunicate from huge distances with ease.


    After some time, he opened his eyes again and his face turned grimmer.


    "Weird¡­ No one is responding. What is going on?" He murmured to himself.


    ''Ok! Everything is ording to the original plot. Thankfully, the sudden appearance of the demon bird didn''t change the plot too much.''


    Then, his eyes eventually shifted to look at a certain person in the corner and it turned a degree colder. He had some personal stuff he needed to settle with this guy urgently.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 79-The Monarch OfShadows Detests You

    Chapter 79- The Monarch Of Shadows Detests You


    The moment Rin''s eyes fell on Phillipe, thetter flinched and retreated slightly. He could clearly see the fear in his eyes as he backed off. But, for some reason, he quickly changed his expression and stopped moving. Now, he was sharing eye contact with Rin as if he just realized something.


    ''What the fuck is he thinking about?'' Rin wondered to himself. He was weirdly intrigued to hear what kind of nonsense he was about to spout.


    "If you want an apology then forget it!" He said with a serious look.


    "I did what I see right. I won''t allow her highness to face some threat. In fact, you should be grateful that I did that or the monster would''ve attacked you."


    "You¡­" Elise''s face turned even colder as her aura seeped out of her body a little bit. She had never felt this intense desire to punch someone so hard before. She couldn''t bear to see this person''s face at all.


    But, when she tried to approach him, Rin put his hand in front of her to stop. She looked at him confusedly.


    "Did you forget our n, Elise?" He asked in a quiet and soft voice.


    "Beating him up a little bit won''t change the n," she replied as she clenched her fist a little bit.


    "Yes, it won''t. But, it will definitely make him be even more aggressive than before. You can already see how his mind works. He will probably go insane if the love of his life beats him up. It''s not worth the trouble, trust me."


    "But.." Elise tried to reason with him.


    However, Rin instead smiled gently at her.


    "Thank you for defending me. I really appreciate it. But it''s not really worth it for us to waste our time on him."


    Rin had a strong urge to pat her on the head for how cute she looked while she was angry. He had never seen this defensive side of Elise before and all he could say is that he liked it almost too much!


    "... Fine." Elise nodded and didn''t speak any further.


    Instead, she focused on her inventory as she wanted to get a healing potion for Rin since his injuries were still there. Especially his swollen arm and the blue spot on his biceps. She could only imagine how painful it was.


    While she was like that, Rin merely started walking away secretly while she wasn''t aware and said in a whisper to Phillipe.


    "Listen here, brother. I will tolerate this blunder you did now for the sake of Elise and also for my sake. But, if you ever try or even think about trying to put my or Elise''s life in danger. I will chase you to the end of the world and destroy youpletely. Take this as a warning from me."


    "I won''t stop until I get her highness out of your grasp. You are indeed a bad person through and through."


    "You think so?" Rin asked with an amused smile.


    "Yes! You are not someone worthy of staying by her side. I am the worthy person to do so. She needs me more than you."


    ''I am amazed at this dude''s audacity and thick fucking skin.'' Rin couldn''t even get angry at him.


    "I see. Well, I would love to see you try me. But, don''t regret it when I do what I told you I will do." Rin said with a small smile and extended his hand for a handshake.


    Thetter squinted his eyes at Rin but couldn''t see any malice in them. So, naively, he reciprocated the handshake.


    But, the moment his hand grasped Rin''s hand, his face turned extremely pale. Looking down, he could see his hand getting crushed by Rin while he still kept his casual smile on his handsome face.


    Phillipe tried to also clench Rin''s hand too but was simply unable topare to him at all. In fact, the sheer difference between them in strength made Rin surprised. He was barely using 40% of his strength and he was already crushing his hand and almost breaking his bones.


    Clenching his teeth, Phillipe clenched his teeth in frustration and tried to not make a single sound at all.


    ''I couldn''t stop myself from doing this. He really pisses me off. Should I break his hand, system?''


    [It will make him hate you even more, host.]


    ''I guess. Well, let''s not overdo it too much.''


    After that, released his hand and said.


    "Good luck, my friend. You will definitely need a lot of it."


    Then, Rin turned around and walked back to Elise, leaving Phillipe holding his hand with an angry look on his face. The hateful gaze he had on his face made him look unapproachable. His cute face was also contorted badly and lost its soft sparkle.


    "You are going to regret it, Rin Silvereye."


    When Rin reached Elise, she gave him a healing potion.


    "Drink this now."


    "Ok, ok. But, why do you seem angry?"


    "I am not¡­ Sit down and let me bandage that arm." She said again in amanding tone.<novelnext></novelnext>


    ''Yup, she definitely pissed.'' He thought as he didn''t know whether tough or cry.


    Then, Elise quickly then started wrapping his arm in bandages.


    "Why the bandages? I can heal with this healing potion alone."


    "No, you have internal bleeding in your arm. A potion won''t fix that. These are bandages imbued with healing magic that focus on healing a certain part of the body. It''s more effective for an injury of that level."


    Circling the bandage around his arm, she was using a little bit more strength than normal. Rin could swear she was trying to make him feel some pain in his arm.


    "Ok, ok¡­ Ouch. I''m really sorry for doing reckless things. I will try to be safer next time." He said with a squint because of his bruised arm.


    "Value your life more. We are barely at the start and you are already trying to kill yourself."


    "Practice makes perfe- Ouch, ouch! Ok, I won''t! I won''t!"


    "Don''t try me." She said.


    "I understand. I apologize."


    ''Why do I feel like a kid that made a mistake and is apologizing to his mother? Did she be my mommy or something?''


    [You are enjoying this too much, host. Are you into-]


    ''Not a single more word!''


    [Sigh.]


    ''You sighed now, didn''t you? You definitely sighed!!''


    [You are just imagining things, host.]


    Meanwhile, as Rin and Elise were sitting there, Donnie flew away from them to check on his subordinates. No matter how much he tried to contact them, no one answered. He had no idea what happened to them.


    As he flew faster and faster, he got closer to the maind where his subordinates should be hiding and waiting for his instructions.


    "Where are the-"


    His eyes then fell on a bushy part that looked oddly suspicious. Flying there, just behind the tree, he found 5 peopleying there, in deep slumber. They were his subordinates that should''ve been on the guard when the wing bird attacked.


    Checking them carefully, he sighed in relief that they weren''t killed. But, his distress didn''t vanish.


    "They were¡­ drugged? Or maybe a sleeping spell?"


    But, the more important discovery and the one that made him frown visibly was what he saw just right beside them. There,y a ck, human-shaped thing that resembled a shadow. It looked fairly normal with no deformations at all but besides it was written a few words.


    "The Monarch of Shadows detests you." Donnie read the words audibly in clear confusion.


    He had never seen anything like this before in his life. It all didn''t make sense at all. What kind of sorcery was that? Why is there a shadowying down there with no owner? What did those words mean? and the most important question: Whose shadow was that? All of his men had their shadows intact so where did that onee from?


    "U-Ugh¡­" Waking up from his daze, he heard one of the sleeping men groan and then open his eyes slowly.


    "B-Boss¡­ What just happened? Why are we here? Huh?" He was very confused.


    "Wake up the others. I want a full exnation of what happened. Someone had put all of you to sleep and almost killed the candidates. A hybrid demon had attacked the bridge."


    "H-Huh?!"


    The man then quickly stood up and started waking hispanions up as quickly as possible.


    ''I need to report this to the academy as soon as the test ends. Something weird is happening. It could be a new threat that we never heard of.''


    Donnie was aware of how many people secretly detested the academy and how many are always concocting some scheme to make it fall down. But, no one has ever been able to topple down that ce at all.


    ''It''s our duty to protect the academy at all costs.''


    (A//N: I know many of you wanted Rin to beat the protagonist up. But, be patient, it''s not the perfect time for it yet. Also, the plot is thickening so brace yourself hehe :))


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 80-The World Ls TrulyUnforgiving

    Chapter 80- The World Is Truly Unforgiving


    A few minutes passed as Elise and Rin sat down and waited for Donnie toe back. He weirdly stayed for longer than they expected which made them think that something could''ve happened.


    "Is it some butterfly effect?" Rin murmured.


    "I don''t think it should be the case. Everything till now happened ording to the original story. Except for the early appearance of the bird, everything else is done perfectly."


    Rin''s eyes wandered to his inventory when he heard Elise talk about the bird. He had made sure to take the bird with him since he wanted to try and actually turn into a minion he can use. He had been really eager to try it but couldn''t find the time or the opportunity for that.


    ''I will try it once we reach the academy.'' He thought to himself.


    *Swish*


    "He came back." Elise''s voice woke him up from his thoughts and made him look up.


    Donnie flew back to the bridge andnded near the candidates. His face was weirdly serious and he had a visible frown. He clearly looked as if he had seen something really bad but Rin and Elise couldn''t determine what it was.


    ording to the plot, this ident happened because his subordinates didn''t swipe the whole ce appropriately before the test started and so a demon slipped in and attacked them. It was a grave mistake, but it should''ve not made him look that serious, right?


    "Is everyone ok?" He asked.


    Luckily, no injuries were sustained during this attack except for Rin.


    "We shall continue the test, then."


    "But, how can we continue the test after what happened?! That''s dangerous!!"


    "Yes! A demon attacked us once so who guarantees that we won''t get attacked twice!!"


    "I don''t want to die!"


    Comints came down like a torrent from everyone. They were still shocked by what happened and he was now asking them to continue the test as if nothing happened. That''s just impossible! What does he take them for? Suicidal maniacs?


    "Silence!" Donnie replied with a domineering voice, making them cower with fear because of his aura.


    "You all came here to enroll in the most prestigious institute in the whole world and yet you think your lives are guaranteed? Do you think that no matter what happens, someone should protect you? What a load of nonsense!" Donnie hollered at them.


    "You are all the hopes of your families and your people. You are their hope for a better future, to reach the glory and respect that you dream of. That''s why you were sent here to snatch an opportunity and create your own great path in life. Yet, you all keep whining about useless things. Let me tell you one thing to make it clear. The moment you set foot inside the academy, your lives aren''t guaranteed at all. The only thing guaranteed is what you grasp with your own hands! You will see yourselves dancing on the thin line of life and death on more than one asion. It''s not a ce for weaklings!"


    His words echoed in the ce like a thundering storm. Coupled with his powerful aura, no one dared to even speak back. In fact, most of them felt a weird rush of determination and shame from his words.


    ''What am I even thinking? I came here to be a renowned magician and get my family out of the poor vige we live in. I can''t waste my opportunity.''


    ''I already know that my life is at stake! I can''t just cower now!!''


    ''I will do it! When I pass the exam, I will be able to be rich and live a great life!!''


    ''I want to embrace all the beauties in the world! For the sake of thighs and boobs, I lust- I mean, I must work hard!''


    Their spirits alleviated and their fear started vanishing slowly. Seeing that, Donnie nodded his head with a satisfied look.


    "Now! We shall continue the test! You all had the chance to rest for a few minutes so be grateful!! It will be even harder from now on!" He said.


    *Gulp*


    After that, the test was resumed and everyone had to start running again.


    ''Running with a rigid arm sure sucks.'' Rin clicked his tongue as he elerated to reach Elise.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Time passed quickly as the distance they crossed became gigantic. Rin was sure that they had run at least hundreds and hundreds of miles. Was it not for his monstrous stamina, he was sure that he would''ve literally died of exhaustion a long time ago.


    Across the trip, many were incapable of continuing and could only fall to the ground from sheer exhaustion. Quickly, the fear of being left behind crept into their hearts as they remembered what Donnie said.


    So, they had to stand up and continue running or even crawling if they had to.


    Finally, after an unknown amount of hours of continuous running, they saw the end of this hellish bridge on the horizon. The only people left running were Rin and Elise at the front. Then, behind them was Phillipe who was now barely able to drag his legs from exhaustion.


    Then, behind all of them was a very small group of people, counted in the tenspared to the hundreds that started the test. The others could simply not run another inch as they fell unconscious or dead tired.


    However, no one waited for them or even looked back. Many pleaded and even tried to hold another person''s legs asking for help but they just shook them off and ran as if there was no tomorrow.


    It was cruel, as the failed candidates'' screams echoed a few seconds after that. They were shrills of fear and despair.


    No one could imagine what they saw or what they were experiencing there, alone, surrounded by darkness.


    But, at final, they saw the light of hope. The end of the bridge was a big tform made out of white marble with a root that extended into the deep darkness of the Gate Of Licaria. The tform was barely enough for 100 people at most which made Rin sure that the academy expected no more than 100 people to actually reach this tform.


    ''We are finally over with this!'' Rin sighed in relief as he stepped inside the tform.


    "Now, one hour starts! Then the test is officially over and everyone outside will fail the test."


    He then stood at the front watching the bridge silently. His old eyes which still had the sharpness and vigor of younger people were seemingly piercing through the dim fog and into the horizon. But, Donnie''s thoughts were somewhere else, thinking about the whole incident he saw.


    "We don''t really know boss. We were doing our routine scanning of the area and suddenly we fell asleep and found ourselves there. We didn''t feel anything."


    That''s what they said. For 5 people to actually not even feel the presence of their attacker was a shocker that''s when these people weren''t even normal at all. They were his trusted subordinates that he relied on and knew very well how strong they are. It was simply impossible for someone to do that without them being aware.


    ''How strong this person could be for them to actually pull this off? Or maybe is it done by a whole group? What are they aiming for? And that note, is it a war deration? A threat?'' He asked himself again and again but couldn''t find the answer.


    Rin noticed the weird behavior of the old man and quickly whispered for Elise.


    "We should keep an eye on him. Something definitely happened."


    "Mmm, I noticed that." She nodded her head.


    After that, in the next hour, a few people were able to reach the tform with much effort. One of them even came dragging himself with his arms like a slug or a turtle. But there was also one unlucky person who tried to reach at thest second.


    "Wait, please! I''m here! Just one more meter!!" He begged as he dragged his tired body. But, rules were rules and rules certainly do not favor the weak


    "And, the hour is over. The test is officially over." He announced.


    "Congrattions to those who seeded. You all deserve it. As for those who failed." His eyes fell on the young man who was one step away from seeding. He could see the despair creep into his eyes as he saw his dream vanish from his hands when it was merely less than a meter away.


    "It is a huge blow for you. But, the strong always recover and rise from failure. Don''t lose hope in yourself, young man." Donnie said with a serious look.


    But, even with those encouraging words, the young man fell on his knees and started weeping loudly like a baby. No one would understand how horrible he felt at that moment.


    ''The world is cruel.'' Aplicated gaze shed across Rin''s face when he saw the weeping young man. For some reason, in that ce, he saw himself, just crying because of his misfortune and the cruelty of fate. He knew that feeling and had experienced it for a long time.


    The world is truly unforgiving.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 81-Emilia Clearsky (Part1)

    Chapter 81- Emilia Clearsky (Part 1)


    Everyone was extremely happy that they were finally able to pass this hell on earth of a test. Many of them even started fantasizing about the academy and how they were going to rise to the top. The path seemed now open for them to create their own legend.


    But, these idealistic hopes were quickly crushed by Donnie.


    "Don''t think that the hard part is over. It didn''t even start. So, brace yourselves, youngsters." He said as he crossed his arms in front of his chest.


    "I won''t exin this with mere words. See for yourself." Then, he clicked his fingers again just like how he did when he summoned that bridge.


    Instantly, the tform beneath them started shining in a faint white light. The light then grew bigger and bigger until it engulfed everyone.


    "What is going on?" Rin murmured.


    His answer came soon from Donnie.


    "We are going¡­Up." He then pointed at the sky with his finger.


    A momentter, before everyone could even react, they felt their bodies starting to float on their own. Gasps of shock spilled out the students as they started wiggling in the air. But, they eventually gave up as they saw that everyone else was also floating too.


    "Ths academy is on a sky ind so we have to take a teleportation tform to reach there. The journey can be bumpy so don''t try to move too much."


    ''Hearing about something and seeing it for yourself are two different things. It feels weird.'' Rin thought in his head.


    Then, without any prior warning, their bodies shot into the sky. From afar, they looked like a blob of light flying in the sky agilely.


    "Woaa!" Rin gasped in admiration at the view.


    When he was fighting the hybrid bird, he didn''t have time to appreciate the beauty of this world from a high altitude. But, now he could see it clearly and it was mesmerizing. Divine Sapphire was indeed a very beautiful world. It can even be considered the most beautiful world in the game.


    But, it was by far the least unique world out of them all. From a certain point of view, it was just another generic fantasy, medieval world that could be seen in other games and novels. The other worlds of TOI are by far way more bizarre than this.


    Rin was sure that by the time he visits the other ones, he will miss this simple world.


    Crossing hundreds of meters in a few moments, thend finally vanished behind the veils of clouds and they were now engulfed in the beautiful color of blue. Even though they were traveling at a high speed, the air torrent wasn''t strong or cold.


    Rin was intrigued by which kind of magic was this. He didn''t really know as he still didn''t really divulge into the power system of this world. Reading books wasn''t something he was keen on especially when they looked so boring and thick. Besides, he didn''t have time to read anyway.


    "Hey look! What is that?" Someone pointed out, making everyone look up instinctively.


    There, right above them was a huge body ofnd floating in the middle of the sky. They were at least tens of kilometers away from but it still looked so gigantic that they couldn''t evenprehend how big it was


    Thend was in the form of a gyroscope or an egg with a wide base that gets narrower and narrower as you look up. The form was the weirdest Rin had ever seen. It didn''t look like a normal ind but instead like a¡­ castle?


    ''There are even levels to it if you look closely.''


    (A//N: For those confused, take Eincrad from SAO as a reference. It''s not the same but it has the same concept a little bit.)


    The outeryers of the ind were made out of normal dirt mixed with some kind of material Rin couldn''t recognize.


    "That''s the academy. As you can see it has many levels. Each level is made for higher-ranked Students. The top 10 students live on that floor. Just right under thest floor." Donnie exined.


    No one listened to that carefully to his words as they were busy admiring the beautiful man-made ind in front of them.


    "You all willnd on the first floor. That is your starting point."


    The blob of light flew them toward the ind. Then, they reached the edge of the ind. They didn''t enter the maind quite yet as there was a huge gate that stopped them.


    "Look, there are other blobs of lighting."<novelnext></novelnext>


    The same urred as tens of other light blobsnded beside them. Each blob had at least 50 people or more.


    Quickly, the whole ce was filled with young men and women. They all had different clothes, hair colors, and even general looks and skin tones.


    "Finally, we are here." Rin sighed in relief.


    "Don''t let your guard down, yet."


    "I know. We still didn''t see ''that'' happen. I hope that idiot follows the plot and doesn''t do another ridiculous thing." Rin thought as he instinctively looked at Phillipe.


    When the blobs of light stoppeding, the gates finally opened and a few people came out of the door.


    In front of these people was an extremely gorgeous woman wearing formal clothes and wearing sses. Her body was so mature and developed that it made the boy''s jaws drop in amazement. Even though no part of her body was exposed, she still looked so alluring and seductive. Her aura was so graceful and calm like a stillke untouched by the howls of the wind. It was so rxing yet also alerting for those who were strong enough to sense it clearly.


    Every stroll she took yed on the heartbeats of the young men and messed with their emotions. Her slightly short ck hair reached her shoulders.


    Gazing at everyone with two sharp yet attractive ck eyes, she finally took a deep breath and said.


    While the others admired her, Rin and Elise could only keep a calm face as they knew who this person was.


    ''First heroine has appeared! Great!'' Rin thought.


    He knew who she was and knew that she was a drop-dead gorgeous woman but seeing her in person and hearing about her were two different things.


    ''I guess I know what most dudes here will do tonight!'' He joked with himself and giggled secretly.


    The woman''s eyes shed with a weird gaze for a second as she scanned the group again. However, no one noticed that change at all as they were busy looking at her huge and soft-looking breasts and her wide yet firm hips that seemingly couldn''t even be hidden under a skirt.


    Clearing her throat, she began.


    "Wee to the first floor of the academy. I''m the supervisor of this floor, Emilia Clearsky. It''s an honor to meet all of you. Now, if you may please stand in line."


    Looking at the people behind her for a moment, they already moved and started organizing themselves in small queues in front of each supervisor.


    "Now, we will make it quick so no one has to wait. Each one of you will get one of these." She then pointed at a bracelet in her hand.


    "These bracelets are basically your most important possession inside the academy. It has many utilities. It registers your name and information as a student. It also shows you the number of ranking points you have, the schedule of sses, tests, tournaments, and many other events. Once it is bounded to an individual, you won''t be able to take it off unless one of the floor supervisors allows it." She said.


    "It also allows for duel requests between students to increase their rank and climb thedder. But, I won''t exin more than this. You will get a small booklet that will exin everything to you. If you have any further questions then you can contact one of the workers through the bracelet and they will answer every question you have."


    ''Wow! A bracelet, so original!'' Rin thought to himself.


    Emilia''s eyes shifted to look in the general direction of Rin. Thetter flinched a little bit when he felt her gazeing in his direction.


    ''What''s wrong with her? She looks as if she ate something bad!''


    The moment he thought so, her eyes turned even colder. But, she didn''t linger her gaze on Rin any longer.


    "Ehem! As I was about to exin. Your uniforms will be ready by tomorrow and delivered to your dormitory rooms. The sses will start next week so you can try to discover the ce during this time and grow familiar with all the facilities inside the academy. We have restaurants, training areas, arenas for duels, and many more ces all for you."


    Then, a small yet serious smile appeared on her beautiful face.


    "All you have to do is climb to the top or your end will be horrible."


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 82- Emilia Clearsky (Part2)

    Chapter 82- Emilia Clearsky (Part 2)


    Her words riled up everyone standing there. Her voice had such a strong charm that easily affected one''s emotions and made him a toy in her hands, swinging him however she wanted.


    Those who were determined became even more ambitious and those who were scared shook that fear away. It was amazing how a few simple words could change the whole vibe of a huge group of people.


    "She''s a leader by instinct," Rin whispered to Elise in front of him.


    "Yes. Even in the game, she yed a vital row in the wars and conflicts. A true leader, indeed."


    Hearing Elise, Rin''s admiration for this woman that he just met increased. Even though she looked stern and serious, he felt that she had a kind and benevolent heart. The type of people like her is the most honorable humans who try to do the right thing.


    "Now, advance toward one at a time to get the bracelet and the booklet."


    The process then started quickly and also ended fairly quickly. Rin and Elise were handed their bracelets and they put them on their hands.


    The bracelet wasn''t anything special. It was made out of a ck substance that Rin didn''t know and didn''t have any engravings or decorations. But, he learned that to activate it, he needed to channel his mana through it, and then it will just automatically charge up and never needs any more mana to function.


    When he did that, a holographic image simr to the one he sees when he opens the system appeared in front of him. There were many choices but the main ones were: Points, rankings, ss schedules, identification info, tournament and event announcement, and also duel announcements in case he wanted to watch two students fight it off. There were many others like the restaurants'' section where he can see what ces are open and also the menus for that day or the entertainment section for the amusement parks, water parks, festivals, and other such things. But, he ignored those for now and focused on his ranking and points section.


    Opening them up, he found that his points were obviously zero and he was still unranked because of it.


    But, he wasn''t there for that. Scrolling up through the ranks he wanted to check the top 10 students. Since the moment he heard about them, he was extremely curious about these monsters that seemingly were hidden behind a veil of mystery.


    Even Elise didn''t reach the point in the game where she met them so they had basically no idea who they were, how strong they are or if they were even bad or good people.


    But, the moment he reached the top 10 section, he couldn''t get any higher than that. A notice appeared in front of him that said. ''Permission restricted''.


    "So I can''t see who the top 10 are? How convenient." He rolled his eyes at this stupid restriction and then closed the bracelet.


    The reason for that was what was going to happen next. His eyes focused on Phillipe was coincidentally in the line right in front of Emilia. He looked quite nervous for some reason and Rin knew what that reason was.


    ''So he was really that nervous meeting his idol to the point where he literally slips, falls head first into her breasts, and even grabs them with his hand. I am truly amazed at how lucky that bastard can get.''


    Emilia, who was handing the bracelets, froze for a second as a weird expression appeared on her face.


    "E-Escuse me?" The girl in front of her tried to grab her attention when she saw the woman go silent.


    "Ehem, yes. Here." Quickly returning to her usual demeanor, she continued handing the bracelets while her eyes were still listening to whatever that ck-haired boy was saying.


    She started hearing those voices yesterday without any prior notice. She even thought it was some kind of magic spell cast on her but no matter how much she researched it the whole night, she found no reason for this urrence and no spells that could pull it off.


    So, all she could do was listen to this young man''s thoughts and try to get some information in hopes of understanding what was going on. Her mind couldn''tprehend how this world was a game or that she was not a real person. It was too shocking and absurd for her to believe quickly.


    She was real. Her body was real and her feelings were real. How can she be a part of a virtual world? What was even a virtual world in the first ce?


    ''Does he know that I can hear his thoughts? I guess not.'' She shook her head.


    She had decided to ignore him for now and then speak with him after everyone settled down. But, hearing what he said now. She was already aware that he somehow knows of future events but for him to actually just spill out what will happen a few moments from now took her aback.


    ''So that is the boy that will fall on me. He said that I''m his idol. What does he mean?''


    Luckily, Rin started exining in his head.


    ''He was saved by her when he was young and got lost in some kind of forest and got attacked by wild monsters. Since then, he probably fell in love at first sight, or was it just pure admiration? I don''t fucking know. But, he then aimed to grow stronger and meet her again in the future. Talk about grandiose goals.'' Rin snickered sarcastically.


    ''After this lucky pervert event, she will drag him to her office and that''s when the first heroine starts to develop feelings for him.''<novelnext></novelnext>


    It took Emilia everything to not frown in front of everyone. Shock after shock, teh young man kept assaulting her with absurd information.


    ''Me? Will fall in love with a student? Impossible! How can I be that unprofessional? But¡­ He seems to really know the future from what I heard. I should be cautious of this boy named Phillipe.''


    The queue finally reached the protagonist. Phillipe was so nervous he broke into a sweat the moment he saw her up close. He had prepared many things to say to her from gratitude to even expressing his admiration for her. But, when the moment came, his throat became dry and his mouth didn''t listen to him at all.


    Walking while in a daze, his leg stumbled on a small dent in the ground. Because of his state, he wasn''t able to recover and merely lost his bnce.


    ''I will fall on her!!'' Closing his eyes, he waited for his face to fall on her soft breasts and get engulfed in her warmth.


    But, instead, the only thing he felt was the cold ground along with the pain of a strong hit. Opening his eyes, he found himselfying on the ground, kissing the dirt.


    ''What the hell!!''


    "Straighten yourself!!" Emilia said coldly after she dodged him swiftly.


    Her voice was extra harsh on him because of what she heard. She knew that it was unreasonable but she didn''t like this guy one bit after hearing what he did to her. Emilia was a very straightforward person and someone who valued work more than anything else. She was already aware of how uneptable a rtionship between her and a student was even if now prohibited such things.


    "Y-Yes!! I''m extremely sorry." Waking up, Phillipe apologized profusely.


    "Just take your bracelet and go!"


    "Understood!"


    After giving him his things, Phillipe quickly walked away. Seeing his back from her ce, Emilia clicked her tongue and didn''t look at him again.


    No one took notice of what happened except two people. Elise and Rin shared a look of ''what the hell just happened?''


    ''Why did she dodge it?! Wait, what?! Why?! What the fuck is going on?! Oi! This isn''t what''s supposed to happen!'' Huh!'' Calling Rin''s state of mind confused was an understatement.


    ''If this doesn''t happen then how their story will start?! What the fuck?! If this event doesn''t happen then Emilia''s whole arc will just go to waste! It will never happen!''


    Not only will that make half of the events inside the academy never happen, but the consequences are also unimaginable.


    "What is this, Elise? The plot already changed drastically." He whispered to hispanion.


    Rubbing her temples, Elise responded.


    "I have no idea. I think the butterfly effect is bigger than we anticipated. We can''t do anything about it now. Let''s just watch what will happen and see what we can do."


    "I know. Sigh, but it''s still a real pain."


    The process of giving bracelets was finally over and everyone was grouped up in front of the gate.


    The closed gates started opening up again and everyone was anticipating what they will see inside. Just the mere sight of the immeasurably tall ind in front of them excited them from the inside. Everyone except Rin and Elise.


    ''Fuck me sideways! This going to be a headache!'' All of his excitement for this new start just blew up like a balloon.


    (A//N: Poor Rin and Elise :) )


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 83-My Eyes On You (Part1)

    Chapter 83- My Eyes On You (Part 1)


    The huge gates sprang openpletely, revealing what was inside. A giant city that extended endlessly appeared in front of them. Huge buildings filled their vision scattered along long and veryplex roads.


    The ce looked so advancedpared to Aviresion that Rin could only blink a few times. There was such a sheer difference that he questioned whether Aviresion was justpletely behind technology-wise.


    ''It''s very close to a metropolitan city back in my world.'' He thought in his head.


    It was indeed the case for this ce but what also made him question his eyes, even more, was the sky above the city. From the outside, Rin could clearly see that this was the lowest floor of the academy so there were many more floors above it. However, the sky above it, instead of being covered was somehow as blue as it could get.


    It didn''t even look fake at all so he deleted the idea of it being some kind of illusion. There was simply no way they could replicate the liveliness of a normal sky. The breeze of air, the clouds and their slow movements, and the sun right in the middle, shining warmly. This was a real sky.


    Elise also noticed that detail and was very impressed. It was a detail that was glossed over so she had no idea how this was possible.


    "This world is really weird."


    "Magic is a veryplex and bizarre thing. We barely scratched the surface of it till now."


    Then, their focus shifted to Emilia who stood right in front of the huge group of people. She then started exining.


    "The lowest floor is the biggest floor in the academy since it has the biggest student body. Most of them find this cefortable and easy so they ck off in their studying and magic training. That''s why, starting this year, we are going to implement a new system that we had set up not so long ago. ''The elimination system''."


    The mere word ''elimination'' made everyone shudder instinctively. They already had a bad omen about what she was going to say next.


    "Open your bracelets again and scroll to the ''Objectives section''."


    After everyone did what she asked, Emilia continued.


    "You will see some objectives there. These are the things the academy expects you to do by the end of the semester. If you couldn''t do that or fail more than half the objectives¡­ You will be dropped off." Her voice sounded cold in the student''s ears.


    Reading the 3 objectives written on his bracelet, Rin could only shake his head with a small smile.


    *Increase by more than 30 ranks by the end of the semester.


    *Score an average of 50% on your test results.


    *Participate in at least one event by the end of the semester.


    They all looked very easy in Rin''s opinion. It was the bare minimum he could expect to achieve in the worst possible scenario. But, not everyone had the same thoughts as they frowned visibly at the objectives.


    "Those objectives are the mains and some others will get updated in due time. But, bear in mind that the higher you go in ranks, the harder the objectives will be. It''s the best way for you youngsters to be able to strive for higher peaks the more you get stronger. Don''t ck off or bezy just because you think this ce is heaven."


    "What?!"


    "It will get harder! Isn''t this unfair?"


    "Why are we the first generation to get these cruel rules? Fate hates me!"


    No one was that happy with these objectives at all. They thought that when the test ends, they can now roam freely and do whatever they want while also guaranteeing their sess in the future.


    But, with this, they were now under constant pressure to perform better and better the more they stay here or they will just get kicked out ruthlessly.


    "Any questions?" Emilia, being aware of their thoughts, asked them with an oppressive tone.


    No one dared toin or say anything as they knew how strict this extremely seductive woman was.


    "Good. You can now enter and head to your dormitories. The map of the lower floor is included in the bracelet. Good luck!"


    Then, all the students entered the city. Their worries made their enthusiasm diminish but they were still excited about this new chapter in their lives. A chapter that was hopefully filled with sess and glory.


    Everyone except Elise and Rin moved on their way. The two were discussing what to do next.


    "Should we keep an eye on Emilia and Phillipe? I am certain that no event of the game will happen now that their first meeting was ruined."


    "Yes, we should. But, there is something weird about how it happened. Didn''t you notice it?"


    "Hmm, notice what?" Rin asked.


    "The way Emilia behaved throughout the interaction. It seemed quite odd."


    "How?" Rin tilted his head confusedly.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "It was as if she had an idea that something will happen before it happened. I was observing her every action the whole time and the way she dodged him seemed to be way too perfectly timed to be a coincidence. She may have dodged the fall but to do it instantly almost before the protagonist even tripped does raise my doubts."


    "But that doesn''t make any sense. How will she know? I mean, she doesn''t remember him at all so she shouldn''t be able to predict the future, right?"


    Even Rin wasn''t certain of what he was saying. Elise had cast a shadow of doubt on his mind about Emilia. He didn''t think much of it but hispanion was definitely right.


    "Hmm. That''s the part that I couldn''t uncover. Anyway, let''s keep an eye on her. Maybe she knows something we don''t know."


    "Hopefully we don''t end up entangled in a whole bigger mess."


    [You love to jinx yourself, don''t you, host?]


    ''Can''t I hope for something good?'' Rin retorted in his head.


    [...]


    Then, the two walked together while following the map on their devices. Rin was amazed at how vast the lowest floor is. It was definitely bigger than the capital city of Aviresion.


    There were so many ces and facilities in this ce that it overwhelmed him a little bit. There was even a beach for students to enjoy in the summer.


    ''How do you even create a beach on a fucking floating ind?''


    He didn''t know the answer to that but he was sure that it was a power far beyond what he canprehend.


    They walked for a while until they reached the dormitory district. It was a section of the city where all the students live. It had two parts, the girls'' dormitory on the left and the boys'' dormitory on the right. Between them was a huge wall made out of some kind of sturdy metal and had many guards roaming around.


    Thest thing the academy wanted was for a boy to sneak into the girls'' area and do something obnoxious. Dating wasn''t restricted in the academy but with obvious boundaries that students can''t pass. Any form of sexual intimacy is strictly prohibited along with other things like sneaking your partner into your dormitory area and things like that.


    Other than that, students are free to date anyone they want.


    After they bid each other goodbye and agreed on meetingter to roam the city and get familiar with it, Rin walked inside his dormitory. There were swarms of students following him inside but the number wasn''t that huge since there were multiple dormitory buildings to amodate all the students that were numbered in the thousands. For example, since Rin was a first-year student, he was in the first-year dormitory area.


    Anyway, the building he found himself inside was very massive, akin to a castle but more advanced and polishedpared to medieval castles.


    Reaching the reception desk, he was greeted by a beautiful woman with a professional smile on her face. The moment the woman''s eyes fell on Rin, she visibly beamed with happiness.


    ''Who is this gorgeous boy? Not many people as handsome as he is,e here. Ah! He''s such a sight for sore eyes!'' She thought in her head as she tried to hide her blush.


    "Mm; excuse me?" Rin said.


    "Ah! My apologies! Extend your hand for a moment please."


    Rin nodded and did what she asked. The woman then held his hand with hers. He watched as the bracelet in her hand shone with a faint light.


    ''Huh? Why is she holding his hand? Didn''t she just merely floated her hand above the previous student?'' One person behind Rin asked himself.


    He didn''t know why, but he didn''t like the way the woman kept looking at Rin. It was such a predatory gaze that sent a shiver down his spine.


    ''Good luck,rade. Don''t let yourself get eaten.'' He prayed in his head for the well-being of Rin while thetter waspletely focused on the mechanism of the bracelet.


    When she finished, she smiled softly at him as she said.


    "Wee to our humble dormitory, Mr. Rin."


    "Thank you."


    "No problem. I had engraved the runes for your room''s door. You can now open it with your bracelet. Just put your hand against the doorknob."


    "Mmm, thank you." He said while still deep in thought.


    ''Sigh, why doesn''t he look at me?'' The womanined in her head with a disappointed look.


    ''But, he is worth the effort. I will definitely grab his attention. You won''t run away, darling.''


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 84-My Eyes On You (Part2)

    Chapter 84- My Eyes On You (Part 2)


    After that, Rin walked away and took the stairs up to the room assigned to him. There were no elevators so it took him a while to reach the second tost floor.


    After swiping his bracelet in front of the door, he entered inside. The room was average in size with a small kitchen, bathroom, and a bedroom where he could sleep. Very simple but still aesthetically beautiful to look at. In fact, Rin liked the ce as it gave him a weird sense of ease for some reason.


    ''I can only imagine what rooms on higher floors will be like. Guess I will see that soon enough.''


    After putting his things and organizing his room, he took a shower to get rid of the dirt and blood on his clothes and skin. After the shower, he stood in front of the mirror to examine his body.


    What was presented in the mirror was a jaw-dropping perfect body that looked as if it was sculpted meticulously by the hands of gods to look as perfect as possible. Lean yet extremely sturdy muscles covered his tall frame. He was definitely not bulky but not too skinny either, just the perfect bnce. But, Rin didn''t focus on that and instead looked at the scar that slit his torso. It wasn''t very visible if you gloss over his body but since Rin was looking closely, he was able to see.


    ''The scar is still there.'' He thought as he recalled the fight with the D-Rank demon.


    Again and again, whenever Rin looks back at that fight, he shudders at the thought that he was that close to death. He could be considered extremely lucky to survive that fight with everything intact. Losing an arm or a leg was a possibility that he couldn''t ignore.


    All these thoughts most of the time lead him to the question: Are demons really his enemies? The answer should''ve been obvious to him, everyone hated demons and considered them mortal enemies to humanity so that should be the case, right? Yet, something in his heart always makes him ask that question to himself as if he was uncertain about something. The idea didn''t want to leave his head no matter how much he tried to reason with himself that it was stupid or a waste of time.


    [Host?]


    "Hmm?" Rin''s unfocused gaze flinched as he answered the system.


    [Your eyes are glowing.]


    Quickly looking at the mirror, Rin saw the faint violet light engulfing his pupils. This wasn''t the first time that it happened ever since he got the shadow maniption skill activated. What he discovered with time was that when he was experiencing some kind of strong emotions whether it was happiness, anger, or sadness, his eyes will start glowing faintly.


    He concluded that it was the way his body responds to his intense feelings. The reason for that was still mysterious though.


    "Sigh, I should wear some clothes and sleep for a few hours."


    When he finished getting dressed, he threw his body on the bed and closed his eyes. The sun was still in the sky indicating that it was barely evening.


    "System¡­ Wake me up in two hours."


    [Understood, host.]


    After that, Rin drifted into a deep sleep. His exhausted body from the umtion of stress and exertion sumbed finally to the urge to rx.


    An unknown amount of time passed inside the room when the door suddenly knocked. Rin at first ignored the knocking as he was too exhausted to even stand up. But, the knocking kept annoying him again and again until he frowned and woke up.


    ''If it wasn''t for the fact that I''m a nice person. I would''ve skinned this person alive and fried his skin in hot oil.''


    [That doesn''t sound too kind, host.]


    ''I don''t care. Look, my eyes are red and swollen. I need some sleep for fuck sake.''


    Rin''s mood was so bad at that moment that he was barely holding himself fromshing at the person that ruined his great nap.


    Opening the door, Rin looked at the visitor. Or at least, he tried to do so because what he saw in front of him wasn''t a face but the chest of a giant person. Arching his head up, he was able to take a glimpse at the behemoth of a man that knocked on him. He was at least 8ft tall or more wearing ck clothes and had a great sword on his back. His face had many scars that could intimidate the bravest of people.


    ''Am I still dreaming?'' He thought for a moment.


    "Mr. Rin?" The man spoke with an extremely deep voice.


    "Who is asking?" Rin responded after waking up from his daze.


    "Could you please follow me? Thedy wants to meet you?"


    "Thedy?"


    "Mrs. Emilia."


    "Ah¡­ thatdy¡­ I see. Wait, pardon me?"


    "Mrs. Emilia is asking for you. Wear your clothes and follow me, Mr. Rin."


    ''Why does she want to meet me?'' He wondered. He was still stressing over the mess that happened because of her and now she wants to see him? Is she even the heroine anymore?!


    But, the next moment, he recalled Elise''s words to him and a small suspicion rose in his heart.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Taking a deep breath, he nodded his head and walked inside to wear some clothes. He had some formal clothes he had for asions that may ur in the future but he decided to wear something more casual.


    After that, he left his room along with the giant man. Thetter didn''t utter a single word after that at all.


    "Where are we going now? *yawn*"


    "To Mrs. Emilia."


    ''That doesn''t answer the question, big man.''


    The two then left the dormitory and walked in the streets. Many students who were still outside looked at them curiously and especially the giant man. His aura and appearance were the perfect concoctions for nightmares.


    Soon, they reached a very quiet area of the city. Rin instantly knew that this was the administration area of the city where most staff and academy workers operate and live. It was a restricted ce that only allowed entrance for staff only. No students can trespass here only with permission.


    The two then stopped in front of a huge building. The ce wasn''t very eye-catching as it was aesthetically simr to the dormitory building. The man didn''t wait at all and quickly walked inside making Rin follow him.


    ''Is this where she works? Lives?'' He couldn''t determine what kind of ce was this as all the doors inside were closed and there was no one walking in or out.


    On thest floor, the man halted in front of a certain door that looked very different than the other ones. It was made out of some kind of cushion or soft substance that stopped the noise.


    ? He then opened the door and allowed Rin to walk inside but didn''t follow inside.


    ''Hmm, an office?'' He thought as he examined the interior of the room silently.


    His eyes then fell on a person behind the table, deeply focused on a piece of paper as she yed with a strand of her hair. Even this mere act of hers that seemed to be unintentional exuded a very deep charm that could captivate anyone. Emilia was simply a very dangerous woman.


    Rin didn''t try to break her focus and instead sat down on the chair in front of her desk and waited for her to finish. He knew that it was disrespectful to break the focus of a person who was of a higher rank than you socially.


    Staying with a noble family did rub off on him.


    Time passed silently with no signs of Emilia finally looking at him. Rin knew that she was deliberately ignoring him since he made his presence as noticeable as possible when he sat in front of her. But, he was sure that this wasn''t some disrespect at all.


    "Why didn''t you say anything?" She finally asked out of nowhere while still looking at the piece of paper.


    Smiling, Rin answered.


    "Why should I?"


    His question seemingly caught her interest since she finally looked at him for the first time.


    "Most people thate here will always call for me or try to cough just to catch my attention. Why didn''t you do that?"


    "You knew that I was here. I see no reason to do that."


    "Interesting. You are indeed a peculiar person, Mr. Rin."


    "We are all peculiar in some way or another."


    "I agree. But, you are a very eye-catching person, I must say. You stand out like a sore thumb in between the masses."


    Shrugging his shoulders, Rin answered casually.


    "I will take that as apliment, Mmm¡­ Mrs. Clearsky." He said as he hesitated on how he should call her.


    "It is apliment. Frankly speaking, Donnie had just told me what happened on the bridge and I must say that I am impressed at your ability to kill that hybrid demon. That''s a feat worthy of admiration for someone that''s still weaker than that bird."


    Rin felt it clearly. Emilia was definitely notplimenting him out of the goodness of her heart at all. Thetter also saw that her attempt to beat around the bush failed so she just cut to the chase.


    "I will be truthful with you, Mr. Rin. I have an offer for you."


    "An offer?"


    "Yes. It''s very simple. Would you like to be my disciple?"


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 85-Bizarre Date (Part 1)

    Chapter 85- Bizarre Date (Part 1)


    "Disciple?" Rin tilted his head confusedly.


    "It''s not that hard. I can see that you have great potential and with some guidance, your future will be bright as long as you work hard. It''s a simple talent hunting on my side."


    "I see¡­ What benefits will I get from it? And more importantly, what benefits will you get from it?"


    "You don''t trust this offer, huh?" Her eyes shed with a weird glint for a split second before she returned to normal.


    "It''s not a matter of whether I trust you or not. I simply believe that there is no free breakfast in this world and I reckon you do too."


    His words made her surprisingly chuckle softly. Her smallughs were like melodies to the ear that Rin couldn''t get bored of.


    "Well, that is indeed the case. I believe in fair exchange; I give you something and in exchange, you give me something of equivalent worth. In this case, what I will get from this matter is¡­" Then, she raised her finger and pointed at Rin.


    "... You."


    "Pardon me?" Rin blinked a few times as if he didn''t believe his ears.


    ''Wait, does she want my body or something?''


    *Cough* *Cough* *Cough*


    The moment he finished his thoughts, Emilia started coughing violently as is she had swallowed something horrible.


    "Are you ok?"


    "No worries. Something got stuck in my throat."


    "What I mean by that is that when I nurture you to be a great figure in the future, you will be very valuable as an ally for me. That''s why I believe that investing in you is a good idea."


    "Oh¡­"


    ''I would''ve epted either way though.''


    *Cough* *Cough* *Cough*


    "Something got stuck in your throat again?"


    ''This kid¡­ He will be my death for sure.'' Emilia didn''t know whether tough or cry at his weird thoughts. For some reason, she didn''t feel any malicious intent from him. Emilia was aware of her beauty and how men looked at her so she can detect whenever one of them is looking at her.


    "Anyway, would you ept the offer?"


    "Hmm¡­" Scratching his chin, Rin closed his eyes seemingly deep in thought.


    "Can I get some time before I answer? A day or two at most."


    "Sure. I will be waiting for your answer, Rin."


    "Thanks for believing in my abilities, Mrs. Clearsky."


    "Emilia is fine." She said.


    "Mrs. Emilia it is then."


    After that, Rin left the room. The moment the door closed, Emilia''s face changed drastically. Her body swayed a little bit and rested on the back of the chair. Then, she turned around to look out of the window.


    ''I still can''t believe all of this isn''t actually the real world. What reason did we exist for then? Why are we not in the real world? Were we born only for the sake of entertaining real humans?'' She asked herself.


    Emilia was a very mindful person who focuses on the smallest of things. This world was her home and she loved it dearly. But, for her to realize that it wasn''t real, that all she lived through for all these years was nothing but a stupid game created for other people to y with and enjoy. No, not only that, but in that game, she became a subject to all kinds of sick fantasies of humans.


    She had no feelings, no choices, and no sense of reality at all. All she had to do was to follow the script like a robot and do what other people want from her.


    ''I won''t allow for such nonsense. My life is my own and my choices are also my own. I won''t let mere weak humans decide how I live my own life. To hell with that.'' Clenching her fist, she vowed to not allow for that person, Phillipe to turn her into a mindless doll.


    ''But, I have to get as much information from that boy Rin as much as possible. He knows what will happen. Turning him into my disciple will allow me to stay close to him without being suspicious since if he knew that I could hear his thoughts, he will most likely never allow me to hear anything else. He must not know.''


    After resolving her thoughts, she turned around and started working again with a clear mind. Her goal was now visible.


    "My eyes are on you, Rin Silvereye."


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<novelnext></novelnext>


    Later that evening, in the middle of a bustling district of the city, an extremely gorgeous white-haired girl was sitting on a bench, reading a book. Her profile from the side looked so elegant and mesmerizing that many passers-by could only stop to admire her. She just looked like a goddess between mortals, a pure angel in the middle of the filthy humans.


    She looked so beautiful in fact that even some daring students didn''t even entertain the thought of hitting on her and tarnishing this piece of art.


    Elise, on the other hand, waspletely oblivious to these looks as she was engrossed in her own world. She couldn''t care less about a bunch of students looking at her. Their gazes of appreciation were of no worth to her.


    She had lived through most of her life getting those looks. But, she didn''t like them at all.


    ''For what reason, beauty is this important? Do people only see that outeryer and instantly forget about the inside?'' She asks herself. She saw in them what they didn''t see in their selves.


    ''Humans are greedy creatures by nature. They try to seek whatever gives them the best feeling. Whether it was beauty, money, glory, or anything else. Only a handful can value the true worth of life.'' That was what she had read before in a book and that quote stuck with her for a very long time.


    Cruel hearts filled with nothing but filthy and worthless feelings. In all of her life, she had never met an actual person that made her feel at ease being next to them. Someone that actually saw her for who she was and didn''t see her as a mere piece of meat that they wanted to possess.


    "Oi, Elise¡­"


    Well, until now, that is.


    The moment she heard that familiar voice calling for her, she looked up from her book and her small frown vanished. She now looked way calmer and more serene than before. His effect on her would still shock her every single time.


    "Did I make you wait?"


    "15 minuteste." Sighing, she closed the book and said.


    "Oh¡­ I''m sorry. But, there is a good reason for it."


    Then, Rin proceeded to tell her everything that happened with Emilia. Elise didn''t show many reactions to it but he could see that it made her feel suspicious.


    "Did she mention anything else?"


    "No. I tried to probe her for answers but she was way too cautious to tell me anything. But, I can see that she had no malicious intent at all. What could she even get from doing something bad to me?"


    "Nothing."


    "Exactly. That''s why I think epting her offer will be a good idea. We can get crucial info about many things. What do you think?"


    "...Suit yourself."


    "Good. Well then, now that we are done with this matter. Let''s go have some fun!"


    "We didn''te here to have som-"


    "Huh? What is that? Let''s go check it out."


    Ignoring Elisepletely, Rin jumped on his feet and walked toward a certain ce that caught his attention.


    This was the entertainment district so all kinds of fun activities could be found there.


    ''He likes to act like a child.'' Elise didn''t know whether tough or cry at the weird ck-haired young man.


    "Hurry up, Elise. I will leave you behind."


    "..."


    The duo then walked together through the streets. Most students decided toe here to have some fun so the ce was bustling.


    There were all kinds of ces that offered activities that Rin had never seen before.


    "Hmm, what''s that? Mana Baseball?" A sign in front of a building caught Rin''s attention. The ce had some people but it wasn''t extremely full which was why Rin asked Elise.


    "Let''s go check it out."


    Thetter nodded her head without trying to argue. She was just humoring Rin since he seemed to be excited. As for her, she just feltfortable tagging along with him so she wasn''t against it at all.


    The two didn''t know it at this point in time. But, they were starting toplete each other. One is excited to explore the world and pave the path to the top along with theirpanion and the other felt peace next to that person. Two entities, different in personalities yet somehow are simr to each other more than they could admit.


    (A//N: Do tell me if the chapters feel boring or uneventful. I am trying to work on that part as much as possible but setting a massive arc as this one does take some time so bear with me :) )


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 86-Bizarre Date (Part 2)

    Chapter 86- Bizarre Date (Part 2)


    (A//N: This is not a real game of baseball so if you find anything different do have that in mind. Enjoy.)


    Walking inside, they waited in line before they could finally try this game. From what Rin understood, the game revolved around hitting a home run using a bat. But, instead of a normal ball, the ball they had to use was made out of mana.


    Anyway, after registering, they walked deeper into the building. There, they found themselves in an open area covered in grass. There were at least 50 meters between the other wall that closed the area and the duo.


    Right in front of the wall, a weird artifact was set up on the ground that looked eerily simr to a canon albeit a bit smaller.


    Beside them, some people were also ying. The two watched them silently just to understand what they were supposed to do.


    *Bang*


    The small canon suddenly shot a blue ball at a moderate speed. The student then received the ball with teh bat and then sent it flying in te air. The ball eventually fell to the ground before hitting the wall. The sign stuck on the wall changed from zero to 48 meters which indicated where the ballnded.


    "Tsk! I almost hit a home run." He cursed as he swung the bat in the air casually.


    "Seems simple enough," Rin murmured as he looked at the bat in front of him.


    "Neh, Elise. How about we do something even more fun than that?" He asked.


    "What is it?"


    "A bet."


    "A bet?"


    "Yes, the person who hits the ball the farthest wins. If we get the same score each time then we increase the speed of the ball until one of us fails."


    "I don''t mind. But, what are we going to bet on?"


    As if he was waiting for that exact question, Rin grinned.


    "The winner can control the loser for a day and ask them to do anything."


    "..." Elise didn''t respond quickly as if she was hesitating about something.


    "Are you scared? I don''t mind if you don''t feel ready. I wi-"


    "I will do it." She cut him off. Rin could see the fighting spirit that ignited in her eyes. He knew that Elise was a very prideful person so if he strikes her ego a little bit, she will most likely ept the challenge just to prove her superiority.


    "Good. May the better one win."


    After that, Rin pulled out a coin from his back pocket and continued.


    "I will throw the coin and in mid-air, each one of us will choose heads or tails. That''s as fair as it can get."


    When Elise nodded her head, Rin threw the coin in the air.


    "Heads."


    "Tails."


    They spoke instantly.


    *Cling*


    The coin then fell down with a clinging sound on the ground.


    "My win," Elise said.


    "Tsk. Ah, whatever. I will win either way. Get ready to serve me for a day, little Elise."


    Elise ignored his arrogant remark and picked up the helmet and the bat. After that, she took a pose with the bat high in the air.


    Rin then activated his bracelet and controlled the canon in front of him. The number of functions of this piece of ck substance was amazing.


    "We will start with the slowest speed."


    *Bang*


    A blue mana ball was thenunched out of the canon. It was considerably slow to the point where anyone could follow it with their eyes.


    *BOOOM*


    However, the moment the ball entered Elise''s range of motion, it was instantly sted high in the air.


    "*Whistle* That''s a home run for sure," Rin said as he put his hand on his eyebrows trying to see the ball.


    The score that appeared on the scoreboard was 58 meters which means that the ball hit the wall and could''ve continued flying for an extra 8 meters if the wall didn''t stop it.


    "Fuuh." Exhaling a long breath out, Elise handed the bat to Rin. Her mouth didn''t say anything but her eyes spoke for themselves. They were saying ''try me.''


    "Watch and learn."


    Rin then did the same thing as Elise, with the same posture and the same technique of the swing.


    *BOOM*


    The ball was sent flying and hit the wall too. Looking at the scoreboard, it showed 58 meters just like Elise.


    Clicking his tongue, Rin gave her the bat again and retreated. Then the next attempt happened just like before except with a faster ball. This time, the scoreboard changed to 62 meters.


    ''Her strength is amazing.'' He thought in his head.


    But, weirdly enough, when Rin attempted after her, he also hit 62 meters.


    The third attempt was also a tie with 69 meters. Then the fourth, fifth, and sixth attempts were also a tie. The speed kept increasing quickly but the two of them didn''t show any difficulty handling the speed.


    The ball kept getting hit violently and sent flying toward the wall. Some people beside them noticed what was happening and gathered from afar watching interestedly.


    "Look at them!"<novelnext></novelnext>


    "I have never seen someone attempt that speed before."


    "92 meters, my god! I barely hit 40 meters."


    But, the two ignored them andpletely focused on their small challenge. It proved to be way more fun than they anticipated as they found themselves engrossed in the game.


    The next three attempts continued with the same tie. But, the ball was surely but certainly starting to be very hard to hit.  The speed that it reached ording to the bracelet was 145 Km per hour.


    *BOOOOOM*


    Elise swung the bat using 80% of her strength. The crispy sound of hitting the ball was so satisfying.


    *BANG*


    The ball flew so fast that it basically almost broke the wall on the other side. When it fell down, there was a small dent in the wall.


    "Not bad. I can do that." Rin said with a chuckle.


    *BOOOOM*


    "Look, I created a dent just beside yours. That''s the aim king for you."


    The scoreboard exceeded 100 meters.


    Attempt after attempt, the strength increased and the hits became more and more intense. At their 13th or 14th attempt, the ball was now basically invisible to the crowd around them. Their amazement also turned into deep shock.


    Hitting 90 meters was impressive but not unheard of before so no one suspected anything. But, as time passed, both of them were slowly approaching the 200-meter mark which was something no person has done before.


    The wall ahead was quickly filled with small dents and ball traces. The bat also was on the verge of breaking from the sheer power of the ball. Yet, not even once did one of them was able to exceed the other.


    ''How are we getting the same score each time?!'' Rin was impressed by this not-so-much of a coincidence.


    *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*


    "These two are insane¡­" One said with a dazed look on his face.


    "No, a pair of monsters. They are a pair of monsters."


    "187 meters. How is that even possible?!"


    "What''s the record? Does anyone know?!"


    "I think it''s 170 meters or something close to that."


    "They exceeded it that much?!!"


    "Oh, goddess! Have mercy on my soul!! How are they even doing that?!!"


    "Is using our mana allowed, Rin?" Elise asked.


    "Hmm? We can use it I guess. We won''t be able to reach a conclusion any time soon anyway."


    When they heard their exchange, the huge shock turned to pure terror.


    "They didn''t use¡­ their mana?"


    "No¡­"


    "I can''t believe¡­ my eyes."


    Soon enough, the 200-meter mark was exceeded easily. At this point, everyone could only hear the sound of the canon and then the sound of the bat hitting the ball creating a small airwave that attacked everyone.


    On their 21st attempt, something unexpected happened. When Rin hit the ball, the bat in his hand exploded into pieces like a balloon.


    "Ooops."


    "I think we will have to pay for that."


    "Wait, really?! Dammit! That''s so stupid. They should''ve created stronger bats. So irresponsible. There is something wrong with the quality of these bats." He shook his head in clear disappointment.


    "Creating better bats is expensive. But, the quality is poor, indeed."


    ''It''s you two who have something wrong going on with you!!'' Everyone thought at the same time.


    ''How can they not see how abnormal they were? The score reached 220 meters for fuck''s sake!! The previous record holder is crying in his grave!!''


    "I will get another one, I guess."


    After throwing the broken one, Rin used a fresh new bat and tried to hit the ball again. But, like the one before it, the bat was destroyed with one single hit.


    "Fuck." He cursed under his breath.


    "It''s a tie in the end, huh? We can''t continue any further."


    "So unlucky. But, there are many more games around here. I won''t allow this to end in a tie."


    Then, Rin threw the bat and the helmet before he strode off the ground and entered the building along with Elise.


    "We can try the other game on the other side of the street."


    "Understood."


    However, the two of them didn''t notice the still speechless crowd that surrounded them. It was at that moment that the legend of the ''Legendary Batter duo'' was created. They became akin to a myth that youngsters after them will only look up to in admiration for generations and generations.


    However, that''s a story for another time.


    (A//N: Did you enjoy the chapter?)


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 87- New Skills (Part 1)

    Chapter 87- New Skills (Part 1)


    Then, what ensued next was nothing short of shocking. Rin and Elise moved from one ce to another as they yed all kinds of games. Most of them were derived from games that existed in their previous world so the concept was new to them at all.


    Basketball, football, tennis, and every other possible game, they basically broke the games and hit multiple world records thatsted for tens and even hundreds of years in the academy. There was even a record that was held by a previous top-10-ranked student in archery for the most bullseyes possible in a row but they basically destroyed that record by a huge margin too.


    Many noticed their huge feats and started following them from one ce to another to watch these two demons in action. The sigh was simply hrious as two people were walking and chatting casually while swarms of students were following them while trying to keep it secret.


    Rin and Elise obviously saw that but they didn''t bother to do anything about it. They didn''t care about a bunch of curious students if they didn''t cross the line.


    Hours passed quickly and night soon fell down. The beautiful moon rose in the sky with its silver rays falling on the academy city.


    "Fuuh! I didn''t have that much fun in a while." Rin said as he shoved a piece of stake in his mouth and chewed on it, enjoying the tender feeling of the meat and the juicy taste that touched his tastebuds.


    They were now sitting inside a restaurant on the outskirts of the city that didn''t have many people. The two had been strolling around for a while and ended up finding this quiet ce byplete coincidence.


    "It does feel refreshing," Elise answered.


    They did so many things and exerted their strength purely for entertainment which was something that they had missed for years. Living in an apocalyptic world didn''t allow them to rx or have fun and even when they came here, they had to do way too many things for them to find time for rxation.


    "In the end, no one won, huh?"


    "We tied in every game," Elise added after him.


    "Somehow, that sounds way more amazing than if one of us actually won. Nevertheless, I made you have some fun and that''s what matters?"


    "Hmm?" Elise hummed in confusion and she chewed elegantly on her steak. Even this simple act of hers exuded pure elegance and dignity.


    "I saw how stressed you were the past few days and so I wanted you to release some steam. You can''t work hard with a stressed mind."


    "So you set all of this up for me?" She asked as she blinked softly.


    "To be honest, I also wanted to entertain myself too but yeah, mostly for you."


    "..."


    "What? Don''t tell me, are you touched?" Rin grinned amusedly.


    "Not really. But I do appreciate the gesture." She closed her eyes and said while slicing another piece of meat.


    "Boo! Boring! I expected a more expressive reaction." Rin puffed his cheeks teasingly as if he was disappointed.


    "I''m not an expressive person," Elise said as a sh of emotions passed her eyes for a split second that could''ve been ignored. But, Rin saw it and frowned a little bit.


    ''Is it rted to her past?''


    "Are you? I do think that you are very expressive, actually. Albeit, in your own way." He said suddenly.


    "You have your own way ofmunicating your emotions. But, not everyone can see that."


    Rin''s words struck a weird string in Elise''s heart. Then, a weird urge to ask a certain question popped into her head. She normally would''vepletely refused to even entertain the thought of asking it but now was very different. So, she put the fork and knife down and gazed deeply into Rin''s eyes.


    "Are you one of those people?"


    Her heart sped up a little bit when she said those words which struck her by surprise. Was she actually feeling¡­ nervous? Why is that?


    Rin was also taken aback by that but he quickly recovered from teh shock.


    "I can''t say that I can read you 100% urately. But, I am sure that I can understand you to a certain extent."


    "... I see¡­"


    The two then continued the dinner in silence. It wasn''t awkward at all but actually feltfortable and peaceful.


    "I hope I can understand myself one day too," Elise murmured under her breath.


    After finishing their meals, they left the restaurant and returned to their rooms. The night was still young but they had things to do so ending their small date here was the best choice.


    "That was a sessful date!" Rin grinned as he rested his back on the pillow.


    [Did you forget about me, host?]


    ''Sigh, and who can forget you, my dear system?''


    [Blushes.]


    ''Don''t write words and assume that I can imagine how you are feeling right now. So, what do you want, calling me out of nowhere?''


    [You should check your status window, host.]


    ''Oh! Right, the plot detector skill has been sending me notifications for a while now. I didn''t have time to check it.''


    [System Profile]


    [Name: Rin Silvereye.]


    [ss: Shadow Bringer (First Phase)]


    [Race: Human/ ???]


    [Stats]


    [Strength: F+]<novelnext></novelnext>


    [Agility: F]


    [Dexterity: F-]


    [Intelligence: F-]


    [Charm: A-]


    [Magic: C-]


    [Action Points:7000]


    [Skills: Shadow maniption (Level 2), Appraisal (Level 3), Plot Detector (Level max)]


    ''7000 action points? That much?'' Rin was more than delighted to see that many points.


    [In the past few days, you have affected the plot greatly, host. That''s why you got that many points. Your meeting with Emilia Clearsky also was a pivotal point in the story that you also changed.]


    ''I see. With that amount, I could probably raise all of my stats to at least F+ or even E-. Ah! I''m so happy!''


    Rolling on the bed like a happy child, Rin was on cloud nine. The day couldn''t get any better than this for him.


    ''It''s only the start. I will fucking rail my way to the top! Watch me as I shine, everyone!!'' He raised his fist in the air and looked at it, a surge of motivation hit him that he never expected before.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    The next day, Rin was sitting in Emilia''s office, and a rxed smile was hanging on his face.


    "So you do ept?"


    "Yes. But, can I set one condition?"


    "Ohoh, not only are you getting trained by me but you also want to put a condition? Aren''t you too arrogant, young man?"


    "I like to be greedy whenever the opportunity presents itself."


    "Go ahead, spit it out?" Emilia said as she rested her back on the chair casually.


    "The training will only focus on physical and mana. For some personal reasons, I will keep my element a secret forter."


    "Can I ask why?"


    "It''splicated. But, to be frank with you, I still don''t trust you. So, I want to keep it a secret. Please, don''t take it as an offense."


    "None taken. Well, if that''s what you want then I have no problem with it."


    "Thank you for understanding. So, when do we start?"


    "Now, obviously."


    "Now?!" Rin eximed with a surprised look.


    "The sooner the better. Besides, your sses will start soon so you won''t have much time outside of that. Starting now is better."


    "I wasn''t ready for that¡­ mentally, Mrs. Emilia," Rin said as he scratched his head awkwardly.


    "It''s Master for you! Now, since you epted to be my disciple, I shall tell you one thing. I am not some soft person who will help you be stronger. Don''t wait for some fun. I will grind you thoroughly to get every bit of potential out of your body and I won''t be nice about it either. Are you still going to ept?"


    "... Obviously. I didn''t expect you to be soft or gentle! Please take care of me, Mrs. Emil- I mean, master!" He said.


    "Good. Now, go change ande back here. I will be waiting. Prepare yourself."


    When Rin saw that glint in her eyes, he felt a shiver run down his spine. For some reason, a wave of uncertainty hit him out of nowhere.


    ''Did I make a mistake by epting this offer?'' He asked himself before shaking those thoughts away quickly.


    ''No matter how hard the training was, I can go through it. I have confidence in my tenacity and will.''


    After changing into his training clothes, Rin came back to Emilia and the two then left her office.


    They ended up reaching an area of the city Rin didn''t see yesterday. His map said that this area was called ''the training area''. It was weird how he missed an obviously important ce like this.


    The building that was the ce they will train in, was huge and circle-shaped as if it was a colosseum of some sort except with the ceiling covered.


    "Hi, wee to- Oh! M-Miss Clearsky. What made youe here? How can I help you?" The receptionist said with a frustrated look on his face as he fumbled with his words.


    "I will take one of the training areas for 1 day. Leave the cost of the 1 day on my receipt."


    "No, master. I can pay for the training."


    "It costs 1 gold for a whole day. Are you going to keep paying 1 gold forever? Just leave it to me. Consider it as my investment in you."


    "Understood."


    "You better focus on what''sing."


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 88-New Skills (Part 2)

    Chapter 88- New Skills (Part 2)


    The two then walked deeper inside the building. Rin kept looking around him, just admiring the architecture that went into creating this huge ce. He was starting to question many things about this ce. Mainly two things: the first was ''Why is this ce so technologically more advanced than other ces in this world?


    To be clear, it wasn''t very advancedpared to his old world for example. But, it was still impressivepared to Aviresion for example. Even the buildings seemed to be way better than the buildings he saw in the capital for example.


    The second thing was ''Why is this ce the only ce that has these things?''. He assumed that the other kingdoms are the same as Aviresion since Elise did mention them briefly before and while they were stronger than Aviresion, they weren''t that advanced.


    ''I think I''m just overthinking stuff. Since this ce is the center of this world, I can see why it has more work put into it than other ces.''


    "We are here." Emilia''s voice woke Rin up from his thoughts and made him look ahead of him.


    There, he saw an open door that led to a huge yet enclosed dirt terrain. The ce was circr in shape and very t.


    "Go warm up." She ordered Rin.


    The ck-haired young man nodded his head and quickly got ready with some light exercises and movements. Because of his incredibly flexible body, he didn''t really need to warm up but just to be safe and to not get any unwanted muscle injuries because of an entric move, he did stretch up.


    After that, he stood facing Emilia. Thetter didn''t say anything and merely looked up and down at Rin assessing him with her sharp eyes. For some reason, that gaze made Rin feel embarrassed as if he was standing naked in front of Emilia.


    "I see¡­ Your body isn''t half-bad. Do you exercise regrly?"


    "Yes."


    "What kind of exercises are you doing?"


    "Simple ones. Push-ups, squats, jogging, nothing new."


    "Weird. That kind of training should not give these results. Take off your shirt."


    Rin''s eyes widened at her request and held his chest before turning to the side a little bit.


    "What do you mean?" He said with a wary gaze.


    "Sigh, just take off your shirt before I take it off myself," Emilia replied shortly, her eyes deadly serious.


    "I understand."


    After that, Rin took off his clothes and stood with his bare chest visible to Emilia. Thetter approached him while looking at his torso thoroughly as if she was appreciating a piece of art. When she was close enough to Rin, she extended her arm and touched his chest gently before running her fingers across his muscly body.


    "Amazing." She murmured with a thoughtful look on her gorgeous face.


    "Mmm, master? I don''t think this is appropriate, is it?"


    "Shhh!" She silenced him and kept examining his body.


    Rin felt his blood boiling and his heart rate was starting to increase in speed. But, for the sake of not turning his rtionship with this woman into an awkward mess, he tried to keep his calm. But, that was easier said than done considering that the person he was getting touched by is an extremely seductive woman.


    Just a mere nce at her body and he was already feeling himself losing control for a split second. However, luckily for him, she eventually stopped her examination.


    "How is this even possible?" She asked.


    "What do you mean?" Rin said as he quickly fetched his shirt and wore it again.


    "Your body¡­ how did you turn it like that?"


    "I didn''t do anything. I don''t get what you are trying to say, master."


    "Your body¡­ It''s perfect¡­ Abnormally perfect. Every part of it, every muscle, and every bone are located so perfectly. That should be impossible." She adjusted her sses a little bit as she continued.


    "To put it into simple words, you have a body that was perfectly made for fighting and any physical exercise for that matter. I have never seen anything like this before." Her frown became even stronger.


    ''No human should have that physique. Not even close-range top-10 rankers have that kind of form. Who is this boy?''


    Rin was even more confused than she was. He really didn''t do anything major except for the training quests that the system suggested for him. They were effective and he did see the drastic change but he never really thought that it would be that impressive.


    [It''s normal, host. That''s the effect of the stat points and training on your body.]


    ''How can you exin this perfect physique then?''


    [The shadow monarch inheritance is changing you to be the perfect candidate for it. You still have some ws that the inheritance is eliminating slowly.]


    ''I see¡­'' Rin nodded his head.


    Meanwhile, Emilia, who was oblivious to this conversation shook her head and calmed her raging thoughts.


    "It is indeed very abnormal. But, that''s good news¡­ No, scratch that, that''s great news. I can definitely make you absorb my training quickly and efficiently." Emilia''s n at first was to just teach him some things but nothing major since her n was to just stay close to Rin and learn more about this world to evade any unwanted things from happening.<novelnext></novelnext>


    But, when she saw his incredible talent, a strong urge filled her mind. An urge to see where this young man could reach.


    ''To what level of strength can he rise? Maybe he could even be a top 10 ranked in the future. No, if he actually can absorb my training, he will definitely be a monster in the future.''


    With that in mind, her training n for him changedpletely.


    "What weapon do you use?"


    "Dual daggers but I can also fight with one single dagger."


    "Dual daggers? That''s a weird choice. Wait¡­." Her eyes widened as she remember something.


    After that, she looked at her arm with squirted eyes. A few secondster, a scroll materialized in the palm of her hand. The scroll was thin and very old-looking from its yellow color and fragile-looking parts.


    "I found this scroll a long time ago inside a dungeon. It''s a Dagger technique of some sort."


    "A dagger technique? What''s that?"


    "You don''t know? Well, since most sword users in this world are clearly more disadvantageouspared to mages, fighting techniques were created to rpensate for that sheer difference between them. All weapons have techniques that teach the individual how to use the weapon to extreme efficiency. Since daggers are not that popr, their techniques are quite rare to stumble upon."


    After that, she shifted her eyes to look at the scroll.


    "This one is very weird, though. No matter how much I tried toprehend the technique, I was unable to do so. That''s why it has been gathering dust in my spatial storage for a long while now."


    "What if I don''t understand it?"


    "No worries, I have other techniques. But, try this one first. Maybe you couldprehend it, who knows?"


    Handing him the scroll, Rin opened it up very gently not to shred it by mistake. The words written inside looked blurry from the sheer time that passed on it. Along with those words, some pictures of a human form doing some moves while holding two daggers could be seen next to the old text.


    Before Rin could even start reading the text and understand what it was all about. A notification popped in front of his face.


    [New Skill detected!]


    [Would you like to absorb it?]


    ''Wait, what?! I can absorb this skill without reading the content?'' Rin blinked a few times.


    [One of the perks of having me, host.]


    ''You are amazing, system!''


    [Thanks for thepliment, host.]


    ''Absorb the skill.''


    The moment he thought of that, he felt a weird sensation enveloping his brain. It wasn''t painful but still felt quite weird. The sensation was akin to someone trying to shove information into Rin''s brain forcefully.


    A swarm of words and pictures of someone doing certain movements filled his head. But, even with all of that, he was somehow able to understand everything that entered his brain.


    ''This skill¡­ How is this¡­'' Rin was speechless when he saw what this skill was about.


    [New skill added sessfully: Formless Ghost Daggers!]


    [Formless Ghost Daggers.]


    [Rank: A]


    [Level: 1]


    [Daggers are the des of assassination and the weapons of shadows. A mere swing could harvest souls and end lives. Formless as they are, they will be the ghosts of death that will never be seen.]


    [Every time this skill is activated, your movement will be blurry for any opponent while also increasing your movement speed and strength for 10 seconds. The skill''s cooldown is 10 minutes. The cooldown decreases as you level it up.]


    ''Ignoring the first part that meant absolutely nothing, the details of the skill are im¨´pressive. My movement bes blurry?! That will be extremely useful against tough enemies.'' Rin thought with a satisfied nod.


    "So, can you understand it?" Emilia asked when she saw that Rin froze in his ce.


    "Yes, I learned it."


    "..."


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 89-New Skills (Part 3)

    Chapter 89- New Skills (Part 3)


    "What did you just say?" Emilia blinked a few times as if she didn''t quite register his words. They were just too unbelievable toprehend.


    "I learned the skill. I think I can execute it now. Do you want me to try it out, master?"


    "Huh? Wait! What do you mean ''you learned'' it? That''s not possible."


    ''I did really learn it, though.'' He thought in his head.


    That made Emilia even more shocked. Hearing his thoughts made it impossible for him to lie to her and that solidified it even more for her.


    ''How is that even possible?! Even I couldn''t understand it yet he not onlyprehended the skill yet also learned it?''


    "Master?" Rin called for her when he saw the grimace on her face. She looked so abnormally expressive now that he questioned if she was having some mental crisis in her head.


    "You¡­" Shaking her head, she tried to calm down and then asked him.


    "Can you show me?"


    "Sure."


    Then, Emilia gave him some space and watched closely as Rin picked up a training wooden dagger. He wasn''t intending to use Shadow Monarch''s dagger for training since it''s meant for actual fights.


    Taking a deep breath, Rin closed his eyes as he gathered his thoughts and created a simple image of the skill getting executed in his head. Other than the effects of the skill, there was also the more important part of the skill which was the techniques that came with it.


    Since the system is purely statistical it only showed what the dagger technique can do in quantified numbers. The other parts that it didn''t mention were the movements, the techniques, and the improvement in the dagger skills in general.


    So, not only has Rin learned a new skill for his system, but he also improved his dagger techniques greatly.


    "Hah!" Then, with a low grunt, he shed with his dagger. The movement was pretty simple but if anyone looks closely, they will be able to pinpoint the clear improvement in the dagger shpared to Rin before.


    Then, without waiting, Rin stabbed to the side before changing the grip on the dagger and shing horizontally.


    Meanwhile, as he did those movements, he was channeling his mana in a very particr way. The blue aura of his mana engulfed the dagger along with his body. He looked to be in perfect harmony with his weapon as if it was a part of his body. Then¡­


    *Swish*


    For a split second, Rin''s body blurred from view and appeared a few meters away from where he was before. The change was minor and quick to vanish but it was still there and that was enough for Emilia''s eyes to widen to their extreme.


    ''He¡­ learned it¡­'' She couldn''t understand how to react at all.


    Forget about calling him ''talented'', this was basically nonsense. No human had ever been able to learn a weapon technique of any sort in less than 1 hour let alone less than a minute.  And even those that were able to learn a skill in an hour, it was a very simple and weak skill that didn''t require any extensive understanding or deep focus so theparison does not even work in that case.


    "Tsk! I couldn''t do it correctly." Rin cursed under his breath as he tightened his grip and readied himself to try again.


    "Stop," Emilia ordered him.


    "Hmm?"


    "You¡­ Do you understand what you just did?"


    Rin didn''t answer as he kept a calm face. He wasn''t stupid, he knew that what he did was very weird and unheard of. But, to keep it clear, he didn''t try to hide it and the reason for that is very simple: he wanted to set up his position in the academy from now.


    Rin came here for one goal and one goal only: to be the strongest. He wasn''t going to try and keep it lowkey just so that trouble doesn''te knocking up on his door. And even if he wanted to try and hide it, trouble will happen either way.


    So, with that in mind, he decided that showing his ''monstrous talent'' was not a bad thing at all. With the help of a character as strong as Emilia backing him up, he can easily rail through obstacles and unwanted attention.


    But, he needed to show his worth to Emilia first so that she fully support him in the time he will stay in this ce.


    "Your talent is unheard of. I have never heard of such a feat before in all of my life."


    "Really?" Rin feigned ignorance and asked.


    "It''s not even a funny joke at this point. Rin, listen closely. No matter what happens, do not tell anyone about this. If the wrong people heard of your talent, you are going to get in trouble."


    "Aren''t you going to help me, master?" He asked<novelnext></novelnext>


    "I can, for now at least. But, as you get higher and higher in rank, people will start looking at you. That''s why you must not tell anyone about yourprehension abilities. I can handle the rest." Emilia replied as she scratched her chin.


    She never knew that she will actually stumble upon such a bright gem byplete coincidence. No, not a mere diamond, a whole diamond mine in and out of itself. For a human this talented to actually exist.


    ''Can he actually¡­ No! Don''t overthink it, Emilia. Let''s take it one step at a time. With his talent and my training, I can only imagine how scary this young man will be in the future. He will be a menace on the current high-rankers for sure.''


    Calming herself down, she returned to her apathetic expression. After that, she added.


    "Can you repeat what you did just now?"


    "I don''t mind."


    Then, Rin executed the skill again which ended up giving the same results as before. He couldn''t keep the skill activated for more than a split second.


    Even though he technically learned the skill, learning something and mastering it arepletely different concepts. It''s as if Rin had finished the theoretical part of the task, what was left now was to engrave the technique into his body so that he can do it wlessly.


    ''Why am I failing? What am I doing wrong? I followed the technique to a T.'' He scratched his head in frustration.


    "You have failed for two main reasons." Emilia intercepted him.


    "Your footwork ispletely off and the other reason is your mana control."


    "My mana control?"


    "Yes, the skill relies on camouge and making yourself vanish from eyesight. So, your mana should work in a very smooth and tame manner. For example, this is another technique that has the same concept."


    After saying that, Emilia''s body suddenly vanished out of nowhere. Rin tried to look around, searching for her but he felt nothing as if Emilia just left the ce and her aura vanished along with her.


    *Tap*


    Then, he felt a tap on his shoulder from behind. Looking behind him, he saw his master standing a few inches away from him. A whiff of her smell reached his nose and he had to admit that she smelled so good for some odd reason even though he was sure that it wasn''t some kind of perfume or shampoo.


    "See? I made my whole aura blend with the environment around me."


    After that, Emilia stepped in front of him and continued.


    "The mana that flows in nature is very calm and serene, it''s just like a windlesske, still and unmoving. To be able to disappear, we have to be one with the world mana itself."


    In her hand, the blue mana materialized in the shape of a ball that floated in the air then it became a square and from a square to a triangle. Emilia kept changing the shape quickly. After that, the mana suddenly vanished.


    "If you learn to fuse your mana with the world around you then you will learn how to erase your presence from this world. Do you understand?"


    "I get it. But, how can I learn to do that?"


    "This exercise that I showed you now is a good way to do that. Try to materialize your mana in front of you and start changing its shape. That will teach you how to master controlling your mana."


    Nodding his head, Rin tried to do the same thing. The task wasn''t easy since he had never tried to materialize mana in its raw form and not convert it to a skill or anything of the sort. So, the mana shapes appeared wiggly and slightly blurry.


    *Bang*


    Suddenly, he felt pain in his arm and the sound of a hit echoed inside the training ground.


    "You clearly lost focus there! Don''t think about anything unnecessary." Emilia said sternly as she tapped with a metal stick on the palm of her hand.


    ''Where did she even get that stick?!''


    Rin felt a chill run down his spine as he predicted what was going to happen next.


    "Do it again."


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 90-State Of Flow

    Chapter 90- State Of Flow


    "Do it again," Emilia said with a stern look on her face. She looked like an angry goddess, ready to punish a sinful mortal for their bad deed.


    Rin had no way of running away so he could only gulp down a mouthful of saliva and try to apply whatever she said.


    Taking a deep breath, he formed another ball of mana and tried to turn it into a square. Again, he failed at that miserably.


    *Smack*


    "Ouch!!" Pain assaulted his arm again from the side and made him grab it and rub it while looking at Emilia.


    "I said try to focus on the mana around you and fuse yours with it. Don''t focus on your own mana alone, but on the two types of mana at the same time."


    "How can I focus on two things at the same time? That''s impossible!"


    "I just did it right in front of you. Do I look like I have two brains?" She asked with a re.


    "N-No?"


    "Then, try again!"


    *Smack*


    "Ouch!"


    Then, for the next 2 hours, Rin experienced the worst possible training session in all of his two lives. He kept on repeating the same training again and again and again without getting a minute of rest. Unfortunately, he failed every time to replicate what Emilia did. It was simply stupidly hard to try and split your brain into two parts and focus on two things at the same time.


    The human brain was created to only be able to focus on one task at a time. Any more and it will just freeze or stop functioning with the same efficiency as before. It''s how that organ works for every person, yet, Emilia wanted him to do that seemingly unachievable feat.


    So, because of that, each time he failed, he would get smacked on his arm again and again and again on the same spot. The ce had turned extremely red from the stick.


    "Repeat again!"


    "Can I just rest for a few minutes?"


    "How much mana do you still have?" She asked.


    "Around 80%." He said.


    ''That much? He has been going at it for more than 2 hours!'' Emilia thought to herself.


    "Then there is no need for you to rest. You must master it by tonight." She said.


    Even though Emilia said so, expecting him to learn something that took her weeks to learn in less than a day was simply absurd. But, Rin''s existence was absurd in and out of itself so why shouldn''t she expect anything from him?


    "I understand." Wiping the sweat from his face, Rin started trying again.


    "Keep your focus on the mana and the mana only. You don''t need to think about what to do or what will happen, just focus on the power surging through you and around you. Let the world''s mana guide you along with it."


    ''Focus on the mana around you, blend your mana with the mana of the world. Calm and still as a windlesske. Be one with the natural mana.'' He repeated in his head as he closed his eyes and erased any unnecessary thoughts from his head.


    The world around him turned into a ck void devoid of anything unnecessary for him. His mind entered a deep state of focus where his mind and body existed alone.


    After that, he channeled his mana again very gently. Inparison to his way of using mana before which was frankly reckless and chaotic, he was now able to make it move in his body calmly. His aura also looked very serene and still just like ake.


    His whole body was engulfed in that warm feeling of mana passing through his veins and reaching every fiber of his being. Then, he calmly and elegantly extended his hand and created a ball of mana. The small ball floated on top of his palm silently.


    ''A square.'' He thought in his head.


    Immediately, the ball changed shape to a square. Surprisingly, the square didn''t look blurry or agitated but instead looked perfectly shaped.


    ''A triangle.'' He thought again and the shape changed to a triangle.


    ''A hexagon.'' And the shape became a hexagon.


    Just like that, he kept changing the mana into different shapes fairly effortlessly. It did take all of his focus but for him to be able to pull it off was already a great step forward.


    Finally, after finishing all shapes and forms, he was ready for thest and most important part.


    ''Vanish.'' He thought.


    His mana shook a little bit but then quickly calmed down again. RIn''s eyes brows knitted closely to each other as he formed a frown of focus on his face. Sweat trickled down his face from sheer mental exhaustion.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Then, his mana started blurring and disappearing bit by bit.


    Outside, Emilia watched with her mouth agape like a small chick waiting to get fed.


    ''He''s doing it¡­''


    She made sure to not make a single movement at all so that she doesn''t disturb him. But, the more shocking thing that made her even more amazed is the state of focus Rin had reached. She knew that very well since she also experienced it before.


    ''State of flow¡­ No way. There is no way he just entered a state of flow instinctively. How is that even possible?!''


    State of flow or also called the ''the zone'' is when a certain individual reaches a state of extremely deep focus on a certain task. That kind of thing mostly happens when someone is so immersed in doing whatever they enjoyed that their mindpletely erases any other thing and solely focuses on the task.


    This state could only be achieved when a person hasplete mastery over their mind and soul. A true state of them being one with their thoughts. And while it may exist in worlds where magic doesn''t exist, for it to happen in Divine Sapphire, it was way harder than the normal state of flow.


    Mages and great warriors are the only ones that ever reached that state. Beings that far exceeded everyone else and truly reached the peak of their areas of expertise.


    Even someone as talented as Emilia could only do it after years and years of training like a maniac and experiencing brutal life-or-death fights again and again and again until her mind was tempered.


    ''Yet, this boy reached it by merely trying to focus on camouging his mana.''


    As much as she felt overwhelmed with this absurd oue, in these few hours that she trained Rin, she started to learn to expect anything from this little freak of a human.


    ''How is a talent like this ignored all this time? Are people blind?'' She asked herself.


    Rin wasn''t a mere genius anymore, he was a monster in every sense of the word. A person that if left to develop properly could easily topple down the whole world single-handedly and no one will be able to stop him.


    But, that also could be considered a great threat to his life. If the wrong people knew about him, he might as well dig his own grave from now.


    ''Especially those bastards! If they knew someone is threatening their positions, they wille to hunt him down.''


    Gazing deeply at his silhouette, a sh of emotions passed through her eyes for a moment.


    ''I must not let them. I will definitely protect him until he can stand on his own two feet. I must see for myself where Rin can reach. I must see how high he will soar in the future.''


    Her determination to protect this precious gem ignited in her heart. Emilia was a very curious person by nature and having Rin who was akin to a Matryoshka doll that no matter how much she gets rid ofyers andyers of it, there was still more to be discovered that deeply shocked her was the perfect meal for her raging curiosity.


    Meanwhile, the one that was the target of all of this was simply focusing on this hard task. He was now facing a hard wall. He couldn''t continue fusing his mana any further.


    ''I''m close! Come on! Don''t do me like this!! TO HELL WITH THAT!!'' He frowned even harder and tried to force his way through.


    But, unfortunately for him, he couldn''t do so. The world mana didn''t let him finish. That''s when somethingpletely unexpected happened. His frustration and anger grew like a huge tsunami close to flooding a whole city.


    ''Fuck! Fuck! Come on!!!''


    [Host''s emotions are out of control. The host is reaching a dangerous level of resistance.]


    [Berserker skill has been stimted by the host''s state of mind.]


    [Bereserker skill has been activated!]


    Rin couldn''t even react to that notification when he felt his body going limp and cold. He also lost his focus as he started to panic.


    But, his panic vanished as the same nk look he had during the fight with the D-Rank demon returned to him.


    His purely blue mana also changed to a deep red one.


    Then, as if it was a raging bull, it smashed that wall that was stopping him frompletely camouging himself with the world mana. If his mana before was as calm as ake, it was now a raging and chaotic mess.


    "What''s happening?" Emilia noticed the sudden change in his aura.


    His mana was getting messier and messier as time passed.


    "Is he trying to self-destruct?!" As she quickly tried to approach him, it happened.


    *BOOOOM*


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 91- L Must Punish ThisStomach

    Chapter 91- I Must Punish This Stomach


    Rin''s aura suddenly exploded violently and spread across the whole training ground. The explosion was akin to apact bomb of pure mana detonated and its effect swallowed everything around it.


    ? Emilia halted for a moment as she witnessed the sight of Rin''s red aura totally going haywire. Even though she knew that he could not seed anytime soon, she had never expected him to actually try and fight against something as strong as the world''s mana.


    What Rin did now was akin to a sh with the mana of nature. She didn''t know what happened that led to this but she was certain that if things continued like this, Rin will end uppletely crippled or even dead.


    The world''s mana wasn''t something that anyone should dare to face or oppose. It''s the source of life and the first element that created Divine Sapphire, its power and authority were absolute.


    Without hesitation, Emilia dashed toward Rin as fast as she could and extended her arm toward him.


    "Ice haven!"


    Instantly, the whole ce was dumped into a freezing storm of snow and ice. The ground froze and the temperature dropped drastically. Emilia had used her ability which was ice.


    Ice was an element that branched from water and became its stand-alone power. Ice is a very strong and lethal element that was quite rare to find in awakeners. Emilia was one of the lucky few that were able to be born with that element.


    *Swish*


    The ice quickly spread around and approached Rin. But, the sheer power of his aura crushed the ice that approached it.


    ''This kid¡­ Tsk!'' Clicking her tongue, Emilia extended her second arm and increased the intensity of the ice that attacked Rin. Even though she didn''t even need to use 10% of her powers, she was still impressed that Rin was able to make her use that much strength.


    Luckily, the ice was able to quickly overwhelm Rin''s chaotic mana and soon engulfed his body and restrained him.


    The mana around him was also held in ce, both of them tried to resist the shackles but ended up failing miserably.


    Rin''s nk eyes didn''t regain their lights.


    ''He still didn''t regain his consciousness?''


    Without thinking much, Emilia approached him and with her right hand, she pped Rin a few times. The ps weren''t strong but powerful enough to wake him up from this weird state he was in.


    "Wake up, Rin." She said.


    "H-Huh?" Rin seemingly sensing Emilia finally seemed to regain his sanity, looked at Emilia with a dazed look.


    "W-What happened?" He asked with a confused look.


    "You almost killed yourself, that''s what happened."


    Rin shook his head and looked at the previous notifications that appeared. Instantly, his eyes widened in shock. He had no idea when, how or why but the berserk skill activated itself alone without his control and controlled his body again.


    ''My emotions affected the skill? Why is that even a thing, system?'' He asked.


    [Your state of mind was on the brink of copsing so the skill was activated to stop you from failing the camouge.]


    ''What if I died?''


    [You clearly read the description of the skill, host. The skill doesn''t care whether you die or not, but whether you achieve your goal or not.]


    Rin quickly opened the skill section and checked the berserker skill''s description again. His eyes then widened at the realization.


    *[Berserk]


    [Rank: G-Rank]


    [Level: 3]


    [Anger is a double-edged weapon. It can be the downfall of a human into craziness or the reason for his rise to the peak. The Berserker is a warrior who dances on that thread of insanity and omnipotence for the sake of beating his opponent.


    *Activating this skill will increase all the hosts'' stats by 1 rank-up. But, in return, the host will lose 40% of his sanity and drown in anger. The skill can stay activated as long as the host has mana.]


    He finally started to understand the meaning of those words more or less. At first, he ignored that description as it sounded tooplicated and nonsensical for him. But, now that he experienced firsthand what that skill can do, those words now had a different meaning.


    ''Can I get rid of this skill? It''s absurd how dangerous this skill is.''


    [You can''t delete skills, host. Even I can''t do that.]


    ''Goddamit.''


    Rin was really frustrated with this weird skill that he got randomly from a giant deer in a G-Rank dungeon. He thought that it was akin to a boost in his strength that only cost him 40% of his sanity. Yet, it ended uppletely controlling him and using his body recklessly in fights and deadly situations.


    "Are you fine?" Emilia asked.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Ah! Yes. I didn''t sustain any injuries."


    However, even though he answered her positively, Emilia still had a grimace on her face. She kept looking at Rin for a long time as if she was trying to pry him open with her eyes.


    After that, she closed her eyes and sighed.


    "Listen, Rin. I do get that you have your own secrets that you want to hide and I can see that what happened was one of those secrets. But, what happened now could''ve easily cost you your life. It''s not aughing matter that you tried to forcefully mend the world''s mana to your will. Do you think that''s a good idea? Are you really that eager to die, huh?"


    "I¡­ I was close to camouging my mana so I grew frustrated when I wasn''t able to take thest step and things happened."


    "Things happened? Sigh, you are really something, aren''t you?" Emilia pinched the top of her nose as she shook her head slowly.


    "Listen here, boy. Do NOT repeat this reckless behavior of yours again. I don''t mind your eagerness to improve as quickly as possible, keep that trait intact. But, eagerness and recklessness are two different things and you clearly were using thetter to dig your own grave."


    "I understand."


    "You better do or your training will end way sooner than you think."


    Emilia was very angry at that moment that she even questioned herself. Was she really that frustrated because of this? What if he died? She wouldn''t lose anything, would she?


    ''What''s wrong with me? I shouldn''t lose myposure like this.'' Taking a deep breath, she released Rin from the ice prison. Then, with a mere swing of her arm, she melted all the ice that she created in the training ground.


    "Rest for some time. We will continue once you are ready."


    Rin nodded his head and sat down before he pulled out something from his inventory. Since most people here use things like spatial rings, he can easily find an excuse for this inventory of his.


    In his hand was a small box the size of his two hands. Emilia''s nose caught the smell that came from the box and her interest peaked.


    "Time for lunch," Rin murmured with a smile on his face.


    He had prepared this lunch box beforeing here just in case he got hungry during the training. One of Rin''s favorite hobbies, when he was in his old world, was cooking food. He doesn''t want to brag, but Rin was certain that he was a very good cook, even better than his mother.


    He learned many delicious recipes and created many dishes. The memory of his family trying his cooking and praising him is a dear memory to his heart. But, since he came to Divine Sapphire, he wasn''t able to find time to cook food.


    Then, he quickly started eating, he could feel his empty stomach screaming with happiness when he gave it some really well-deserved food.


    As he ate, he felt a gaze poring into his back. Looking back, he could see Emilia gazing at him¡­ Or to be more precise, at his lunch box.


    But, the moment she caught him looking back at her, she averted her eyes quickly.


    "Mm, master? Perhaps, you want some?" He asked.


    "No, I ate beforeing her-"


    *Growl*


    Before finishing her words, her stomach made a cute sound. Emilia''s face frowned hard as she tried to feign ignorance and hope that Rin didn''t hear that shameful sound.


    ''So she was indeed hungry. How disrespectful of me to not share my food with her.'' Rin thought in his head.


    Then, he started to quickly create two equal parts intending to give one of them to Emilia.


    "No, there is no need for you to-"


    *Growl*


    ''If my stomach was a person, I would''ve slit their throat.'' She thought in her head.


    "Don''t be hesitant, master. I would be more than d to share. There is plenty for two people."


    "But¡­"


    "Here, try it and give me your honest opinion."


    Giving her a part of the lunch box, Emilia could only take it with an awkward cough. She had never felt this ashamed of herself ever before.


    ''I must punish this stomach¡­ after eating some food.''


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 92- Soul Eater Awakening(Part 1)

    Chapter 92- Soul Eater Awakening (Part 1)


    Using a fork, Emilia picked up some of the pasta that Rin had prepared and put it inside her mouth. Her face immediately changed and her eyes widened as she looked down at the lunch box and then at Rin.


    "Is it good?" Rin asked with a small smile. He knew that reaction way too well for him not to understand what it meant. It was the same reaction that his family would have when they eat his dishes.


    "It is¡­ good," Emilia said as she took another bite and chewed it slowly. Her expression as she enjoyed the food was so adorable as itpletely contrasted the bombshell of a body that she had. Her small, red lips kept on munching on the food as her cheeks puffed a little bit just like a cute puppy.


    Rin gave a satisfied nod and continued eating his food too. In less than 20 minutes, both of them finished lunch and sat down silently.


    "Can I ask you a question, master?" Rin suddenly said.


    "Mhm?"


    "How strong are the top 10 rankers? I know that they have great strength but I want a clear idea about it. How dangerous are they if they decided to revolt against the whole world?" He asked.


    The reason for Rin''s question was simple and that was to understand how high the peak of this world is. He wanted to see how far he was from the top and who was better to ask than Emilia herself?


    Emilia looked at Rin''s side profile for a moment before she sighed and replied.


    "The top 10 rankers, huh? Frankly speaking, they are a bunch of monsters. No, not even monsters, they are ten catastrophes. Each one of them is a freak of a kind that the world has never seen before. The previous generations of top 10s were extremely strong and capable of feats peers their age could never even dream of achieving in all of their lifetimes." Taking a deep breath, she continued.


    "But, this generation of rankers is different. Their powers are simply unknown. Even when I met them once before, I couldn''t even gauge how strong they are. They are extremely talented and extremely clever people. So, to answer your question about them. If those students decided to revolt then there is only one person that can stop them in this whole world. The headmaster."


    "He is the only human being that is stronger than them. That, in and out of itself, a scary fact that not many people are aware of."


    Rin''s eyes widened a little bit when he heard those words. He did hear Donnie speak about them before, but, he had never thought he will be this far off the mark about them. Who are these people?


    "But, you don''t need to worry about them, yet. You are still way too far down thedder to even look up to them. Just take your time and try to take one step at a time."


    Emilia stood up and dusted her clothes off and looked at Rin.


    "But, just in case something extremely odd happens and you end up meeting one of them sooner than expected. I will give you some advice¡­ No, scratch that, it''s an order. Do NOT even entertain the thought of speaking to them or even trying to do anything funny. If they took interest in you then your life will be turned into a living hell."


    "Are they bad people?" Rin asked a question that even he knew the answer to. But, he was simply trying to create an understandable image of them.


    "Everyone at the top is rotten, Rin. You can''t reach the top while being a ''good'' person. It won''t be long before you also have to stride down that path where only two choices are present. Either eat or be eaten."


    A sh of emotions passed through Emilia''s eyes for a split second that went unnoticed by Rin. A weird memory returned to her and she quickly shook it away before she gets all nostalgic and sentimental.


    "Anyway, enough resting. Get back to practicing. I won''t let you out of this ce until you learn the scroll. Understand?!"


    "Yes!"


    Then, Rin''s hellish training continued for hours and hours. After that conversation, he felt his heart burn with determination. He now had a clear idea of how far behind he was so he was ready to shorten that distance. It was simply a matter of time.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Time passed quietly and the day of the entrance finally came. Throughout that time, both Elise and Rin were extremely busy with a lot of things including training. While Rin was under the mercy of Emilia, Elise was training in the border forests of the first level of the academy.


    The border forests are ces that surrounded the academy city. As the name suggested, these luscious forests were a ce where monsters and wild beasts lurked and lived. The ce was very popr with students as it was the perfect ce for them to hunt and gather mana stones.


    Those mana stones could be sold for gold or even traded for ranking points in case the student wanted to increase their rank. As for Elise, she was simply there to gather as many Action Points as possible.


    At the moment, she had close to 5000 Action Points so she wanted to reach 10k before the start of the academy.


    "Raaaa!!!" A monster''s horrifying roar echoed throughout the whole forest luscious forest. Then, from behind the trees, a giant tiger that was towering at 9 feet in height rushed out with its sharp eyes aimed at a certain prey that it has been following for a while.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Elise looked at the predator that jumped on her as a cold glint shed in her eyes. Then, without hesitation, she brandished her sword and jumped in the air to meet the tiger. Soon, the sharp ws of the angry beast came down on her intending to slice her into pieces.


    *Swish*


    But, Elise suddenly vanished and appeared behind the creature as if she just teleported. Without looking back, she simply swung the sword to get rid of the blood on the de before putting it back inside the sheath.


    The monster''s body then fell down to the ground limp and motionless. A huge slit ran through the side of its torso that split it open like a piece of butter. It didn''t even have the time to roar in pain before dying.


    "Not bad. This new skill that I got is quite handy."


    Her eyes were looking at the description of a skill that she obtained a few hours ago inside the forest from a metal rabbit.


    [Blink]


    [Rank: C]


    [Level: 1]


    [Blink allows the host to momentarily increase their speed by 400%. The boost onlysts for 1 second but increases with leveling up. The skill activation depends on the host''s mana.]


    The skill was extremely useful as itpliments Elise''s fighting style and gave her a card to use when she wanted to surprise her opponents. Even though the skill consumes a lot of mana and doesn''tst long, it was still worth using.


    After that, Elise walked closer to the beast''s dead body and stored it inside her inventory. This was the tenth monster she killed in the previous 2 hours and all of them were stored inside her inventory just for Rin to use.


    "Rin can use this beast to create a summon with his dagger." She murmured to herself as she left the ce and continued her hunt. The outskirts of the border forests weren''t dangerous as only monsters in the G and F-Rank live there with some rare cases of E-Rank monsters being sighted there but they were not thatmon. But, the deeper the person goes, the more dangerous monsters be.


    If they go deep enough, they can even find A-Rank monsters living there but they were way too far away from the outskirts that they basically never leave their domains to hunt a bunch of weak humans.


    As Elise was venturing inside the forest, she heard a small sounding from somewhere close by.


    ''Hmm? Is it a monster?'' She thought in her head as she changed her direction and sprinted toward the sound.


    When she passed through the thick trees and huge tree leaves, she found herself near a hugeke. Theke was somehow big in size yet so well hidden that she didn''t even sense it at all.


    ''Weird. The map here doesn''t show that there is ake. Is it a bug or did thiske appear suddenly?''


    Looking around, there were no monsters or creatures at all. In fact, the ce had weirdly quietened down a lot. The sound of birds also vanished.


    Elise wasn''t stupid as she quickly caught that weird change.


    ''If the forest became eerily quiet. It means there is¡­ a predator nearby!''


    But, before she could even do anything, an object suddenly extended out of theke and grabbed Elise''s body.


    "Wha-" Before she could even finish her words, her body was quickly dragged inside theke before getting submerged in the water.


    A momentter, theke quietened downpletely as if nothing happened and the forest returned to its usual liveliness.


    (A//N: Question: do you want to see Elise''s full system next chapter or just small parts of it? I can work with both choices.)


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 93-Soul Eater Awakening(Part 2)

    Chapter 93- Soul Eater Awakening (Part 2)


    Elise''s body was submerged in the deep water. She had never thought the predator was actually inside theke and that it had long arms that could pull her in.


    The more worrisome is the fact that she wasn''t able to take a long breath before she was pulled into the water. Luckily, Elise''s lungs were strong so even with the small breath she was able to take, it could easily hold on for a few minutes.


    But, that few minutes will turn into one minute or one minute and a half when including the fact that she will have to fight whatever abomination was hiding under the water.


    As she tried to resist the huge hand that grabbed her, her body was already tens of feet deep in theke. The situation was getting worse and worse and Elise was still unable to get out of the firm grasp of the creature.


    As she was like that, her eyes finally fell on the monster and her eyes widened for a moment.


    ''What in the hell... is that?''


    The monster''s head was massive, bigger than Elise''s whole body by a lot. The creature had smooth white skin that looked almost like flour. Its body was glossy and shiny like a white mirror. From the form of its body and face, Elise could predict its body appearance.


    All she can say is that it was eerily simr to the body structure of a human being with some creepy distortion around the waist, and the thighs. Its eyes were as deep as the abyss and as dark as the midnight sky. They were akin to two ck holes of emptiness that could freeze the blood in anyone who look at them and its mouth was extremely wide, almost splitting its mouth into halves. Other than that, it had nothing else on its face, no nose, no eyebrows, and no ears. Just a mouth and eyes just like a scary mask. (A//N: for reference, search ''Ningen creature'' it looks simr to it slightly. Be careful though, it looks scary for those with weak hearts :) )


    [Man of The Lake]


    [Rank: E]


    [The man of theke is a huge monster, known for its great strength and tough skin. The Man of The Lake can secrete a type of mucus that can increase the water level ofkes they live in and make it rise to the surface.]


    Reading the description of the monster, Elise was even more disturbed by it. This creature was simply a nightmare in reality. Its appearance was simply too horrific and scary especially when half of its body is hidden in the darkness of the water.


    As the hand got closer to the monster''s face, it started opening its mouth ready to swallow Elise whole. The inside of its mouth was filled with teeth ced in rows of circles akin to the des of a chainsaw.


    ''No, you don''t.'' With a calm face, she nudged her left arm a little bit as she clenched her sword. Then, with the tip of the sword, she pierced the monster''s arm. Even though The Man of The Lake''s skin is extremely tough, Soul Eater wasn''t a normal sword at all. Its sharp de could easily cut through that tough skin like butter.


    The monster''s blood oozed out of its arm and dissolved in the water. Luckily, that made the monster open its hand and allow Elise to quickly swim away.


    ''I need some air quickly!'' She thought as she swam up at top speed. She barely had enough air in her lungs to reach the top. Theke was simply too deep and she was near the bottom of it so the journey to the top would take at least 30 seconds at top speed.


    But, sadly for her, the hand of the monster extended again and tried to pull her down again.


    ''Screw off!''


    *Swish*


    With a swing of her sword, she made a deep cut in the creature''s hand and made it retract it again from the pain. The eerie thing about all of this is that The Man of The Lake didn''t make a single sound during all of this time. It was so quiet that if Elise couldn''t clearly see its hand, she would''ve thought this was a normal deepke with no monster hiding it.


    *Swish*


    Without waiting, she continued her journey to theke''s surface. Her lungs were already screaming for air and the pain of suffocation was starting to well up in her chest and throat. Luckily, water still didn''t enter her body so she was still not threatened with drowning, for now at least.


    *Swish*


    A few meters before she could reach the top, she noticed something.


    ''The water surface¡­ it''s getting higher?'' She asked herself as the realization dawned on her.


    ''It''s increasing the water level so I can''t reach the surface!'' Clenching her teeth, Elise continued swimming up with all of her strength. She barely had 20 seconds at most before she was officially drowning. Yet, no matter how much she tried to close the distance, the water level kept rising and rising.


    ''This bastard. Tsk! Don''t think I will fall easily.'' Unleashing all of her aura, she used all of her mana to increase her speed. Now, Elise was swimming at the speed of a fish in the water even though she was a human. But, she didn''t stop at that.


    *BRRRR*


    She also activated her new skill *Blink*. Instantly, she traveled a good distance in a second.


    ''I am close! Come on! Just one single breath.''


    She just needed one single deep breath and she was sure she can fight the monster underwater in that period of time she had.


    *BOOOM*


    Her head finally appeared again on the surface and she quickly took a deep breath before she felt her body getting pulled down again by the monster.


    The monster wasn''t going to give up that easily even though it got hurt by Elise twice. The Man of The Lake was a very tenacious predator that wouldn''t allow its prey to run away at all. It was a prideful creature by nature and losing its prey was akin to an insult to its pride.


    *Swish*


    Elise''s eyes turned sharp as she brandished her sword and cut its hand again before swimming directly toward the monster.


    ''Take this.''


    shing with her sword, a water wave quickly traveled toward the monster hitting it right in the face.


    The monster''s hollow eyes looked directly at the iing attack and simply opened its mouth. From inside, Elise could clearly see a transparent liquid, very simr to the water around her oozing out violently sshing the sword sh.<novelnext></novelnext>


    ''Tsk.'' Clenching her teeth, Elise shed sessively as quickly as possible. She made sure to keep a good distance between her and the monster to be able to dodge any attack.


    But, each sh was stopped by the mucus that the monster secreted endlessly. Meanwhile, it kept swinging its hand left and right trying to catch Elise. Luckily, it was quite slow so she was able to evade them fairly easily.


    ''I need to get close to it. This won''t work.''


    She had no other choice but to hit it up close or the monster will simply keep secreting its liquid.


    So, with that in mind, she quickly swam down to the creature''s level. Facing its deep and hollow eyes.


    As she swam down, she opened her system panel on the side of her view while focusing on the monster.


    [System Profile]


    [Name: Elise Aviresion.]


    [ss: Gravity Bender (First Phase)]


    [Race: Human/ ???]


    [Stats]


    [Strength: F]


    [Agility: F-]


    [Dexterity: G-]


    [Intelligence: E+]


    [Charm: A+]


    [Magic: F]


    [Action Points: 6250]


    [Skills: Gravity maniption, Appraisal, Plot Detector, Blink]


    ''Put 2000 points into agility, system.'' Elise ordered coldly.


    [Understood.]


    [2000 Action Points have been converted to agility stat.]


    [Agility has increased from F- to E-]


    [Due to the drastic increase in agility, the strength stat has been affected greatly.]


    [Strength has increased from F to F+]


    The moment that notification appeared, she felt a strong surge of unknown energy fills every pore of her body. Instantly, her speed increase drastically and she felt her muscles getting pumped with the power she had never felt before.


    *Swish*


    The sudden change in speed surprised the monster as it quickly tried to stop Elise. It brought its two hands and tried to crush Elise between them like a bug.


    *Swish*


    Elise quickly passed through the tight hole between the hands at thest moment before they smashed against each other and sent a strong airwave after her.


    Her sword moved along with her as she shed down with all of her strength. As she was about to hit the creature, it quickly opened its mouth to secrete the mucus and stop Elise.


    But, before it could even do anything, Elise suddenly vanished and reappeared behind the monster.


    ''Predictable.''


    *Swish*


    A huge sword sh cut the monster''s body as blood gushed out violently, dying the water in a crimson red color.


    (A//N: the discord server is almost ready so I will probably share it tomorrow.  Do please join it.)


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 94-Soul Eater Awakening(Part 3)

    Chapter 94- Soul Eater Awakening (Part 3)


    The injury inflicted on The Man of The Lake was deep. So deep in fact that it prated the flesh and dug deep into its insides. The huge amount of blood that gushed out of the injury was so huge that Elise''s vision was covered because of the blood.


    Even though she inflicted a lethal injury on it, Elise was sure that it won''t die instantly and that it will resist madly. Most of the beasts she fought in this world were extremely tenacious and hard to kill. The reason for that is the mana cores inside of them that made their vitality way stronger than a normal creature.


    Quickly dispersing the fog of red blood that covered her vision, she found herself face to face with a huge handing right toward her.


    The time to dodge was extremely tight so she could only use the sword as a shield and get ready for the impact.


    *BANG*


    The hit sent Elise flying back a few tens of meters. It was akin to a huge train smashing into her at full speed. The strength was simply monstrous.


    ''It''s going mad.''


    The creature had indeed done what she anticipated as it started moving crazily and swinging its long arms and legs everywhere. Its mouth was endlessly oozing out the mucus that increase the level of theke so much.


    Outside, a good part of the forest vicinities was eaten by the increasing water level. It was slowly but surely creeping out and eating the area around it.


    Elise found herself in a problem. She couldn''t get far enough from the monster to avoid its rampage but she also can''t fight it when it''s being this violent and unpredictable.


    *BANG* *BANG* *BANG*


    One smash after the other, Elise had to tank all of those hits and end up getting thrown back again and again. Her arms were getting numb.


    She tried to use her skill ''Blink'' to avoid the attacks and even alter them with Gravity Maniption. But, her already low mana pool depleted even further and eventually emptiedpletely. The mana fatigue hit her strong and almost made her lose consciousness.


    ''Even though I dealt a lethal hit to it. Somehow things became even worse than before. How long will it take for it to die?'' She asked as she bit her tongue strongly to jolt her mind awake. The sour taste of blood filled her mouth and made her squint her eyes.


    *Swish*


    Another hit came down on her like a falling meteor, using the sword to slice the arm, she found that her strength was already weakening and she could barely slice its fingers any deeper than before.


    What she didn''t expect however was the leg that also approached her at the same time.


    ? Her hazy vision betrayed her and the hit connected.


    *BANG*


    "Ugh¡­"


    A groan escaped her mouth in the form of air bubbles. The hit was so strong that it made her bones tremble and her muscles spasm from pain.


    But, that wasn''t the end of it as the monster hit Elise again with the palm of its hand sending her down deeper into theke.


    *BOOOM*


    Hitting the bottom of theke, Elise tried to wake up and avoid the uing attack she knew will eventuallye.


    ''Ugh, my leg is broken. My arm is also not moving.'' She analyzed her state and instantly knew the huge trouble she was in.


    Looking to the side, she saw her sword, Soul Eater thrown on the ground. Its shiny de and in appearance were somehow more beautiful than ever.


    Extending her arm, she grabbed the sword in her hand. As she tried to stand up again, a trickle of blood from a small cut on her hand leaked out and then dispersed in the water. As she was moving, the small diluted drop of blood touched the de of the Soul Eater.


    Suddenly, the de started emitting a faint white light.


    ''Huh?'' Elise''s eyes squinted as she looked at the shining de. She didn''t know what happened at all for it to give such a reaction. But, she knew to some extent what was happening.


    She had yed the game till the main character got his hands on the Soul Eater and he awakened it. The same thing that happened in the game happened here.


    ''Why is it awakening right now? Did I trigger it with something?'' She asked herself.


    [Soul Eater has sensed the host''s attempt for soul linking.]


    [Soul eater epts the host as its master.]


    [Soul eater epted the soul linking.]


    [New skill triggered: Soul Harvester.]


    A string of notifications assaulted her retina one after the other. She had no time to read all of that as her whole focus was on the sword''s change.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The de''s color started changing from its in stainless steel look to an extremely white color that almost made it look like milk.


    But the change didn''t stop at that, the shaft and the hilt of the sword also started changing in appearance. They all turned into different shades of grey and white. A mix between the two colors created a slightly less pronounced white color that somehow mixed perfectly with the white de.


    *Swish*


    Without knowing what was happening, the monster''s hand smashed where Elise was standing. The hit made the sand umte at the bottom to explode everywhere, creating a screen of sand that covered Elise.


    To make sure that she was dead, the monster smashed the ce again and again endlessly with whatever was left of its life energy.


    Then, when it thought that was enough, it finally stopped and rested its back at the bottom of theke. Most of the blood has seeped out of its body and what was left wasn''t able to sustain its body heat.


    But, out of nowhere, a figure shed out of nowhere right in the face of the monster. Elise eyed the deep ck colors coldly as she quickly plunged the sword into its forehead.


    ''Soul harvester.''


    The moment she pronounced those words in her head, a white light emitted from the sword and quickly passed to the monster''s body.


    Trying to resist as ast resort, the monster failed miserably since in less than a second, its arms that were extending to Elise went limp and then fell down lifelessly. Its ck eyes also stopped looking around frantically. The creature finally died.


    Even though Elise should''ve been dead for sure after the countless hits she sustained, she somehow got out of that unscathed. The reason for that is very simple yet alsoplicated. The reason for that was the notifications that appeared right in front of her.


    [Ten souls have been detected in the host''s inventory.]


    [Due to the unstable state of the host, the Soul Eater has consumed the five souls.]


    [Souls have been sessfully converted into healing points.]


    [Host''s body is regenerating...]


    [Host''s body has been fully healed.]


    The ten monsters that she stored disintegrated and then vanished from her inventory.


    The moment those notifications appeared, Elise''s crushed body started healing quickly using the souls of the bodies she gathered during her hunt as mana that was able to heal her quickly. Elise didn''t want to waste time thinking about how or why this happened as she found this precious opportunity to kill the monster once and for all.


    ''Sigh, that was extremely close.'' She thought to herself.


    Another pop-up appeared in front of her.


    [Soul has been harvested sessfully.]


    [Soul Eater has consumed the soul.]


    [Soul has been stored sessfully.]


    Ignoring those notifications, Elise quickly started swimming to the surface again.


    "Hah¡­ Haha¡­" When her face popped out of the water, she took deep and long breaths one after the other. Her beautiful white hair was damp and sticking to her face and her clothes werepletely wet and cold as they stuck to her curvaceous body seductively.


    Her appearance now was so mind-boggling that it could make even the purest of humans look at her with lustful eyes.


    Laying on the ground, she tried to rest and restore some of her energy.


    ''That was pure luck that I survived. If the soul eater didn''t awaken¡­ I would''ve died.''


    Clenching her fist, Elise felt extremely frustrated with herself. Many would be surprised that she wasn''t happy that she somehow survived. However, for Elise, this was as tough as she got defeated in the worst possible way.


    ''I''m still weak. Way too weak! Without the system supporting me, I am nothing but a puny creature that can easily be killed.  I don''t want that! I don''t want to rely on anything to save me. I want to grasp my own fate with my hands! But, I''m still way too weak to do that. I must get stronger faster!''


    Even though she should''ve celebrated this win, she instead turned it into self-ming and then into a strong determination to work harder and harder until she''s able to do what she wants without anything stopping her.


    ''I don''t want to fall short of Rin. I don''t want to be a hindrance to him.''


    (A//N: Our Elise is very prideful. Expect another chapter in a few more hours.)


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    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 95- Entrance Ceremony (Part 1)

    Chapter 95- Entrance Ceremony (Part 1)


    After resting for a few moments, Elise finally focused on the long list of ignored messages from the system that she couldn''t read because of the dire situation she was in not so long ago.


    So, she opened her system and checked the new skill ''Soul Harvester'' she just got. She was sure that this skill waspletely linked with her sword just like how the Shadow Monarch dagger has a summoning skill linked to it. The same concept may apply to Soul Eater since both swords are of unknown origins and both were unusable until Rin and Elise awakened them.


    [Soul Harvester]


    [Rank: ???]


    [Level: 1]


    [Soul Eater is the supreme ruler of all souls. The death and life of everything are but a mere sh away from changing forever. The more souls it harvests, the more of its true power shall be revealed.


    *When activated, Soul Harvester collects any dead creature''s soul and stores it in the sword. The soul can then be converted to any type of energy the host desires. The stronger the dead enemy is, the more mana it consumes to store its soul and use it. It depends on the host''s mana.]


    "So, I can basically get extra Action Points, healing points, or anything else?"


    [As long as it''s a type of energy in this world, you can convert souls into anything, Elise. That may include other elements that are based on energy concepts such as lightning, fire, etc¡­]


    ''But, it''s way harder to do that than to just turn the soul into healing points or Action Points, right?'' Elise guessed after reading the description of the skill again.


    [Exactly, Elise. Turning souls into those forms of energies is in and out of itself a foreign concept to this world so doing it requires way more mana to do. But, the more you level up the skill the more it bes easier to manipte souls and even activate new abilities.]


    ''I see¡­.'' Rubbing her chin, Elise nodded her head before closing the system and standing up to leave.


    Her clothes had dried a little bit after resting for a little. These clothes weren''t normal as they were especially imbued with mana that makes the clothes self-dry and self-fix themselves after a while. One of the few convenient things Elise had found in this world.


    ''Hopefully, Rin made some good progression.'' She thought as she vanished inside the forest, heading back to the city.''


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    The day finally came, the official start of the new year. Rin and Elise''s first big step in this world was when this part of the plot starts. Most of the story happened while the main character was still in the academy so they anticipated everything and made sure to also mentally prepare themselves for the worst-case scenarios that might ur.


    "Late, again," Elise said as she pointed at her bracelet with a neutral look.


    Rin didn''t even say anything as he rubbed his eyes and yawned a little bit. He was so sleepy that he was barely walking properly on his legs.


    "I¡­*Yawn* barely could leave the bed. My legs and arms feel like someone was beating me up the whole night with a bat or something." He said as he blinked a few times to get rid of the heavy feeling on his eyes lids.


    ''Master wrung me dry of energy in the past week. I feel like my body is cursing at me.''


    The previous days were hell on earth for Rin. He had thought that he could handle harsh training for a few days. But, what Emilia didpletely shattered his confidence. To call her brutal and ruthless was an understatement.


    She basically made Rin train for at least 15 hours every day with barely any breaks in between. It was as if she was cramming everything she had in her head into him in a short period.


    Many would actually get negative results because of a brutal training regime like this but because of Rin''s monstrous talent, he was actually able to absorb everything like a dry sponge. He was even surprised at himself for making this progress in such a small period of time.


    "Make sure to be on time in the future," Elise instructed him with a slightly stern voice. But, even a stranger could see the hint of familiar warmth in her voice when she spoke to Rin.


    But, Elise wouldn''t notice how even her attitude was softening in general because of the boy next to her.


    The two eventually reached a bustling ce filled with hundreds of students. They were all standing in front of two huge doors that were at least 15 feet tall and wide enough to fit ten people entering at the same time.


    This ce was the ceremony hall''. A ce made exclusively for big events of the year such as the entrance ceremony. It''s by far the biggest building in the whole city if you ignore the sses section of the city.


    Everyone was chatting happily and excitedly as they waited for their turn to enter. Rin and Elise simply stood in a corner far away from the loud noises and excited screeches of the students.


    "I want to sleep. Neh, Elise."


    "Hmm?"


    "Can you give me yourp so I can sleep on it until we can get inside?" He said with an eerily casual tone.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Do you think I will say yes to that?" She asked back with an equally calm look.


    "No, but it was worth trying to ask."


    "You are weird." She replied as she pulled out a small book from her inventory and started reading it.


    "Horrible of you to say something like that to your friend."


    "I say what I must say."


    "I mean, you could''ve just said it in a more pleasing manner."


    "Like how?"


    "''Oh my, you are such a dummy, Rin!'' and make sure to increase your voice''s pitch a notch or two. It will be effective." He said as he imitated a girl in the first part before returning to hiszy look again as if nothing happened.


    Elise didn''t seem surprised by his weird acting since she kept turning the pages of the book elegantly.


    "Do you think I will ever do that?"


    "No, but it was worth trying to ask."


    These types of back and forth became amon thing between the two. Spending a long time together did make them look like a very close couple that loved to joke around all the time. This was something that they didn''t think about much and came out naturally as they learned more about each other. And even if they knew that people will misunderstand them because of it, they didn''t mind it at all.


    In a sense, all Rin had as direct support to him was Elise and what Elise had as direct support was Rin too. Only the two of them knew what was happening in this world and only the two of them knew what the other is troubled about.


    It started from a normalpanionship and now it became a friendship with some emotional support to one another just to keep them from going utterly insane.


    After waiting for a while, they were finally able to enter the ceremony hall. The inside was just like a giant theatre hall. Hundreds of high-quality chairs could be seen everywhere surrounding the main stage.


    Many people had already taken the front seats while leaving the back seats empty. The duo then took a random seat and sat down. They had a clear view of the stage so it didn''t matter whether they sat at the front or back.


    "The ce is quite beautiful," Rinmented as he looked around him.


    "Mmm." Elis merely hummed in response.


    "Finally, he''s going to make his appearance. A main character that''s not a heroine."


    Rin and Elise were aware of who was going to appear on that stage. He was the main character''s future best friend andpanion. Their rtionship throughout the story was quite crucial to the story and frankly moved some main events perfectly.


    But, since many things that urred in the past few days were simply nowhere near the main plot''s original events, they were ready for anything to happen.


    As they were like that, they sensed a familiar aura approaching them from afar. Looking to the side, they saw Phillipe approaching them.


    ''What does this idiot want now?'' Rin didn''t even have the strength to sigh so he just ignored him and looked at the stage silently.


    "Mm, your highness?" When he finally reached them, he called for Elise.


    Thetter didn''t respond as she was seemingly engrossed in the book in her hand. Phillipe felt extremely awkward that she didn''t say anything but he still tried to smile warmly as he sat down beside her.


    "I shall sit beside you, your highness. Please, don''t hesitate to rely on me whenever you need anything." He said in a soft and clearly affectionate tone.


    "Hehehe." Rin chuckled silently at this person''s thick skin.


    ''Elise really is something else to be able to ignore that.'' He thought to himself.


    Then, the light of the room suddenly dimmed and the ceremony started.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 96- Entrance Ceremony (Part 2)

    Chapter 96- Entrance Ceremony (Part 2)


    Then, the light was focused on the main stage. Everyone went silent out of respect and also anticipation for what was going to happen. They were really eager to see who was going to give a speech.


    Normally, it was only the floor supervisor, which is a position upied by Emilia, who gives a speech to open the new academic year. But, out of exception for this year, there was also another person that will speak too.


    "I heard the one that will give a speech apart from Mrs. Clearsky is from a higher floor."


    "Wait, really?! That would be amazing!"


    "Yeah, I even heard that it''s a top 100 student. Imagine that!"


    "No way! The top 100 students are legends. There is no way they wille down to the lowest floor."


    "Yeah, it''s not possible!"


    Such whispers could be heard everywhere as students gossiped about rumors left and right. Rin simply shook his head at their funny thoughts. He already knew who this person was so that made their rumors even funnier.


    "Can you see clearly, your highness?"


    ''And then we have this moron.'' Rin looked from the side at Phillipe. He waspletely turned in his chair facing Elise and speaking with her while she fully ignored him. But, not even that clear indication of disinterest stopped him from continuing to speak to her.


    His eyes had a passionate glint in them that was fully focused on Elise and only Elise. It was as if she was the only thing that existed in his world. That idea alone made it even weird for Rin.


    ''He''s clearly not gonna stop anytime soon. Was he this deep in love with Elise before?''


    Rin knows that in the original story, Phillipe was indeed in love with Elise but she refused him at the start and he slowly but surely fell out of love. But, looking at him now, he didn''t seem like someone who was going to give up any time soon.


    "Rin?"


    Suddenly, Elise called for him and made him wake up from his thoughts. Looking at her, she was very calm andposed even though Phillipe was staring daggers at her back.


    "Mmm?"


    Then, without saying anything, she pointed at the stage. There, Rin could see Emilia standing in the middle as she eyed the whole audience around her with aposed expression. However, for some reason, her eyes stayed longer than expected on Rin.


    ''Oh shit! She''s angry!'' Rin paled when he saw that all-too-familiar expression of hers. In the past, he got to know Emilia more and he got to understand some of her personality to an extent and that face was something he can''t miss. It was the look of ''So you ignore me, huh? You will regret that.''.


    "She seems to be angry. Did you do something?" Elise asked.


    "Beat me. I am in deep trouble." He replied as he scratched his cheek.


    ''He also knows Mrs. Clearsky. How did he get to know her this quickly?! How dare he do that!! He must''ve done the same thing to her. I must not allow him to do anything else to them. I will save both of them from the clutches of an evil being.''


    "Well deserved, you criminal bastard!" Phillipe said with a snicker.


    "Criminal?"


    "Anyone who tries to hypnotize and manipte her highness is a criminal that needs grave punishment!"


    Rin couldn''t even bother to say anything anymore. He just focused on the speech since it already started.


    "First of all, I would like to wee you again to Divine Sapphire Magic Academy. It''s a great honor for anyone to be able to enroll in this prestigious haven. You all have seeded in the first step in your long path. You can all consider yourself greatly talented individuals with a bright future ahead of you. But¡­" Her words greatly moved the masses before she added thest word and then made them forget all of thosepliments.


    "If I have to be frank, you are all a bunch of weaklings. A bunch of useless, powerless, spoiled brats that could never do anything remarkable in your lives. I don''t even need a pre-prepared speech to say all of this."<novelnext></novelnext>


    Her cold words were like an ice bucket spilled over their heads andpletely cooling them off.


    "Most of you probably think that since you were epted here then you are already a great figure. That you are above and beyond other people your age. It''s a good feeling, isn''t it? That sense of power, it''s intoxicating. However, for those of you who are drowned in that nonsense, wake up. You are nothing but a small insect in front of others."


    ''That''s one hell of an original speech. I never expected her to go that route with the speech. But, somehow, it''s expected.'' Rin was slightly amused and also impressed at Emilia''s great speech.


    "This world is dangerous and cruel. Way crueler than you could think. Being talented is simply not enough. Every one of you here, how many of you want to make your families and loved ones proud? How many of you want to be great? To be special? To get recognized and acknowledged everywhere?"


    Those exact words hit most of the students in a special ce in their hearts. They all wanted to be great, they all wanted to feel special and they all wanted to live a life they will remember. That feeling of recognition was worth more than any wealth of luxury. It was what engraves some people''s names in the pages of history and bury others in the void of irrelevancy, never to be talked about until the end of time.


    "For those that understood what I meant, I have good news for you. You took a perfect first step toward the right path. You are now striding toward your dreams. It''s all going perfectly. All that is left is for you to continue down that path."


    "Keep your head straight and look at your goal and nothing else. No arrogant person had ever reached glory. Engrave that into your minds. It''s time for you to actually live up to your own expectations."


    Taking a deep breath, Emilia finally closed her eyes for a second and opened them again.


    "With that, I shall end my speech. I hope all of you will have a fruitful and great year."


    The moment Emilia ended her sentence, a deep silence took over the whole hall. No one uttered a single word for a good 5 seconds as if they were struck by lightning and couldn''t move at all. Then¡­


    *p* *p*


    A few ps echoed in the room and just like a chain reaction, ps and cheers erupted loudly everywhere. Students even stood up and pped as hard as they could. Somewhere were even moved to tears because of her speech.


    Frankly, most of them expected a boring and long speech about how great this academy is, how the professors are great and how this will ce will change their lives. But, they instead got a great speech that moved their hearts and ignited their hidden feelings.


    Rin also started pping softly with a small smile on his face. This was indeed the way Emilia did her speech in the original story.


    ''And then certain someone will be star struck by the spee-'' As he turned around to look at Phillipe expecting him to be eyeing Emilia silently. Instead, his eyes were still fixated on Elise, never moving an inch.


    Elise wasn''t aware of it since she was focused on Emilia. But, Rin saw it clearly. Phillipe hasn''t averted his eyes from Elise the whole time. That same passionate expression somehow intensified. A chill ran down Rin''s spine for some odd reason.


    ''What the hell is wrong with him?'' He asked himself with a shocked expression.


    Maybe Phillipe wasn''t aware that he was looking directly at him, but Rin wasn''t keen on that gaze. It wasn''t a mere ''like'' or ''crush'' type of gaze but something far deeper and far more rooted in his heart.


    ''He isn''t normal at all. There is definitely something wrong with the main character.''


    Rin was at loss for what to do. Was the protagonist affected by the current change of events? Did he somehow fall deeper in love with Elise than they both anticipated? Is he hiding something they didn''t know about?


    All kinds of thoughts ran through his mind like a raging bull wreaking havoc in his head. One thing for granted though, Rin did not like how things were going¡­ Not one single bit.


    Looking at the oblivious Elise, he contemted his choices. Should he tell her? But, what if that makes things worse? Elise won''t allow a person no matter who it is to try and get awfully close to her and try to invade her life.


    ''Maybe I can deal with him myself? No! What am I even thinking? I must tell Elise. She has the right to know. But, what if I was just imagining things and I could end up being wrong and that will mess things up even more than they already are? Fuck! This is so stupid. I have to tell her.''


    Fighting with himself, Rin decided on what to do after much contemtion.


    "And now, for the special guest to end the ceremony¡­"


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    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 97- Im Going To Kill Him

    Chapter 97- I''m Going To Kill Him


    The moment Emilia said that the sound of footsteps echoed in the whole hall. The cheer instantly died down as if they were nothing but an illusion. It was insane how fast the atmosphere of the room changed the moment they heard those footsteps.


    The presence of this person, whoever he was, was so strong that it immediately affected the students like a drug.


    A few secondster, the owner of these footsteps finally appeared. Gasps of admiration could be heard everywhere the moment they saw himing out. This mysterious person turned out to be a very beautiful young man that took their breaths away. He had short blonde hair and clear green eyes. He was pretty tall, towering over most people, and had a lean yet also muscr build that blended well with great looks.


    Even though he had a very strong presence that quickly took over the ce, it was by no means menacing or oppressive but instead felt like a warm and gentle breeze of air that calmed down most of the nervous students.


    Smiling softly at everyone, he spoke out after giving a nod to Emilia.


    "It''s my honor to meet my fellow students on this great day. Let me introduce myself, My name is Malza¡­ Malza Linddell and I''m the student council president of the lower to middle floors. It''s a pleasure." With an elegant bow, he smiled even more softly.


    All the girls that saw that smile blushed and averted their eyes from him and even the men around them didn''t get that angry as they were also charmed by his demeanor. He was just a walking-talking ma for other people.


    "Did he say the student council president?"


    "Yes. I have never heard of him before. Was there something like that here?"


    "Beat me. I feel like I can trust anything he spits out."


    "He has a very charming aura around him. Ugh! I can''t even get jealous of him because I don''t even think I can attract attention as much as him even if I had his looks."


    "There are people meant for greatness, my fellow student."


    All kinds of murmurs and whispers spread across the student body. However, even under those gazes, Malza didn''t look that bothered or even perturbed. Goes to show that he was veryfortable with standing in front of thousands of people without breaking a sweat.


    "The man of the show finally appeared," Rin murmured with a not-so-calm face.


    "Neh, Elise." He then shifted his gaze to his partner.


    "Hmm?"


    "Can we change seats?"


    At first, Elise was confused by his sudden request but then with a mere look in his eyes, she understood that he wanted to tell her something.


    The two then quickly switched ces. Seeing that, Phillipe''s face contorted and he red at Rin sharply.


    "Why did you change your ce with her highness?" He asked in a low tone.


    Rinpletely ignored him as if he wasn''t there and spoke to Elise in a very low voice.


    "There is something important I need to tell youter. It''s a huge problem." He said as he tilted his head to the side, covering her vision from Phillipe.


    "Understood." She replied, seriously.


    "Hey, you¡­ I said why did you change ce with her highness?!" Phillipe stood out and extended his hand to grab Rin by the cor.


    Thetter didn''t find it hard to avoid his hand with a simple move from his body.


    "Sit down." He ordered with a cold tone.


    Starting a fight here was not only stupid but could also get both of them in trouble so Rin preferred not to resort to violence. Even though Rin was sure Emilia can solve any problem concerning him and Elise. However, if he kept on relying on Emilia to help fix any mess he creates, what was the point of even trying to get stronger instead of relying on people stronger than him?


    If he had a choice, he would rather calm down Phillipe peacefully than beat him into submission.


    "No, I won''t sit down! You, how dare you order me around?! You are pure evil! You are nothing but scum that needs to be eliminated!!"


    His breathing became erratic and his eyes were shing with blinded anger that was consuming his rational thinking. He had rough! Why did Elise have to suffer under this cruel person''s hands? Why does his beautiful and sacred princess that lived in his dreams for a long time end up manipted and hypnotized?! It''s sphemy!!


    Their conversation started garnering attention from students nearby. Everyone was curious about why this young man was screaming.


    ''This is definitely getting out of hand.'' Rin thought calmly as he scanned his surroundings.


    Then, he opened his mouth to speak. But, Elise had taken the opportunity to speak before him.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Sit down. When we leave this ce, we will deal with this matter once and for all." She said.


    "But, your hig-"


    "I don''t repeat my orders twice. Sit. Down." She cut him off harshly.


    ''She''s very angry.'' Rin thought, clearly surprised.


    Her eyebrows were knitted tightly and her eyes were looking sharply at the protagonist. A little bit of her frosty-cold aura seeped out of her body. Even her hand that was resting on the chair arm and supporting her face was tightly shut into a fist.


    "Is there a problem up there, fellow students?" Malza asked with his calm smile.


    "Nothing, please continue," Rin replied.


    "Hmm? Really? Well, if it''s nothing, then I won''t pry any further." His face looked slightly amused, for some reason.


    "Tsk¡­" Phillipe clicked his tongue and sat down again.


    The speech continued, and while it wasn''t as strong as Emilia, it still made everyone p their hands.


    After that, the ceremony ended and everyone started leaving the ce.


    Rin and Elise also left quickly and walked to a secluded ce close by where no one could see them. Behind them, Phillipe followed not that far away.


    When they reached the ce and made sure no one was around, they turned around to face Phillipe.


    "Please, your highness. Believe me! He''s manipting you!! He''s an evil person. He''s using some kind of magic to make you fall in love with him."


    ''How much did this misunderstanding root itself in his head?'' Rin tilted his head.


    "What did you call him again?" She asked suddenly.


    "He''s a scum, a cruel person with a ck heart. He is a criminal that is using you to his benefit and then will throw you away when he wants to. I will savage you, your highness! Please, Elise. Believe me."


    The way he addresses her turned into a first-name basis at the end. The moment she heard that something clicked in Elise.


    ''This is enough. I have had enough.'' She was sick of this person. Even if he was the main character, to hell with keeping the plot! To hell with trying to follow the plot! If that meant that this stupid bug will keep trying to ruin her life and ns, then he''s better dead than alive.


    Elise was already someone who extremely hated most men, but she had a far deeper hatred for those who try to control her life. Those are people worthy of a death sentence for her. Who is he to try and control her? Who is he to try and assume that her life is not how it should be? Who is he to judge who she considers a friend and even insult him in front of her?


    "I''m going to kill him." She said as she pulled out her sword and dashed toward him.


    "Wha- Wait!!" Rin''s eyes widened at her sudden reaction and quickly tried to stop her. Her sword moved like a sh and aimed for his throat.


    ''Shit! She''s really going to kill him!! If he dies, our lives in this academy are over!!'' Rin knew more than anything that even if they tried to ignore the whole plot as a whole andpletely eliminate the main character, they can''t simply kill another student just because they felt like it. Not only is that a grave mistake as it will make them get thrown in jail but it will ruin everything they worked on sinceing here. It was simply not worth it at all!


    ''I must stop her.''


    Rin quickly activated shadow maniption and vanished in his shadow. Then, he quickly appeared again right in front of Elise at thest moment.


    Elise''s eyes widened a little bit and tried to stop her sword. However, it was toote to stop now.


    *Stab*


    Blood sshed on Elise''s face and made her freeze in her ce. Her clouded mind finally started clearing up.


    ''What have I done¡­'' She quickly tried to pull the sword and check where she stabbed Rin with the sword. Her heart was beating so loudly that she almost couldn''t hear anything else in her ears. She had never felt this horrified before in her life over something she did.


    (A//N: Elise''s trauma working again :( )


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    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 98- Malza Linddell

    Chapter 98- Malza Linddell


    Elise''s breathing stopped for a moment as she slowly looked up with a horrified look in her eyes. She didn''t care what kind of expression she had now as what she thought about now was only if she really stabbed Rin and if she could save him or not.


    "Ouch! You stab hard, Elise." his voice reached her ears and made her freeze for a moment.


    Fortunately, The sword was stabbed into Rin''s hand and didn''t reach his body which meant that the injury wasn''t lethal. Elise then quickly pulled out the sword while making sure to be as gentle as possible.


    "I-I¡­ I" She tried to speak, to apologize for the grave mistake she did but all she could utter were incoherent words she didn''t understand herself.


    "It''s ok. Calm down. I''m fine." Rin quickly tapped her shoulder with a gentle gaze. Except for the paining from the hole created in the palm of his hand, he was totally fine. After that, he pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the blood from Elise''s face and his hand too before popping up a healing potion.


    "Rin¡­ I''m, I didn''t¡­"


    "I said it''s fine. I get that you lost your temper for a second there. Nothing bad happened and that''s all that matters."


    Looking deep into his eyes, Elise saw nothing but genuine relief and concern for her. He didn''t seem to be angry nor did he me her for her stupid move. She would''ve been fine if he was angry or disappointed.


    All her life, whenever she made a mistake, all she would face was immense pain and suffering that molded her mind into trying to be as perfect and as wless in executing anything as humanly possible. That''s why Elise was a freak of a perfectionist. She always does things with all of her effort no matter how insignificant they were.


    But, instead of being med, Rin merelyughed it off as a small mistake and moved on as if something never happened. She knew how much this could''ve ruined everything and yet Rin didn''t say anything. Why? Why is he not angry? Why is he still being considerate?


    As she was raging with her own thoughts like that, Rin turned around and looked at Phillipe. He was standing there, frozen in shock. Rin snapped his fingers in front of the boy''s face a few times but he was still frozen."


    "Sigh¡­" Rin shook his head.


    *p*


    "Wake the fuck up." He said as he pped him hard on the face, making him fall down.


    Snapping out of his dazedness, he looked at Rin with aplicated gaze. His hand was still on his swollen cheek.


    "See? I save your pitiful ass there. She could''ve killed you and you would''ve only watched frozen as she did that. I do not want to fight you or get entangled with you. I also didn''t manipte her. It''s just something inside your head."


    ''This better wakes him up from his denial or I don''t know what to do anymore.'' Rin rubbed the back of his head as he pondered over his choices.


    Phillipe then stood up and silently walked away without uttering a single word. He seemed to be shocked to the core because of what happened.


    Watching as his silhouette vanished, Rin turned around to Elise.


    She was still looking down quietly with her hands shaking a little bit.


    "Hey¡­ Are you ok?" He asked.


    "I''m¡­"


    *p* *p*


    Before she could say anything, both of them heard a pping sounding from the entrance to the alley. Turning around, they both saw the student council president strolling toward them calmly.


    "Truly an interesting show right there."


    ''What does this guy do there?''


    Rin felt wary as readied himself to pull out his daggers just in case. Malza was way stronger than him but he ignored that for now until he actually does something funny.


    "Don''t be wary of me, Rin. I didn''te here for a fight. I just was passing by and coincidentally saw this interaction and I must say, it was worth the while." He said with a friendly smile.


    ''How did he know my name?'' Rin squinted his eyes suspiciously.


    "Oh. Sadly, I don''t have a soft side for stalkers."


    "How cruel of you, hahaha!" Malzaughed as if the jab in Rin''s reply was nothing to him.


    "No, really. I saw what happened in the ceremony hall and I was just interested in what was going on between you and that boy."


    ''Did he see me using Shadow Maniption? Fuck!'' Rin clicked his tongue as he realized the possibility of his trump car being exposed this quickly and by no one else other than Malza. If Malza was known for one thing, then that''s his cunningness and extremely clever ns. He was the smartest person in the whole of Divine Sapphire for all Rin knew.<novelnext></novelnext>


    He was a maniptor, the good ones, at least but still a maniptor that enjoyed ying with his enemies as he wanted before ending them.


    "He was just harassing us and then it ended up in a conflict."


    "I can see that. But, for him to actually go that far and use you of hypnotizing the beautifuldy behind you. If I have to bet on something, it must be jealousy."


    "Bingo. What kind of price do you want for getting the correct answer?" Rin replied sarcastically.


    "Oh my! Let me see. How about we have a small chat, Rin?"


    "A chat?"


    "Nothing much. Just two people talking over a cup of coffee. It won''t take long. How about it?"


    "And why would a very busy person such as the student council president want to chat with a lowly student like me?"


    "Hahaha! Come on, brother. We both know that you hide more than the eyes could see. You are very mysterious, Rin. I have a keen eye for interesting people and you are one of them."


    ''He ain''t going to give up. Not that I expected him to do so. Fuck, for me to catch the attention of Malza, it''s truly the worst luck possible.''


    "Fine, we can have a small chat over a cup of coffee as you wanted. But, not now." Rin said as he nced behind him for a second then shifted his gaze back to Malza.


    "Oh, great! I wasn''t expecting the time to be now anyways. Here¡­" Malza then threw him a card. The card somehow flew like an arrow toward Rin.


    Thetter grabbed it easily and looked at it.


    "It''s ess permission for the student council area. We can schedule our meeting for another week at this exact time."


    "Understood."


    "Anyway, I won''t take much more of your time. You seem to be quite ''busy'' right now. I hope we can be great friends in the near future, Rin Silvereye." He said with a meaningful gaze as he cast a gaze on Elise before walking away and vanishing somewhere.


    "Sigh, this is really not funny," Rin murmured to himself. He had no idea what that mysterious bastard wanted from him at all and he wasn''t even sure if he was aware of his secret or not. That man hides his emotions so perfectly that Rin couldn''t discern a single thought that ran through his head.


    But, he quickly shook those thoughts away and focused on Elise. Her abnormal attitude told Rin that what happened wasn''t simple anger but something far deeper than that. Something had triggered her greatly that he didn''t know of.


    "I''m sorry¡­ I''m genuinely sorry¡­ I didn''t mean to¡­" She suddenly started apologizing with a low tone as if she was speaking to herself and not to Rin.


    "Shhh."


    Rin lifted her face with the tip of his fingers.


    "Look me in the eyes." He said.


    "Do I look like I''m angry or annoyed? Well, I am annoyed indeed but not because of what you did but because of how you are ming yourself so hard like this."


    "But, I almost¡­"


    "There is no ''almost'' in this world. There is only what happened and what didn''t happen."


    "That doesn''t mean that I just did something foolish and impulsive just because of¡­"


    "Mere trauma?" He asked with an understanding look.


    That made Elise''s eyes widen a little bit before she looked down again.


    "Don''t loathe your own trauma, Elise. That''s frankly even more stupid than what you just did. Hmm, let''s see¡­ We should leave this alley first and then we can talk properly. You need to calm down first."


    ''Just imagining what could switch a calm and collected person like Elise so easily is really scary. She must be suffering a lot inside.'' Rin didn''t want to feel pity for Elise as that would be unfair to her, he was just sad to see a dear friend of his suffering from deep scars and couldn''t help them properly to face those traumas.


    ''I need to help her no matter what. She needs someone to help her out of that pit.''


    ? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 99- A Snippet Of The Past (Part 1)

    Chapter 99- A Snippet Of The Past (Part 1)


    The two walked inplete silence for a while. It wasn''t that Rin didn''t know what to say but he wanted Elise to calm down first before he actually can speak to her again.


    Soon, they reached a beautiful park with a few people sitting on benches, reading a book or admiring the natural scenery around them.


    "Let''s sit there."


    Walking to a random yet secluded seat, they sat down. Rin then looked around him searching for something. Luckily, slightly far away from them, he saw a small shop that seemingly sold ice cream. It wasn''t the same exact ice cream as the one he was ustomed to but it was still delicious.


    "Do you want some ice cream? It''s on me."


    "No, I don-"


    "Do you like strawberry or vani vor?" He cut her off and didn''t allow her to refuse. He knew that Elise was refusing out of guilt and not because she didn''t want some ice cream.


    But, now that he closed any possible escape route for her, she could only agree.


    "Vani."


    "Ok, wait a moment. I will be back."


    He then walked to the ice cream shop, and the worker there seemingly saw the interaction between Rin and Elise. He could clearly discern the weird mood the gorgeous girl was in from one single nce.


    "Hello, can I have two scoops of vani ice cream and one scoop of chocte ice cream?" Rin asked while oblivious to the man still eyeing him.


    "Right away. Mm, may I ask if yourdy is ok?"


    Rin was slightly surprised but then calmly responded.


    "Does she look that way to you?"


    "I can see how close both of you are. She can only be your girlfriend, am I wrong?"


    "She''s not."


    "Really? Then you must be very close." The shop owner said, blinking a few times.


    "You can say so."


    "If you don''t mind me asking, why is she sad?" The old man asked again as he scooped another spoon of ice cream and put it in a small container.


    For some reason, Rin didn''t feel any malicious intent from this old man when he asked so he just answered while keeping many things unknown.


    "She had a rough childhood and it''s affecting her life even now."


    "Oh my. That must be tough."


    "It is. So here I am, buying her a few scoops of ice cream and hoping she could get better. I don''t really know what else to do." A sh ofplex emotions appeared in Rin''s eyes.


    "You don''t have to worry. Having someone who deeply cares for her just like you is more than enough to heal the deepest of wounds. Don''t underestimate the small things as they are what create big things."


    "Sigh, maybe you are right. But, I know that simply won''t be enough this time."


    Thinking for a little bit, the old man smiled and replied.


    "How about you do this¡­"


    Then, he whispered something to Rin that only the two of them heard.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Elise was still fighting with her own thoughts oblivious to what Rin was doing.


    ''I almost killed him. I almost killed someone I considered a friend.'' She kept saying to herself again and again like a cursed mantra.


    She could clearly recall the memories that she sealed in her head all this time igniting again. Even though weeks passed since that nightmare she had, she was still scared of sleeping from time to time. It was still haunting her mind even though she knew and was aware that it was nothing but her imagination taunting her and ying with her sanity. No matter how much she tried to ignore it, it would stille back to her even stronger than before.


    ''Should I just detach myself from Rin before I end up hurting him badly? Yes, that sounds like a good idea.''


    For Rin to not get hurt or to get in deep trouble because of her, she decided to just start working alone. He was just an innocent friend that she could drag with her to trouble even though he didn''t anything wrong.


    The more she thought about that, the more she found it the best course of action for the two of them. Elise simply doesn''t deserve any friends or people that she can care for, she should just be alone forever and ever. That''s how she was meant to live for the rest of her life and that''s exactly what she needed to do.<novelnext></novelnext>


    ''I don''t even want to know why I tried to change that. I should''ve kept away from everyone.''


    Getting to know Rin made her think that she might have a chance at creating rtionships with others and learning how to love or care for someone else. But, it seems that she was too naive thinking it was all good and dandy.


    The gloom around Elise kept getting stronger and stronger the more she was left alone. Fifteen minutes passed and Rin still didn''te back.


    Then, out of nowhere, Elise felt a cold sensation on her cheek which made her flinch instinctively. Looking to the side, she saw Rin holding two ice cream cones.


    "Missed me?" He asked with a joking tone.


    But, Elise was in no mood to retort to his jokes and merely took the cone and looked at it silently. Rin also sat down and started eating his ice cream.


    But, when he looked to the side, Elise was still looking at the cone as if she was admiring a piece of art.


    "You don''t like it?" He asked.


    "No¡­ It''s just¡­"


    "Try it, it''s good." He said.


    Nodding her head, she extended her small tongue and licked the ice cream lightly. Luckily for Rin, she seemed to have enjoyed it since her face lightened up a bit. Even though she had already thought about starting the conversation and saying what she needed to say, she instead found herself enjoying some ice cream instead.


    "Did you like it?"


    "Not bad¡­"


    "Well, did it make you feel better?"


    "Slighty¡­"


    "Good¡­"


    "I think we should start working separately¡­"


    Rin halted eating for a second then resumed as if nothing had happened. His face was as calm as ever.


    "You saw how I acted before. I almost ruined everything. It''s not ideal for you to bet on me not ruining things again." Her face was as calm as ever but only Rin understood how hard it was for her to say that.


    "Sigh¡­" After shaking his head, Rin extended his hand and flicked her forehead lightly.


    "That''s my answer for you."


    "...What?"


    "For a smart person, you have a dumb side, Elise." He said lightly.


    "Well, my answer is a hard no. Did you forget that we are friends? I don''t give up on my friends just because they are struggling with a problem."


    "But¡­"


    "No buts¡­ We are partners and we will stay partners until one of us grows bored of the other."


    Elise was speechless at Rin''s stern tone. He gave her no way of retorting back. Why was he so adamant about letting her drag him down like that? Is he a masochist? An idiot or maybe both? She didn''t know the answer.


    "Our lives are not certain, Elise. We don''t know when we might die or when the worst could happen. Having two people is better than one after all. And if I know one thing for certain, it''s that you are going to beat whatever is dragging you like that. I said it before and I will say it now and as many times as you want ''Don''t give up on yourself, Elise''."


    Rin knew how dangerous it was to actually lose hope in oneself. It was worse than death as, at that moment, the person bes an empty shell of their old self. They lose their ambitions, goals, and their wishes. It''s akin to a guillotine that kills one''s soul.


    He knew that if Elise was left alone, she will definitely break apart like a house of cards. Thus, he must not let her do that and end up regretting it forever. Elise was his closest friend, a person he can trust and a kind soul who although hides behind a cold facade, still care for those that need help from her.


    After that Rin ate whatever was left of the ice cream and continued.


    "So, are you going to tell me what ran through your head when you tried to attack Phillipe? Maybe I can help you with it."


    Elise closed her eyes and took a deep breath and opened her mouth to start speaking. For the first time in ages, she finally spoke about her past a little bit. A snippet of what made her reach this point.


    (I''m slowly burning this part just to finish thest touches on Elise''s character development for the time being. Then, we will be submerged into madness again.)


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 100- A Snippet Of The Past (Part 2)

    Chapter 100- A Snippet Of The Past (Part 2)


    (A//N: 100 Chapters! Wohoo!! First milestone in hopefully many more!)


    "Back in our previous world, I was born into a very poor family in a rural town in a very poor country. Our lives were hard and frankly even dangerous. My father was a hunter and my mother was quite ill so she could only stay at home most of the time. She had a weak body and it became even weaker when she gave birth to me." Elise said as she closed her eyes, trying to recall as many details as possible.


    "So, even though I was young, I had to take care of the house and the food since she can''t do everything alone. I also had to study for school and to also get them out of that extreme poverty."


    "Even though we sometimes stay without food for a day or two, we were quite the peaceful and harmonious family. We had our highs and lows like any other family and I loved my parents a lot. That was until one day, my mother''s illness grew more threatening and she was bedridden and unconscious."


    Elise''s face contorted a little bit as she recalled that memory as if it happened yesterday. It was at that point in Elise''s life that things started shifting and changing.


    "The vige doctor told us that she needs immediate professional care in a hospital in the city or she will die. But, forget about paying the costs of the hospital, my father didn''t even have enough money to travel to the city nearby."


    Rin could imagine how bad that situation is, the father must''ve felt extremely pressured.


    "So, other than taking care of my mother, taking care of the house, and also studying, I had to also search for a job that epts 7-year-old children just so I can get an extra penny that may or may not end up saving my mother."


    ''For a small child to bear all of this responsibility.'' Rin stopped himself from sighing. The world was truly extra cruel to some people.


    "But, luckily, I was able to find that job in the form of one of my talents¡­ Piano."


    "We had a bar in the town that everyone attended and I used to frequent that ce in the mornings to y the piano. I was clueless about most basic techniques of piano and merely followed my instincts to create beautiful tunes. But, somehow, it worked and I gained traction quickly. I was also able to get a good amount of money just from ying a few random notes to drunk vige people. It was exhausting but worth the while since I did all of that to save my mother who probably had a few months to live at most at the time."


    Watching his partner''s gestures as she spoke, Rin could see that Elise was subtly fighting the urge to stop and just try to forget all of this. Her hands were rubbing against each other from time to time and her mouth subtly shakes when she stops.


    "That continued for a while and although I was extremely exhausted, I continued to work hard for the sake of a better future. I was very happy and optimistic since in the fairy tales that I read in children''s books before, the princess always ends up living happily ever after. I found myself in the ce of that princess and I knew that my life will be better if I did my best."


    Elise then rested her back on the bench for a moment trying topose herself. Rin was on the verge of just telling her to stop but he knew that if he did so that will destroy any progress she did.


    "That''s until I met a certain person. He was a very popr musician and a wealthy businessman that came to the vige for some phnthropy project and ended up stumbling upon me ying the piano. Then, he approached me and offered me a great opportunity to be his disciple since I was supposed ''One of a kind genius''."


    "It was great. He promised to save my mother and to move my family to the city where we can live a better life and even find my father a great job in one of hispanies. I epted the offer in a heartbeat since it basically had no downsides and I could finally fix all of our problems. It was just perfect¡­ It was just¡­"


    Covering her face, Elise felt her panic attacking back to her and she could barely keep herself together. Only she knows how hard it is for her to actually speak about this matter.


    "I fucking hate myself for epting that offer. If I was just a little bit smarter or a little bit more realistic, I would''ve seen the ring ws in that offer and all the bad signs that it wasn''t as good as it seemed."


    "Anyway¡­ I and my family moved to the city and my mother was hospitalized quickly. We all thought things are now going to get better. But, my mother died soon after because of a medical error during the operation."


    "I could barely believe that at the time since I never even entertained the thought of losing my mother. I was so sure that it was the start of ''my happily ever after'' that the shock that I got from her death made me incapable of leaving the house for a few weeks. It''sughable, isn''t it?"<novelnext></novelnext>


    "..."


    Rin could only stay silent, his mouth couldn''t utter a single word. No words could actually be said there for Elise to feel better. Nothing could make her feel better other than listening to her.


    "The loss of my mother was a strong hit to me, but it was even stronger to my father. He adored my mother greatly. He was so deep in love with her that he barely could leave her alone when he goes out to work when she was still alive and even when she died, he stayed by her side the whole time until she was buried. After that, hepletely changed. He starteding back home less and less frequently. He started drinking more alcohol each night until he copses unconscious."


    "I recall him saying ''It''s all your fault that my wife died. It''s all your fault that I lost what I loved the most. If you weren''t just born, if we just didn''t try to create a family.'' while he waspletely drunk."


    ''To say such a thing to a child. Your daughter, nheless.'' Rin was shocked. This was no one other than her father and yet he would say such cruel things to her. How can a father be this horrible? Even if he lost his wife, he had a daughter to take care of. She was hisst remaining memory of his wife so she should''ve at least tried to support her till she grew up.


    "It really hurt me to hear that but I also was ming myself for what happened. If I wasn''t even born then my father and mother could''ve lived happily and they would not have had to suffer. So, with that in mind, I started to focus on my piano career more than anything else. Then¡­ I-I¡­ I can''t¡­ I just can''t say it¡­ Dammit! I need to but I can''t. My mouth doesn''t want to speak."


    She clenched her fist in frustration. Her fear was still deeply rooted in her heart to the point where she can''t speak any further than she did now. It was already a miracle that she was able to say all of that without having a panic attack.


    "It''s ok, you don''t have to go any further. I already have a good idea of how much you struggled. But, I know that you told me all of that not to make me feel pity for you, right?"


    "Yes."


    "If you want my honest opinion, you aren''t to be med at all in this matter. In fact, I admire how hard you tried to fate the horrible fate that keeps chasing you. It''s not easy for anyone to do that, Elise. Most people will either try to run away or even kill themselves but you held on and kept on living. You are really great, Elise. Far greater than I thought."


    Then Rin stood up and looked at her with a smile.


    "In a sense, aren''t we simr? We had hard but still happy lives before things came down on us. It reassures me that I have someone who can understand me to a certain extent. I hope it''s the same case for you."


    "It¡­ is," Elise murmured with a sigh.


    "If I have to say onest thing, though. You gave me a good idea for the future."


    "An idea? What is it?"


    "Hehehe! That''s a secret. I will leave until I actually do it. Anyway, let''s go back now before the night, we have a long day tomorrow."


    (A//N: The end of the first part of Elise''s past. Now, time to get the plot moving for real.)


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 101 101- First Day (Part 1)

    Chapter 101- First Day (Part 1)


    The day passed peacefully, after Rin and Elise''s conversation, Elise seemed to have returned to normal. She wasn''t as agitated as before and could now act fairly normally around Rin. Thetter was very happy to see that she at least forgot about the matter for the time being.


    "U-Ugh¡­ I need to wake up¡­" Rin groaned as he turned around the nketzily. Since the weather was slightly cold, the nket was akin to heaven as it warmed him and made him feel even more drowsy than before.


    [You need to wake up, host.]


    ''I know¡­ I''m working on it as you can see.'' Rin said with a click of his tongue before he rolled out of the bed and fell on the ground like a stiff stick before standing up slowly.


    *Rustle*


    Weird noises came from outside his room that he didn''t know the origin of.


    ''What''s happening outs-'' Before he could even finish his thought and fully open the door, tens of students were passing by his room talking noisily. Rin didn''t know how these people were able to wake up that easily and get out early to go to their first sses.


    ''I need to work on my mornings.'' He thought with a sigh and closed the door again. He quickly prepared himself, ate something, and then left the room running.


    ''Shit, I''mte. Elise will kill me if I don''t get out on time.'' He thought as he increased his speed and reached the stairs.


    Looking around him, most students have left the rooms and the corridor was basically empty.


    ''How much time is left before our meeting?'' Rin asked his system.


    ''45 seconds.''


    ''Fuck me!!'' Rin couldn''t hesitate any more and quickly activated shadow maniption. Then he quickly traveled from one shadow to another in the blink of an eye, quickly descending the stairs.


    When he was close to the end of the stairs, he deactivated his skill and ran out of the building. When he reached their meeting destination, he found a huge group of people standing around, seemingly watching something in awe.


    "So beautiful¡­"


    "An angel had fallen on us¡­ God does exist!"


    "I can''t even look at her lewdly! She''s too pure for my tarnished eyes!!"


    "Squeeze me with those thighs, mommy!!"


    Rin had a bad hunch about all of this so he quickly made his way through the swarms of students. There, he found Elise standing in the middle, not bothering the people around her.


    ''How does she ignore all of this as if it''s nothing? Is that some kind of superpower?''


    Even now, Rin was getting many hungry eyes from females around him but he was barely able to bear with them. He wasn''t good under lights.


    "Psst!"


    Calling for her quietly, Elise turned around to face him, revealing her full appearance. Rin already knew that Elise was extremely gorgeous, it wasn''t anything new even though it will steal his breath away every single time and he was sure he will never get bored of that. But, now, for some reason, she looked even more beautiful than before.


    Her beautiful, oval-shaped face and her clear blue eyes could steal someone''s soul with a nce coupled with her beautiful thing and red lips. Her white-as-snow hair fell down her back like a waterfall.


    She was wearing the academy uniform which consisted of a beautiful dark blue robe with a beautiful white ribbon and a white shirt under it. The uniform was simple but still somehow looked extremely beautiful on Elise.


    As for Rin''s uniform, it consisted of a blue shirt and blue trousers with a white necktie. It was also pretty simple yet practical and flexible. It was also anti-dirt and hard to cut or ruin. It also can change the temperature of the person to however they wanted. All of this was the result of intricate design coupled with magic.


    "Almostte." She said calmly.


    "I was notte. You should acknowledge that I''m very responsible and capable."


    Looking at her bracelet, she turned around and started walking.


    "Well, we need to go, Mr. Responsible." She said with a cool tone. Most of the people there will not catch that she was joking and will only see it as a cold response from her.


    ''She learned how to tease and joke around.'' Rin sighed and followed behind her.


    "Huh? Is that her boyfriend?"


    "Beat me. But, look at him, he''s also a drop-dead handsome guy."


    "Sigh, our angel is already stolen."


    "Better luck next time to us, poor brothers! Our glory days wille."


    "Hick! You are now my best friend! Off we go, friend!!"


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    The main area of the city was obviously the study area. It had many facilities and also consisted of the most importantponents of the city.


    The ss area was right in the heart of all of that. 3 main buildings with each one responsible for teaching a certain aspect of the academic curriculum. There are mainly 3 things that the academy focuses on, Academic studies that consist of normal subjects such as math, physics, literature, and things simr to that. The second thing is the magic studies and which consist of everything theoretical about magic from magic formations, spell learning, magic history, certain parts of alchemy, and also beast studying. It''s by far the most important part of the curriculum as that''s what nurtures a great magician, other subjects are nothing but general knowledge for the future in case they needed it.


    Then, thest but certainly not the least part is the Practical studies which consist of magicalbat, weapon training, pseudo-dungeon explorations, and many other things. It''s where students can train and practice what they learned in magic studies.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Rin and Elise reached the academic area and walked passed the huge gates that had 4 guards standing there in case of any problem. Many people could be seen walking in and out as they chatted happily.


    "We are basically in the same ss, huh? 3-A, right?" Rin asked.


    "Mhm."


    "Nice, take care of me, partner."


    "I will." Elise replied with a cool look on her face.


    ''O-Oh my god. So cool!'' Rin said as he put his hand on his mouth.


    Elise was just oozing with a graceful aura that made even the smallest of her gestures and even her words sound cool. That was another level of charm.


    "Stop that."


    "Stop what?" He asked.


    "Whatever you are doing right now."


    "I''m doing nothing though."


    "You are. You have a smug face now."


    "I''m not."


    "You are."


    "I''m not."


    "Sigh, whatever."


    Elise said and continued walking silently.


    The two then reached the ss where their first lesson is, exactly in the Academic studies building. The first few days will only be theoretical between magic and normal subjects and then the practical part starts.


    The room was quite huge, almost the size of a lecture hall. There were long rows of chairs going upwards with a main stage for the Professor with two big chalkboards.


    Choosing a random seat at the back, they sat down and waited for the ss to start. The ce quickly filled up with students. However, no one seemingly sat next to Rin or Elise for some odd reason.


    The professor then finally entered the room, it was a middle-ageddy with a warm look on her face and a gentle aura that soothed any nervous student immediately.


    "Good morning, everyone. My name is Melinda Roseair. I''m your Academic Professor for this year, nice to meet all of you."


    Then, she looked around her, seemingly making sure that everyone waspletely focused on her. Then, she continued.


    "Before we start the ss, there is some important news that all of you need to know. The first refresh of the ranking leaderboard had already happened. Do please check that now."


    "First refresh?" One student asked.


    "Fufufu! I will exin so don''t worry. As many of you noticed, for the past week, the ranking system hasn''t changed at all for the new year. All of you had exactly zero points even though many of you did things that should''ve garnered you a few points. So, as per usual each year, the first refresh of the ranking happens on the first day of school. For all of you that tried to get some points, the system had registered that and they are now appropriately giving points to those who did so."


    Quickly, many people opened their bracelets with excited smiles. However, that smile quickly turned into confusion. No one was expecting what they saw.


    "Why is my score in the minus?"


    "Wait, mine too."


    "Huh? Is this some kind of mistake?"


    "Yeah, definitely."


    Murmurs echoed in the room left and right.


    "Is there some kind of problem with the bracelet, Miss. Roseair? Could you please fix that if you can?"


    "There is no problem with the ranking, sweety."


    "Huh?" Even more confused sounds came out of the students.


    "There is no mistake. Those are your scores and that''s what you appropriately deserve."


    Her aura gazed around as she opened her mouth again.


    (My discord link is in the synopsis section, do check it and join. It''s still empty but it won''t be for long. :)


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 102- First Day (Part 2)

    Chapter 102- First Day (Part 2)


    The woman''s demeanor shifted slightly when she started speaking as if she was hiding it all along. It wasn''t intimidating or harsh but still weirdly apathetic even though her smile was still warm as sunlight.


    "All of you had spent the first week ying around and discovering the ce. You had so much fun experiencing all of the great facilities that the city had prepared for all of you. That''s all eptable since that''s what most people will do. But¡­"


    Closing her eyes, she sighed.


    "Most of you simply forgot about the main reason you are here¡­ Some justzed around, thinking they were on a vacation. Others merely yed around without a single care in the world and the majority didn''t even do anything rted to their magic training, their studies, or even thought about doing anything simr to that."


    The sounds of shock escaped the student''s throats as if they couldn''t understand what was going on.


    "One thing you all must know, the bracelet you have in your hands is a part of you. It will monitor what you do and what you don''t. That''s how it gives you point as well as take points from you. Those who saw that they are in the minus got that because they didn''t bother about anything other than rxation and careless life."


    ''Damn, that''s brutal.'' Rin thought as he blinked a few times. He had already known that this will happen but it was still an interesting sight.


    "Wait, Miss. Roseair. That''s not fair!"


    "Yes! We didn''t know that this was a thing!!"


    "I agree! It''s not logical that we lose points just because we didn''t train or do anything for the first week here."


    Sounds ofints reached the professor from every single ce in the lecture hall. But, even under such protests for the unfair treatment, she merely smiled as if she expected all of this from the beginning.


    "Unfair? Well, it is unfair for you indeed. You didn''t know about this until now. I can understand that." Her positive response made the students'' face light up with hope but was submerged in shock again.


    "But, since when this academy was fair? You surely didn''te here expecting fair and equal treatment, right?"


    Almost most of them wanted to nod their heads at her question but refrained from doing so.


    "This academy isn''t heaven. It''s a power-hungry hierarchy for those who dare to face that. The only ones treated well here are those who are strong enough to deserve it or determined enough to reach the top. People that stay weak or aimless will only be treated as such."


    "The academy had basically used thews of the jungle. Those who are strong will be treated fairly while those who fall behind will only be pulled down even more. It''s a double-edged sword as it nurtures talents and kills mediocre abilities. Many will fall and many will rise." Rin murmured.


    "That''s why it''s well-known. Because it can only create powerful individuals only. There was not a single person that graduated from this ce and wasn''t able to leave a trace in history." Elise added.


    "By the way, what''s your rank?"


    "4587 with a little bit over 50 points."


    "Oh, I''m 4780 with 35 points. Did you go hunting?" Rin asked.


    "Yes, and I sold the mana cores I collected for some ranking points."


    ''The ones left at least.'' Elise thought in her head. After using the Soul Harvester once, she lost all monster bodies along with their mana cores. The ones she was able to sell were the ones she got after fighting the Man of the Lake. She stumbled upon a few small monsters on her way back that she quickly killed and collected.


    "Now that you made me recall, I still didn''t try the Summoning skill from the Shadow Monarch dagger. I still have the hybrid demon bird stored in my inventory."


    "Do itter."


    The two then focused on the professor again.


    "See that red section in the ranking?"


    Most of them already saw it since they were in it. They already had a hunch about what it meant but they didn''t want to voice it out of fear.


    "That''s the ''Elimination section''. Each month, there will be supervision over the rankings. Anyone who is in that section will have to immediately leave the academy."


    "This is¡­ horrible!!" Someone said as he tapped his forehead. He was one of the people in the lowest ranking. Some had reached a staggering -90 points which was amazing to witness.


    "Anyway, enough of all of this. You can check it moreter and if you have any questions, there are people that are ready to answer your questions."


    After that, under the still-shocked gazes of the students, she started her lesson with a warm smile.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    A few hours passed quickly and the first ss was over. Rin stood up and stretched his arms and cracked his neck. The subjects taught here were things that Rin already studied before so he didn''t really need to concentrate much and merely looked around, mostly taking peeks at Elise while she was not looking. (A//N: Simp!)


    "I''m hungry, man," Rin muttered to himself.


    "Did you cook something, Elise?" He asked.


    "I made a simple lunch." She said while walking out of the ss.


    As the two were walking in the corridors, in between tens of other students merely chatting andughing around.<novelnext></novelnext>


    *Swish*


    Someone passed beside Rin and touched his shoulder seemingly by mistake. He looked behind him for a moment instinctively. He didn''t think much of it as it wasn''t intended. But, his eyes immediately widened in shock when he saw that person. No, it wasn''t the person''s appearance that made him freeze but their aura that he could recall very well.


    "My apologies, Rin~"  An extremely alluring voice whispered near his ear.


    ''That yful voice too¡­'' He thought in his head.


    But, before he could even say anything, the person walked away and vanished in between the tens of students.


    "Go ahead before me, Elise! I have something to do."


    "What?" Elise didn''t get what he meant but before she could say anything, he already vanished somewhere.


    Running quickly, Rin tried to locate his target, he still could feel their aura but it was getting farther and farther away the more he tried to look for it.


    ''Don''t run away.'' He thought and dashed in the general direction of the aura.


    After running for a while, he reached a more secluded area of the Academic building. There were some closed sses here made for chemistry and science studies but since no one started that yet, they were deste of any students.


    ''The aura is behind this door.'' He thought as he summoned his dagger and put his hand on the handle. Then, he took a deep breath and opened the door quickly.


    Using the dagger, he quickly guarded himself against any potential sneak attack.


    But, looking inside, the ce was empty.


    ''Huh? Where is she? Did I make a mistake?'' He thought as he walked inside while keeping an eye on the open door.


    The chemistry ss waspletely empty and even the aura he was feelingpletely vanished as if it was not there in the first ce.


    "Sigh, you really are something, Miss. I will kiss a boy younger than me and then run away." He suddenly said.


    Suddenly, a voice answered from somewhere.


    "Horrible of you to say that, darling. Didn''t you enjoy that kiss too?~" The voice said amusedly.


    "Hm, I did enjoy it if I have to be honest. I will be either stupid or gay not to enjoy that kiss." He said as he shrugged his shoulders.


    "Oh my! I''m delighted that my cute Rin enjoyed my kiss."


    *Swish*


    Then, out of nowhere, two hands wrapped around his neck gently and a hot breathy voice spoke in his ear.


    "Do you want to do it again?~"


    Rin was bewildered at first but then sighed and released himself from her grip before looking back at her.


    "Why are you here?"


    Behind him stood the woman that appeared in front of him at the birthday party back in the royal castle. He didn''t forget about her at all since she was a variable he never expected.


    "Too boring, Rin~ Come on, let''s kiss affectionately like before. Our tongues could twirl around each other passionately as we shared a deep, hot, long kiss that will steal our breaths awa-"


    "Stop! I don''t need to hear that description."


    "Muu!" Pouting, the woman looked behind her like an angry child.


    "Seriously, why did you follow me here? I recall you saying ''We will meet again, my cute Rin~''."


    "Would you believe this big sister if she told you that she fell in love with you at first sight?~"


    "I might as well believe that elephants can fly."


    "Ah, my poor heart is injured~ How can you refuse me so brutally!" She made exaggerated moves as if she was deeply hurt by Rin."


    ''Sigh, this is gonna be a long ass day!''


    "Fufufufu~" The woman chuckled alluringly like an amused demoness finding a fun prey to y with.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 103 103- I Will Eat You Up

    Chapter 103- I Will Eat You Up


    "Are you really that unhappy to see the one who stole your first kiss, darling?~" She asked.


    "That''s the point! I don''t need my first kiss to be stolen like that!" Rin said as he tapped his forehead.


    "Aww! So cute!" She said as she licked her lips seductively while eyeing Rin up and down like a delicious prey.


    If Elise was the epitome of pure, untouched, almost ethereal beauty, Evelyn was herplete contrast. She was the epitome of seduction and thates even in contrast with Emilia who, even though could be considered very alluring, wasn''t as barebone seductive as Evelyn.


    She had beautiful ck hair with a purple hue to it that Rin couldn''t understand the origin of. She was quite tall, reaching Rin''s chin, and had an unbelievably seductive body. Especially her breasts which were the most noticeable feature she had. With every small move she did, her breasts swayed left and right like two soft puddings. But, even other parts of her body didn''t fall short of amazing by every standard possible.


    The more troublesome part of all of this is that Evelyn was aware of all of that and she used it as her lethal weapon that could drive any man crazy with a mere look. However, Rin for some reason didn''t feel that attracted to her even though he had every reason possible to feel that way. His mind was just not focused on her body at all as it was upied by something else he still didn''t know.


    ''She''s really too troublesome.'' He sighed and turned around.


    "Hmm, where are you going, darling?~"


    "Since you won''t tell me why you''ve been following me, I will just leave. It''s pointless to keep this conversation."


    "What?" Evelyn seemed quite shocked at first but then quickly returned to her usual demeanor.


    "Are you deaf? I said I don''t like wasting time in pointless conversations." Rin said as he tapped his temple.


    ''This kid¡­'' Evelyn was genuinely speechless by his nonchnt attitude. It was not an exaggeration to say that every man she had ever met before fell for her charm in the blink of an eye. For her, men were easy, instinct-driven, lustful animals that she can manipte with just a click of her finger without even trying.


    She had the beauty and the extremely charming aura to believe that fact as it never urred to her that she could be ignored by a person, a man nheless.


    ''Who does he think he is?'' Her face shed with a cold gaze but quickly calmed herself down.


    ''I can''t fall for this. He must be acting all cold just to trick me. Not bad, boy.''


    "Aww! Are you really that shy? Don''t worry,e here so I can spoil you." Opening her arm, she called for him softly.


    Looking back, Rin shook his head.


    "It won''t work. You are trying too hard."


    Another blow to her ego was shot easily, Rin wasn''t even trying to be ruthless but he still hit her where it hurts. Rin had no idea how or why he wasn''t already running to her embrace like a mad dog but he was happy it wasn''t the case. Thest thing he wanted was to get turned into a toy by this dangerous woman.


    "You¡­" She murmured quietly.


    ''Is he gay?'' She asked herself seriously.


    ''No, even that type of person gets attracted to my charm easily.''


    The fact is, men and women alike can get attracted to Evelyn so it wasn''t a matter of gender or sexual orientation. It was a matter of whether this person was sane or not!


    *Tap* *Tap*


    Walking to the door, he opened it and stepped out to leave. But, before his leg could even touch the area outside, the door was closed shut out of nowhere.


    "Where do you think your area going?~" She said yfully.


    "Outside¡­ is what I would normally answer but from what I can see, you won''t be letting me leave any time soon," Rin said calmly.


    "Oh my! My cute Rin is too smart for his own good!~"


    Walking toward Rin slowly, she closed the distance between them while keeping eye contact with him. When she was close enough, barely a few inches away from his face where even their breaths collided slightly from time to time, she touched his chin with the tip of her fingers and pulled it down a little bit.


    "Are you ying hard to get, Rin?" She asked.


    "Since when we started ying?" He asked without averting his eyes.


    "Since the moment I put my eyes on you."


    "Oh! I''m ttered to hear that a beautiful woman like you is after me."


    "Your expression isn''t following what you''re saying quite that much."


    "My bad, I''m not good with expressions."<novelnext></novelnext>


    The two went back and forth fluently as if they were rehearsing this before doing it.


    "You don''t seem to understand the situation you are in, darling."


    "Oh, enlighten me on it if you can."


    "Fufufu! So funny, sweetie. But, the moment you came inside this room, you are basicallypletely under my control. You don''t know that you entered the den of a hungry beast?" She asked near his ear before blowing softly on it.


    "A monster''s den, you say? Well, I know one thing for sure¡­"


    Then, he touched her chin and lifted it up daringly under her surprised gaze.


    "You won''t be able to do anything to me."


    "Oh my? How are you so certain that I won''t end up killing you right here, right now? Look, all I have to do is extend my hand, and then¡­"


    Doing exactly what she said, she put her finger on Rin''s neck before continuing.


    "Pah! The end. It''s not that hard for me to do that before your brain evenprehends what happened. You will be able to see your decapitated body as it falls down to the ground. You will also be able to see all of your life shing before your eye, second by second, day by day. SO intriguing, isn''t it?" She asked with a weirdly flushed face.


    Her eyes looked extremely dangerous as they looked at Rin hungrily. Her moist lips kept on moving seductively.


    "All of that is good and dandy if you actually ever thought of doing it in the first ce. The truth is you don''t want to actually kill me even if I disrespected you just like I did right now. You have something you want from me."


    "Where did that certaintye from?" She asked as she returned to her usual teasing smile.


    "Simple, there are two reasons: The first one is the easy one, since the moment I saw you a little while ago, you had countless opportunities to kill me yet you didn''t. Even now, you said it yourself, you could easily end my life but you didn''t. The second reason is: You have something you want from me. I still don''t know what it is but I will certainly know about it soon."


    "Oh my! You are quite the person, Rin. Putting all of this trust in this big sister of yours.~ I''m super happy~"


    "Yeah, yeah. Can I leave now as a reward for my detective skills?"


    "Hehehehe! I still don''t want to let you go¡­ For a different reason, this time."


    *Swish*


    "Woah!" Rin was pulled strong and pushed against a wall. A weird voice leaked out of his mouth when he felt his body getting yanked like that.


    Then, Evelyn put her hand next to his face and inserted her tight between his legs before closing her nose from his neck.


    "Maybe I will have some fun with you."


    "I am a very serious guy," Rin said as he tried to push her away.


    "Then, that''s more of a reason to make you let some steam off~~"


    Extending her soft tongue, she licked his neck, making him flinch a little bit.


    ''Wow, she''s serious!'' Rin wasn''t frozen in shock, but genuinely incapable of releasing himself because of her overwhelming strength that easily rendered him useless.


    "Come on, Miss. Beauty¡­"


    "Call me Evelyn, darling~~"


    "Ok, Evelyn. Why don''t we calm down a little bit? It''s not the best ce for such acts, is it? You can get us in trouble."


    "No one wille here.~ We arepletely. alone. in this quiet room." She kept breathing at his neck and gently brushing her lips on his skin for quick yet hot pecks. A few red spots were left wherever she kissed him, turning his neck into a festival of red color.


    ''Am I really gonna do it with her here? This is really stupid.''


    Rin had thought many times about how his first time would be and he imagined all kinds of scenarios, from passionate lovemaking with his soul mate to steamy hot sex with a harem of wives in a huge bed. But, this sudden turn of events was just out of his expectations.


    ''You know what! Fuck it! As I said before ''Go big or Go home!'''' Resolving his mind, he looked at Evelyn sharply.


    ''I will eat you up!''


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 104- Dominating Side*

    Chapter 104- Dominating Side*


    Evelyn waspletely oblivious to what he was thinking as she kept assaulting his neck and weak spots with her yful tongue and small yet continuous kisses. She was really feeling thrilled right now for an odd reason.


    Even though Evelyn was indeed as charming as a devil, she had never actually allowed another man to touch her at all. Except for minimum contact that would only work at making that target get humiliated as much as possible, she had never actually experienced what intimate things she could do with the opposite sex.


    So, all of what she was doing now was in a sense her first time too. But, to keep her domination over Rin, she tried to hide that and show the more daring and mischievous side of hers.


    ''I never thought touching a man would be this thrilling. What''s wrong with me?~'' She asked herself through her hot breaths. Rin was just like sweet candy for her that she never knew she would actually like.


    Everything about him was so tantalizing for her and she didn''t know why it was the case at all. He was just like a ma to her.


    ''He is too dangerous¡­ I should not continue this for long or I might lose control~~'' Her mind said to her but her body refused to listen as she kept licking and kissing him, her hands were also moving across his body, touching him everywhere.


    Her mind was getting more and more groggy as the time passes and she felt her rationality fading away with each passing second she was feeling his warm skin and smelling his odor that filled her mindpletely, not leaving room for any other thoughts.


    He was just addictive to her like a forbidden drug and she had felt that before when she first met him before. Evelyn had no intention of kissing him at all as she only wanted to get to know a seemingly random boy that she can hear his thoughts.


    But, this quickly spiraled into a full-on interest and then to whatever was happening now.


    "That''s not how you do it¡­" Rin suddenly whispered near her ear.


    "Wha-" Before she could even say anything, Rin sealed her mouth shut with his lips violently. Evelyn tried to resist for a split second but her body surprisingly epted the kiss so happily as if it was the most delicious thing in the world.


    Rin''s lips engulfed Evelyn''s lips greedily and quickly parted her mouth open, invading her mouth with his tongue and assaulting her already numb senses with harsh blows.


    Her strength weakened and Rin found a way to release his arms. Then, he moved his right arm and grabbed the back of her head strongly, and pulled it in harder. Evelyn''s eyes widened before they closed again as if she lost all will to fight back and left him to do whatever he wanted to her while she watched silently.


    "Ah¡­ mmm¡­. Ah~~" Her muffled moans in between the sloppy kisses were like beautiful melodies to the ear.


    Evelyn''s hard front and her bravado crumbled in less than a few seconds of kissing even though she took control of their first kiss before. Even Rin was amazed that she became this meek and weak like an innocentmb.


    ''This is weirdly working?! What the hell? Am I that good at kissing?'' He asked himself as he kept searching inside her mouth with his tongue. Rin would be lying if he said that the kiss didn''t feel as heavenly as before if not better since he was in control.


    "Mmm¡­ S-Stop¡­ L-Let go¡­ Ah~~" She said in an almost begging voice at every opportunity. But Her body was doing stark contrast to what she saying, her arms had already wrapped around Rin''s neck and her legs got even closer to Rin, sticking her whole body to his body like glue.


    The sound of the wet kisses echoed in the hall room as the twopletely engulfed each other. No one would believe that these two barely knew each other and were basically strangers in a sense.


    After a long time, Rin finally pulled from the kiss and breathed in heavily. Looking at Evelyn, she was nothing short of a sloppy mess. Her legs had given out and her eyes looked dazed and hazy and her cheeks were very red as if she was very drunk.


    All of her powers that she could easily use to crush Rin were nowhere to be seen. She hadpletely lost to Rin.


    "E-Enough¡­" She said as a trickle of drool fell down the corner of her mouth.


    "Oh? We barely started. You are going nowhere." Rin replied with a small yet dangerous smile.


    "W-What? Ahh~~~" Before she could even get shocked properly, Rin pulled her arm in and pushed her against the wall. The positions turned between the two.


    "I am not letting you go until we finish. Since you wanted to y with me, I shallply. It''s disrespectful not to ept a beautiful woman like you after all the flirting that you did with me." He said as he licked his lips.


    "N-No, wait! This isn''t how it shou¡­ Ah~~~ No, Ah~~~" She moaned loudly as Rin licked her ear gently.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "N-Not there¡­ Ah, Mmm, Ah, S-Stop~~ That''s not a good - Ah~~~" Evelyn''s voice was getting cut off again and again as she tried to stop Rin.


    ''Why am I not resisting?! It''s ridiculous that this little brat is making me feel this gooood~~~~'' Tears trickled down her eyes as she got submerged in ecstasy helplessly. She had never thought a few kisses could turn her into a weak mess. Was she that weak to touch?


    She didn''t know the answer to that and she frankly couldn''t even think about it with how number her mind was at this moment.


    Rin used his tongue as he licked her ear and then went down to her neck and her chin. He didn''t forget to kiss her deeply from time to time just to make sure she never recovers at all.


    Rin''s hand was also moving down slowly toward her most important areas but not too quickly. He knew that she was still notpletely vulnerable to attacks there so he tried to take his time with that matter.


    "Please¡­ E-Enough, you should¡­ Mmm, Ah~~ Stop before its toote~~"


    "You should''ve not tested me. I gave you the choice to let me go since I wasn''t intending to do anything. But, since you are this adamant about trying to tease me, I shall tease you back with all my strength till you can''t even walk straight."


    Evelyn felt a chill run down her spine when she heard his voice.


    ''Is he serious?! No! I can''t fall for this!! This isn''t how¡­ Mmm~~''


    Rin''s hands finally started tracing Evelyn''s sensual body down slowly reaching for her two big melons. Through her beautiful dress, Rin can see a small perk right in the middle of her breasts that was way too hard to ignore. Her nipples had grown hard from all the teasing and kissing she had to go through.


    ''For a seductress, she''s way too easy to arouse. Great job, me!!'' He high-fived himself in his head and reached out to touch those small pointy things.


    But, before he could touch her, the door of the ss knocked. Rin halted his movement for a moment as he traced the aura of the one behind the door.


    "Rin, are you there?" The voice belonged to non-other than Elise herself. She had been searching for Rin for the past few minutes and ended up locating his aura in this ss.


    "Tsk¡­" Clicking his tongue, he released Evelyn and whispered in her ear.


    "You were lucky this time. You better be grateful." He said as he flicked her forehead and walked to the door.


    Opening the door, Rin found Elise there, looking at him silently.


    "Sorry, I thought I felt a familiar aura so I ran after it. Turns out it was a false call."


    "Hmm, what familiar aura?" She asked as she squinted her eyes suspiciously.


    "Let''s go first, I will tell youter." He said.


    When she turned around, Rin peeked inside the room and there was no one there at all. Sighing in relief, he closed the door and walked away.


    ''I can''t believe I actually did that. Did I always have that dominating side in me? Ipletely turned her into a toy as if it was nothing even though this is my first time doing such things.''


    (A//N: Spicy chapter for those who want. But, I am sure some will get angry at the end so all I can say is bear with me as it''s not the perfect time for that. I want Rin''s first time to be very memorable so doing it randomly with a basically new character is not the best choice.)


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 105- Big Sister Returns And Something Brewing In The Shadows

    Chapter 105- Big Sister Returns And Something Brewing In The Shadows


    Rin and Elise walked inplete silence back to the cafeteria. For its huge size, it was more of a lunch area than an actual cafeteria but for the sake of convenience, students called it a cafeteria. The ce was huge in size, capable of amodating hundreds of students all at once.


    Students can use their bracelets to order a variety of food from all the ces around the world and the workers there will serve it for them in record time. The service was simply impable.


    But, Rin and Elis didn''t go there for the sake of ordering like everyone else but to get a good ce to eat. Now, for normal students, they can sit on normal tables and chairs while surrounded by their peers. For others with the power of money, they could get special seats that are quiet, far from the noise, and near a beautiful garden with a hugeke right behind the cafeteria building.


    Rin and Elise are more or less filthy rich by this world''s standards so they had no problem getting these seats. But, for others, this was a luxury they could never dream of. The only way they could get that treatment other than having huge sums of money is through a mary system inside the academy. When a student reaches a certain threshold in the ranking points, many perks, and special services will be unlocked for them. The more points they have, the more extra things they could enjoy over their peers.


    One of those perks is these special andfy seats.


    "Wow, this ce is amazing¡­" Rin said as he looked around the small room they were in. He expected twofy seats but not an actual full room with a huge ss window that views the garden under them.


    Elise merely looked around once and sat down.


    "Something wrong?" Rin asked when he noticed her weird behavior.


    "Who were you searching for that felt ''familliar''?" She asked.


    "It''s not rea-"


    "You reek of women''s perfume." She cut him off sharply as she looked through the menu casually.


    ''You can''t hide anything from her, huh?'' Rin thought as he sighed and then told her the whole story of how he met Evelyn before while hiding some parts such as the first kiss and the intimate interaction they had a while ago.


    "Hmm, I see¡­ So there is a woman after you?" She asked.


    "More or less?"


    "How convenient."


    "It''s not my fault, though. I don''t even know what she wants from me. All I know is that she wants something."


    "Is she a threat?" Elise asked coldly.


    "I am not quite sure. But, I can say that she most likely isn''t going to be a huge hindrance. She frankly could''ve killed both of us if she wanted."


    "I see¡­" Murmuring, Elise fell into her own thoughts.


    Rin felt the awkward atmosphere intensify in the room for no apparent reason. He felt as if Elise was deliberately making the room feel as ufortable as possible for him.


    ''I''m starting to feel guilty.'' He thought in his head.


    "Mmm, are you really not angry?" He decided to ask.


    "Angry? For what reason should I be angry?"


    "I mean¡­"


    "Hmm?" Pressuring him with her strong gaze like that of an eagle, Rin found himself turning more and more speechless the more he tried to say something.


    "Forget about it, it''s nothing."


    ''When is the fucking waitering?! It''s been almost 15 minutes of waiting!!'' Rin wanted to start eating in hopes of defusing the heavy atmosphere.


    Then, the door to the small cab they were in knocked.


    ''Finally!'' He thought in his head. He then stood up and opened the door. But, instead of seeing a familiar waitress with two servings of food, he was weed by the sight of two huge and soft melons covering his face.


    "Rin!!!" Aria screeched as she jumped on Rin and hugged him tightly in a huge bear hug.


    "Oh, Aria?" Rin was surprised as he tried to release his face from her breasts before he suffocates.


    "I missed you so much! Why didn''t you contact me in the past week?! Did you forget about me?" She asked a series of questions sessively.


    "How can I contact you when I don''t have any means to contact you?" He asked as he rubbed her back gently.


    "But, but, you even forgot about me. You will make your big sister sad, you know?" She said as she tried to hold in the tears from spilling out.


    "I''m sorry, ok? I was really busy and you were also busy, we didn''t have the time."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "I know. But, I missed you so much, Rin!"


    "I know, I know, I missed you too."


    Rin had to keep rubbing her back and her hair until she calmed down. After that, he made her sit down next to him.


    "It''s been a while, Aria," Elise said as she took a bite from her food that just came a few moments ago. She had ordered a meat soup and a sd as a side dish. It was a simple yet nutritious lunch.


    "You too, your highness," Aria said distantly then quickly turned around to Rin.


    "What are you waiting for? Tell me everything that happened."


    "Can''t I at least eat before doing that? I''m starving."


    "Tell me while you eat. I must know everything." Aria said with an eager look.


    Just like that, one hour out of the 3-hour break passed quickly. Normally, students have a one-and-a-half-hour break but since this was the first day and most of their sses would only start after a few days, they had more free time than usual.


    Rin had to tell Aria everything that happened in boring detail, from the test toing to the academy and everything that happened with Emilia. Even Rin was surprised at how much could happen in 9 days.


    Aria''s expression changed throughout the whole story from shock to delight and then sadness. She was like an open book to both Elise and Rin. After ending the story, Aria sighed and said.


    "You went through a lot, little brother."


    "I di- No, we did." He said as he nced at Elise for a moment.


    Aria then went silent for a few moments as if she was contemting saying something before she shook her head. Instead, she changed her tone a little bit to a more serious one.


    "Did you two see anything weird during the test?" She asked.


    "Something weird? You mean the Hybrid demon''s attack?"


    "No, something else. For example, the reason for the hybrid demon''s attack in the first ce?"


    "Wasn''t it just a small mistake from the professor''s subordinates?"


    Hearing his reply, Aria picked up a cup of water and drank it all in one gulp before putting it down.


    "Sigh, you two, listen to me carefully as this is a very important matter. It''s also something that neither one of you should know of. In fact, The only people that got ess to this information are the top 100-Rankers and some professors from the higher floors."


    "Huh? What''s going on, Aria?" Rin had a bad hunch about this.


    He knew Aria well so the fact that she looked this serious made him assume the worst.


    "It''s still not confirmed or even verified. It''s just what the floor supervisors and some other high authorities within the academy discussed and they gave us a brief idea of it. During the test, the hybrid demon didn''t slip inside the test domain by mistake. It was the deed of someone."


    "What?"


    "Let me exin first. The subordinates that should be patrolling the area were mysteriously drugged or maybe put under some kind of spell that made them lose consciousness. Beside them, they found an ownerless shadow¡­ Just like the one found in the king''s room on the day of this death."


    "Huh?" Rin and Elise looked at each other with clear confusion.


    ''Another shadow?''


    "At first, the shadow was examined thoroughly but it didn''t match any of the subordinates that were present there or anyone closely rted to the test. However, barely more than 3 months ago, there was a case of disappearance that shook the whole academy. One of the top 100 Rankers vanished mysteriously and was never seen again. The case was extremely weird as not only was the victim''s roompletely normal looking, there was not even a single sign of resistance or of a fight that may indicate kidnapping or even killing. The event was a hot topic for a while after that as the academy tried to find the student by all means possible, even searching around the whole world and major cities. However, they couldn''t even trace a single thing about him. As if he vanished into thin air. Or, swallowed by something."


    Rin looked down as he rubbed his chin trying to digest all of this information. However, he soon came to the realization of something.


    "Wait, don''t tell me¡­" Elise also realized it and quickly asked.


    Aria unfortunately nodded her head seriously.


    "When they examined the shadow, it indeed belonged to this missing student."


    (A//N: The plot is thickening :3)


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    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 107- Freak Of Nature

    Chapter 107- Freak Of Nature


    After the failed attempt to try and fly using the hybrid wing bird, he made the summon return to his shadow before doing his daily training routine and sleeping. As much as Rin was aware of how special he was, he liked to keep this fairly straightforward and simple lifestyle.


    The reason for that is that living a normal life like this even though most of his time, he was experiencing and facing abnormal situations, he wanted to keep his sense of an average life intact. He wanted his feeling of being human to stay as it is. Maybe it was because of his fear of the future or what he will be, but, for the time being, he wanted his daily life ignoring the major events that are happening one after the other to be as mediocrely average as possible.


    The next day, after their sses, Emilia called Rin to her office. It has been 3 days since thest training session they had and Rin was frankly eager to continue training under her supervision because the progress he saw in thest week was simply amazing.


    Not only did his technique with the dagger jump by leaps and bounds, everything else evolved ordingly without the need to even use the system or his Action Points at all. He was still sitting on over 8000 points that could easily push one of his stats to E+ Or even D- which was impressive.


    Having such thoughts, he looked at Emilia who was still ignoring him as she wrote something on a stack of papers. Her aura was even colder than usual.


    ''She''s angry?'' He thought to himself as he sat on thefortable chair silently. Watching her work wasn''t really that boring since she had such a charming demeanor that instinctively makes her stand out no matter what she did.


    After an unknown amount of time, she sighed and put the pen down before she rested her face on her fist.


    "How were your first two days?"


    "Not bad. It''s frankly easy." He said.


    Nodding her head, she stood up and walked toward him, her sharp eyes kept ncing at him.


    "I called here for two main reasons: the first one is that phase 2 of your training is going to start today."


    "Phase 2? There were phases in my training?"


    "Yes, what you learned thest week was phase 1. I just engraved the basics into your head. From dagger techniques to closebat techniques in general. Your talent made it easier for you to absorb all of that like a sponge."


    "Thanks for thepliment, master!"


    "It''s not apliment, moron. Sigh¡­" She tapped her forehead with a long sigh before she pointed at him.


    "Your talent can turn into a curse if you don''t value it. It''s already scary as it is so keep that in mind."


    Rin nodded his head at her words knowing fully well that even though she was acting harshly now, she was doing all of this to protect him which he was grateful for. Emilia was someone who didn''t like to convey emotions, not because she was simply incapable of doing so simrly to Elise but because she found them ''pointless''. For her, emotions were a hindrance to one''s mind and thinking. The more the person drowns themselves in emotions, the more vulnerable they are and that was a taboo for her.


    She was a very talented magician and a master at the sword who made millions of people look up to her and millions more envy her powers. Having countless enemies lurking in the shadows means that she needed to erase any possible weak points they could attack her from and emotions were one of them.


    So, most of the time, her words, actions, and even her general expression looked intimidating and also slightly harsh. However, Rin didn''t mind that at all as she was by no means a malicious person.


    "The second important thing is: I want you to spar with me." She said.


    "Spar with you?" Rin tilted his head, clearly confused.


    "Yes, I want to see how much you improved and also to see what kind of dungeon we are going to visit for your next phase."


    "Oh? This quickly?"


    "Yes, I expected it to take at least 3 months before allowing you to train your skills with actual dungeon monsters. But, it seems that my calctions were wrong by 5 weeks." She said sarcastically.


    "Great! I miss dungeons."


    "You did enter a dungeon before?"


    "Yes¡­ and it almost killed me, hehe." He said with an awkward chuckle.


    "Well, I''m sure you will be fine this time since I will be there with you."


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Rin stood silently as he looked at Emilia lightly stretching her limbs. She looked so causal that it made him feel very slightly nervous. He was sure that she won''t beat him up too much but he was still going against a monstrously strong individual that could easily shred him to pieces if she wanted.


    "The spar will be 5 minutes long. Use everything you have to try and touch me once. If you do, you will get a reward. If you don''t, you will be punished."


    "Just one touch?" He asked.


    "Yes, very simple, isn''t it?"


    "You won''t trick me, master. I''m sure it will be extremely hard to do that."


    His answer made Emilia smile slightly, just barely for him to see before losing her eyes and cracking her neck.


    "Well, I don''t think you can do that. But, I''m more than curious to see you try. Impress me."<novelnext></novelnext>


    Nodding his head, Rin looked at his dagger for a moment before taking a deep breath. He erased all secondary thoughts from his head and solely focused on the fight. All the things he learned in the past week came rushing back to him.


    ''I improved a lot. Let''s see if that is the case.''


    *Swish*


    His body vanished quickly as he dashed toward Emilia at his fastest speed. Rin was not stupid enough to hold back anything at all. He was going to go all out this time.


    Closing the distance quickly, he didn''t immediately sh his dagger. Normally, that would be the case when he fought before. But, the past and the present werepletely different.


    ''Formless Ghost Dagger.'' He thought.


    [Formless Ghost Daggers.]


    [Rank: A]


    [Level: 1]


    [Daggers are the des of assassination and the weapons of shadows. A mere swing could harvest souls and end lives. Formless as they are, they will be the ghosts of death that will never be seen.]


    [Every time this skill is activated, your movement will be blurry for any opponent while also increasing your movement speed and strength for 10 seconds. The skill''s cooldown is 10 minutes. The cooldown decreases as you level it up.]


    Activating the skill, his body blurred for a moment from Emilia''s vision. But, thetter didn''t move at all, instead, she merely bent to the side.


    The next second, Rin''s dagger shed where she stood from behind her. He had sneakily changed his position in that one second of camouge. His speed was also greatly increased, making teh sh appear like a sh of light that quickly vanished.


    "Still slow. Don''t always try to attack from behind." Emilia exined.


    Thetter nodded his head and quickly changed the grip on his dagger before stabbing to the side without cutting thebo off.


    Emilia simply bent to the side again, dodging it as if it was nothing.


    "You are still predictable. You must hide your intent from your enemies."


    "Hah!!!" Focusing on his movement, Rin jumped back before dashing toward her again from the side. Then, midway, he jumped in the air and span a few times like a tornado, his de moved along with him as he aimed for Emilia.


    *Swish*


    "Good attack, but itcks speed. You jumped too high in the air." She said as she looked at him.


    ? *Swish* *Swish* *Swish*


    A series of swift stabs and shes followed suit after that but none of them even scraped her clothes let alone touch her. Emilia was predicting his attacks and dodging them as if they were nothing.


    "Lacks strength there. Try to use your whole body in each attack to give it as much strength as possible."


    *Swish*


    "Great side attack. You created a perfectbo with the camouge of mana."


    *Swish*


    "That''s better than before. Just like that.."


    With each instruction she gave him, Rin kept improving basically in an instant. He easily understood and absorbed what she said and then fixed his mistake in the next attack.


    That level ofprehension could make other supposed geniuses just die from shock. He can learn in an instant?! What kind of nonsense is that?!


    However, only Emilia was there to witness that great improvement. But, even while witnessing her little monster creation, she didn''t allow him to have any kind of sess in his attacks at all.


    She wasn''t even pretending that it was exerting some of her efforts. All she did was dodge and then sternly fix his mistakes. However, deep in her head, she was having different thoughts.


    ''What a fucking monster. Hehehe. Not only has he basically mastered all the Formless Shadow Dagger techniques, but he also kept improving with each word I say. That''s a bad joke, really.'' Seeing all of her hard work turn Rin into such a freak of nature was so thrilling that it could only make her eyes burn with determination. This boy was just such a subject of deep amazement and unbearable curiosity for Emilia.


    ''You are something else, Rin. How deep can your mystery go? For how long should I dig to find the end of your potential?''


    (A//N: Did you like the chapter or do training arcs feel boring with my writing style? I have no idea so a simple answer will help a lot.)


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    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 108- Something From The Heavens

    Chapter 108- Something From The Heavens


    "You only have 2 minutes left, Rin," Emilia said as she looked at her bracelet casually.


    "Hah¡­ Hah, I still didn''t give up." Rin said as he wiped some of the sweat that umted on his face with his shirt. The idea of giving up never crossed his mind at all, all he thought about was how to get to actually touch Emilia.


    ''Should I just use that?'' He thought in his head.


    ''Wait, he still has more?''


    Hearing his thoughts, Emilia''s interest peaked as she gazed back at him with anticipation. She thought that she had seen everything he had to offer but for him to still have a trump card hidden, she really wanted to see it now.


    ''Maybe he''s going to finally reveal his element to me?''


    All this time, Emilia had never forgotten about Rin''s element at all. It has been something that she spected on many times but couldn''t find a possible element that could fit him. Even when he tried to sense his mana and guess the element from his mana pattern, she couldn''t find anything.


    Most people''s mana changes drastically when they awaken as they adapt to the person''s powers. For example, a water element user will have very fluid mana, ice users will have a mana that feels slightly colder than normal and fire users will be the opposite of that. These small alterations affect the user in the longer term, the more they develop their powers, the more their mana bes fused with their element.


    Some extremely strong magicians can even make anyone feel as if they were inside a freezing blizzard storm or submerged in the deepest parts of hell just by pressuring them with their aura.


    But, Rin had no such thing, his mana was so raw and pure that it almost made Emilia believe it was the world''s mana just purely concentrated in his body. This made her ask many questions but couldn''t find a single answer to them.


    *Swish*


    Hearing the sound of Rin closing up on her again, she shook those thoughts and focused on him.


    ''What is he going to do?''


    The moment Rin was close enough he jumped in the air. But, he didn''t attack and insteadnded again and moved around Emilia. His speed coupled with the mana camouge from the Formless Ghost Dagger technique made his movement very hard to follow.


    In less than 3 seconds, he had turned around Emilia many times, closing up to her before backing away at thest second.


    ''He''s trying to make me lose my stance and then attack me when I least expect it. Clever.'' Sheplimented in her head.


    A weird kind of blur appeared around Emilia''s spot where she stood. Rin''s body was basically everywhere and nowhere, his afterimage made any normal person incapable of determining where he was exactly. However, that was obviously not the case for Emilia at all.


    *Swish*


    Rin''s de suddenly appeared right in front of her face, barely one inch away from her eyes. However, Emilia simply tilted her head and the dagger passed her, barely touching a strand of her beautiful ck hair.


    ''He threw the dagger?'' Looking back, she saw that the dagger vanished. Rin had picked it up midway through the air.


    *Swish* *Swish*


    Rin''s threw the dagger again at Emilia which she dodged again and again as if it was nothing. She didn''t even need to look around her to be able to detect the dagger''s exact ce and trajectory before moving her body.


    ''How can she do that?'' He asked himself.


    ''Ah, whatever!''


    Then, Rin quickly opened his system and then his stats. He saw that he had exactly 8045 Action Points that he had never used.


    ''System, put 2000 Points into Agility and 2000 into strength!'' He thought in his head.


    [2000 Action Points have been put into Agility.]


    [Agility has evolved from F- to E-.]


    [2000 Action Points have been Put into Strength.]


    [Strength has evolved from F to E.]


    Even though there was some risk in this move that Emilia might get suspicious. But, Rin wasn''t someone to back down from a fight without giving his best especially when it will definitely benefit him in the future. Besides, he will have to use some of these points at some point so he might as well do that now.


    Instantly, Rin''s body was pumped with an overwhelming amount of energy he didn''t the source of. It was as if his body was reborn again after evolving. Such an intoxicating feeling of extreme power made him very delighted. He felt as if he was on top of the world at the moment.


    ''Let''s do this!''


    Emilia waspletely oblivious to this so she didn''t know that Rin had powered up greatly. He was nowpletely a different person.


    *Swish*


    ''Hmm?'' Her eyes widened a little bit when she felt that something was off.


    The dagger that he threw at her this time was way faster than before. In fact, Emilia was sure that if she waspletely rxed, the dagger might''ve actually touched her hair. But, that didn''t happen.


    *Pang*


    ''His speed increased too?''


    Emilia noticed that his blurry image became even hard to follow. She now had to actually look at him just to see him clearly.


    *Swish* *Swish* *Swish*


    Three daggers were thrown all at the same time from different directions. Emilia''s eyebrows rose a little bit in surprise and quickly bent her body down. No, they weren''t three daggers but one camouged dagger thrown at an extremely high speed.<novelnext></novelnext>


    ''He''spletely different.'' She analyzed him in her head with a serious frown.


    "You let your guard down, master."


    She heard his voice near her ear and she quickly turned around before jumping back before he could touch her. Rin''s hand moved in grabbing her.


    "Tsk." Emilia clicked her tongue.


    *Swish*


    She suddenly vanished from her initial ce startling Rin to his core. But, before he could even care about such a trivial thing, he found himself a few inches away from smashing to the ground.


    But, Emilia grabbed him with her left hand. The two looked at each other for a good 3 seconds.


    "..."


    "Mmm, bonjour?" He said awkwardly.


    "You¡­ Sigh."


    "Hey, master. You lost." He said as he pointed at her left arm and then at his bracelet which indicated that the 10 minutes were still not over.


    Emilia froze for a second before she released her arm, making Rin fall to the ground.


    "Forget about the reward. What did you just do a second ago?"


    "Hmm?"


    "Don''t act like a fool. How did you suddenly be faster and stronger?"


    "I don''t know what you are talking about." He replied casually as he crossed his legs on the ground.


    "You little rascal! Do you take me for an idiot? Hurry and spit it out before I make you spit it out."


    "Would you promise to keep it a secret, master?"


    "I already saw your talent and I could''ve leaked it out to anyone and got anything I want for it. But, I never did that. I won''t tell you to trust my word. But, my actions speak louder than my words. Now, say it."


    "Fine, fine. Well, the truth is, and please don''t get shocked because of it."


    "I won''t get shocked."


    "Ok. Other than the talent that I have now, I have another special power."


    "Special power?"


    "Yes, special power. It allows me to basically be able to kill monsters or do certain things and that will make me power-up, basically."


    "Huh?"


    "In a nutshell, with each monster I kill, I can get stronger on time." He said.


    What Rin revealed was technically the truth about his system. He wasn''t allowed to reveal anything about his system so this vague description was the most he could say which also doesn''t affect him much. For him, Emilia was worthy of enough trust to tell her about this special power of his.


    He was sure that no matter what happens, she will keep this a secret. It wasn''t a matter of deep care for Rin but because of her extremely prideful personality. Emilia was never someone that licked to snitch just to gain more power or wealth. For her, that was the deepest humiliation possible.


    Emilia''s body froze in its ce. Her mind short-circuited. She didn''t know what to say at all.


    "You can get stronger just by killing monsters? Just like that?"


    "Just like that."


    "Huh¡­ Hehehe!" Her shocked face then gradually turned into low chuckles. She held her face with one hand and kept chuckling.


    "Hahaha! What are you really, Rin?"


    She didn''t say ''who are you?'' but ''what are you?'' which meant that Emilia didn''t believe Rin was a human at this point. There is simply no human that should have the ability to continuously evolve. That shes with worldws.


    "Master¡­" Rin called for her.


    "You must be some kind of treasure from the heavens, Rin. This is not a coincidence. You contradict every worldlyw and basically spit in the face of this world''s greatest figures. Hahaha! This sounds like the most stupid joke I have ever heard. Maybe you are indeed some kind of god or a higher entity." She said.


    Emilia didn''t even know what she felt at that moment. Was it a thrill? Was it amazement at the thing that Rin keep on showing her that somehow topple down the one before? Or was it something else¡­ Something that she didn''t want to admit to¡­ Was it fear?


    Fear to witness someone that could potentially have the fate of this whole world in his hand in the near future. Emilia felt that she was indeed facing something far greater than anything she had and will ever witness in all of her life. It was impossible not to feel fear. But, her fear didn''t stem from Rin but from the worst that could happen if Rin was turned into an enemy of this world. The mere thought of that happening made Emilia shudder slightly.


    ''If we turn him into an enemy... That''s going to be our end. Until he bes stronger, way stronger than anyone else, I must keep him safe.''


    The two people''s rtionship was starting to get more and moreplex by the day. One wants to get stronger and the other wants to protect him at all costs for his sake and the sake of the world''s future.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 109- A Night With Aria (Part 1)

    Chapter 109- A Night With Aria (Part 1)


    "So, can you show me how you do it?" Emilia asked after calming down a little bit.


    "I can. But, I need to kill some monsters first. It won''t work like that." Rin said as he looked at his own hand with aplicated gaze.


    "Well, we are going to visit a dungeon soon. As for which rank you should enter¡­ Hmm?" Emilia thought for a while before nodding her head as if she came to a good decision.


    "I can see that you can easily fight in an E-Rank dungeon and even a D-Rank dungeon might not prove to be that hard for you. A custom dungeon should be the best choice."


    "A custom dungeon?"


    "Yes, never heard of them?"


    ''Elise never mentioned custom dungeons before. Did she perhaps forget about it?'' Rin thought to himself.


    ''So there was another person that knows about this matter?'' Emilia''s interest peaked when she heard the name of a girl pop up seemingly out of nowhere. She thought it was only Rin that knew that secret about this world but it turns out there was someone who knows more than him.


    ''I need to meet this Elise girl too. But, it doesn''t seem that I can hear her thoughts.''


    But, she quickly put those thoughts in the back of her head and focused on the matter at hand.


    "Custom dungeons are basically dungeons that are created to amodate a certain type of training. Most dungeons fall into certain categories that are determined by the letters and ranks assigned to them Like C-Rank, D-Rank, etc. But, normally, people during their training will find themselves right in the middle between those two ranks. So, that creates a big problem as if they tried to enter a C-Rank while their power is weaker than that, they will be in huge trouble and if they entered a D-Rank dungeon, they will find themselves not progressing as fast as before. That''s where custom dungeonse into the equation. They have been invented to give the user full control of what he wants to face or what he doesn''t want to face. They are simply dungeons that can be formed however the person wants."


    "That''s possible?"


    "Yes, except that the only ce where custom dungeons exist is here. No other ce in existence has them. The founder was the one who invented them. We still don''t know how he was capable of doing so."


    "I see¡­ This founder seems to be amazing."


    "Yes, he is great. A man worthy of respect and admiration. A true hero." Emilia''s eyes turned a little bit softer when she said that.


    Rin could see the deep respect she carried for this founder from her eyes alone.


    "Anyway, you can go home for now. We won''t have time for this custom dungeon till next week''s weekend. Keep practicing during this time whenever you are free." She said.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    By the time Rin came back home, the sky had already turned dark and the weather was a lot colder than before.


    Opening the door, Rin walked inside and headed straight to the bathroom. But, the moment took the turn inside the hallway, he froze in his ce.


    "Hmm, hmm, hmm¡­ Oh! Rin! You finally came back!"


    Aria walked out of the bathroom wearing only a towel around her body that barely hid anything. Her beautiful red hair was soaked wet and her face was wet with water as the beautiful fragrance of shampoo assaulted Rin''s nostrils.


    "Aria? What are you doing here? Wait, how did you even enter the boys'' dormitory in the first ce?"


    "I have my own ways, dear little brother. Also, I''m going to spend the night, silly! What a stupid question." She said with a chuckle.


    "Huh? How can that be the case? Don''t you have to attend your sses tomorrow? You can''t just sleep here."


    "Oh, don''t worry. Top 100-Rankers can attend any ss they want and also be absent from any ss they want. We are free to do whatever we want."


    "That sounds stupid."


    "I don''t know, it''s the academy that set these rules." She shrugged her shoulders before she smirked and approached Rin.


    "Neh, Rin."


    "Hmm?"


    "Do you like this?" She asked as she made a turn in front of him.


    The towel moved a little bit, revealing more of her beautiful milky thighs. Rin would be lying if he said that he didn''t enjoy the beautiful sight in front of him but he won''t admit to doing that in front of Aria, would he?


    "You should wear some clothes, dear sister."


    "Moo, so boring! Look at me!"


    "No! Wear some clothes! You are basically naked!!"


    Rin said as he ran away. But, Aria wasn''t gonna give up on getting a satisfactory reaction out of her beloved Rin.


    "Come here! Give your big sister a hug!!"


    "No! Wear clothes first and then you can hug me!!"


    "Stop acting like a spoiled child ande here!!"


    The two ran around the house like two happy children ying hide and seek. However, their speed was far from ''childish'' as they appeared like blurs, moving from one ce to another. In the end, Rin ended up getting caught and hugged by the naked Aria.


    "Hmm, hmm! Yup, you are the best hugging pillow, Rin. I can''t get bored of this."


    "Yes, yes." He rolled his eyes as he gave up and hugged her back as theyy on the bed.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The two shared this quiet and peaceful moment together. Rin didn''t want to voice it out but he felt that Aria was trying to force her cheerful attitude more than usual. Something was definitely bugging her but he didn''t try to ask since he knew if Aria wanted to speak, she will tell him anything and everything.


    "Neh, Rin."


    "Hmm?" He asked.


    "If one day, let''s say hypothetically, I end up needing to leave for a long time. Would you let me go?" She asked.


    "Can I know the reason why?"


    "No particr reason. Just that I need to leave and we won''t see each other for a long time. Would you try to stop me?"


    "Do you want to actually leave?"


    "No."


    "Then, whatever problems happen, I will solve them so that you don''t have to leave. You will never have to do something you don''t want to do."


    Pulling away for a moment, Aria looked deep into Rin''s violet eyes for a long time before she closed her eyes and smiled affectionately.


    ? "Thank you, Rin. I love you."


    "I love you too." He said as he patted her head gently.


    "I feel way better now."


    "Mhm, what was that question though? That definitely sounded like there is something happening that you didn''t want to tell me."


    "No, there is really no reason for that question. It was just a gut feeling."


    "A gut feeling?"


    "Yes. Something inside me is telling me that things won''t stay the same for a long time. Something is changing drastically Rin and we don''t know what it is. My only fear is that it will consume us before we can fight it off. I don''t want that to happen. I don''t want to separate from you or father and mother. You are all my precious family. My most precious thing in this world and I can''t bear living without you."


    Rin''s face turned serious for a moment before he sighed and replied calmly.


    "There is no point in trying to think about the future, Aria. Our lives are in the present, not the future."


    "I know, but¡­"


    "Don''t worry. No one will rob me of what I consider precious¡­ Not anymore." A sh ofplex emotions appeared in his eyes for a split second before he quickly calmed down.


    ''Tsk, bad memories.'' He cursed in his head.


    "Anyway, enough of this sad stuff. Did you eat dinner?"


    "No¡­" Aria replied.


    "Let me cook something real quick. I will finally show my true cooking skills that I learned recently."


    Then, he woke up and walked toward the kitchen, leaving Aria to rest on the bed.


    After 30 minutes, he came back with two dishes in his hand.


    Aria examined the food with an impressed look. The smell alone was amazing. Rin had made pasta for dinner with chicken and cheese on top.


    "I call this ''Rin''s special pasta with chicken and cheesebo''. Tadah!!"


    "Pfft! What kind of silly name is that?" Aria chuckled.


    "Rude! It''s a cool name!"


    "Yeah, yeah, really cool."


    "Fine, no food for you." Rin pouted and picked the te up.


    "No! Wait! I''m joking! I''m sorry!!" She quickly apologized as she grabbed him by the hem of his clothes.


    "Hahaha! Good girl! Fine, here, dig in."


    Aria quickly picked up the fork and put a mouthful of pasta in her mouth. The taste of the sauce and the texture of the pasta were spot on. After that, she took a bite from the chicken and her eyes widened in shock.


    "Delicious!!"


    "You bet it is. I know that I have a talent for cooking." Rin said as he flexed his arm with a proud smile on his face.


    (A//N: sorry for thete chap. Enjoy!)


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 110- A Night With Aria (Part 2)

    Chapter 110- A Night With Aria (Part 2)


    Aria ate the food quickly while smiling widely. She looked like a glutton while devouring the pasta and the chicken.


    Watching her eat, Rin nodded his head with a satisfied smile. Aria was such an easy-to-please person that getting this reaction from her felt so satisfying because he knew it came from her heart.


    After dinner, Rin and Aria sat down to chat casually. They had a lot to catch on to in this one-week separation.


    "Hey, Rin¡­ Let''s take a stroll around the city."


    "Huh? Now?" Rin confusedly asked.


    "Yes! I really missed this city so I want to have a small walk with you."


    "What if we get caught?" Rin asked.


    The curfew time for the students on working days is 10 PM. After that, guards will start their patrols. If one student was found sneaking out at night, they get punished harshly. The academy values discipline more than anything so breaking rules is a hard no for them.


    Rin was sure that if they get caught, even Emilia won''t be able to lessen the punishment. She''s not above the rules after all.


    However, instead of nodding her head, Aria just smiled mischievously. Rin felt a chill run down his spine as he knew that when Aria smiles like that, it was never going to be a good thing.


    "Did you forget about your powers, dear brother?"


    "My powers.. Oh! Wait, you don''t mean¡­"


    "Yes! We will sneak out! It''s going to be fun!!" Pulling him up, she ran out of the room to wear some clothes.


    ''Hopefully, I won''t regret doing this.'' He sighed as he scratched his head.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    A guard was moving around the boys'' dormitory with a bored look. His eyes were half closed and he would yawn at least once or twice every minute. The cold weather outside didn''t help to make his shift any better.


    "I fucking hate this job." He murmured to himself as he started questioning his life choices.


    *Swish*


    "Hmm?" Hearing something, he turned around and looked at a certain corner of the building that he passed by a few seconds ago.


    "Is someone there?" He asked as he pulled out his weapon.


    Normally, he would never resort to getting his sword out in cases such as this one. But, for some reason, the guard''s supervisor had instructed them to be alerted and ready for fighting at any moment. No one knew why but they still obliged and followed the instructions. Their jobs were at risk after all.


    When he took the turn, he found nothing. Sighing, he put the sword back in his sheath and then walked away while rubbing his head.


    "I need to sleep." He murmured.


    Meanwhile, at the same ce where he stood before, two people appeared seemingly out of the ground.


    "Sigh, we almost got caught," Rin whispered as he helped Aria out of the shadow.


    "The rustle from the trees was the problem. But, hey, we didn''t get caught." Aria whispered back happily.


    After that, both of them walked out sneakily. No guard saw them so they dodged the hardest part of this thrilling adventure.


    Now, the whole empty city is for them to explore. The night sky was clear and the beautiful stars were like beacons of light riddling the cosmic carpet above them. The moon looked so mesmerizing and beautiful as it shined faintly.


    The silence of the city coupled with the cold breeze that came and went from time to time was so calming for some reason. Rin felt his heart and mind clearing up as he walked next to Aria.


    ''Wow, I never thought walking in an empty city at night will be this good.''


    "Isn''t it amazing?" Aria asked. Her beautiful red hair glistened softly under the moonlight.


    "It is indeed."


    "I used to go out like this from time to time to release some of the stress that I umted. It''s very effective."


    The two walked for a long time until they reached the main road of the city. It was basically deste of any humans in contrast to the usual bustling state it''s in most of the day.


    The two weren''t intending to stay out for long. It was just a quick walk and then they will quickly return before the guards get suspicious or do another check-up.


    "Hmm?" Rin''s eyes suddenly squinted.


    "Rin, are you ok?" Aria asked.


    "No, I just thought I saw something pass quickly there." He pointed at a cross road barely 60 meters away from them.


    Looking there, Aria saw nothing suspicious at all.


    "Maybe it''s just the shadow of the tree?"


    ? "..."


    Rin didn''t answer and instead decided to go there and see for himself. His gut feeling was telling him that it wasn''t really just ''the shadow of a tree''.


    *Step* *Step*


    Walking closer and closer, Rin felt a weird chill run down his spine. It was as if his body was alerting him not to get any closer. The feeling only grew stronger and stronger as he got closer to the ce where he saw the weird movement.


    Then, at one particr step, he halted. Aria, who was walking behind him, looked confused at her brother.


    "Wha-"


    Before she could even say anything, Rin''s shadow quickly moved and climbed her face before it closed its mouth shut.


    Rin looked back at her and gestured for her to stay quiet and hide her aura as much as possible. Rin also camouged his mana and his presence before he started tiptoeing closer. His face was gravely serious.


    When he was just about to take a turn, he put his back against the wall and peeked.


    There, he saw two people standing wearing all ck and hiding their faces. Because of their clothes, he couldn''t notice any particrly noticeable features about them except for one thing drawn on their clothes.


    ''A ck dagger?'' He thought to himself as he squinted his eyes, trying to find anything else.


    The dagger was not big and had this ominous ck hue around it. However, for some reason, Rin felt that the dagger looked eerily simr to the Shadow Monarch Dagger. No, it wasn''t just simrities, they were basically carbon copies of each other.


    ''Why is¡­ the Shadow Monarch Dagger drawn on their clothes?''


    But, he knew that he won''t be able to find the answer to that. There was something extremely fishy about these people.


    Aria had also been taking a peek from the side. It didn''t take a genius to determine whether these people were to any good.


    "Keep quiet," Rin whispered to her.


    However, even though the two of them were not that far, Rin couldn''t hear anything from their conversation.


    *Tap* *Tap*


    Then, he heard the sound of footstepsing from the other side of the street. Quickly, Rin hid his body behind the wall and stopped his breathing.


    He had felt it, the two people were now looking in this direction.


    "Go check." He finally heard one of them speak.


    ''Fuck.'' Rin cursed as he nced at Aria.


    She had already touched his hand and Rin quickly made them vanish.


    The next second, the man appeared around the corner, and for the first time, Rin was able to look at him from a closer angle. He was tall, extremely tall with a huge body frame and bulging muscles. His face was covered under a ck veil with only his eyes apparent. Both of his eyes were of a dark shade of violet in contrast to Rin''s clear violet eyes.


    He wore a huge ck robe with the dagger symbol in the middle that basically covered every inch of his body from head to toe.


    The man scanned the area with his cold, almost robot-like eyes. When his eyes glossed over Rin''s shadow where he was hiding along with Aria, both of them felt a chill run down their spines.


    ''He''s dangerous!!'' Rin thought as he instinctively held his breath just to not make a single sound.


    Luckily, the man didn''t seem to notice any abnormalities as he quickly turned around and walked away.


    "Nothing." He said one single word.


    After that, the three people quickly walked away in a random direction. When they were sure the ce was safe, Rin and Aria got out.


    "What was that?" He murmured with a frown.


    "I don''t¡­ Know. But, that man¡­ He was definitely stronger than me." Aria replied while still in a slight daze.


    Not many people can be stronger than Aria so that, in and out of itself, was a shock to them.


    "We need to follow them," Rin said.


    "Are you crazy? They can easily kill you."


    However, instead of answering, Rin pulled out Shadow Monarch Dagger and showed to Aria. Thetter had never seen the weapon before and this was the first time anyone other than Elise saw it.


    "Wait¡­ that''s?"


    "Yes. That''s why I must know who they are and what they are doing here. It''s a matter that concerns me." Rin said as he clenched his fists.


    If they were merely a few shady people, he would''ve just reported it to Emilia and didn''t try to do anything. But, seeing that symbol, he won''t let this matter slip as if nothing happened.


    ''I have a bad feeling about all of this. What is really going on, sigh?''


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 111- Mind In Chaos

    Chapter 111- Mind In Chaos


    "Wait, Rin." Aria pulled him quickly before he moved away.


    "What''s the meaning of this? Where did you get that dagger?" She asked in a hurry, clearly distressed.


    "It''s a long story. I will exinter. Now, I need to follow them before they vanishpletely."


    As he was about to vanish inside his shadow, Aria spoke.


    "I will go with you."


    "Huh? No way!"


    "Why not? I can''t just let you do such a dangerous thing alone."


    "It''s exactly for that reason. I can escape easily if they catch me. I can''t guarantee your escape, Aria. Besides, my shadow moves faster if I''m the only one inside. I can''t risk putting your life in danger just because of that."


    "You can''t just¡­" She said.


    "Listen¡­" He put his hand on her shoulder and smiled.


    "I won''t take long. If I don''te back in 15 minutes, you can track me, fine?"


    Aria looked at him for a few seconds with aplicated gaze. Then, she smacked him on the head.


    "Ouch!"


    "You are a huge, reckless idiot!"


    "Hehe! I have no choice."


    Then, she quickly pulled him into a tight hug.


    "Don''t get too close to them and return immediately after taking a small peek. You have to promise me that."


    "Sigh, fine, I promise."


    "Good. You better do or I will find you and punish you."


    "Scarryyy~~"


    Then, Rin disappeared, leaving Aria with an extremely worried look.


    Rin''s shadow moved sneakily under the moonlight as he crossed the road. He wasn''t feeling their presence at all but he had seen where they went so he didn''t have a hard time finding them. They weren''t moving at a fast speed and instead were seemingly taking a stroll.


    ''Where are they going?'' Rin thought as he kept following them from far away.


    He made sure not to get close at all as the risk of him getting exposed will be high the more he tried to approach them.


    This continued for the next 5 minutes as they took turns left and right, until they reached the outskirts of the city, just near the city walls.


    There, right in a dark corner, the three of them halted out of nowhere and turned around. One of them then looked at his hand as if he was checking time.


    ''Are they waiting for someone?''


    Rin couldn''t hear them speaking so he had no idea what was going on. Luckily, they didn''t seem to be conversing at all so he wasn''t missing out on anything important. Time moved slowly as they stood there, motionless, like old statues. Their abnormal behavior sent a chill down Rin''s spine and made him hesitate about staying any longer.


    ''No! I still have time so it should be fine. I feel like something will happen anytime soon.''


    Then, as if fate was approving of his words, another person appeared walking toward them. In contrast to them, this person seemed to be in normal clothes but with a covered face. Rin couldn''t identify him at all. But, for some reason, he felt that this person was vaguely familiar.


    When he reached them, he said.


    "Was that offer true?" He was clearly trying to change his voice as much as possible.


    "Do you ept?" One of them asked.


    "No, before that¡­"


    The same man opened his mouth to cut this mysterious intruder off. However, another one of the three men was the first to speak.


    "Our invitation was clear. Follow us and you shall find what you yearn for."


    "By following you, what do you mean?"


    "The true path is the path created by our lord. Those who seek it shall be glorified and those who try to oppose it shall be despised by the Shadow Monarch. You, child, are one of those chosen by our lord to carry his will to the future. We invited you under his order."


    "Shadow Monarch? Lord? You guys are definitely not normal. I don-"


    "You are feeling pain, aren''t you?" The man cut him off again.


    "I can feel it. You are lost, your soul and mind are in shambles. You don''t know right and wrong and you also don''t know what you should do, am I right?"


    "Huh¡­ How did you know that?""


    It seemed that the man''s words were spot on as the mysterious fourth party looked quite shocked in his reaction.


    "You aren''t any different than most of us. We are all lost souls, floating in this dark, scummy world, trying to find a greater purpose or in this case¡­ Reaching a goal and fulfilling a dream."


    "Every dream and desire of yours are only within our lord''s hands. His merciful arms shall bless you with everything you want. All that you have to do is to follow him and carry his will. If you want power, wealth, love, and even greater things. It''s all within your reach. All you have to do is extend your arm¡­ and grab it."


    "..."


    The fourth party fell silent as if he was contemting whether he should really trust the words of this stranger or not.


    As for Rin''s, his face turned grimmer and grimmer as he listened to their conversation more and more.


    ''Those words¡­ are eerily familiar.''


    He was sure he heard simr things said to him before. They were basically carbon copies of each other. They all promised strength and wealth. They all were trying to convince and to glorify. As for what thing they were trying to glorify¡­


    ''The shadow monarch¡­'' Rin reached his conclusion.


    These same words were said to him by thest will of the shadow monarch back in the awakening room and again in the D-Rank dungeon. Since then, the will has never spoken to him again and he quickly forgot the matter.


    ''What is going on?'' Rin''s eyes widened from shock.


    ''Were these people some kind of cult followers for the shadow monarch?''


    It was the most likely possibility. From their clothes down to their words and everything around them.


    ''But, why would a cult of these people exist? And why did they never appear in the game before? Oh wait, the shadow element doesn''t even exist in this world. So, this¡­''


    The more Rin thought about it, the more his mind felt chaotic. The shock was just too big. He really didn''t know what to do with this information. Are they his enemies? Are they the ones responsible for the death of the king of Aviresion and the top 100-Rank student?


    ''They are most likely the culprits. Tsk, this isn''t good at all! Things are getting out of control.''


    *Tick*


    Suddenly, as Rin was deep in his thoughts, his shadow which was hidden behind a thick bush, moved a little bit closer and rustled some of the leaves on the bush. This happened for two main reasons: Rin''sck of focus on his shadow element and also because of the cold wind that kept moving the leaves closer and closer to him.


    The three men instantly looked and Rin''s direction, poring through the bush and seemingly staring directly at him.


    ''Fuck!''


    Without waiting, he quickly dashed away as fast as he could. He didn''t look back or even tried to check whether he was caught or not.


    His heart was beating loudly and his breathing was erratic as if he just came out of a marathon. He knew this feeling¡­ this desire to get away as quickly as possible, the chill that runs down his spine, the adrenaline that keeps pumping into his heart endlessly. It was fear.


    *Swish*


    One of the men vanished and appeared behind the bush. His speed was way faster than the blink of an eye. It was a realm of speed Rin couldn''tprehend.


    Looking around him, he tried to detect any presence close by. But, luckily for Rin who was still hiding in the shadows, the man wasn''t able to feel his aura at all.


    "We are being followed."


    "Tsk. Not good. Follow whoever it is and kill them."


    Then, the bulky man vanished somewhere quickly.


    "H-Huh? Followed?! What if they saw me?! shit!!" The fourth party panicked as he tried to run away.


    However, the man he was speaking to grabbed him by the shoulder and turned him around.


    "Let me go!! I''m screwed!!"


    "Listen."


    "No! I need to go!!"


    "I said shut up and listen."


    The man''s domineering aura made the fourth party shut his mouth in fear. Gazing at the man''s veiled face, he could only shudder fearfully in his grasp.


    "I will warn you. This is yourst chance for you. If you run away, it''s over. You will stay the same loser, a coward, that has no strength. You will never be able to get what you want. I''m giving you this opportunity for you to fix your miserable life. Think about it."


    As he spoke, the wind blew on the man''s face, revealing a few of his hidden features under the veil.


    This small glimpse, as small as it was, was more than enough to shock the fourth party to the core. His eyes widened and his heart seemingly stopped beating for a good 3 seconds.


    "You are¡­"


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 112-You Are Not!

    Chapter 112-You Are Not!


    "Fuuh¡­ Did I lose him?" Rin thought as he rested his ck on a wall while keeping his eyes on the way he came from. He was sure that the three men didn''t see him since he ran away quickly. But, he wasn''t sure whether one of them followed him or not.


    ''I still have a few minutes before Aria wille after me. I can take a detour and then go back to her from the other side.'' He thought to himself as he calmed himself down. His heart was still beating fast but he was now way moreposed than before.


    Rin felt really ashamed that he had to run so cowardly like that but he was one that knew his limits and those men are clearly way above his limits. If he did stay, he was sure that his death was set in stone.


    After waiting for some time, he checked his mana pool to see how much he has left.


    ''Tsk, I can only use it for one or two more minutes at most. Not optimal.'' Rubbing his chin, he tried to think of his next steps.


    But, before he could even do anything, he heard the sound of a strong wing gush. His mind wasn''t even able to register what happened. His body, however, was faster to react as his survival instincts kicked in and he quickly dived into the shadows again without thinking twice.


    Not even a split second passed and someone appeared near where he was standing just a moment ago. Looking at him with his eyes widened and his heart almost popping out of his chest, he saw the burly man from before.


    His dark violet eyes looked around ominously as if he was searching for something. His aura kept pressuring the area to the point of suffocation. However, Rin couldn''t really bother about that, not when his life was this threatened.


    Then, the man vanished again like a lightning bolt, leaving behind a small cloud of dust.


    ''Fuck¡­'' Rin cursed as he peeked out of the shadows slightly. His face was sweating and his heart was beating at maximum heart rate, threatening to burst at any moment. The fear that Rin was feeling at this moment was somehow rooted in his whole being even though he only met these people barely a few minutes ago.


    How can someone be so maliciously powerful that he could turn him into a scared mess just from being there? That wasn''t something that only sheer strength can do. There was something else about these people that made them so oppressive. Something that Rin couldn''t grasp quite yet.


    ''He''s still roaming the ce. If he stumbles upon Aria by coincidence or finds her¡­ I don''t want to even imagine what could happen.''


    Clenching his teeth, Rin decided to move faster and leave the area with Aria as fast as possible before the burly man finds them.


    *Swish*


    Taking a peek left and right, Rin started moving quickly but silently, crossing each street after making sure the man wasn''t close by. The sheer nervousness that he felt at the moment made him think about leaving this ce quickly without looking back. But, he would immediately shut those thoughts up and focus on what he needed to do.


    ''If Aria ends up harmed because of me¡­ I will never forgive myself.''


    After moving for some time, he reached the street where he left Aria at.


    ''Where is she?'' He clicked his tongue as he looked around. He barely had any time left and his mana pool will bepletely emptied. He also can''t get out to drink a mana potion because not only does the potion not restore his mana instantly, but it also takes some time to take effect in contrast to healing potions'' instant effect.


    *Swish*


    Leaving the shadows, Rin looked around him as he tightly grasped his dagger, ready for anything to jump on him.


    ''Aria, where are you goddamit?'' He was getting more and more frustrated the more he looked around.  She should''ve been here now yet she isn''t. Was she caught? Did she go search for him?


    *swish*


    Suddenly, the same sound of wind he heard before reached his ears. Rin felt the hair on his arms stand up and quickly tried to hide. He had no way of entering his shadow again so the only thing he could do was to try and hide outside.


    ''Fuck, fuck, fuck¡­'' He cursed as he closed his eyes.


    *Tap* *Tap* *Tap* *Tap*


    The sound of steps kept getting closer and closer to his ce of hiding. With each passing second, he felt his fear grow bigger and bigger.


    But, before taking thest step, the one that could potentially make the burly man discover Rin, he suddenly changed direction and started walking away. The relief that Rin felt was so big that he almostughed.


    However, that relief didn''tst long¡­


    "Sneaky insect."


    In a moment, the burly man manifested beside him, looking down with his dark purple eyes disdainfully at Rin.


    Then, without hesitation, he grabbed RIn by the throat and lifted him up.


    "Ugh!!" Rin struggled to release himself as he started suffocating slowly.


    "Too curious for your own good?" The man asked.


    However, RIn had no way of answering.


    After that, the man turned around and smashed Rin''s body against the hard wall.


    "Blurgh!!" Air was knocked out of his lungs and his eyes widened.


    But, it was far from over, the man then lifted him up again and smashed him on the wall, face first. The cement cracked and a small hole appeared where Rin was bashed.<novelnext></novelnext>


    *Smash* *Smash* *Smash*


    The man kept hitting him on the wall again and again and again ruthlessly. Blood sshed out of Rin''s nose and mouth. He was on the verge of getting knocked out. However, he knew that if he copsed now, he was dead for sure.


    After twenty or more hits, the man pulled Rin and asked.


    "Why did you follow us?"


    "Ugh¡­I-I have no idea¡­ Ugh, what you are talking about.."


    *Smash*


    "Speak."


    "I sai-"


    *Smash*


    The beating didn''t stop at all and Rin didn''t try to say anything to the man. Whether he dies or not, the most important matter is that if he survives this, the trouble will only sweep everyone around him with him. Elise, Aria, his parents, and everyone else will be a target.


    *Swish*


    Seemingly getting bored of this, the burly man pulled Rin out and threw him on the ground.


    "Cough! Cough! Cough."


    Then, he pulled out a ck dagger and aimed it at Rin''s face.


    "Pay for your grave mistake."


    After spitting out a mouthful of blood, Rin looked at the man, and in a totally unexpected oue, he smiled widely.


    "Before you do anything¡­ Ugh, tsk¡­ I want to say one thing¡­"


    The man''s cold eyes didn''t waver at all but he didn''t immediately kill Rin.


    Thetter then lifted his arm up and flipped his middle finger slowly.


    "Fuck you." His grin was so carefree that it would make anyone halt from shock. He had acted like this while still feeling that crippling fear of the man. Even Rin was slightly impressed at his own attitude. Fear somehow didn''t stop him from


    Without hesitation, the man then pierced with his dagger, aiming for Rin''s throat. He didn''t even hesitate for a second to end his life. Closing his eyes, Rin waited for the inevitable.


    But, less than a secondter, he still didn''t feel the cold de pierce his body and the long, cruel pain thates with it.


    Opening his eyes slowly, he looked at the man with a confused gaze. But, that confusionpletely shifted eventually.


    The man''s hand started shaking, and his aura alsopletely vanished as if something swallowed it. Everything about him became nothing but an illusion.


    "No way¡­"


    His dagger dropped to the ground as he started retreating, his eyes never leaving Rin.


    "There is no way¡­ No, it is not possible¡­No! No!" Holding his head, he started muttering quickly as if he was inplete shock.


    His fingers dug deep into his head as blood spilled out quickly and coated his veil in a darker shade of ck. His eyes were fidgeting left and right as he kept retreating back as quickly as he could.


    "What is wrong with him¡­?"


    The man''s hands kept digging into his head and injuring him again and again and again, like an artist carving a statue out of hard stone. His skin peeled off and his face looked even more hollow than before. Hell, even the veil couldn''t hide the hideous state he turned into.


    It was as if in less than a second, hepletely lost his mind. But it wasn''t as if he just decided to turn insane by himself. Something had happened that made him like that. But, Rin couldn''t see that at all, his eyes were closed and even if they were open, he was sure that nothing changed around him. It all didn''t make sense. Nothing made sense.


    "You are not! It can''t be!!! This is a lie!! A fucking lie!!! Our lord is not merciful!! It can''t be him!! You are nothing to him!! I say! You are nothing!!"


    Turning around, the man then ran away quickly without looking back.


    (A//N: No, it''s not a plot armor for those asking. I am building future plot points from now as they are what will flesh this arc out.)


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 113-Change (Part 1)

    Chapter 113- Change (Part 1)


    Rin stayed frozen in his ce for a long time, just gazing at nothing in particr. Saying that he was confused is an understatement. He waspletely and utterly bewildered by what happened. Everything just urred in a few seconds and ended in a few seconds.


    He had many questions but most of them just vanish quickly from his head as even more questions took ce. Even the fact that he survived didn''t really make him feel all that happy. A matter way bigger than life and death was bugging his head.


    "What was that?" He murmured as he touched his face with his hand.


    Taking a few long and deep breaths, he tried to calm down and rey the scene in his head. Even though he was far fromposed, at the very least, he was now able to think like a proper human being.


    ''He was about to kill me¡­ Then, he suddenly stopped and started shouting about something. What does mean ''I''m not''? I''m not what? Is he talking about the Shadow Monarch? Did my powers somehow trigger something that changed his mind? Or was it just some kind ofplicated heretic ritual that made him go insane?''


    All these things had many possible answers, some could be right while others could just lead him to a whole different direction from the truth. He knew that if he ended up assuming things and it turned up wrong, it would be nothing short of a disaster.


    Not only were these people way stronger than him, but they also had some kind of n he had no idea about. No matter where he looked, they had the advantage over him. He waspletely entrapped inside an unknown maze they set up and it was getting more and more confusing the more he tried to search for a way out.


    *Drip* *Drip*


    Hearing the sound of some kind of liquid dripping, Rin woke up from his daze. Small droplets of blood were trickling down his nose, forehead, mouth, and every part of his face. The pain was horrible but Rin couldn''t bother any less about it. But, since he was at it, he popped a healing potion.


    ''Fuck me! I''mpletely lost. What the fuck is going on? Everything doesn''t make any fucking sense. This happens and then that happens and here I am, just fucking confused as hell and clueless about everything. It''s fucking frustrating!! The only thing I was able to do was to fucking act like some edgy motherfucker as I flipped him off. Great! I gained +4 points in the cool stat!''


    He did indeed just smile and basically insult the man but that was for him, a form of defeat. He just used that frankly sarcastic approach to this near-death situation just to make himself feel better and to not lose his pride because he got beaten up to a pulp and was about to get killed in the most humiliating way possible. But, in the end, he was just the same weakling that could only give up before even trying and losing even if he tried.


    *Smash*


    Hitting the ground under him with his fist, he felt his teeth clench tightly from the sheer anger and frustration that built up. Rin was getting sick of all of these sudden events that keep happening left and right with no proper exnation or even a logical course of events. It just suddenly happens and he ends up incapable of doing anything.


    Even now, he was basically as good as dead. But, some kind of unexinable miracle saved his ass and it didn''t make him feel any better.


    He wanted to understand, he wanted to get rid of this messy situation and clean it up. But, he was sure it was far from solved and far from over.


    "I''m powerless¡­"


    Smashing the ground again, he felt his emotions go into turmoil. He hated this feeling, this feeling of weakness. The feeling of always being on the receiving end. As if he was nothing but a doll getting yed left and right by a puppeteer while watching like an idiot and not being able to do anything.


    ''How many times did I almost die since I came here? Too many times. And each time, I try to work harder and get stronger. Yet, the same thing happens again and again and again endlessly. It''s as if I''m getting yed like a joke or a prank.''


    "I''m worthless¡­ It fucking sucks¡­" Covering his face, he felt his eyes be hazy with tears. But, he stopped himself from crying. Even though he felt likeplete shit at that moment. Crying wasn''t going to solve this.


    Maybe he made a mistake by following the three men and maybe he made other mistakes that ended up dragging him close to death. But, in the end, even if he chose the safe option and didn''t follow them, he would''ve ended up facing them again eventually in the future. It was the same thing.


    "Hah¡­ Hah¡­"


    Then, his ears cough the sound of someone approaching. Looking up, Rin saw Aria running toward him with clear distress on her face.


    "Rin!!" She called for him.


    However, thetter merely nodded at her and stood up after wiping the blood that stuck to his face.


    "Are you ok?! What happened?! Did they catch you?! Your face¡­ What happened to your face?" She asked a barrage of questions.


    "I''m fine¡­ Let''s go¡­"


    "Huh? Just like that. Exin."


    "I will exin back in my room¡­" He said in a t tone. His facecked any emotions.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Huh? Rin?" Aria noticed that weird behavior and wanted to ask him again. However, Rin had already started walking away.


    On the way back home, Aria wasn''t able to say anything. Rin''s whole aura felt so unapproachable to her that she was amazed. She knew Rin and she knew his aura very well. It was always calming, soothing and beautiful, just like a crystal clearke untouched by wind or filth.


    But, right now, she felt as if Rin was pushing everything away from him. She had never seen him act like this before ever.


    When they were close enough to the house, Rin touched Aria''s hand. Thetter gazed at his eyes deeply and tried to understand what he was feeling at that moment. The curiosity was killing her.


    But, all she could see in his eyes were unfocused irises that seemed to be lost in their own world. She couldn''t understand whether he was angry, sad, or a mix of all of them.


    "Rin¡­" She felt her heart clenching from pain. Even though it was still unclear why he was acting like this, for Aria, seeing Rin looking so sad, so defeated was more than enough to make her feel as if thousands of nights were stabbing her chest.


    As she extended her hand to try and touch him, to make him feel her warmth in hopes of trying to make him feel better, to make him understand that she was there for him, he just ignored that and pulled both of them inside his shadow.


    Then, without looking back, he moved inside the Boys'' dormitory and entered his room before pulling them out.


    "I''m going to take a shower." He informed Aria before vanishing inside the bathroom.


    Aria just stood there silent, not knowing what to do at all. She had never thought that she could find it this hard to try and talk to Rin. Before, talking to him was so easy that she took it for granted that he will always speak up whenever she asked him. However, she could not be any farther from being wrong.


    Almost 30 minutes passed with no sign of Rin getting out of the shower at all. There wasn''t even the sound of water from inside so Aria was sure whatever he was doing inside didn''t include actually taking a shower.


    Aria couldn''t rest easy anymore, she couldn''t keep watching forever. So, she knocked on the door and called for him softly.


    "Rin? What are you doing there? Please, get out so we can talk."


    However, Rin didn''t answer.


    "Rin?" She called again but got no answer.


    Finding no other choice, Aria kicked the door open with her leg, not bothering about breaking it at all. But, much to her surprise, there was no one inside. The bathtub was dry and there were no clothes towels, or Rin himself.


    But, looking at the window, she saw that it was wide open as it was getting yed left and right by the wind.


    Running to it, she looked outside. The ce was as quiet as ever.


    ''Where did he go?! Did the three men attack him?! I didn''t even hear his thoughts so how did they attack him so quickly if that was the case?''


    Aria''s mind immediately went to the worst-case scenario.


    However, that idea quickly vanished as she noticed something on the sink. It was a piece of paper flipped on its face.


    Opening it up, Aria read the content.


    ''It''s written by Rin.''


    "I''m sorry for leaving without telling you. I know that if I told you beforehand, you will disagree. Don''t worry. I won''t be gone for long. I will be back by tomorrow morning. I just want to cool off my mind and think alone."


    (A//N: Hmm, I don''t know if this sounds too dramatic or if is it just in my head :3. Anyway, time to work on Rin some more.)


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 114-Change (Part 2)

    Chapter 114- Change (Part 2)


    (A//N: Slightly gory chapter. Just a warning.)


    The time was close to midnight, the forest was calm and quiet as ever. Nothing could be heard except for the asional rustling of leaves and bushes as some kind of creature moved inside them.


    The fake sense of tranquility this ce gives was the best hunting ground for predators that lurk in the shadows.


    *Swish*


    In between these bushes and thick trees, a silhouette could be seen moving nimbly and jumping from one ce to another. Wearing ck clothes, Rin was perfectly camouged into the area and it made it harder for animals to see him, not that he cared whether they saw him or not.


    ''How far did I go inside?'' He thought to himself as he scanned the area. When he left the dormitory again, he quickly chose the border forests as his destination for many reasons. One of them is the fact that they are not patrolled by guards and the second reason is that he wanted to vent off some of the anger and frustration he had. What better way to do that than to kill some monsters?


    He had been running deeper and deeper inside the forest for at least 10 minutes and he was now far away from the exit.


    As he kept getting farther and farther inside the forest, he noticed on the horizon, a small hill that stood out like a sore thumb.


    The hill was empty, but, Rin wasn''t careless enough not to notice that something or ''somethings'' are lurking there, hiding and waiting for a target.


    ''A group of beasts?''


    "Awooooo!!!!" Then, out of nowhere, he heard the loud howl of a creature followed by a series of howls from other beasts. The sound was deafening and loud enough to make the birds fly away in fear.


    Then, without waiting, the group of beasts appeared out of the bushes and surrounded Rin. Looking at each one of them with cold eyes, he could see that they were a bunch of wolves.


    He chose a random wolf and appraised it.


    [Silver Fur Wolf]


    [Rank: F]


    [Strength: F-]


    [Agility: F-]


    [Dexterity: F]


    ''Not that strong.'' Rin thought as he clenched his Dagger.


    The wolves started encircling him as they growled loudly. Their red furious eyes kept ncing at him ominously. Their saliva kept trickling down their chins and to the ground as they eyed hungrily eyed Rin.


    "Roar!!!"


    Then, without hesitation, all the wolves dashed toward him and jumped on him. They didn''t give Rin any escape route. Their aim was to shred him to pieces and kill him slowly.


    But, thetter wasn''t intending to run away at all. In fact, he was not going to let these wolves escape after this. They were now his targets.


    *Swish*


    When they were close enough to him, Rin activated Formless Ghost daggers skill and shed viciously.


    "Roaaar!!" Most wolves were caught in the attack as it slid through their thick skin and spilled blood out like a fountain.


    The ones that evaded were able to get even closer to Rin. Their teeth went in to grab him by the neck and arms.


    But, with a twist of his body, he easily evaded the attack and changed the grip on his dagger. After that, he stabbed one of the wolves in the eye. The sound of his eyeball popping like a ballon followed by the screech of pain echoed in the whole forest.


    But, Rin wasn''t over with that, he exerted his arm muscles and slid the dagger across the wolf''s face, slicing it open like a piece of butter.


    The wolf screamed loudly again as it tried to wriggle out. However, Rin wasn''t going to just let it run away, he grabbed it by the neck and lifted it up. Another wolf wasing after him from behind so he turned around and threw the other wolf at him before pulling out another normal dagger and throwing it at a third wolf that was close to him.


    The dagger pierced the air as it flew toward the beast and plunged into its forehead, piercing its forehead and killing it on the spot. Its eyes rolled to the back of its head as it fell down, motionless.


    After that, Rin walked toward the two wolves that were stacked on top of each other. One of them was bleeding buckets as it wriggled like a dead fish. He could see life seeping out of its one left eye. However, forget about empathy, the only thing Rin was feeling was boiling rage and anger. Not at the wolf but at himself.


    He was trying to vent his emotions on these beasts but seeing them dying this quickly only made him loathe himself more and more.


    ''I can only do this to weak creatures. But, when it matters, I can''t do anything.'' He thought to himself as he clenched his fist.


    Then, he pulled the dead wolf away and grabbed the other one that tried to bite him.


    *Smash*


    He punched it in the face once, then twice, and then three times. He kept on punishing it again and again and again. Each punch made him remember how he got handled by that burly man like a piece of trash.


    The wolf''s face turned into a mushy mess of blood and flesh as Rin kept punching it.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Die¡­"


    *Smash*


    "Die¡­"


    *Smash*


    "Die!!!"


    *SMASH*


    Thest hit blew the monster''s face off and it fell down dead, and headless. Looking at his hand, Rin saw the blood dripping from his hand. He got his hand injured because of the brutal beating he gave the wolf.


    Rin didn''t really notice his surroundings at all. Brain matter, blood, other weird fluids, and so many corpses riddled the ground.


    The smell alone could make anyone throw up. It was so foul that a normal person shouldn''t be able to handle it for more than a few seconds.


    Without doing anything else, Rin just wiped his hand on his clothes and started walking away with a frown on his face.


    But, before he could take a step, he heard a voice behind him.


    "That''s brutal¡­"


    The voice was like a soothing melody to his perturbed heart. It was a voice he loved very much even though he never thought about it.


    The same voice was somehow the way he can calm down and feel peaceful. As cold as it was and as emotionless as it was, he can only love that voice and tone.


    "What are you doing here, Elise?" He asked without turning around.


    "I heard that stuff happened. So I came here searching for you." She said as she walked toward him, avoiding stepping on blood and flesh on her way.


    "You didn''t need to follow me. I was just out to hunt and have some time alone."


    "I can see that you are having some ''fun''." She said sarcastically.


    "Ah! I don''t know. I just felt like being extra ruthless with them. Sorry for the disgusting sight." He said as he tried to force a smile on his face.


    However, Elise didn''t buy it at all since she looked extremely serious at the moment.


    "What happened, Rin? I hate to admit it, but seeing you act like this is ufortable."


    Rin didn''t open his mouth to answer and merely looked around him.


    "Remember what you said to me? ''We should always help each other when we need that''. You seem like someone who needs help."


    "Hehehe! You turned my words on me?" He asked with a sad chuckle.


    "I am just using them to convince you." She said tly.


    "But, before that. let''s go to another ce. The smell here is unpleasant."


    After that, Elise grabbed him by the arm and basically dragged him to another, calmer part of the forest. She chose an open area that has a view of the full moon.


    "Sit down," Elise ordered as she pointed at a bulging rock nearby.


    "Listen, Elise, it''s really not tha-"


    "I said sit down." She said in a domineering manner.


    "Sigh, fine." Obliging, Rin did what she asked for.


    After that, Elise sat down beside him and looked him in the eyes.


    "Speak. What happened exactly?"


    She didn''t allow him to look anywhere else and basically cornered him to speak and tell her everything. Rin was intending to tell her sooner orter so it didn''t really matter. He just wanted to stay alone for the night in hopes of calming down. s, that didn''t happen and he was sure that if he kept on running around and killing monsters, he would only feel even worse. So, in a sense, Elise was like a blessing in disguise for him.


    "Fine I willt ell you."


    (A//N: Rin''s character will be changing ever-so-slowly from now on. He will start to be even cooler:3)


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 115 - Change (Part 3)

    Chapter 115- Change (Part 3)


    Rin then went on to tell Elise what exactly happened in boring detail. He didn''t leave anything at all as for him, Elise was someone who he could trust with all his heart and never worry about the possible consequences of that. He was more than certain that she will never betray him or try to use that against him.


    Now, many would think that he was being naive for trusting someone so unconditionally. But, for him, there is always a type of people in this world that you can be certain they will never do low-handed stuff like snitching or betrayal. Their auras, demeanor, characters, and everything about them make you believe that they are not people to do that.


    Elise was one of that kinds, she was an honest, straightforward, and very frank person who doesn''t care about how people see her. She just does what she thinks is right and moves on, not looking back and only gazing forward.


    She was very prideful and someone who doesn''t resort to scummy moves just to get what she wanted. That''s why she turned out to be an extremely capable person who excelled in many areas. He was sure that if she ever ended up in a situation where betraying him would benefit her, she would never do that. Not because Rin was that important to her but because that will be an insult to her pride.


    That''s why, telling her his thoughts was like throwing them in a deep well, never to be seen again by anyone else.


    After a long time, Rin finally finished what happened and then sighed and looked up at the bright moon with aplicated gaze.


    "I was this close to death¡­ this close! And all I can do is childish things like that. If whatever happened didn''t happen, you won''t be talking to me right now. It pisses me off how easily I can be sent to my grave no matter how much I try to be stronger. All it takes is a swing of a sword or a hit from a magic attack and I''m done for."


    Clenching his fists, he continued.


    "I don''t want to be a hindrance to anyone, especially you. It frustrates me to think I can bring trouble to the ones around me without even being able to try and properly fix it. It''s stupid. That''s why I came here just to try and vent some of my frustration. It''s a cowardly move, I know. But, I was boiling inside and I knew that if I stayed like that, I would be still having dark thoughts."


    Finally, after ending his long monologue, he waited for Elise to reply. But, she didn''t speak instantly, instead, silence took over the ce.


    He was ready for all kinds of criticisms and he frankly wanted to hear that just to feel that he was right. He wanted someone to say ''Yes, you are weak, youck what it takes. But, you have to keep working harder to ovee that weakness'' or something along those lines.


    But, what Elise said next waspletely different from what he was anticipating.


    "You are really stupid, Rin."


    "... huh?" He couldn''t stop a weird sound from escaping his mouth. He was just that confused by her words.


    "You sometimes amaze me by how idiotic you could be. It''s a talent." She said with a t tone.


    ''I''m stupid?'' Rin didn''t know whether tough or cry at that moment.


    "The fact that you are ming yourself for something like this is idiotic. Why do you think we reached this ce and we are sitting here, in the middle of a beast-filled forest, and talking normally even though a monster could attack us at any second and kill us?"


    "..."


    "It''s called ''progress''. In the time we spent here, we progressed from beingpletely powerless to some people capable of defeating creatures tens of times our size with ease. We worked hard and gained strength and that strength tranted into real-life results. That''s what we did and that''s how it should be. We progress, step by step to reach a new milestone before aiming for another milestone. We can''t get instant strength to decimate a world, we get it through time and dedication. We can''t win against anything in a moment, we have to walk to the top and face troubles before doing so."


    Then, she pointed her finger at Rin.


    "But, what you are doing right now is called ''greed''. I frankly hate that word because it was one of the reasons I lost everything at some point. You are being greedy." She said with a clear frown on her mesmerizing face.


    "Fear of being a hindrance to others? I will tell you this. If you were a hindrance, I won''t be letting you into my ns at all. I am not someone who tolerates useless weight."


    Rubbing her temples, she shook her head as if she was disappointed by something.


    However, instead of feeling insulted, Rin was just purely impressed and also ashamed. Elise had pointed out his wed thinking so easily and so decisively that he could only look at his old self and have the urge to p him across the face and then spit on him. He was just caught in that dramatic moment and he continued along with it.


    It was indeed stupid to think that being weak right now is a mistake. He was working hard and getting stronger quickly. However, until he bes strong enough, meeting stronger people is only a given, and getting his ass handed to him is also a given.


    ''I''m such a dramatic idiot.'' He chuckled.


    "I''m sorry. I was maybe caught in the moment and ended up ming myself for all of this."


    "The contrast between your smart thinking and the asional idiotic ideas youe up with is something worthy of contemting. Let me ask you a question¡­ Who is stronger, me or you?" She asked.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "... I have no idea." He said after thinking for a moment.


    Rin had never really fought Elise before so he could only give a vague answer. He also knew that Elise was extremely strong.


    "Well, you have no idea because we never sparred before. So how about this, me and you, let''s fight, right here, right now."


    "Now?" He asked.


    "Yes, a clean fight, no abilities, no weapons, nothing. Just raw strength and technique."


    ''Why is she doing this?'' Rin asked himself as he looked at her suspiciously.


    However, it was sometimes really hard to determine what Elise was thinking so he quickly gave up and nodded his head.


    "Fine¡­ I don''t know what you are trying to do but I don''t mind." He said as he stood up.


    The two then stood face to face with a small distance between them.


    "We don''t need to make our attacks connect. If a punch was aimed straight to a vital or a weak point and one of us couldn''t defend it, that''s the end of the fight as it''s a loss."


    "I understand."


    After that, Rin took a fighting pose and focused on Elise. Thetter also took a stance. Taking the opportunity, Rin dashed toward Elise before sending a punch toward her stomach. He was ready to top the fist any moment in case she didn''t block it or dodge it.


    But, Elise simply extended her hand and stopped his fist. Her arm shook a little bit and she frowned for a moment but quickly regained her neutral expression. Then, she twisted his arm and tried to throw him to the other side in a ssic karate move.


    Rin couldn''t stop her and ended up in the air. But, he quickly adjusted his body andnded on his legs before he made a sliding tackle toward her open legs.


    Elise was barely able to avoid the tackle as she jumped in the air. After that, she punched Rin''s face. Her attack was precise and vicious, aiming straight for his jaw.


    ''Fast!'' Rin thought as he bent his head back, barely passing her fist.


    But, instantly, he found himself the target of a kick.


    ''She''s really not joking.'' He frowned a little bit before he started getting more serious than before.


    Putting both of his arms to the side, he blocked the kick. The hit almost made him lose his bnce. But, he quickly recovered and retreated a few meters.


    "We are equal," Elise said.


    "Seems to be the case. I never really thought we are that far anyway so it''s not a surprise."


    "It''s not over yet. It''s only over when one of us loses."


    *Swish*


    The two then dashed toward each other and shed powerfully. The trees around them shook as a strong gush of air blew the leaves and rustled the grass. Under the moonlight, two individuals fought against each other for the sake of nothing except to share fists.


    A pure fight that had no malicious intent behind it.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 116- Change (Part 4)

    Chapter 116- Change (Part 4)


    Approximately one hour before this, in another ce, far from where Elise and Rin were fighting, Emilia wasying on her bed, sleeping peacefully. For Emilia, these few hours of resting were as essential as her work. She was someone who loved to take care of her health and sleeping was one of the best healing processes a boy could go through.


    But, unfortunately for her, a knock on the door woke her up from slumber. Rolling on the bed, she spoke with an annoyed tone.


    "What is it, Serra?"


    She had her maid, Serra, always on standby whenever she was asleep in case she needed something or for protection. One of Emilia''s few ws is that when she goes to sleep, she basically bespletely vulnerable to any possible ambush. She tried to learn to keep her mind alert even when she was asleep but she couldn''t do that at all.


    Her body simply shuts off the moment she closes her eyes and only wakes up when she needs to wake up. A very heavy sleeper.


    "Mydy, please wake up quickly," Serra said with a clearly distressed tone.


    "Huh?" Emilia, who was still half asleep, didn''t get why her maid was acting like this. So, she left the bed, revealing her mesmerizing naked body. Her beautiful white skin was shining under the moonlight. Wearing her nightgown, she opened the door.


    "What is it, Ser-" Her question ended up halting midway when she saw her maid''s pale face looking terrified.


    Emilia didn''t know why she looked like this. Her breathing was erratic and she could listen to her heart beating violently in her chest.


    "T-There¡­ t-there is someone in the living room who wants to meet you?" She uttered with a shaky voice.


    "Someone? Who?"


    "I-I have no clue, mydy. But¡­ That person is strong¡­ extremely strong¡­" She kept shaking visibly as she recalled the man''s features and his intimidating looks.


    Emilia frowned slightly as she started walking toward the living room. She couldn''t feel anything from where she stood. There wasn''t even a trace of mana in the air which made her even more alert.


    Emilia was one of the best mages in the whole of Divine Sapphire when ites to mana control. Her control over mana reached such a high level of mastery that she was called ''The child of mana'' at some point in her life. She was confident that as long as this person was here, they can''t erase their mana traces from the air no matter how strong they are. Even if they try to camouge their mana or hide their presence, she can sense them.


    However, this wasn''t the case here. For some odd reason, this person, whoever he was, was able to evade her mana senses easily.


    ''How can that be?'' Her mind was in chaos but her expression never changed.


    When she reached her living room, she found someone sitting on the couch with both of his legs crossed casually.


    He was wearing ck, baggy clothes and had a ck veil over his face. If Rin was there, he would identify him as the man who spoke with the fourth party at the time when he was spying on them.


    "Who are you?" Emilia asked coldly.


    "It''s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Emilia."


    "I said, who are you and what are you doing here?" Her sword was already in her hand.


    "Please, refrain from this, Mrs. Emilia. We didn''te here to start a conflict¡­ Not yet, at least." He said without even ncing at her once.


    "I came here to deliver a message."


    "A message?"


    "Yes. I think we were quite clear with our intentions before. However, the academy doesn''t seem to be looking at this matter with clear intentions."


    "What are you even talking about? What intentions? Who are you?"


    "The Hybrid Demon incident¡­ Does that ring a bell?"


    Emilia''s aura instantly exploded as she immediately aimed her sword at the man. Her Killing intent waspletely focused on him. However, even under that strong pressure, the man didn''t even show a slight change of attitude or demeanor.


    "This is our message, Mrs. Emilia. The Gate of Licaria¡­ Open it."


    "Huh?" Her mind became even more confused.


    "That ce is simply in no way shape or form something the academy can control. Open that gate or the consequences will be dire."


    "What kind of nonsense are you spouting? Opening the Gate of Licaria? For what? To let demons barge into this world and destroy it? You must be insane."


    *Swish*


    Erasing any hesitation from her mind, Emilia used her sword to create a huge ice attack. Countless sharp shards of ice manifested around her as they got sted toward the man. Even though she didn''t use all of her strength in fear of destroying the whole house, she didn''t hold back either. This attack was enough to kill a B-Rank monster if it connected.<novelnext></novelnext>


    However, much to her shock, the man''s body vanished and appeared in a whole different ce in the living room. He moved so fast she couldn''t even see it with her own eyes. That alone was more than enough to immediately consider this person as an extremely dangerous enemy.


    "It''s ourst warning. Either open the Gate Of Licaria and free all the demons. Or¡­ Well, I will leave this part to the next time we meet, Mrs. Emilia. I hope you won''t disappoint us with stupid decisions. The academy doesn''t need any more brainless idiots."


    "Other floor masters had already gotten the message. Either ept it or bear the consequences of your choices." He said before he basically vanished again leaving Emilia frozen in her ce.


    "M-Mydy¡­" Serra called for her with a scared look.


    "Fuck¡­" Cursing, Emilia stored her sword and looked at her maid with a frown.


    "Call them¡­ This matter is no joke anymore¡­ It''s a mess."


    As a floor master, she was obviously aware of the matter with the test and she did report it to the higher-ups. However, she didn''t get any reply from them at all. Not because they didn''t find a solution but because they ignored that report. Emilia was aware of how arrogant those sleazy bastards can be because of their positions so they easily turned a blind eye to this problem and didn''t even try to address it properly for some reason.


    However, now that the matter was a clear deration of war, she can''t really let them just ignore it any further. What made her even more fearful of what''s going to happen is the fact that the person that seemingly came to deliver the message was probably not even one of the strongest people inside this organization/cult.


    The fact one of their seemingly normal pawns is clearly equal if not stronger than her is enough to make her spine shudder.


    ''What is going to happen to our world? This is really bad.'' She thought to herself.


    Her maid Serra quickly ran after her toward a secluded room inside the house that no one is allowed to enter. When they came inside, Serra walked ahead of herdy toward a huge thing in the middle of the room.


    The object was big, almost triple Emilia''s height and 5 times her width. It was made out of weird metal and had a rectangr form, like a huge metal fridge.


    In the middle of this object, there were many buttons of all colors. The machine looked to be something that shouldn''t exist in this world. Something so technologically advanced that it could make anyone question whether it was even made here or not.


    Serra then typed on some buttons with a focused look. As for Emilia, she merely sat down, her hands resting on the chair''s arms and cupped near her mouth, seemingly deep in thought.


    "It''s ready."


    "Connect the call." She said.


    Then, the maid tapped on a button and light immediately shone from the machine that engulfed the whole room.


    A few secondster, a voice spoke out of the machine.


    "Emilia! Thank god you finally called!" The feminine voice sounded stressed.


    "Calm down, Lilia."


    "How can I calm down? I don''t even know what''s going on."


    "How can she be calm indeed, darling?" A male voice barged into the conversation.


    "Sigh¡­ Freaking out isn''t a choice. Or do you want to end up killing, Licht?"


    The gentle sound of the man chuckled audibly as if he found her words funny.


    "You''ve been a veryposed person, darling. That''s what I love about you."


    Rolling her eyes, Emiliapletely ignored his flirting attempt with a frown. She had no time to entertain that freak.


    "Where are the others?" She asked.


    "I don''t know. Maybe they were attacked by these dark-clothed people?"


    "Possible, but not likely. You both noticed it didn''t you?" Emilia asked.


    "You mean¡­"


    "You are indeed quite sharp, darling. Yes, I felt it."


    "Those people¡­ could''ve killed us without being able to notice it."


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 117- L Owe You Way TooMuch, Elise (Part 1)

    Chapter 117- I Owe You Way Too Much, Elise (Part 1)


    "..."


    "..."


    The voices fell silent after what Emilia said. Not out of shock, but because of the fact that they were utterly yed. They didn''t know how these people were able to infiltrate the academy and even reach their houses and get this close to them. But, instead of killing them, they instead made them wake up and gave them the message before vanishing.


    It was not even a mere insult or a spit in their face. It was also not a form of disdain but an outright dangerous warning to them. As if they were saying ''Your lives are something we can take whenever we want. The fact the people of their level, arguably one of the strongest humans in the whole world could turn into ythings for these unknown people was not only a disaster but something worse than a nightmare.


    "Tsk¡­ We are being yed with. Everything that happened up until this point was perfectly executed from the kidnapping to the way they used their weird abilities to send these messages. They aren''t simple at all."


    "Darling, what are you thinking of?" The man asked with his gentle voice.


    "... We can''t open Gate Of Licaria. That''s simply out of the question as it will be a bigger disaster than the one we have right now. Letting demons into our world is the end for us."


    "But, on the other hand, the academy can''t afford to get into a bloody war with these people when we basically don''t know anything about them. We don''t know what their goals are either. Fighting the unknown is a really bad idea, Emi." Lilia said with a grave tone.


    "SIgh¡­" Tapping her fingers against each other rhythmically, she thought for a moment.


    "Did you report to the higher-ups?"


    "They already received the news they should give us an answer tomorrow or the day after."


    Clicking her tongue, Emilia''s face turned even angrier.


    "Thosezy bastards! Taking their time while we have to keep the situation calm. Tsk!"


    "We have no other choice, Emi. It''s not in our hands to take decisions."


    "Oh! My darling is also cute when she''s angry."


    "Shut your mouth, Licht." She said in a foul mood.


    "Scaryy¡­"


    "Anyway¡­ This isn''t the proper way of doing a meeting when the other morons are still not here. We will leave it at this for now. As far as I can see, they won''t be moving much after this warning until they hear what the academy decided."


    After that, Emilia ended the call and left the room. All of her drowsiness had vanished and she was wide awake right now. Her mind kept racing violently as she tried toprehend what happened and most importantly, what she needed to do now. But, while the first question''s answer was still not clear, she quickly came to the answer to the second question.


    The image of a ck-haired, handsome boy appeared in her mind.


    ''If things are only going to get worse. That boy is our only hope of ever guaranteeing our victory.''


    For her, Rin was the only hope for this situation. If she was able to quickly develop his powers, he can easily be a trump card for the academy to win. No, not even a trump card, if he was given enough time, he could easily be a one-man army, capable of fighting them alone. He can easily handle a war front by himself.


    "And here I thought that the only maniacs that can pull this off are those ten crazy bastards." She giggled sarcastically as she tapped her forehead.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    "Hah¡­. Hah¡­ In the end, no one was able to win." Rin said as hey on the ground, tired. The fight between him and Elisested for way longer than 5 minutes. Both of them were so engrossed in the fight that they forgot about the matter of the time. So, instead of 5 minutes, itsted for almost 30 minutes.


    Rin felt all of his stress and anger getting absorbed out of his body. Just exchanging blows with Elise had such an amazing effect on him even though he killed 5 Silver-Backed wolves just an hour ago or less. He had no idea how she was able to affect him this much but he was d that Elise was able to do that.


    "See¡­ You aren''t weaker than me¡­ I don''t know where you came up with the idea that you are a hindrance." Wiping her glistening face with a handkerchief, Elise sat down on the rock again.


    "Hehehe! Sorry." He chuckled sheepishly.


    "But, on a more serious note, I appreciate the help, Elise. I was really trying to self-destruct because of my selfishness. Thank you."


    "..."


    Elise didn''t answer as she looked elsewhere with the same cold face she usually had. But, Rin had already grown ustomed to this cold friend of his so he can notice small details in her expression that no one else would normally notice. Her face was indeed more rxed than usual and her beautiful red lips were also quite rxed, almost smiling.


    Many would think he was imagining things, but Rin wanted to believe that she was happy for him. He was selfish, he knew that but he won''t change this particr part of his that wants Elise to see him as a good friend and a great partner.


    That was now one of his goals that he will try to achieve in the longer term. For him, Elise deserves to at least have someone to rely on in times of need and he wanted to be that person just to pay her back for all the things she did for him across their two lives.


    "Damn it, I owe her way too much for me to be able to pay it." He murmured.


    However, he didn''t notice that Elise was listening carefully to him. So, she asked.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "What did you just say?"


    "Hmm?"


    "You said something, didn''t you?"


    "Oh! It''s nothing, really." He scratched his cheek awkwardly.


    "Just say it."


    "You are too persistent."


    "And you are too stubborn. Say it."


    "Ugh! Dammit! It''s really awkward and stupid."


    "I have already seen your stupid side, you don''t need to hide it."


    "Ouch! That''s mean." Rin made a fake pained look and retorted.


    "Then say it or I will be meaner."


    "Ugh, fine. What I said is ''I owe Elise way too much to ever pay her back in this lifetime''."


    "..."


    "See? It was stupid and it should''ve stayed a secret." He said as he averted his eyes with an angry pout.


    However, Elise ignored that sulking of his and focused on his words.


    "You owe me something?" She asked confusedly.


    "Obviously?" He said matter-of-factly.


    "Since when?"


    "Huh? Did you forget? You always have been a huge help to me. Ever since our days in the shelter. You always took my side against the others and tried to reason with them. I really respected you because of it."


    "It wasn''t really intended to help you. I was just choosing the rational decision to take at the time."


    "Still, I consider that a great help that I very much appreciate. But, that''s only a small example. You did many more things for me that I really can''t pay back. Hell, you even saved my life back in that dungeon. It''s already a huge favor that I can never pay back."


    "..."


    Elise waspletely speechless. She didn''t know why, but his words, as insignificant as they may sound, affected her emotions deeply.


    ''He considers what I did a great favor?'' She asked herself.


    All of her life, her worth was determined by what she can offer rather than what she can be. She lived a life of giving and never taking. No one even entertained the thought of giving her back anything. Even her father, her closest person, saw her as someone who took away everything he loved and cherished. He never acknowledged what she tried to do. He never acknowledged how much she worked hard to keep their family afloat when her mother was ill. He never even saw that she was trying so hard to save him and her mother from that shitty life they were in.


    Hell, the main reason for her epting the offer of that famousposer was because she saw the great future her family could have somewhere else far from that shithole of a vige.


    In the end, she ended up losing, she lost her childhood years working hard day and night, never sleeping enough, never eating enough, and never ying enough like someone her age should be doing.


    Countless times she looked at the other children as theyughed happily as they yed while she had to get ready to go home and start the umting house chores and the ever-deteriorating health of her mother.


    But now, someone had actually acknowledged something she did. Someone said to her that she did him a great favor, that he owes her his life. How can she not feel it? How can''t her heart move because of those simple yet deep words?


    Rin, who didn''t notice that, continued speaking.


    "I don''t really know how to pay you back. But, I will try to-" His eyes coincidentallynded on her face and his mouth froze open as his eyes widened.


    One of her eyes had a trickle of tear moving down her cheek. She didn''t look sad or angry, just a look of slight astonishment for some reason.


    Elise¡­ was crying?


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 118- L Owe You Way Too Much, Elise (Part 2)

    Chapter 118- I Owe You Way Too Much, Elise (Part 2)


    One single tear fell on her cheek, just a single tear. Yet, Rin felt as if that single tear made his mind short-circuit. He didn''t understand what was going on.


    ''Was she angry? Was she sad? Was she offended? But wait, is she that offended that it made her cry? Or maybe it''s a different thing? Maybe she got injured badly and she teared up because of it? But then again, she had never cried before because of pain. This doesn''t make any sense!'' Rin panicked as he extended his arms toward Elise while trying to say something.


    "Elise, mm¡­. Why are you crying? Mmmm¡­ Aaaah, what should I do? Are you angry?" He fidgeted left and right as he tried to figure out what to do.


    He hadforted crying girls before. However, Elise was a different matter. Not only had he never seen her cry before, he had never really had to deal with any extreme emotions from her side. Even when she''s in a very bad state mentally, she never really shows any form of sadness or grief. She only stays silent and tries to keep the matter in her head.


    It was a form of safety measure for her so that no one can discover her weakness. After all, Elise was very cautious when ites to treating other people. However, for some reason, that side of her basically vanished and Rin couldn''t understand why.


    Luckily, Elise woke up from that trance and quickly touched her cheek with a surprised look on her face. Feeling the wetness on her fingers, she could only stare at it silently. For a second, she didn''t evenprehend what this was. But, when the reality dawned on her, she frowned and quickly stood up and started walking away quickly.


    She felt like burying her face underground like an ostrich because of the sheer shame she was feeling.


    ''For me to cry? What is wrong with me? In front of Rin nheless.'' She asked herself as she wanted to p her face a few times as a punishment for this.


    Elise had to admit that those words made her feel very emotional for some reason. It hit a string that she hadn''t touched in a very long time. That feeling of gratitude Rin had toward her was such a refreshing thing for her. To have her actions valued no matter how small they are is something she didn''t know she needed but nevertheless a thing she deeply valued unconsciously.


    Maybe in all these years, all she was searching for was someone who cherishes her hard work. Someone who can see what she did, not what she didn''t do.


    But, that idea alone made her feel scared too. Scared that she might one day lose this feeling again. Seeing Rin say the same words that her father and everyone around her said was like a dark nightmare she never wants to see in all of her life. If that dayes, she really doesn''t know what will she do or what will be of her.


    Maybe at that moment, everything will end¡­ including her life. So, trying not to think about that dark future, she shook her head and erased such thoughts.


    ''He must not see my face.'' Elise decided.


    "Hey, wait!" Rin quickly stopped her.


    "I''m fine. You need not worry. I''m leaving." She said quickly and continued walking.


    "Did I make you angry?"


    "No¡­"


    "Then¡­"


    "It''s nothing. My eyes caught some dust because of the previous fight so I teared up."


    Rin could only stay silent even though he knew that her excuse was most likely a lie. There wasn''t even any dirt around them, it was all lush greenery and thick grass and trees. However, he didn''t try to push her any further since that could make her feel embarrassed and end up angry.


    ''Man, I don''t get how she thinks sometimes. Ah, well, nothing can be done about it.''


    Then, Rin followed her back to the dormitory. On the way, he asked.


    "Did Aria tell you about what I did?"


    Nodding her head, Elise answered.


    "She snuck into the dormitory and spoke with me. She looked worried and frantic."


    "Hehehe, I''m going back to a long lecture." He said.


    "That''s not the most important thing right now. This matter of the ''Shadow Monarch cult'', does not make any sense whatsoever. For such a thing to appear because of a simple butterfly effect caused by your powers isn''t logical. Not only are they most likely been in this world before we even got transmigrated here, even if they appeared at the same exact time that you obtained your powers, but for them to be this strong that quickly is nonsense."


    Shaking her head, she continued.


    "The second matter is the one rted to the fourth party that you mentioned. That person is most likely one of the students or professors. I''m more inclined toward the possibility of that person being a student."


    "Yeah. Most professors are aware of the huge disaster that could fall on their heads if they contacted such shady people and even strike a deal with them."


    "Exactly. So, with that in mind, this person must''ve had some kind of thing they wanted. Most likely power. That leads us to another important fact¡­<novelnext></novelnext>


    Rin halted a momentter as if he realized something.


    "You mean¡­


    "Yes, these people, whoever they are¡­ can give some kind of power to others. Most likely the power to slightly affect shadows to a certain extent."


    "But, I should be the only one capable of¡­


    "Fully manipting and controlling the shadows? Yes, you are most likely the only one that can do that. However, think about it. A cult that seemingly worships the Shadow Monarch and the fact that we found ownerless shadows in many ces. I think that worshipping this Shadow Monarch doese with its shady perks."


    "What are you implying, Elise?" Rin asked with a frown.


    Thetter stopped and turned around as she replied.


    "These people found a way to touch into the power of the shadows. However, from the crude way they used it to kill the king and also kill that top-100 student, I can safely say that they can barely touch the surface of that power. However, that can change in the future for all we know."


    ''I already put that possibility in my head. But, for my powers to literally change the future of this world just by existing. This is bad!''


    "But, for now, I think that the matter won''t turn chaotic. They are extremely careful with their ns. They also know that the academy still has the upper hand in the situation so they won''t try to do anything without calcting their steps. Clever bunch, tsk."


    The Shadow Monarch cult was still merely preparing for their n. Even the warning they sent to every floor master was merely a step further with their ns. They didn''t even try to kill one of them or even attack higher-ups in the academy for that same reason. Whatever they are doing, it''s something that the academy shouldn''t underestimate or they might end up regretting it in the future.


    They are smart and careful. So, the question is, can that cleverness of these people end up toppling down a behemoth of the Academy''s size? Only time will tell.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    The rest of the night passed peacefully, during that time, Rin had to keep appeasing the angry and worried Aria. She kept giving him the cold shoulder because of the reckless mistake he did. Coaxing her took almost an hour before she finally calmed down and seemingly fell asleep next to him.


    When the morning came, Rin had to go to sses as usual. Tomorrow was the first magic lesson. Rin was still basically as clueless as a child about magic. How do spells work? How does magic work? How can mages and fighters be stronger? Is there a possibility to learn other elements and many more questions?


    But, all of that quickly got erased from his head when he met Emilia in the evening.


    "You are going to raid the Custom Dungeon¡­ tonight."


    "Huh?"


    "Change of ns. We need to do it tonight."


    "Wait, wait. Why?"


    "It''s not important right now. Besides, there are some major academy events that will happen soon. So, the faster we start this matter, the better."


    "Mm, I see. Well, if that''s what master wants then I don''t mind it that much."


    "Sorry for this sudden shift of ns. No such thing will happen again. We need to elerate the training up a notch."


    "Don''t worry, master. I am always ready."


    "Mmm, good." She nodded her head.


    "But, before that, you wanted to tell me something, didn''t you?"


    "Yes¡­ actually¡­"


    (A//N: Time for the custom dungeon. If you are enjoying the story do drop a ps. This one shall be grateful for your support :)  Time for the custom dungeon mini-arc.)


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 119-Forms Of Magic (Part1)

    Chapter 119- Forms Of Magic (Part 1)


    That evening, Rin followed Emilia toward a ce that he never saw before. Even when checking the map, it didn''t show any information about this ce and that made him even more confused.


    They were now exactly in the northern part of the city that was known for being exclusive to professors and staff only, just like how students have areas that only they are allowed in, the other people thatpose the rest of the academy body also have their own restricted areas.


    ''We passed through multiple guard patrols around here. It''s a restricted area indeed. But, the security does seem to have increased greatly.''


    The ce they entered was a small building that seemed to be deste of any human beings. The inside was empty but very clean. On the other end of the building, there was


    This ce was a rather big enclosed area surrounded by walls that made it impossible to see what was inside. There were no ceilings on top of it so Rin assumed that it wasn''t made to be a building.


    There were also no guards that guarded the door for some reason. All in all, it was indeed quite odd and very hard toprehend.


    ''Why are we inside an empty, deste area? Why is it like this in the first ce when it''s in a restricted area like this one?


    When they reached the wall, Emilia rummaged through her belongings and then pulled out what seemed to be a huge key.


    ''It''s simr to the key that Maria used back when we entered that demon prison.'' Rin thought to himself.


    "Huh, demon prison?" Emilia murmured beside him with a confused look.


    "Did you say something, master?"


    "No¡­ Nothing."


    Then, shaking her thoughts away, she approached the wall and put the key''s end on it. A momentter, the key started shining with a faint blue light the same shade as the mana''s color.


    Then, miraculously, the key started prating the wall slowly as if it was a knife piercing a piece of butter. The process took a few seconds to finish. When it was fully inside, Emilia twisted the key counterclockwise in a gentle manner.


    *Click*


    The sound of something clicking echoed in the area before the key''s light turned suddenly way brighter than before. Then, that light spread across the whole wall like a domino effect. Eventually, the whole light was shining in bright blue color.


    After that, in the center of the wall, a blue portal manifested itself. The portal was circr in form and it looked simr to a whirlpool. The color of the portal was blue mixed with some ck long strings in the middle.


    "Go ahead," Emilia said.


    After nodding his head Rin walked inside the portal. He was already ustomed to entering portals for a while now so he didn''t feel nauseated or weird by any means.


    The scenery shifted and he found himself inside a whole different ce. It was unlike anything he had ever seen before.


    ''So white!''


    The ce was basically a vastly big ce fully white in color. It was white to the point where it was hard to differentiate between the sky and the ground. He even had to look very closely to see the end of it even though it was right ahead of him.


    It looked like some kind of futuristic virtual room he saw before in Sci-Fis. It was indeed quite futuristic looking that he almost forgot that he was still in a medieval world that has the most primitive forms of technology.


    ''Another thing that looks way ahead of its time.'' Rin thought with aplicated gaze.


    This wasn''t the first time he had seen something like this. An object or a ce that was very technologically advanced. One of them was something he had on his hand. The bracelet in and out of itself was nothing short of a miracle if he took this world''s state into consideration.


    No human should technically be able to invent these things until at least a few more hundred years. Yet, here he is inside one of these miracles of science.


    Rin obviously had his suspicions because of this. Any normal person can see the fishiness of this situation. But, he can''t really give a clear and decisive answer to these questions until he learned more about the origin of these things¡­ the first founder.


    "What are you so focused on?" Emilia snapped her fingers in front of his face to wake him up from his trance.


    "This ce is created by the founder, right?" Rin asked.


    "Yes."


    "Who is this person? I mean, isn''t this ce and everything else he left seems so out of ce for you?" Rin asked.


    "Well, it obviously is."


    "Then, why is no one searching about how he made everything."<novelnext></novelnext>


    Crossing her arms in front of her chest, Emilia contemted for a moment before answering.


    "Well, the reason for that is¡­Most books that talked about his life and his achievements vanished a long time ago. Everything we know about him is from the bits and pieces of the legends we hear. In fact, we have no clue about what actually happened in that era. The blood moon massacre, the war between demons and humans, and the story of the founder, we know nothing about them. It''s a mystery how or why everything that was written about that time vanished with no traces. As if someone manually got rid of each and every book, scroll, or even painting of that time."


    Hearing that, Rin felt even more confused. Someone got rid of them? Why would they do that? And most importantly, who did that?


    ''It''s so fishy. For everything they know about that part of history to conveniently vanish isn''t normal at all.


    "Anyway, many did question this. But, in the end, they gave up on trying to find anything. That part of history is basically empty and no one could do anything about it. Even the legends we hear about it are not certain or verified. They can be the truth as they can be nothing but a lie, we don''t know. However, what we do know is that demons did end up trying to erase the human racepletely but ended up losing the bloody war because of it."


    "I see¡­" Rin wasn''t fully convinced but he didn''t try to ask any further as Emilia doesn''t have the answer.


    "Now, enough of the chit chat and let''s focus on what we came here to do."


    "Yes!"


    After that, Emilia lifted the key up in the air a little bit and twisted it as if she was trying to open an invisible door.


    "Now watch and learn¡­ This is the difference between custom dungeons and normal dungeons."


    *Twist* *Click*


    The moment the clicking sound echoed, the whole room changedpletely. From a fully white chamber to a dark, narrow tunnel. The atmosphere also changed along with it. The same eerie, cold and humid atmosphere found in dungeons loomed over them.


    *Drip* *Drip*


    The sound of water droplets dripping beside them along with the asional gushes of cold air made it feel even more realistic.


    ''Amazing¡­ This is even more advanced than the most advanced virtual reality back in my world.'' Rin thought as he looked at the walls and the ceiling.


    "Now, in the past few weeks, you learned about dagger techniques, closebat fighting, mana camouge, and mana control. Now, I will teach you about the other important part that constitutes a splendid warrior and that thing is¡­"


    Then, Emilia extended her palm in the air, and on it a shard of ice appeared out of thin air.


    "Magic."


    Rolling the shard of ice in her hand, she said.


    "I reckon you don''t know much about the fundamentals of magic from what I can see." She said with a meaningful look.


    "Well, you will still learn about it in the magic sses. But, I will still give a rough summary of what you should focus on without the other things that they teach in lessons. Magic is, in the simplest of terms, a form of maniption."


    "Maniption?"


    "Yes, maniption. Everything we can do that includes our mana is a form of maniption. If we want for example to create something with our elements, we manipte our mana in a certain way to make it use that element we have. Look at this shard of ice."


    She showed him the sharp ice piece and added.


    "I used my mana in a certain way and made it create this cold, realistic ice."


    "I see."


    "But, while our elements can be different, the mana we use is basically the same for every human being. There are rare cases of someone obtaining a different form of mana but that''s not something you should care about for now. The important part that I want you to focus on is this¡­"


    She then pointed at her chest.


    "Your chest?" Rin asked with a confused look.


    "No, you moron. I am talking about your mana core. The thing responsible for every form of magic in this world."


    (A//N: Fuuh, took some time to start creating the power system for this world. But, I need to set things up before doing this.)


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 120- Forms Of Magic (Part2)

    Chapter 120- Forms Of Magic (Part 2)


    "Everything in existence has a mana core as I exined before. Even our own world has its mana core inside it that generates the world''s mana. So, if there is anything that could determine whether you can be a talented mage or nothing but an ordinary person, it''s this."


    After that, Emilia changed her tone a little bit to a more mysterious one.


    "Now, ignoring the fact that you can actually gain powers merely from killing monsters, the only real and logical way to be stronger is through this." She said as emphasized the two words ''Real'' and ''Logical''.


    Then, she pulled out a mana core of a random monster from her spatial ring and showed it to Rin.


    "This is a freshly harvested monster core. It''s still barely a few days old so the mana inside of it is still fresh and easy to use. See that bright color of the mana core, that''s the mana moving inside vividly. If this was let''s say more than 2 weeks old, then the color of it will turn stale and the mana inside will weaken considerably. If kept like this, in less than 2 months, it willpletely turn into a manaless stone. That''s how you differentiate between fresh mana cores and other old ones."


    Then, she threw the mana core to him to inspect it. Rin already saw and touched mana cores before but he didn''t give them any importance since he didn''t have any use for them. So, after checking it for a second, he gave it back to Emilia.


    "Now, these things have two uses for them. The first and the most popr one is to sell them or give them to cksmiths to create weapons from them. Because of their nature, Mana cores are really good materiel to create mana-infused weapons that are way stronger than normal weapons by leaps and bounds. However, bear in mind that, the lower the quality of the mana core the worse the quality of the weapon is."


    After that, she clenched the mana stone in her hand.


    "The second use to it is to simply absorb the mana inside the mana core. Now, while this method is not the most popr way of gaining strength, it is still a viable option for many."


    Closing her eyes, Emilia took a deep breath and focused on the mana core. Watching closely, Rin could see the mana core''s color and the light around it growing fainter and fainter as it traveled from the core to Emilia''s hand, racing through her veins and spreading quickly to every inch of her body.


    In less than 20 seconds, the whole mana core was turned into a grey-colored rock with no vibrant colors like before.


    Opening her eyes, Emilia threw the rock away and continued.


    "The mana that I absorbed from the core is now running through my body. It will take some time to morph and fuse with my mana core. Now, the reason that this method is simply not the first choice for many is that not only does absorbing mana cores can be dangerous, in some cases, but it can also be lethal for someone. For example, if you try to consume a mana core of a monster way stronger than you, you could risk potentially harming yourself with its mana when you absorb it. Not only that but there are some cases where the mana in your body refuses to fuse with this external mana and your body ends up rejecting this foreign object¡­ When that happens¡­"


    Her face turned serious.


    "Your mana will rampage inside your body and then¡­You will die¡­" Her words were chilling, to say the least.


    "But, these cases are really rare. I think I didn''t really hear about something like this happening in almost 20 or more years. Besides, it''s probably something you will never need to do."


    "That''s why I said that you are breaking thews of this world. The fact that you only need to kill monsters to gain the same or more power without any of the consequences, it''s a scary thing."


    Thinking for a moment, Rin then asked.


    "What''s the other way of gaining strength other than absorbing mana cores?"


    "Simple¡­ The other method is to simply channel your mana inside your body in a certain manner. That way, with time and continuous practice, the mana will increase and be thicker and stronger. Look at it just like muscles, the more you train and use them, the bigger and stronger they will get it. Mana works just like that. It''s akin to the fuel that we use to power our elements. Each element may need a different use from the mana, but in the end, it all boils down to your ability to manipte that energy how you want."


    "Oh¡­ That''s pretty simple. But, doesn''t that take a long time?"


    "Yes. It does indeed take a very long time. It''s a tedious process that could only get easier the more talented the person that is practicing is. As for average people, well, they are never destined for greatness no matter how hard they try. Even though hard work is important, with no talent, you can''t reach anything. It''s the hard truth of this world."


    Emilia had seen it with her own eyes, the look of despair on people as they see their dreams shatter in front of their eyes countless times. That feeling of helplessness and the harsh truth dawning on them. That moment of rity where they realize that everything they dreamt of being in the future was nothing more than a¡­ well, a dream.


    Many would argue that it''s not true and that hard work can make you reach high peaks no matter how mediocre you are. But, those same people will end up seeing that cruel reality with their own eyes. This isn''t a fairy tale, it''s the real world and it''s cruel to most people. Those experiences affected her idea of the world. She, just like any other child, was hopeful about this world, believing that she was born to be great. Hearing the praises of everyone around her, she became overconfident and that almost cost her her life.


    On the other hand, Emilia also saw those who were talented end up in the same ce as the talentless ones just because they never worked hard enough. They believed that their talents were more than enough for them to be great. But, that arrogant thought was like the guillotine to their potential. They instantly then turn into mere normal people just like others.


    That''s why Emilia firmly believed that talent and hard work must coexist to create great people. Talent alone isn''t enough and hard work alone isn''t enough either.<novelnext></novelnext>


    ''Hopefully, you won''t kill that talent of yours, Rin. This world needs it more than you think.'' She thought with aplicated gaze.


    "Ehem, anyway. After all of this exnation, let''s get to the actual core of the matter."


    After that, Emilia clicked her fingers together.


    A few seconds passed in deep silence. Then, out of nowhere, a loud, inhuman growl echoed in the whole ce.


    "RAAAAAAA!!!" The roar was strong enough to basically shake the whole tunnel violently. Then, after it, a series of loud roars followed suit from different creatures.


    Rin''s face turned serious quickly.


    "It''s time for you to apply everything you learned to monsters. You have 3 hours to kill every monster inside this custom dungeon and reach the end of it."


    "RAAAAA!!!"


    "Everything is in your hands now, Rin. You have practiced but can you apply that in real fights."


    "I can!"


    "Then show me."


    *Swish*


    Emilia then vanished from his sight and left him alone, facing the dark tunnel that was now filled with monsters. He could feel them approaching him faster and faster as the sound of their steps got louder and louder.


    Then, out of the shadows, 15 hideous monsters rushed toward him. They were huge in size, towering over Rin. Rin''s face frowned when he got to see their features.


    The creatures were simr to spiders albeit with long legs that looked like the ends of sharp des. Their bodies were white in color and riddled with blue dots all over. Their 5-eyed faces were bone-chillingly cold as if Rin was staring at the eyes of an insect, just devoid of any life.


    [Blue Stained Snow Spider]


    [Rank: E]


    [Strength: E-]


    [Agility: E+]


    Not much info appeared about these creatures. The reason for that is that their power rank is technically in the same realm as Rin so he can''t get to see much information about them.


    The creatures'' roared at Rin with their spider-like mouths and dashed toward him.


    ''This is going to be disgusting.'' Rin thought as he dashed toward them too.


    Then, he jumped in the air, reaching the ceiling before twisting his body andnding his legs on it. After that, he pushed himself down with powerful momentum. The dagger in his hand aimed at the first monster.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 121-Custom Dungeon (Part 1)

    Chapter 121- Custom Dungeon (Part 1)


    *Swish*


    Rin''s body passed like a sh andnded behind the spider gracefully.


    *Drop*


    A secondter, the monster dropped down to the ground with his head decapitated and blue blood oozing out of the severed neck. Rin''s dagger was so fast that normal people won''t be able to see the de slicing through the neck and cutting it off so seamlessly.


    However, Rin wasn''t happy at all. In fact, he looked at his arm and clicked his tongue.


    ''Tsk¡­ It injured me.''


    On his arm, there was a small, freshly-made cut that was oozing out blood. The spider was able to use its sharp legs to injure Rin. Its speed was so surprising that it took Rin aback.


    "Raaa!!"


    However, he didn''t have time to actually think about that as the swarm of spiders surrounded him. Their cold eyes kept sizing Rin up. They didn''t try to attack instantly as they seem to be smart enough to understand that this human wasn''t as simple as they thought he was. He had killed one of their kind easily, after all.


    ''If you aren''t going to attack, then I will.'' A small smile crept to his face.


    *Swish*


    Speeding up to the closest spider, Rin stabbed with his dagger toward its eyes. But, the spider didn''t stand idly and let him do whatever he wanted. Using its legs that are as sharp as des, it swung it horizontally, aiming to cut Rin into two pieces.


    The attack was decisive and vicious. Meanwhile, other spiders also jumped on Rin, ready to cut him into small parts.


    Rin saw that and quickly changed his n. Using the momentum from the stab, he twisted around and used the dagger to stop one of the uing attacks.


    *Cling*


    Shards of fire flew everywhere as the dagger shed with the spider''s leg. But, the monster didn''t stop there and lifted one of the 5 left legs in the air to attack Rin while he was busy fending off the other leg. Meanwhile, other spiders were also attacking him from all sides.


    ''Too annoying.'' He thought as he activated one of his skills.


    ''Formless Ghost Dagger.''


    *Swish*


    His body blurred as his speed and strength increased exponentially. Without wasting another moment, Rin body moved quickly.


    *Swish*


    Everything seemingly slowed down to a halt. The sharp des that wereing toward him were basically moving at a snail''s pace.


    Rin''s instantly dodged everything and shed with his dagger at one of the spiders. His movements were so precise and graceful akin to a swordmaster.


    *Swish*


    A secondter, the whole world returned to normal.


    "RAAAA!!"


    *ng* *ng*


    Because of Rin''s move, their legs collided violently. Teh pain from the hits made them screech loudly.


    *Drop*


    The unluckiest one dropped dead on the ground with a hole poked into its face. Blood sprayed the rocky ground and tarnished Rin''s clothes. However, thetter couldn''t care less about that.


    ''An opportunity!''


    While the spiders were struggling to release themselves, Rin could easily attack them while they were vulnerable.


    Flexing his muscles, the veins on his arm popped as he clenched the dagger tightly. Then, he quickly shed and stabbed multiple times.


    Each sh hit its target as he sliced the spiders'' bodies open. The damage wasn''t lethal enough to kill them instantly but it would still end their lives the longer they kept bleeding out.


    However, that also meant that Rin had to fight them off in their rampage.


    *Tak*


    Eventually, their legs were released and they screeched violently. Rin felt his ears ringing from the sheer loudness of the sounds.


    He felt his head spinning from pain as if he was span around countless times.


    ''Is this a skill?!'' He thought as he clenched his teeth.<novelnext></novelnext>


    *Swish* *Swish* *Swish*


    The sharp des didn''t wait for him to regain hisposure as they viciously moved in to end him while he was struggling.


    Was it not for the fact that he wasn''t aware that these spiders had a skill that affects sounds, he would''ve not stayed closer to them? It was a mistake on his side to ignore the possibility of such an ability being present. Even though he didn''t have a prior idea about what these spiders had or what they can do, for Rin, that ability is nothing but a bonus as not only does it not work on all enemies, but it also doesn''t show everything all the time.


    And the consequences of that mistake appeared instantly.


    "Ugh!"


    Trying to dodge all the spider legs, Rin got hit by one of the spiders when he was trying to bend to the side. A deep wound appeared on the side of his torso. The pain from the hit was strong but he ignored it. There was no time to focus on that.


    Jumping back, Rin tried to create a distance between himself and the spiders. However, because of their high agility, the spiders would instantly close the distance with him. They didn''t give a room to breathe as they would instantly swarm him like flies.


    ''There are too many spiders!''


    While 3 or 4 of them could be easily handled, a swarm of 13 spiders was a different story. Even his strength which was above even his rank can''t face easily against this number of E-Rank monsters without sustaining some injuries. The fight wasn''t as easy as it seemed to be.


    ''I need to find a n to kill as many of them as possible in a moment. Reducing their numbers would help a lot.'' Rin thought as he looked around him while still moving around.


    *Swish* *Swish* *Swish *BOOOOOM*


    Swarms of shes kept raining over him never allowing him to stop for a second. Throughout this one-sided rampage, Rin sustained small cuts all over his body and some bruises on his arms. He felt the urge to use his shadow maniption but he quickly erased that thought as he had promised to keep that matter a secret no matter what.


    Even though he trusts Emilia to a certain extent, he wasn''t dumb enough to tell her about that secret especially when he knew that he could instantly be a suspect of being one of the cult members.


    He wasn''t ready to risk doing that.


    So, with that in mind, he had no other choice but to find another way to do this. Coincidentally, Rin''s eyes fell on something and a smile crept to his face. A n quickly manifested in his head.


    ''It should work, probably. I just need to not make a mistake or I''m fucked! Well, I''m fucked either way!! Shit!''


    Evading another attack, a spider used the sound-altering skill to halt Rin''s annoying movements and find an opportunity to finish him off.


    After making sure he knew what he needed to do exactly, he shifted the direction he was running in. The sudden change made Emilia, who was watching from the sidelines raise her eyebrows.


    ''What is this brat thinking of?''


    She could clearly see that he created a n but she couldn''t predict what it was which made her even more interested in it.


    Rin ran diagonally from one side of the tunnel to the other side of the tunnel before jumping on the wall. His body span in the air as it loomed over the monsters.


    *Bang*


    The swarm of spiders rushed after him and tried to pull him down from the air. But, they missed one detail. Because of their huge numbers and the narrow tunnel, their bodies collided against each other which led to a majority of the creatures smashing against the wall violently.


    The whole ce shook because of the strong collision as bits and pieces of debris and rocks fell down from the ceiling.


    When Rinnded again, he quickly dashed toward the other side again followed by the even more enraged spiders. They were already irritated but with what happened, they were even angrier by now. The desire to kill Rin became their sole goal. They even forgot about the idea of eating him as a delicious meal.


    "I''m here, little spideys. How about you try and get a piece of this juicy meat?" He said sarcastically with a provocative grin.


    He was clearly trying to make them even crazed and it worked wonderfully.


    "RAAAAAAAAAAA!"


    "RAAAAAAAAAA!!!"


    Not caring about their well-being anymore, they chased him as they kept hitting each other and colliding with each other. Most of them ended up hitting the wall multiple times and the ceiling kept cracking ever-so-slowly.


    The debris that was falling increased in number and quantity. At this point, the whole ground was filled with it.


    After a tedious 3 minutes of running around and baiting the spiders into hitting the wall with their thick skins and strong exoskeleton, Rin looked up and assessed the n. His grin grew even wider as he positioned himself in the middle of the tunnel and faced the spiders. Stretching his arms.


    "Here I am. Come here and eat me." He said.


    *Swish*


    Instantly, countless monsters jumped on him crazily, ready to end him.


    ''Checkmate.''


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 122-Custom Dungeon (Part 2)

    Chapter 122- Custom Dungeon (Part 2)


    Then, Rin quickly threw his dagger up in the air. The weapon reached the ceiling and pierced a particr point of it that Rin chose beforehand.


    The moment the dagger was plunged in there, a series of cracks spread from that ce as it quickly traveled across the whole ceiling. The cracks swiftly connected with other cracks to create bigger and deeper cracks. The moment every part of the ceiling was turned into a fragile mess, a loud explosion took everything by storm.


    *BOOOOOOOOM*


    The whole ceiling copsed on the tunnel, burying everything in tons and tons of rocks. Huge boulders and chunked-up hard rocks rained down on the clueless spiders as they screeched loudly.


    The pain of their bodies getting crushed turned into hellish screams of pain that could make anyone lose their mind. The sounds were so ominous and unpleasant that Rin could only close his ears and his eyes.


    Blood mixed with flesh and other fluids sttered everywhere, coating the tunnel in a weird blue color. The horrible smell of their blood-filled Rin''s nostrils and made him squint slightly.


    However, that squint turned into a smile when he saw that almost every one of them was killed. Well, except for one that was able to avoid copsing at thest second.


    The monster dragged its body away from the spot where all of its kind died painfully. Its cold eyes scanned them silently as it ignored Rin. Then, with slow steps, it approached a particr one of them and looked at its crushed body. Then, Under Rin''s curious gaze, it extended its leg and touched its face, tracing it gently.


    The way it touched it so softly and carefully as if it was trying to not break it. The contrast between the spider''s previously violent nature and its current attitude took Rin by surprise.


    ''The spider is¡­ griefing over its death? But, why is it that spider in particr?'' Rin thought.


    His answer came when he looked at the dead spider''s crushed stomach. There, he could clearly see them, the crushed eggs of the spider. Bits and pieces of small spiders were also thrown around the eggshells.


    It instantly clicked for Rin.


    ''These are¡­ it''s children? Then, if that''s the case¡­ then that dead spider is a female spider?''


    The male spider kept caressing the female spider''s face as it stared silently at it. The scene was soplicated that Rin didn''t even try to finish off thest spider. It wasn''t pity or unwillingness but actual shock. He never realized this before. He didn''t even question it at all as he killed these creatures left and right.


    Do beasts have feelings? The question was quite rhetorical but it was still something that could be asked out of curiosity. Do these beasts actually feel sadness, love, happiness, and such emotions? Could they actually be like humans in that department?


    Well, Rin has gotten his answer in the form of this weird scene in front of him. A monstrous spider that could only think about killing and spilling blood was actually grieving over the death of its partner even when Rin was near.


    It had given up on life as itpletely rxed near its dead partner. Rin could now easily kill it with a swipe of his dagger.


    "Finish it off¡­" Emilia suddenly spoke out of somewhere.


    "I know¡­" Rin said as he clenched his dagger and approached the spider. When he was close enough, he looked at it for a few seconds as if he was contemting something. Then¡­


    *Swish*


    Its life ended as it fell down next to the female spider. Their blood mixed with each other as it trailed down the cracked stones.


    "Sigh¡­" Shaking his head, Rin looked around and then walked away.


    ''There is no point in trying to think about this. It''s either kill or be killed.''


    He knew that fact and he also knew that these spiders would''ve killed him if he didn''t do that first. But, that small bitterness of knowing that even the most savage of creatures still have feelings made his mood sour a little bit.


    He knew how painful it was to see someone you cherish die in front of your eyes. It was painful, crushing, and dark. The sense of helplessness when he sees them dying in his hands was still etched in his mind, never leaving.


    No matter how much he smiled or tried to show a bright face in front of people, the constant pain of living a life without those he loved dearly was still haunting him day and night. He still has nightmares and he still remembers them whenever he''s alone. But, Rin was trying to keep that part of him as hidden from the other people''s eyes as possible.


    Even those closest to him aren''t aware of what he was feeling. He doesn''t want them to see that dark side of him, no matter what. He only wants them to see the bright, energetic side. He could easily turn cold, unfeeling, and ruthless. But, would that help him? No, it will only push anyone that wants to love him away and keep him inside a shell of solitude. A ce where he can suffer alone far away from any loving warmth.


    Rin didn''t want that. In fact, the desire to feel the love from other people grew bigger and bigger in his heart. In a sense, he was very simr to that spider. He was a broken soul that tries to attach its broken parts again and keep them stable just for the sake of moving forward.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Whether that was the right thing to do or whether it was ignorance on his side to try and be the same person he was before, Rin wasn''t sure. But, even if he was wrong, for him, he would rather die knowing that people will remember him rather than bepletely forgotten by everyone he loved.


    "Don''t let it get to your head, Rin. It''s how this world works. Creatures kill each other for food, power, and control. If you willment every monster you killed and every family you destroyed, you will never progress."


    "I understand."


    "Good. You better close your heart on such things and keep your eyes forward." She advised.


    ''Keep my eyes forward¡­.'' He repeated those words in his head as he quickly started running deeper into the tunnel, ignoring the bloody massacre hemitted a few moments ago.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Meanwhile, as Rin was dealing with the custom dungeon, Elise found herself in aplicated situation.


    Picking up the cup of coffee from the table, she sipped a little bit of it, enjoying the bitter taste and the strong aroma of the hot coffee. Then, she asked.


    "What is it that you need from me, Mr. Lindell?"


    The person sitting on the other side was none other than Malza Lindell, the same person that was meant to meet Rin a few days from now. He had basically sent one of his maids to invite Elise over for a cup of coffee in the student council building.


    Elise was going to refuse but when the maid said that the matter concerned her and Rin, she could only ept. She knew about Malza more than Rin did so she knew that that cunning man would never really reach out to them unless he was looking for something.


    As far as she knew, Malza was a very materialistic person. However, the thing he loved more than money and power was ''pleasure''. He was obsessed with doing anything that could bring him pleasure. Whether it was women, money, power, fame, and even something as small as a good massage. He was a seeker of personal pleasure.


    That does make him a very arrogant person. But, for better or worse, his character was considered good as he was the main protagonist''s best friend and so he wasn''t going to be an enemy for both of them¡­ hopefully.


    "Why all this tense atmosphere, Ms. Elise? Shouldn''t you enjoy that coffee and the great weather we have on this beautiful day?" He asked with a rxed smile.


    "I have no time for such idle rxation and simple talks, Mr. Lindell."


    "So cold of you to say that, Ms. Elise. I was hoping that you will spend this evening with me."


    Sighing, Elise put the coffee down and looked at him coldly.


    "Cut to the chase and say what you want, Malza."


    Seeing her change of attitude, he smiled amusedly.


    "That''s more like it, Ms. Elise. I''m not a big fan of pleasantries, you see."


    After that, he stood up from his chair and walked to the window before he added.


    "You see. You and Rin had caught my interest. Both of you are so mysterious and iprehensible that it could only stimte my curiosity. I find you both a sight for sore eyes."


    "And?"


    "Fufufu! Well, I was hoping that I could build a connection with both of you. While Rin is going to meet me soon, you are the only one I had basically never talked to before."


    Then, shifting his gaze towards her, he pointed his finger at her.


    "How about I give you an offer that will benefit both of you?" He asked.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 123-Boss Room (Part 1)

    Chapter 123- Boss Room (Part 1)


    "An offer?" Elise''s murmured confusedly as she waited for him to continue. She naturally became wary of him because of that. No person would offer someone anything and not at least expect


    "Don''t worry. I''m not trying to trick you or anything like that. It''s not something that major anyway."


    Then, he shed her a meaningful look before he continued.


    "The idea is simple: When you two ascend from the lower floor next month which is something I''m sure you will do, how about you join the student council?" He asked.


    "Join the student council?"


    "Yes. Joining us is very beneficial for both of you on so many different levels. You will have points bonuses, money bonuses, and ess to many restricted areas under the student council''s control. Not only that, but you will also be able to get in touch with extremely influential people inside the academy, including me. When you reach the middle floors, having something like the student council backing you is akin to having a second life. I can guarantee you both a smooth sail to the top." Malza''s exnation sounded so convincing that most people would''ve trusted him in a heartbeat. His gentle and beautiful looks coupled with his charming demeanor are a lethal heat to anyone¡­ Well, anyone except for Elise.


    "After all the sugar coating, what will you actually get from this?" Elise asked calmly.


    Chuckling at her words, Malza walked back to his seat and fell down on it casually. He looked so rxed that it slightly irritated Elise. She wasn''t quite fond of people that never take anything seriously.


    "Well, even if I tell you right now, you won''t get it. Let''s say that It''s a long-term deal."


    "Is that it?"


    "Pretty much."


    Sighing, Elise stood up and turned around to leave. Before walking away, she gave him a side nce.


    "I refuse." She said.


    "Oh? Now that''s surprising. Can I ask why?" He replied with a not-so-surprised look.


    "I don''t trust you."


    "Hahahaha! Interesting, truly interesting. Well of course you wouldn''t trust me. We barely know each other."


    Resting his hands on the table, he continued.


    "Well, I will prolong the offer until you give me a clear answer."


    "I already gave you a clear answer.


    "Oh,e on. It''s a vague answer. You still have a chance to think it through carefully and when the timees, you can give me an answer."


    Looking at him onest time, Elise didn''t say anything and left the room. When she left, the smile on Malza''s face widened as he twisted the chair to the other side.


    "You two are really something." He murmured as a weird glint shed in his eyes.  Then, he licked his lips lightly. No one knew what was running through his head except for Malza himself. Good or bad, only time will tell.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    "ROAAAAR!!!!"


    *Swish*


    "ROAAAAAAR!!!"


    *BOOOM*


    Inside the custom dungeon, Rin was in the middle of a brutal fight with a group of 8 monsters. These creatures were different from the Blue-dotted Spiders. These monsters were stronger and faster than the spiders.


    [Red Ghasts]


    [Rank: E]


    [Strength: E+]


    [Agiliy: E+]


    Ghasts were humanoid creatures that look eerily simr to humans in form and height. But, the ring difference between them and humans is their creepy red skin and their distorted, horrible faces. Their features were so deformed that anyone can barely distinguish between their eyes, mouth, nose, and even their ears. It was as if their faces were created by a small child with y dough.


    Other than that, they had long tongues akin to snakes and long sharp nails on their hands.


    ''Tsk, not only are they strong, but they are also fucking disgusting!'' Rin thought as he evaded another tongue attack from one of the Ghasts.


    They had been attacking him with their long, slimy tongues left and right. He had seen their saliva trickle down their tongues and fall to the ground. The moment they made contact with the ground, they quickly melted the rock as if their spit was a strong acid.


    He quickly realized that if he was to actually let them touch him, his skin will be burned and even his muscles will most likely be damaged. It was worse than actually getting a cut injury since that one will not be as painful.


    However, luckily for Rin, his strength was still superior even though they had high speed and strength and even great dexterity that the appraisal skill didn''t show.<novelnext></novelnext>


    As he dodged the tongue, he sliced with his dagger, cutting it in the middle. Blood sshed on the ground along with its saliva as the monster howled from pain while retracting its tongue back. Rin found it quite easy to actually get rid of their strongest weapon which was their tongue.


    In a sense, this fight was slightly easier for Rin as they were not only less in numbers but also fit his fighting style like a puzzle piece. Rin was an agile person who liked to move a lot. So, if his opponent only relied on ranged attacks, he could easily dodge them and then attack while the opponent is vulnerable.


    *Swish*


    Dashing toward the Red Ghast, he cut its neck off before moving to the next one. A barrage of attacks kept following him wherever he went.


    ''This is easy.'' Feeling confident, Rin grabbed one of the monsters by the neck and shoved his dagger into its skull, killing it on the spot before he threw it at the other Ghasts.


    The havoc created allowed Rin to swiftly kill the rest of the Ghasts in a few minutes. Through all of that, he didn''t sustain a single hit from them which was something he felt proud of. Thest thing he wanted to experience was his skin melting because of acid.


    "Good job, Rin. That was clean." Emilia praised him.


    "Really?" He asked.


    "Yes. You are learning quite fast. I am impressed."


    "Wow¡­ I can''t believe it." Rin said with a shocked look.


    "Are you that unconfident in your abilities?"


    "No, I wasn''t shocked about that. I''m shocked about the fact that you praised me, master." He said.


    "..." Emilia was speechless for a good second.


    "I didn''t praise you?"


    "No, master. You always have this grumpy look that says ''I will kill you if you make a mistake''." Rin said as he made a rough impression of Emilia.


    "You little brat! I don''t talk like that."


    "Really? You do sound like that, master."


    "Get going before I beat you up!!" She eximed angrily.


    "Yes!" RIn said and started moving.


    He found it quite fun to actually tease Emilia from to time. She had such unique reactions that were quite interesting to watch. He really wouldn''t mind risking getting his ass whooped if it means to see her cheeks turn red from embarrassment for a few seconds. All hail Embarrassed Emilia! He screamed in his head.


    ''This little shit! I want to punch him. To dare and tease me like that.'' Clenching her fists, Emi took a deep breath to calm down before she looked at the next part.


    ''It''s finally here. Thest part of the dungeon.''


    Rin had been inside the dungeon for the past 2 hours fighting all kinds of monsters. Emilia made sure to choose them carefully. Each kind of monster was perfect to test a certain aspect of Rin. One tested his endurance, others tested his intelligence and quick reactions, while some tested his agility and strength.


    After watching him fight, she could only say one word.


    ''Amazing.''


    Not only was Rin fighting monsters in bulks that are in the same Rank of power as he was. But, they were also overwhelming him with numbers.


    Yet, he would easily kill them while sustaining minimal injuries that couldn''t be considered deep or life-threatening by any means. Not only that, but Emilia noticed another detail about Rin that she didn''t see before. With each round of monsters, his fighting style will shift to amodate the monsters'' characteristics.


    Everything from his approach to his n and everything in between wouldpletely change basically in an instant.


    That kind of adaptive ability was quite scary as they not only make him basically have no weaknesses or any certain type of attacks that could trouble him but it also meant that he can easily master any form of fighting if he wanted to.


    A few in the world could actually pull that off and every one of them was a monstrous genius that would go on to be a great figure.


    ''Now, it''s time for the real test.''


    Emilia was waiting for this particr part for a certain reason.


    Meanwhile, Rin reached what seemed to be a huge door made out of rusty metal with some weird engravings that he couldn''t understand. It didn''t take a genius to guess what this was.


    ''The boss room.'' His face turned serious.


    Behind this door, the strongest enemy he will face inside the ce is waiting for him.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 124- Kaisa: The SmilingDemon (Part 1)

    Chapter 124- Kaisa: The Smiling Demon (Part 1)


    The huge door was so intimidating to look at as it not only gave this, weird, bone-chilling feeling as if danger was looming over it but also because of the engravings on it. Even though Rin didn''t have any idea what they meant, he could see that it was not something wholesome written there.


    The other thing is the dry, pale-brown spots riddling the door. From just one nce, Rin could tell that these were blood spots. He didn''t know whether it was really actual blood or not but it still made him even more serious and focused.


    After that, he stepped closer to the door and pushed it open. He needed to use a good amount of strength to push a door that huge.


    When he finally pushed it enough to pass through, Rin walked inside. The moment he took a step inside the room, the doors closed shut on their own submerging Rin inplete darkness. However, he didn''t lose hisposure because of it as his eyes had the ability to see in the darkest of ces with ease.


    ''Nothing is here?'' He thought to himself as he scanned the ce thoroughly.


    The room was made full of hard rocks with nothing else worthy to notice about it except for the bridge that linked the entrance to an arena-like circle in the middle. This big arena was floating on top of a bottomless, dark pit. ncing down curiously, he couldn''t fathom how deep it was as it seemingly extended endlessly into the core of the world.


    ''It''s gonna be hard to keep watching my steps not to fall into this hole.'' He thought.


    He quickly shook his head and walked through the bridge toward the arena. His dagger was ready for any sneak attacks.


    However, what happened instead was that the whole room suddenly lit. A series of torches hung on the wall were suddenly lit. Each torch was big enough to be sufficient to light a small house.


    After that, the earth shook slightly under him. A feeling of dread assaulted Rin as he sensed the approaching aura. However, when he noticed where it wasing from, a frown appeared on his face.


    ''It''sing from inside the hole?!''


    *BANG*


    The moment he tried to move before whatever abomination reached him, the ce shook again with a stronger intensity. The whole ce was submerged in chaos as Rin found his bnce getting screwed.


    Then, out of the abyss, a huge silhouette rose up, towering over Rin and the whole arena. The body of the monster was extremely long, bigger than a medium-sized building. Its rough and ck scaly body had tens of long arms on it that run across its body from the head all the way to the end simr to a centipede.


    However, its most noticeable feature is the weird mask on its face. Indeed, there was something akin to a white mask stuck to its face that had a contorted smile sshed on it. A smile only seen on theatre masks that representedy.


    ''A smiling mask?''


    As for the creature''s actual face, it was hidden from eyesight.


    [Kaisa: The Smiling Demon]


    [Rank: D]


    [???]


    That was the only thing Rin could see from its information and it was more than enough to make him frown.


    ''A D-Rank monster?'' Rin thought.


    Just remembering thest time he faced one of these monsters, Rin could only shudder. That was by far the closest he was to die in his whole two lives. Even the fact that he beat that crazy demon is a miracle in and out of itself.


    Now, he was facing another one of these monsters. However, there was one difference between that encounter and this one and that difference is that Rin wasn''t the same Rin of that time.


    ''Let''s see how much I improved after all this time.'' He thought with a daring smile. He was still nervous but he kept his calm andposure.


    Twisting and turning with its snake-like body, the monster finallynded on the arena and gazed at Rin. Deep in its contorted eyes, he could only see a deep abyss unfathomable to humans. He didn''t get how a creature can be that dark and evil. The deep hatred he saw in its eyes was enough to make him question what made it this angry.


    After making eye contact for a few seconds, the monster''s tail quickly rose in the air and thenunched toward Rin.


    ''Fast!!''


    *BOOOOOOOM*


    The tail pierced the ground making it explode in a haywire of dust and debris. It was able to slice through hard boulders with ease like a knife going through a piece of softened butter.


    "Damn, that was clo-"


    *BOOOOOOM*


    Without any warning, the monster''s tail rose up again and darted toward Rin who had jumped to the side at thest second.


    Two huge craters were carved into the arena in less than 10 seconds.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Let me finish my wor-"


    *BANG*


    The monster dragged its tail through the ground following Rin closely. It didn''t care about anything except to actually shred Rin to pieces. There wasn''t even an ounce of hesitation or even a moment of assessment for its opponent, nothing of that sort at all.


    ''This monster doesn''t joke!'' He thought as he clenched his teeth.


    Jumping to the side, Rin dashed around the edge of the arena while getting followed by the tail.


    *BANG* *BANG* *BANG*


    Each hit shook the arena as if it was assaulted by an earthquake.


    "My eyes are filled with dust, fuck! WOAAAAH!!" Rin spat out a bunch of salivae to get rid of the bad taste of dirt in his mouth. But, even that split second was exploited by Kaisa.


    "Bluh! Bluh! My eyes. Give me a fucking break!"


    Having enough, Rin quickly darted toward the monster. He thought that if he kept on dodging, he might find an opportunity to get closer. But, he waspletely wrong for two main reasons.


    The first reason is the huge size of the monster which made it impossible to deal a critical hit to it even if he was able to find an opportunity. Its skin and huge frame would only stop his dagger from digging deep into the monster''s flesh. The second reason is the huge control Kaisa has over its tail. Even though a tail of that size should''ve been considered hard to move and as a consequence bes slow, it was actually very swift.


    ''So, my only bet is to aim for the head.''


    Looking at the shiny mask, Rin''s eyes shed with a strong glint. He had a gut feeling that aiming for that mask was the right thing to do in this situation. There was something fishy about it that could only make him curious to try and stab it.


    However, that n of his wasn''t going to be a smooth sail by any means as the moment he stepped closer, the tail quickly jumped on him.


    ''This shitty thing!'' Clicking his tongue, Rin side-stepped the attack and continued running. He wasn''t going to stop, not when he was getting this close.


    ''I''m there. Just 15 more meters.''


    *Swish*


    But, Rin''s steps were forcefully halted as he felt a chill run down his spine. Then, without hesitation, he jumped in the air and retreated back. His survival instincts, honed by countless life-and-death situations kicked in.


    *BAAAAAANG*


    The ce where he stood was assaulted by a missile-like object. Its speed was enough to pierce the ground and leave a trace there.


    "Cough! Cough! What the hell was that?" He eximed as he swiped the dust away from his clouded eyes.


    Much to his surprise, what wasunched at him wasn''t a missile as he thoughts but instead an arm. Precisely one of Kaisa''s arms.


    ''What the fuck?!'' Quickly ncing at the monster''s body, he located the ce where the arm was missing. There was now a bloody hole in the monster''s body where an arm should be.


    But, before he could even regain hisposure from that, the injury started wiggling faintly. Then¡­


    *Bluk*


    A brand new arm appeared there. It looked shiny from the weird mucus on it as it wriggled left and right as if it was trying to regain mobility after being numb for a while, except that it wasn''t numb but was actually cut off and reappeared!


    ''It can regenerate missing arms?''


    Seemingly noticing Rin''s shock, the monster quickly twisted its body, aiming the side where its countless arms were located, toward Rin. It was as if he was getting targeted by countless sniper rifles except worse!


    "Fuck¡­ me," Rin said in a quiet tone.


    *BANG* *BANG* *BANG* *BANG*


    Countless fleshy missiles were sted toward him at a very high speed. Each arm was strong enough to pierce Rin''s body and each one was aimed precisely at where he stood.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 125- Kaisa: The Smiling Demon (Part 2)

    Chapter 125- Kaisa: The Smiling Demon (Part 2)


    *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*


    A huge explosion errupted in the middle of the arena. The whole ce swayed left and right along with the impact of the missiles. The whole floating arena immediately tipped to the side, dragging everything on top of it down to the abyss.


    Kaisa immediately plunged its tail into the ground and twisted its body around it to keep itself bnced on top while letting everything else fall into its demise, including Rin. The huge cloud of dust and debris that covered the whole ce didn''t allow the demon to see whether Rin died instantly or was on the verge of dying.


    It didn''t even entertain the thought that Rin could''ve escaped that hit unscathed. It was timed perfectly and also had the element of surprise in it which Rin could never predict. Who would expect the monster''s arms to be fleshy missiles that could regenerate?


    The arena''s weird inclination eventually was fixed and the dust was swiped away into the abyss under it.


    Looking at the huge crater where its armsnded, the demon searched for Rin''s disintegrated body. But, forget about a mess of flesh or a dead corpse, there wasn''t even a trace of blood there.


    The monster became confused as it instinctively stretched its neck closer to take a more precise look. But, that exact move was the biggest mistake it could do.


    ''Dumbass!''


    Rin sneaked behind it and jumped on its body before dashing toward its head. All of this happened in a quick moment so the monster couldn''t react in time. At the exact moment the arms would''ve hit him, he activated shadow maniption and quickly vanished in his shadows. A momentter, he appeared again under the smoke screen, hiding what he did from Kaisa and even Emilia who had a strong frown on her face.


    She was ready to jump into the arena and save Rin. But, seeing him get out unscathed from the smoke screen and even sneak behind the monster, she could only blink a few times as she asked herself.


    ''How did he do that?''


    Not only has avoided those missiles at thest moment, but he also came unscathed too. Then, she recalled what Rin said to her before.


    ''He is still hiding his element. But, what kind of power could make you evade such a head-on st?''


    *Stab*


    The dagger was plunged into Kaisa''s mask, cracking it a little bit. The sound of the cracking was eerily simr to that of bones breaking. Even the texture of the maks when Rin touched it was basically no different than touching hard bones.


    ''Why does it have a bone mask?! Is it actually a part of its face and not a mere mask?!''


    With a closer look, Rin could see that the mask did indeed seem to be glued to the monster''s face tightly. There wasn''t even a small separation between the skin and the mask


    *Swish*


    The demon instantly started swinging its head back and forth crazily as it tried to shake Rin away from it.


    ''Fuuuck!! This is making me feel nauseous!'' Rin thought as he grabbed tightly into its scales. His body was getting yanked forcefully. After a few seconds, he lost his grip and he was basically thrown high in the air.


    *Bluk*


    The monster''s arms regenerated and were sted toward Rin along with its huge tail.


    *BANG*


    "Ugh!!"


    *BOOOOM*


    Getting sted violently, Rin could only clench his teeth as he waited for the impact. His body reached the other side of the room and smashed against the wall violently. He felt the breath getting knocked out of his lungs as his eyes widened.


    But, he was far from over with this, as the moment he tried to push himself out of the human-sized hole he created in the wall, the monster''s tail was already getting closer to where he was.


    ''Give me a fucking break! Don''t you get tired?!'' He screamed in his head as he jumped in the air.


    *BANG*


    Debris hit the back of his head as he tried tond on his feet. The jump was quite high and it was going to hurt if he didn''t lessen the impact of thending.


    *Swish*


    Spinning in the air, hended on both of his feet and on one of his arms before


    "Superheronding!" He muttered to himself with a nervous chuckle.


    *BANG*


    However, even the time for silly jokes and uselessments wasn''t allowed for Rin. He was entrapped by Kaisa as it kept showering him with missiles and a building-sized tail that seemingly was fast enough to keep up with him.


    The situation was getting more and more disadvantageous and he was sure that if he kept going like this, Rin was basically fucked. He had no way of pulling off a sneak attack like the one he did before as Kaisa is now more awake and more alert than ever before. That chance will nevere again even if he tried to create it with his own hands.


    So, hisst chance was somethingpletely different¡­ Action Points. Even though he didn''t want to use them all in such a situation, Rin had no other choice if he wanted to actually win. Besides, he had kept them stacking up for cases like these where had no way of winning no matter how cunning he was, a direct confrontation that didn''t allow for tricky ns and smart thinking.


    Opening his system stats on the side, Rin checked his Action Points.


    [System Profile]


    [Name: Rin Silvereye.]<novelnext></novelnext>


    [ss: Shadow Bringer (First Phase)]


    [Race: Human/ ???]


    [Stats]


    [Strength: E]


    [Agility: E-]


    [Dexterity: G+]


    [Intelligence: G+]


    [Charm: A-]


    [Magic: C-]


    [Action Points: 5145]


    ''I increased 1000 action points after killing all of those monsters? Lower than I expected but it is what it is.''


    After the previous 4000 points he used in his spar with Emilia, Rin thought he will at least get 2000 points. But, through that matter, he didn''t really do any plot-changing events or met any plot-rted people.


    It seemed that even meeting and getting beaten up by one of the cult members wasn''t considered a plot-rted event by the system so it didn''t count the Action Points because of it.


    ''How much would 5000 points increase if I put it all in strength? Tsk!!'' He asked his system.


    *Swish*


    The barrage of attacks kept trailing him wherever he went.


    [It will increase to E+]


    ''Only that much?''


    [Yes, the higher rank you go, the more points are required to get stronger, host.]


    ''Fuck! Fine, put half of the points in Agility and the rest in Dexterity.''


    His dexterity and intelligence were considerably weaker than his other stats by a huge margin so he decided to put his bet on getting Dexterity to a higher rank. He still didn''t understand how dexterity worked or how it can help him but since he was fucked anyway and he couldn''t make a breakthrough in his strength, he might as well put his bet on Dexterity and hope for the best.


    It was a risky move, but, when did Rin ever do something that wasn''t risky? He was basically gambling with his life 24/7 and smiling while he was at it. He was already a reckless human being.


    [Agility stat has increased from E- to E]


    [Dexterity has increased from G+ to F+]


    ''Nice!''


    *BANG* *BANG*


    The moment the system allocated the points to the two stats, he felt a weird change ur in his body, precisely inside his head. It waspletely different from the other times when he evolved his stats and that intoxicating feeling of power and endless energy.


    This feeling was more mind-rooted as it weirdly changed his thoughts.


    ''Wait, why am I using my body like this?'' He asked himself with a confused look.


    Checking his posture as he ran, the way he gripped the dagger, and even the way he evaded the monster''s attacks, he found many ws in them. He felt as if everything he was doing was wrong and that he should fix it instinctively.


    This sudden effect surprised him greatly but also made a wide grin appearing on his face. He was really happy with this effect. For a stat to actually increase his mastery over his dagger and also fix his body posture.


    *Swish*


    Following these new ideas, Rin noticed the instant change. His speed increased visibly and he found it way easier to avoid the missiles. Each attack was no easier to side-step as if his body was now way more flexible like rubber.


    However, except for the change in his head, nothing changed inside his body. The only thing that changed was the way he used it to the highest efficiency. That mere change in muscle movements, spine inclination, and footwork was more than enough to allow Rin to use his abilities to their full potential unlike before.


    *BANG* *BANG* *BANG*


    Jumping out of the way while leaving behind a huge explosion, Rin''s face looked ecstatic.


    ''I''m the god of dexterity!!''


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 126 - Kaisa: The Smiling Demon (Part 3)

    Chapter 126 - Kaisa: The Smiling Demon (Part 3)


    (A//N: Some graphic description


    With all of his hesitations basically gone, Rin didn''t waste any time as he quickly dashed toward the monster''s head again He now had more confidence in being able to deal a lethal hit to it


    With each step, he evaded a barrage of attacks with clear ease Each part of his body became so easy to control that it impressed him. It was as if he unlocked something in his head that gave him ess to other functions of his body he never knew existed or were even possible. This was the effect of the Dexterity stat that he never noticed before until he actually made it evolve a whole rank from G+ to F+.


    The idea in and out of itself was quite weird but it was happening in front of him and that was more than enough to make him change his view about this mysterious aspect.


    *BOOOOOOM*


    The monster''s tail hit the ground again. Rin would''ve evaded the attack as he should do in normal cases. But, with the confidence he had and the reckless n he just concocted in his head, he decided to do something different.


    *Hop*


    Jumping high in the air, hended on the monster''s tail and continued running at top speed. He also used his skill Formless Ghost Dagger to increase his agility even more. He was now as fast as a cheetah.


    While he was running, he kept slicing left and right, cutting off the monster''s countless arms and getting rid of any possible sneak attack. Kaisa didn''t scream from pain but Rin was sure that it felt the pain with each arm he cut off even though it should regenerate easily.


    But, he quickly discovered that there was a weak point to that ability, a crucial one at that.


    ''If I cut the arms myself, they never grow back!''


    It seems that these arms could only regenerate if Kaisa used them. Other than that, they will never grow back. That was great news for him as it really got rid of a huge headache for Rin.


    "Get this, bitch!!" Adrenaline rushed to his brain and made him feel joy and excitement as he kept harvesting the arms of the monsters while making his way to the top.


    Kaisa didn''t stand idle and take hits while doing nothing. Swinging its body just like before, it tried to throw Rin away. However, thetter would''ve never allowed that to happen, not after getting this golden opportunity.


    ''You aren''t getting rid of me.'' A wide grin ofplete joy appeared on his face.


    The smiling mask on Kaisa''s face appeared grimmer than before and more hollow. He felt the fear as it creped to the demon''s heart. He was sure that this was it.


    *Swish*


    Jumping again, he evaded the tail andnded on it again before he jumped back to continue his route. When he was close enough, he jumped, dodging thest missile that Kaisaunched in panic.


    His dagger stabbed forward like a sh of lightning, aiming for the same cracked point.


    *BANG*


    The monster''s whole body swayed back from the impact. Rin plunged his legs into the mask and then used the dagger to sh and destroy every part of the bony mask.


    *CRACK*


    The dagger broke through each part of the mask and peeled it off the monster''s skin.


    *CRACK*


    Kaisa tried to resist but it was already toote to try and get Rin off its face. He kept a steady foot on its face while also jumping left and right to pierce both of its eyes.


    Blood finally sshed from behind the mask and covered Rin''s whole body. But, he ignored the sticky liquid and continued wreaking havoc on the monster''s face.


    Finally, after a cruel torture, the monster''s face behind the mask was revealed a little bit. But, when Rin saw it, he frowned as his eyes widened to the extreme.


    *Swish*


    Kaisa then fell down to the ground, exhausted and on the verge of dying. Rin also quickly released himself andnded on the ground beside it. His face was so grim and distorted that he couldn''t even care about how it looked right now.


    ''What did I just see?'' He asked himself as he stood up and dragged his dagger while walking toward the monster.


    He really couldn''t believe his eyes when he saw that sight behind the mask. He could feel his heart beating loudly as the realization was dawning on him more and more.


    When he reached the monster, he started breaking the rest of the bone mask. He felt as if all the excitement he was in vanished and a cold bucket of water was dropped on his head.


    After crushing whatever was left of the mask, he finally saw the face of the monster, and his shock turned into dread. His grim intensified.


    ''What the fuck¡­ is this?''


    There, on the monster''s face, there were no eyes, nose or ears, or anything to be expected from the face of any creature in existence. Instead, what he saw was a disfigured mess of what seemed to be humanoid corpses, melted and merged together to form the most hideous sight Rin had ever witnessed in both of his lives.


    It was just something that no human should ever see. Something that even nightmares could never create.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The creatures'' bodies were melted like cubes of ice and their flesh was red beyond recognition. Each one of them had their face half submerged in the molten mess while others were simplyying there, motionless and dead.


    One nce was more than enough to make him look away. They looked so angry, so hateful and so tormented even when they were dead. The sheer anger he saw in their dead eyes was just bone-chilling and quite frankly a horrifying sight to witness.


    ''What happened¡­ here?'' He thought as he felt his hands shaking a little bit. Not out of fear but out of sheer confusion and dread.


    He just didn''t get what was this. The demon had melted demons fused on its face? Was it some kind of experiment? or was it just another species of weird demons that are born like that?


    But, he quickly shook his head and spoke with a cold face.


    "Master, what is this?"


    *Swish*


    Emilia, who was standing behind him, didn''t speak immediately.


    "That''s a corrupted demon?"


    "A corrupted demon? Aren''t they all corrupted?"


    "Some of them are more corrupted than others. Those of them that turn into vengeful souls filled with hatred can even morph their bodies together and turn themselves into these horrid creatures. You had fought one of them."


    "Why?"


    "What do you mean ''why''?"


    "I am asking: why would they turn into vengeful souls? Isn''t it because of humans, of us?"


    "It is indeed the case," Emilia replied honestly.


    "Then, aren''t we at fault too?"


    "They are evil creatures, Rin! They seek chaos and live in chaos! They aren''t some kind of innocent race that lives for the sake of peace like us!"


    "Sigh¡­"


    Rin shook his head and turned to face Emilia with a frown on his face.


    "I say, is that really the case, master?" He asked.


    "I mean, look at this¡­"


    He pointed at Kaisa''s face with his finger.


    "Does this look like mere ''Chaos and evil'' to you? Look at those eyes. What kind of thing should a sane creature go through to be filled with that much hatred, huh? Is it really just because they want to erase the human race and kill all of us?"


    "What are you even saying, Rin?"


    "What I''m saying is that, there is definitely something off in all of this. Not everything is ck and white, Master, and you should be aware of that fact. Are we really the victims here?"


    He gazed at his hand and then murmured audibly.


    "I heard a quote before: History is written by those victorious. This quote fits this situation. I have my suspicions of the fact that humans are indeed the victims of demons. I have no proof of it and I can''t be sure until I see it with my own eyes. But¡­ this¡­ isn''t normal at all."


    "..."


    Emilia scanned Rin''s expression.


    "Aren''t you being too naive here, Rin?" She uttered after a while


    "Naive?"


    "Yes, very naive¡­ Humans and demons fought for hundreds of years. They shed in countless wars, killed billions from each race, and never really felt a shred of remorse for it. You think war won''t give birth to hatred and revenge? It''s war, people die, families get destroyed, and children lose their parents. You think that won''t make them hate whoever was the reason for it and grow up to seek vengeance for their dead souls? No matter who it was the innocent side, a war will only destroy and never build. We are destined to make demons hate us and they are also destined to make us hate them."


    Her face looked grim with each word she said as if she was speaking out of anger at something. Truthful words came out of her heart.


    "You have said it ''Not everything is white and ck'' then why believe a white mask can be a sign of peace? Even the nicest of smiles can hide behind them a horrible truth. They are monsters, Rin. Whether you liked it or not. They will always be our enemies until the end of time."


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 127-Magic Class And Unexpected Outcome (Part 1)

    Chapter 127- Magic ss And Unexpected Oue (Part 1)


    Rin stood silent for a while, his mind was contemting what Emilia had said. It was indeed that wars destroy and never build and it''s also true that their grudge and their hatred could be born out of the endless chain of vengeance each race is conducting on the other.


    The process was so simple yet could never be cut off: I kill someone dear to you, you get angry and try to seek revenge then you end up killing my loved ones so I seek revenge too. It''s a chain of events that can''t be stopped unless one partypletely erases the other from the face of the world. That''s when it all stops.


    However, the bugging feeling inside Rin''s heart was still there just telling him that something was off, that some parts of this supposedly epic story of how humans defeated evil and saved the world do not make any sense at all.


    ''History is written by the victorious'' is a quote he firmly believed in. No matter how glorified or great a party may sound, it was all because they had the right to write the pages of history however they wanted. The losing side can''t change that fact and end up forgotten in the abyss of memories or be banished by everyone.


    Humans aren''t angels, they also have their dark sides and their corrupted hearts. They are also as sinful as demons and can be even more of an evil power than they are.


    But, even with all of that, he still didn''t have concrete proof that this was indeed the case and even if he had it, what can he do when he was still not strong enough? Rin wasn''t some kind of hero of light that will be able to stop this war and bring peace neither was this a fairy tale. Not everyone is right and not everyone is wrong, it''s just a matter of interest.


    ''Tsk, what a messy situation. I can''t even distinguish right from wrong.'' He rubbed his head in confusion.


    Hearing that, Emilia''s face calmed down a little bit and then she said in a softer tone than before.


    "You don''t need to fill your head with this matter, Rin. It will only waste your time. Just keep focusing on what matters the most for you right now and that''s to gain power. Leave this to when you can actually do something about it, then you can make a choice."


    "I understand¡­ Rin thought as he gave Kaisa''s dead body onest nce."


    "You can take the corpse if you want, and if you have enough space in your spatial ring for it," Emilia said as she guessed what he was thinking about.


    "Well, I will do that."


    After putting the corpse in his inventory, Emilia used the key to make them leave the custom dungeon. The two were instantly back inside the white room.


    Rin then silently walked out of the ce with Emilia in tow. Neither of them said anything to the other.


    ''He''s still a child. Understanding what you want to believe is a hard thing yet he has to deal with it now, on his own.'' Emilia''s face was calm but she was feeling slightly clueless at this moment.


    On one side, there is what she believes in and that''s the fact that humans are the ones in the right here and that demons deserver what became of them. But, on the other hand, she can''t refute any of Rin''s wordspletely. She isn''t dumb, she knows that history can be altered and the truth can be hidden, it''s not that hard for humans to be the evil ones in this.


    Rubbing her temples, Emilia stopped thinking about this matter, it was too much of a headache to enter this moral dilemma and end up even more confused. Even her belief was wavering because of it.


    ''Let fate decide what could be the truth.''


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Time passed and the next day came, during that time, Rin merely went back home and slept like a log until sunrise. He hadn''t slept in two days so he was feeling quite exhausted. He didn''t even bother with notifying Elise about everything that happened. Hell, he could barely move his numb legs or his numb mind.


    When he met Elise in the morning, he told her about everything that happened as they walked toward the Magic curriculum area. He didn''t hide anything at all.


    Elise also had the same reaction as him when he mentioned Kaisa''s matter. She also had her doubts before, but they were now even stronger than before.


    But, the matter didn''t go any further as they faced a weird problem when they reached the sses area. There, they were stopped by a male student.


    "Oh, Miss. Elise¡­ You are as mesmerizing as ever, your beauty can blind even the strongest of eyes and tarnish the purest of souls. Would you ept these flowers?" He said as he bent down on one knee as if he was ready to propose before he pulled out a huge flower bouquet and gave it to her.


    ''Holy fuck, How was he able to say that with a straight face.'' Rin could only tap his face with a sigh. He felt his face contort with second-hand embarrassment.


    But, it doesn''t seem to be the case for everyone as the group of people standing around him were looking happily at the interaction.


    Elise nced at the flowers and then at the boy then at the flowers again before she started walking away as if she didn''t see anything. Her face never changed throughout the whole interaction.


    "Miss. Elise, please wait! We have chosen these flowers, especially for you. Our club had worked hard to create the bouquet so please ept it?"


    "Club?" Rin said confusedly.


    The others red at him before they got rid of their shirts, revealing what kind of clothing they had under them. It was a white t-shirt with a picture of Elise just sitting causally stered on it.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Huh?"


    "This is our dear Miss. Elise''s fan club. We already have over 60 devoted members that glorify Miss. Elise and her ethereal beauty. She''s an angel amongst humans."


    "What the¡­" Rin''s eyes quickly shifted to Elise and his face paled.


    ''Yup, they are definitely fucked.'' He thought as he sensed Elise''s cold aura prating the air. Her face looked so dark and ominous that she could make anyone cower with fear. Even her mesmerizing beauty became a sharp weapon that could strip anyone of their confidence with a nce.


    "Burn all of that." She ordered with a cold tone.


    "But, Mis-"


    "Burn it." She ordered.


    Then, she walked inside the ss without looking back.


    ''Fuuh, we dodged a huge disaster.''


    "You shouldn''t use her face on a bunch of shirts without her permission. Besides, how did you even do that?"


    "Tsk¡­ We drew it by hand on each and every shirt." The student said with a not-so-pleased look.


    "Miss. Elise is our angel. She''s the most beautiful, dignified, and elegant person we have ever seen. But, you, Rin Silvereye, you aren''t allowed to stay by her side."


    However, before they could spit out insults at him, another group of people barged into the conversation. While the other group was mainlyposed of male students with some female students here and there, this one was the exact opposite of that as it was mostly made up of girls.


    They surrounded Rin and looked at the other group disdainfully.


    "How dare you treat master. RIn like this?! You are all a bunch of morons?"


    "Master Rin?" He muttered in clear confusion as he looked around him. All the girls were clearly trying to defend him and he had a bad hunch about that.


    But, before he could even try to shake his thoughts away, what he feared turned out to be the truth.


    "We, Rin SIlvereye followers can''t allow for our master''s name to be insulted. Master Rin, don''t worry, we will protect you."


    "Wait, wait, wait¡­ What do you mean Master Rin? I''m no one''s master¡­" He denied their approaches nervously. Being surrounded by this many girls as they were awfully close to him wasn''t the most pleasant experience particrly. It could make anyone nervous. One or two were no problem for Rin, but when the number exceeds 55 girls, it bes a problem.


    "Master Rin is master Rin. Your fan club shall not ept any possible harassment of you."


    "Yes!"


    "We love you, Master!"


    "Master Rin is so handsome, kyaaaaa!!!"


    "Master Rin, can I hug you please!"


    "I''m wet!!"


    All kinds of excited cheers echoed in the hallway as Rin was stuck in between all of them, trying to find a way out.


    ''I''m drowning¡­'' He thought as he pushed his way through the waves of girls while making sure he didn''t hurt anyone. He could easily break their bones if he pushed or squeezed too hard.


    "Now, now, what is going on here?~"


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 128-Magic Class And Unexpected Outcome (Part 2)

    Chapter 128- Magic ss And Unexpected Oue (Part 2)


    Hearing that voice, Rin felt his spine go numb for a split second before he quickly regained hisposure and looked calmly at the owner of it.


    A beautiful woman with golden hair and green eyes was walking seductively toward them. She was wearing the formal clothes for the professors in the academy but somehow looked so erotic that no one would dare to even consider this uniform ''appropriate''. The buttons of the shirt were opened a little, revealing a little bit of her cleavage. Her huge breasts were almost spilling out.


    Her soft and supple thighs were also tightlypacted into a rather short skirt with thigh-highs under it.


    With an amused smile, she spoke to everyone.


    "Why is no one inside the ss, hm?~~"


    Gazing at the stunned group of people, she chuckled and then ordered them to follow her. But, most of them could barely regain theirposure to even nod their head.


    "That''s our magic professor? Fuck me¡­"


    "Damn she''s hot! I never heard of a professor this hot in the academy. Is the goddess finally smiling upon us?"


    "I will cry¡­ Hick! All hail virgins!!"


    As for the girls, they looked even more aggressive than before as they protected Rin like angry cats. They felt the dangerous aura looming over this woman and they had a hunch that Rin was a possible prey for her. For a second, everyone forgot about the fight that was about to ensue.


    As for the person in the middle of all of this, he just tapped his forehead with a long sigh.


    ''That woman¡­ she doesn''t give up.'' He thought to himself as he walked past all the girls and reached the woman before she entered the ss.


    "What the fuck are you doing, Evelyn?" He asked without looking at her and acting as if he was just passing by.


    "Oh my? Is that how you speak to your professor, boy?~~ I might need to punish you for that sharp tongue of yours." She replied amusedly.


    "Knock off that nonsense. How did you even get epted as a professor, huh?"


    "I have my little tricks, hehe.~~" Giggling like a child, she opened the door and entered.


    "Now, aren''t you going to take a seat, my. Dear. student." Saying it while emphasizing each word made him even warier of her.


    ''This woman¡­ sigh.''


    Finding no more strength in his body to retort, he just walked inside and sat beside Elise, who was reading a book, not bothering with anything about her surroundings.


    Nudging her a little bit, Rin whispered.


    "Remember that woman that I had told you about the other day?"


    "Mhm?"


    "That''s her¡­"


    Lifting her eyes from her book, she gave Evelyn a small nce before she shifted her gaze to Rin.


    "She''s beautiful, isn''t she?"


    "Huh?"


    "Now I get why you followed her." She said casually.


    "Wait, what kind of person do you take me for?"


    "Someone who would enter an empty ssroom with a gorgeous woman."


    "I mean, that''s not wrong bute on, I''m not desperate for the attention of a potentially dangerous person like her."


    "Mhm¡­" Elise nodded her head as if she wasn''t buying it.


    "How can I be desperate to get a woman''s attention when I have you?" He asked as he tried to stop the amused grin from appearing on his face.


    "..." Elise''s beautiful eyes gave him a side nce.


    "You are smiling." She said as she moved to the next page in her book.


    "Am I?"


    "Yes, you are¡­ even now, you are still smiling. Your attempts won''t work."


    "Tsk, was it good at least? Rate it from 1 to ten."


    "3."


    "Ohe on, that was smooth, It''s at least a 7. I bet your heart skipped a beat for a split second." He rested his head on the table and smiled charmingly at Elise.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "..."


    Thetter didn''t look at him at all as if she already knew he was setting another trap to get a reaction out of her so she stopped the problem from the root.


    "Tsk, boring. But, I will definitely get you to blush one day, take my word for it."


    "Mhm¡­"


    ''I never go back on my word.'' Rin thought to himself as he set another goal for the future.


    "Is everyone here?~~" Evelyn asked as she scanned everybody, resting for a little too long on Rin''s silhouette before moving on.


    "Good, everyone is here. Now, I shall formally wee you to the first lesson of the magic ss. I am your teacher Ms. Christina Bremen."


    Rolling his eyes at the obviously fake name she chose, Rin didn''t look at her anymore.


    ''Christina Bremen my ass.''


    "Since this is your first day, we will start with the basic fundamentals of magic so you don''t get confused quickly."


    Then, Evelyn pointed her finger at the ckboard behind her, and words were magically written on it. This ckboard was obviously not normal. It was actually a mana-imbued board. When the user channels their mana and manifests it on the board, they can control what could appear on it. It was easier said than done as only people with great control over mana can pull off such a feat. That''s why it was only allowed for Professors to use the board for educational purposes.


    "The first lesson is: Elements." She wrote on the board.


    "As you all know, every single existence in this world has an element, from nts to humans and everything in between. We all have an affinity with certain elements that if awakened could be used. Now, the first question for this lesson is, how can we develop our elements? Does anyone have the answer to this?"


    Many lifted their hands as if they already knew the answer. Most of them were males that were eager to impress their hot teacher.


    But, Evelyn smiled and pointed at a particr ck-haired boy.


    "You, there. What''s your name?"


    Rin didn''t bother with that at first but when he noticed everyone was looking at him he gazed at Evelyn.


    "Me?"


    "Yes¡­ What''s your name, young man?~~" He could see the sh of deep amusement that appeared in her eyes as she addressed him.


    ''Tsk¡­ She really wants to y this stupid game.''


    "Rin¡­ Rin Silvereye." He said with a tired look on his face.


    "Well, Rin. Can you answer that question?"


    "Mmm, no." He said as he sat down, cutting off any possible attempts from Evelyn to try and corner him. But, Rin had underestimated the devilishly hot woman''s abilities.


    "Why acting so shy, Rin? Come on, Answer the question. Even if it''s the wrong answer. No one will me you.~~"


    ''I swear, I will make you regret this, Evelyn.'' He said as he stood up again with a dissatisfied expression.


    Thetter merelyughed off the threatening thoughts and continued looking at him daringly. Ever since that day when he basically turned her into a wiggly mess, she had been in a huge dilemma.


    She couldn''t understand how that mere boy could affect her emotions and body that much. It was a first for Evelyn who was ustomed to manipting others and not getting manipted. But, even when she tried to reason with herself that it was just because she let her guard down, her mind would remember that day and all she could do was frown even harder and touch her chest.


    Whenever she just experiences a small whiff of memory of what happened, her heart would start beating and her cheeks would turn rosy red. Whether she hated to admit it or not, she loved what she felt that day to the point where it filled her mind and took control of her senses.


    At first, she was ready to just leave and never return to that ce, epting her defeat. But, she just couldn''t do it. Her thoughts were a chaotic mess and her body would react in weird ways without her control.


    ''That brat! I will definitely make him submit and then turn him into my personal pet! I won''t allow this humiliation to pass unnoticed!!'' She ended up excusing her decisions with those words.


    He could''ve just ignored her but that would''ve garnered a lot of attention and could end up dragging him to trouble with the academy because of it. Not everyone loved him in this ss after all.


    "Mmm, You can develop your element by continuously using it?" He took a guess from the small bits and pieces of information he took from Emilia yesterday.


    "Correct!" She said with a fake happy smile.


    Rin was sure that she was cursing in her head that her prank didn''t work. But, he felt quite satisfied with that.


    ''You are 100 years too young to try and prank me, little girl.'' He smiled.


    ''Little girl?! I will show you what a little girl can do, brat!''


    A war of thoughts and ns started without the notice of anyone else.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 129 129- Magic Class And Unexpected Outcome (Part 3)

    Chapter 129- Magic ss And Unexpected Oue (Part 3)


    Clearing her throat, Evelyn didn''t try to poke Rin more than this. She knew that if she kept doing it, students will start growing suspicious of their rtionship and they will end up in a weird situation which neither of them would benefit from.


    Instead, she focused on the ss and regained her usual cheeky and seductive smile.


    "As your ssmate said, the only way for you to develop your ability and make it stronger is through continuous use and practice. It''s like our muscles and our mana, it''s all about how much you hone it. But¡­ We can''t forget about the one single importantponent."


    Pointing her finger at the board, one word was written, ''talent''.


    "It''s a talent that determines whether that hard work would pay off as much as it should or not. People with no talents can never reach what people with great talents can achieve."


    Rin blinked his eyes a few times as he looked at Evelyn confusedly.


    ''Is she even aware that she''s teaching a bunch of students? You can''t say stuff like that here.''


    Even though he might agree with what she said, that doesn''t mean it needs to be vocalized in front of them. She only had to teach them the curriculum and never mention these facts as the students already knew them and they didn''t need to get another hit to their confidence. But, Evelyn seems to take none of that as she continued.


    "You can work hard all you want and even go far and beyond to break that wall called ''talent''. But, no one attempted that and came out victorious. Talent was, is, and will always be the thing that humans can never beat besides death."


    "That is wrong¡­" A female student with a serious look stood up and objected.


    "Hmm?"


    "I don''t agree with that idea, Professor Christina. Talent isn''t something necessary to seed."


    "Oho? How is that?~~" Evelyn didn''t try to shut her down as she seemed interested to listen to whatever nonsense the girl was about to spout.


    "Hard work is way more important than talent and can easily rece it in most cases even. All the person needs is determination and belief to reach the top. That''s the real truth, Professor."


    The way the girl was speaking sounded so proud and dignified as if she was saying something she took pride in. Hard work is the only thing needed for one''s sess? Rin could only shake his head at such naive thoughts. For him, talent is as important, if not even more important, than hard work. It''s the limiter that is gically engraved into every human that makes them unique and different from one another.


    He had experienced a taste of both worlds. In his previous life, he was a talentless nobody who could only survive because of the support of the people around him. He had felt powerless countless times and even lose all of his family because of that sameck of talent. He had tasted the bitterness of being weak.


    Then, he came to Divine Sapphire and experienced obtaining a one-of-a-kind talent. He had seen how much talent can make a person''s whole existence change. He had tasted strength, the happiness of achieving something no matter how hard it was, and the excitement of seeding in anything he tries.


    That''s when he came to the conclusion that talent is way more important than hard work. In a fairy tale, the main character is always depicted as this powerless, talentless person that can''t do anything. But, through sheer determination, he can reach the top. But, in every medium of those, Rin saw a pattern. The main character himself would always obtain a form of boost whether it was an item, a mysterious power, or anything else.


    That exact boost is in real life equal to talent. People seem to forget that idea and that made Rin quite confused.


    Shaking his head, Rin focused on Evelyn and waited for what she wanted to say.


    "What''s your name?" She asked out of nowhere.


    "Sora."


    "A beautiful name, Miss. Sora."


    "T-Thank you." The girl averted her eyes for a second from Evelyn as she felt her beautiful green eyes just focusing on her way too much.


    Then, Sora looked back at Evelyn¡­ However¡­


    "Where is sh-"


    "I''m here." Feeling a tap on her shoulder, she looked back with a horrified look on her face.


    "See what happened there? Were you able to follow me with your eyes?"


    "..."


    "Answer the question, Sora.~~" Evelyn added as she gently twirled one of Sora''s strands of hair in her fair fingers.


    "N-No¡­ I-I mean¡­"


    "So the answer is a no. Well, in your opinion, how long would it take for you to pull of such a feat easily?" Evelyn asked.


    "W-Wait¡­ No, I-I don''t¡­"


    "Why are you nervous? Did you perhaps feel it¡­"<novelnext></novelnext>


    Then, Evelyn bent down and whispered near her ear.


    "Did you feel that difference in talent? Did you think ''I will never be able to do this even if I work hard''? Did you see the difference between us?~~" Evelyn asked.


    "Sora, you seem like a good girl. You most likely have been a serious hard worker since a young age. I don''t want to ruin that for you. Just know this¡­ Hard work will never win against pure, honed talent. I would like to see you proving my words wrong, though.~~"


    Her voice sounded so calm and unthreatening that it had the opposite effect on the poor girl. She felt her face sweating and paling considerably with each passing second Evelyn was that close to her.


    Then, Evelyn seemingly having enough, retreated and then vanished under everyone''s eyes and appeared where she was before.


    "If you believe in hard work, believe as much as you want. It''s your lives that you are responsible for, after all. I was merely giving you the real facts. The world will teach you what you like and don''t like, bear that in mind."


    Then, she smiled widely under the shocked and speechless looks of her students.


    "Let''s continue our lesson."


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    In another ce, far far from where Rin and Elise were, a gorgeous, ck-haired woman could be seen walking inside a corridor in a hurry.


    Emilia kept looking at the time with a frown on her face while quickening her steps in her direction.


    ''Tsk, I reached the higher floorste. Not that those bastards will be any earlier than me.'' She thought to herself.


    The ce she was walking inside was so extravagant and beautiful that it could make the richest of people outside the academy just lose consciousness from shock. Even the best of castles and mansions could neverpare to a small corner of this ce.


    The corridor was decorated with gold, rare ores, priceless paintings, and extremely rare flowers put in high-quality vases. The red carpet under her felt so soft andfortable to walk on that it might entice someone to justy on it and take a nap.


    But, Emilia ignored all of that and just merely gazed at a particr door. When she stopped in front of it, she sighed and took a few deep breaths to make herself calm down. It wasn''t nervousness that made her do that but her certainty that when she meets the scumbags in this ce, she will eventually get angry.


    ''I must keep my calm. It''s not worth getting angry. Just calm, Emilia.''


    After that, she opened the door and stepped inside.


    "Emiiiii!!"


    The moment she put on her feet, a loud voice called for her before her body was embraced by another person.


    "Lilia, you are suffocating me! Get your racks away from your face." Pushing the woman away she clenched her teeth.


    "But, but, but, Emi¡­ I really need to hug you or I will start crying.." The beautiful, brown-haired woman said with a sad look as she rubbed her face on Emilia''s cheek.


    "I said get off me."


    *Bonk*


    "Ouch! Horrible, Emi! How can you do this to your best friend?!" Lilia protested as she put her hands on the top of her head, rubbing the ce of the hit.


    "You are heavy."


    "I-I''m not¡­ Look, my body is slim and fit."


    "That''s not what I''m talking about, moron." Gazing at the huge things on Lilia''s chest area, Emilia could only sigh.


    ''They seem to get bigger whenever I meet her.''


    "Anyway, let me walk inside. Did anyonee yet?" She asked.


    "No, I am the first. Licht said that he will be here in a few more minutes. The others will also be here soon. It won''t take long likest time, hopefully."


    "Tsk, Licht¡­ That annoying scumbag."


    Just remembering that man''s face, Emilia would get irritated. He was one of the most annoying people she had ever met and he seemingly wasn''t going to leave her alone any time soon.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 130 130- Massive Scale Investigation (Part 1)

    Chapter 130- Massive Scale Investigation (Part 1)


    Sitting down and resting her back on the chair, Emilia looked up at the beautiful ceiling and fell into deep thought. The reason for her bad and frankly tense mood at that moment is because of the bad omen she was feeling.


    Her head was just screaming that something weird is going to happen and she was not ready for it. Whether it was the decision of the academy that will be told to them today or maybe another sneak attack from the cult when they anticipate it the least, she can''t tell.


    ''Why am I overthinking?'' She asked herself.


    She was never someone to oveplicate stuff as she knew that will only make it harder for her to distinguish between right and wrong. But, for some reason, in thest few days, she started overthinking stuff a lot. The reason is still vague to her.


    "Emi¡­" Lilia murmured with a worried look as she sat beside her dear friend. She was the closest person to Emilia and was also akin to her sister so she knew her more than anyone else. So, it was easy to tell what things were going through her best friend''s head.


    Then, as they were like that, the door opened and a man walked inside. He was a fairly handsome yet rough-looking man with a rather big frame full of muscles. However, that roughness was somehow tamed by his elegant mannerisms that could be seen from a mile away. He had long ck hair and a cleanly shaved face.


    Seeing the two women sitting there, the man smiled and walked toward them.


    "Lilia and my darling, what a great day to see both of you." He said as he extended his arm for a handshake.


    "Piss off, Licht," Emilia said as she rubbed her temples.


    "Good evening, Licht." Lilia said with a rather neutral face. In contrast to Emilia, Lilia didn''t really hate nor like Licht, he was just another floor master for her.


    "As cold as ever, huh? Well, nevertheless, seeing you is more than enough of an achievement for the day." He shook his head with a smile and walked to his seat.


    "Have you heard any news about this meeting?"


    "No."


    "Licht¡­" Lilia squinted her eyes at him as if she doesn''t buy anything from what he was saying.


    "But, I did hear some rumors. Well, calling them rumors is stretching it. Let''s say, ''spections''."


    "Spections?"


    "Yes, the thing is, the academy is too secretive to allow for any secret decisions to leak before the appropriate time. Even for us tower masters, we can''t really hear about anything until they allow us to. But, with that, I still can predict what they will do to some extent."


    "Say it." Emilia intervened in the conversation.


    "I''m sure they will tell us something along the lines of ''You must find the culprits, they are lurking inside the academy and as tower masters, your duty is to get rid of them''. It''s honestly not that hard to see what those fatties at the top would do." He chuckled as he crossed his hands in front of him.


    "Tsk, all the hard work will fall on us while they sit there and fill their bellies," Emilia murmured.


    *Click*


    The door opened again and another person entered the room, another man to be exact. In contrast to Licht, this man was rather lean and well-proportioned all over. He had beautiful white hair that reached his neck and two sharp ck eyes that could make anyone avert his gaze in a moment.


    His aura was so thick and suffocating that it was almost visible to the naked eye. Even for tower masters like them, his aura was like sharp des pointed at their throats ready to kill them if they did something that he didn''t like.


    The idea of death was vague for most people, except those who had felt this same aura, they would understand that death isn''t really that far away from them.


    Seeing this, the 3 people frowned a little bit. It was always hard to deal with the pressure this man keeps on exerting on them whenever they meet as if he was testing their endurance each time.


    ''The highest floor tower master, Letum.''


    That man was the floor master for arguably the highest and most important floor of the whole academy. The same floor that the top 10-Ranked students reside in. The same floor is the only gate to the higher-up area and also the headmaster''s area.


    That ce was like the core of everything rted to the academy, including all of its trump cards in case of attacks or huge threats. So, such an important ce needed an incredibly strong and extremely cold, andposed person to carry the weight and responsibility of administrating it.


    "..."


    After exchanging looks with everyone as if he acknowledged them, he went ahead and sat down at the head of the table as if he was going to be the one to speak in the meeting. However, no one would dare or believe that a word will be uttered out of his mouth. He just didn''t seem like someone who would waste a word out of his mouth for no reason.


    Under the suffocating pressure and cruel silence, everyone waited for thest two people to enter. In total, there are 6 tower masters for 10 floors. Many would ask why there aren''t there 10 tower masters or exactly one tower master for each floor<novelnext></novelnext>


    Well, the answer to that question lies in the hands of thest two people. These people have full control over 3 floors each. The reason for that is that these two were by far the best in managing floors out of the 6 of them so they were assigned 3 floors each. No oneined about that decision as they all knew how capable they were in that department.


    To be a floor master, you require more things than just strength. It''s something that required a lot of experience, social skills, power, influence, and many more requirements.


    ''They are alwayste to meetings.'' Emilia thought as she tapped her fingers on the armrest gently.


    Coincidentally, the next second the door opened and a man and a woman entered the room.


    "Good evening, everyone!!"


    "Goooood evening!!!"


    The two people jumped inside and said energetically. Huge smiles filled their faces as if they were extremely happy to see the other floor masters.


    ''The noisy twins are here.'' Licht chuckled to himself as he closed his eyes.


    The duo wasposed of siblings, twins to be exact. They were identical twins so even though they were a brother and sister, their appearances were eerily identical as if they were shaped of the same mold. Except for their different hairstyle, no one would be able to differentiate between them at all.


    Letum also gave them one nce before he ignored thempletely.


    "Oooh, I see everyone is in great shape today, right dear sister?"


    "Of course, dear brother! They are indeed looking as dashing as ever." The girl chuckled happily.


    "Sit down, Serina, Merlin," Emilia ordered.


    "Ooh, our dear Emi is still as grumpy as ever. Why doesn''t she smile more, dear sister?"


    "I don''t know, dear brother. She is always in a foul mood. Should we hug her to make her feel better?"


    "Yes, we should do just that."


    "Sit down!!"


    Their presence alone broke the solemn aura of the room that Letum carried with his aura. It was always the case with the twins as they never let Letum''s pressure turn the meeting into a tense war of nces.


    "Sigh, Emilia is always shouting. Let''s sit down, dear sister."


    "Yes, dear brother."


    The two took their ces and the meeting officially started.


    Letum''s closed eyes finally opened and he clicked his fingers. Instantly, 6 pieces of paper appeared out of thin air in front of everyone. This simple gesture would make someone freeze with shock but since this wasn''t the first time they saw it, the group didn''t really show many reactions.


    No one knew Letum''s power or how he can do this but no one dared to ask either. Picking up the piece of paper, Emilia read the content that was in the form of a letter silently.


    Seconds passed as everyone kept on reading. Then, a few gasps of shock escaped their mouths.


    Emilia and Lilia''s eyes shifted to Licht who was also quite taken aback. They really didn''t get what was going on at all.


    "A massive scale investigation¡­" Emilia murmured to herself.


    While an investigation process was predicted, an actual investigation of this scale was something unheard of. The letter basically stated that each and every human being inside the academy grounds shall be investigated, asked, and tested to check whether they were one of the cult members or not.


    Not only that, but the next part of the letter was what made Emilia''s eyes widen to the extreme.


    "The investigation will include¡­ The top 10 Rankers." She murmured in shock.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 131 131- Massive Scale Investigation (Part 2)

    Chapter 131- Massive Scale Investigation (Part 2)


    "The top 10 rankers are involved? What is the meaning of this?" Emilia asked Letum with a confused look on her face.


    She didn''t get why the academy would let those 10 monsters into this mess. She already had an idea about who they were and how ''uncontroble'' they were so she already anticipated how bad things could get if those were to be allowed to wreak havoc among the lower-floor students.


    ''They will only make it harder for us to do our work. Tsk, this isn''t good at all. Those 10 better stays where they are and not do anything.''


    Letum looked at Emilia for a second before he shook his head as if he was refusing to answer her. But, she knew that he was instead saying a ''It''s an order, don''t ask, just follow'' type of sign.


    Sighing, Emilia could only crush the piece of paper in her hand and continue reading whatever was left of the letter.


    Thetter paragraphs described the process of investigation in great detail and also gave them clear instructions of what they should exactly do in each case.


    In a nutshell, the process was dissected into two main parts: Element Appraisal and General traits.


    The first one means that they had to appraise each and every person in the academy to check their affinity with what element and since they have a clear idea of what element they were searching for, in this case, the shadow element which was something they didn''t even know existed until recently, they can easily recognize who the culprits are and then eliminate them.


    But, if in the off case that didn''t work, they will go to the second part which is the General trait investigation where they will have to make aplete check on that person''s background, when they entered the academy for the first time, what their upation is if they aren''t students and other information about them.


    This method was way harder than the first one and moreplicated so they put it as a second resort in case the shadow element wasn''t actually real and all of this was a mere new type of magic they never heard of.


    This n is filled with so many holes that could easily make it useless.'' Emilia pointed out as she finished reading.


    First of all, the first investigation can be easily evaded in multiple ways including manipting the appraisal stone and making it show the results they want. They can also simply escape and evade the appraisal.


    The second part is even easier to evade even if they didn''t escape as they can easily fabricate a perfect lie about their personal information. If they could invade the house of a tower master and send them a letter, they can easily create a whole new identity for themselves.


    ''Those old fuckers didn''t even try to work their rusty brains more ande up with a less useless n. Sigh¡­'' Rubbing the bridge of her nose, she just put the letter back on the table and looked at Lilia beside her.


    "This is¡­ Well, it''s better than nothing, at least?"


    "Yeah, better than nothing." Emilia rolled her eyes.


    "Oh my! We will be busy for the next couple of weeks." Lichtmented with a weird smile.


    "What about us?! We will have to deal with 3 floors each!! When can I rest?!"


    "Dear brother is right! We can''t handle all of this alone Hmph, I''m angry at this unfair treatment."


    "You two wanted to take 3 floors each, stopining," Lilia said as she brushed off their protests.


    "Yeah, no one told you two to ept it." Licht chuckled at their sad looks.


    "But, but¡­ Mou, dear sister, hug me!" Merlin jumped in his sister''s embrace and hugged her.


    "It''s ok, dear brother, we can only rely on ourselves in this cruel world."


    "Yes! We have to do it alone!"


    They showed so many overly dramatic expressions as if they were the most unfairly treated people in the world.


    They liked to act so childishly even though they looked fairly old, in their early 20s. For their age, getting the role of a tower master was a great aplishment that was only done because of their great talent. Merlin was once a top 20 ranker and Selina never left the top 30 ranks in her life.


    "I guess there is nothing to discuss any further?" Licht said as he got ready to stand up.


    However, before he could do anything, Letum suddenly spoke.


    "Sit."


    One single word¡­ Just one small word and the whole room was damped into a freezing cold atmosphere. Licht''s always nonchnt and smiley face crumbled when he felt the pressure of Letum fall on his shoulders.


    ''Sigh, this monster seems to be getting stronger every time I meet him.'' Licht could only smile nervously as he sat down again.


    "There is one more thing," Letum said with his deep, domineering voice.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    "I''m done¡­ I want to eat." Rin stretched his limbs as he stood up.


    The magic lesson took a few hours to finish but Rin was able to understand many things about magic, mana, and a more in-depth understanding of human anatomy rted to magic.


    After seeing all of that, he could only say one thing.<novelnext></novelnext>


    ''Broken.''


    The method of getting stronger in Divine Sapphire is simply so stupidly easy and straightforward that he could only shake his head in disappointment. Not only do people have two methods to gain strength, but they are also so talent-oriented that it makes them stupidly easy for some people and extremely hard for others.


    Hard work is still pretty much as crucial as talent but for talented people that have an affinity with magic, getting stronger will be more of a smooth sailpared to average joes.


    An extremely talented person can go from beingpletely average to destroying a building with his bare fist in less than 2 months if he worked hard and focused on training. This was even more insane when you look at Rin and Elise, two monsters the world had never seen before.


    It has been 2 months and they could easily destroy a whole vige let alone st a building.


    ''I guess the scale of power will only get more and more ridiculous the more we get stronger.'' Rin rubbed his head.


    But, when Rin and Elise were about to leave the ss, Evelyn called for them.


    ''What is she doing?'' Rin thought as he tapped Elise''s shoulder gently and gave her a sign with his eyes. Elise immediately understood what he meant with that mere nce.


    Spending such a long time with him made herpletely understand what he means whenever he looks at her. She didn''t think much about it but it was a sign of how close the two got albeit they never notice that.


    After everyone left, Elise and Rin walked to Evelyn warily. Especially Rin who was basically screaming in his head.


    ''Please don''t say anything stupid.'' He kept repeating in his head.


    If Elise knew that he almost ended up doing ''it'' with Evelyn, she might never look at him the same again.


    "Hello, both of you." She said with a mischievous smile, mainly directed at Rin.


    "Good evening," Rin said as he kept a neutral expression. He was already mastering the art of keeping his emotions hidden when he is in a tough situation and that was something Rin took pride in. Going from being a very expressive person to this was a great personal achievement.


    However, before he could even try and act as though this was a normal conversation, Elise simply went ahead and threw everything into chaos.


    "What do you want from Rin?" She asked with a calm face.


    "Huh?"


    "Oho?~~"


    "Oi, wait a mome-"


    "Shut up, Rin. I''m the one asking here." She said as she continued ncing at Evelyn who was now smiling even wider than before.


    "So he told you? Rin, you naughty boy~~"


    "No! No! No! This isn''t even a matter of me shutting up or not!" He tried to reason with Elise who seemed to be acting very odd.


    He could swear he could see anger shing in her eyes for a split second.


    "Yes, he did. I was intending to ask you directly either way."


    "My! You are a brave girl~~!" Evelyn didn''t appear offended at all by Elise''s clearly cold attitude toward her.


    "So¡­ are you both dating?"


    "No, we aren''t." (x2)


    Both of them said at the time.


    "Fufufuf! But you seem so close! Even closer than both of us, Rin, don''t you think?"


    "We were never close," Rin replied as he tried to not break a sweat.


    ''This bitch is going to spill the bean!! If she does that, I''m screwed!!''


    "Don''t talk with him, talk with me," Elise ordered.


    "What do you want from him?"


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 132 132- Massive Scale Investigation (Part 3)

    Chapter 132- Massive Scale Investigation (Part 3)


    "Oh my! It''s nothing~" Evelyn chuckled happily.


    Her melodious voice as sheughed was so beautiful that one might find themselves getting lost in for a second.


    "What''s funny?" Elise asked.


    "No! I just thought that ''You do love him'', don''t you?"


    "That''s not what I said."


    "But, look at you, getting all jealous and angry. That''s cute~~"


    "She not''s jealous. What are you even saying?" Rin interrupted Evelyn with a frown.


    "Oh? Are you then after me? Oh my! I am really happy my cute Rin is falling in love with me." Jumping happily like a small girl, Evelyn smiled happily.


    ''This woman will be the end of me, for sure.'' Rin thought as he tapped his head with a sigh.


    "Weird¡­" Elise murmured as she rubbed her chin.


    "Yeah, she''s pretty weird." Rin approved of her words with an exasperated look.


    "No, I mean what she said." Elise shook her head.


    "Huh?"


    "This feeling, is it jealousy?"


    "Pardon me?" Rin spoke in a formal tone as he confusedly assessed Elise''s expression.


    "I don''t like this woman for some reason. Her attitude is also unlikable so the chances that I hate her are quite high. I never actively hate people. This is interesting." She said as she kept thinking about why she was feeling like that.


    Not only was she admitting that she could be jealous, but she also didn''t try to deny it and treated it as a form of interesting emotion she wants to discover.


    ''Did she lose her mind?'' Rin asked himself as he blinked a few times quickly.


    The moment Elise knew that this was the woman targeting Rin, she just didn''t like the idea. And while it wasn''t something that could make her think much about, it still bothered her. Now, when she directly confronted Evelyn, that feeling was more apparent than before.


    "Huh? You are joking, right?" Rin didn''t know what to say at that moment.


    It just came out too suddenly for him. Jealous? Elise is jealous of Evelyn? How is that even humanly possible? Even though Rin believes he isn''tpletely clueless in the ways of the heart, he would never expect Elise to have any romantic feelings toward him.


    Not only has he never approached her with those intents? He couldn''t find anything worthy to be loved in him. He was just another normal person that got lucky and gained some unique powers. But, for someone to fall in love with another person, power and influence are but a small portion of that. He believes that his character wasn''t particrly likable or charming for women so he never thought about Elise as a potential love interest.


    However, for Rin, if he ever falls in love with Elise and she also shared his emotions, he will definitely not back down. But, it wasn''t a very likely situation.


    ''It doesn''t sound bad, though.'' He imagined it in his head and a small smile appeared on his face.


    ''No! No! No! This isn''t the time for daydreaming. I need to stop this mess before it gets out of hand.''


    "Come here and hug this big sister of yours. Don''t worry, I won''t touch you anywhere weird¡­ Probably~~" Evelyn said as she extended her arms to Rin, weing him in her warm and soft embrace.


    The offer was so enticing that it would make anyone not think twice before running toward her.


    But, Rin ignored her and said.


    "Can you tell us why you called us here?"


    "Hmm, your big sister is sad now! Buhu, buhu~~"


    "Just answer the question, goddammit."


    "Fufufufu! Cute Rin got all pouty and angry! Come here, let me squeeze those cheeks of yours¡­ the four of them¡­"


    "What do you mean fo-" Before he could even utter thest few words, the realization hit him and he shuddered a little bit.


    "Let''s leave, Elise."


    He had enough of Evelyn''s weird words and decided to leave.


    But, as they were about to walk away, a weird sound came from the bracelets on the trio''s hands. The notification sound was something new they had never heard before. It was akin to the sound of an rm.


    Looking at his hand, Rin saw a holographic, red notification appearing in his vision.


    ''Hmm, what''s this?''


    Reading the content of the notification, his expression started changing ever-so-slowly. It went from calm to confused, to surprised, to fully shocked in less than a minute.


    ''To all students, staff, and everyone rted to the academy body. After the previous incidents that happened and after careful thinking and nning, we are conducting an investigation on the whole academy to detect the culprits and get rid of them. These infiltrators are a huge threat to the academy''s stability and order and we do not condone anything they do or execute inside the academy grounds. If you have any questions or if you want to provide any useful information about them, you can contact the administration.''<novelnext></novelnext>


    Rin''s eyes froze at the notification, never leaving it. Many wild thoughts ran through his head. All the bad scenarios came and went as he kept trying topose himself.


    ''A massive investigation? Are they going to investigate everything about us, including things we are hiding? if they do that, I''m really screwed.''


    Not only was he now threatened to get his element revealed, he can even get executed if they discover he had the same element as those cult members.


    Elise also realized the huge disaster that wasing right toward them.


    "Rin, we should leave," Elise whispered in his ear before she started hurrying out. They needed to figure things out before they start the process which they don''t even know when.


    "Wait!" Evelyn called for them.


    From hearing Rin''s thoughts to linking them with what she saw that day on the balcony during the birthday party and also the incidents she heard about here and there, she started linking them up and she came to the realization of what could happen.


    All of this process happened in a split second in her head.


    "We can''t¡­ It''s an urgent matter." Rin said as he walked away.


    The two then quickly left the ss, leaving Evelyn alone with a weird expression on her face. Her surprised look eventually vanished and a small smile appeared on her face.


    "This is getting more and more interesting~~"


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Rin and Elise walked straight toward Emilia''s office. Rin had suggested doing this as she was the only one he can get the full matter from. Besides, he knew that Emilia won''t try to hide anything from him so if anyone possessed the truth, it can only be her.


    When they reached her office, they found the guards.


    "What are you doing here? No one is allowed inside! The floor master is busy." The guard said with an angry look on his rough face.


    "It''s a really urgent matter. I''m Miss. Emilia''s disciple, let me in."


    The guard assessed Rin up and down and recalled the description of the supposed disciple of the floor master. Weirdly, it fit the boy perfectly so he nodded his head and said.


    "Wait a second."


    Then, he walked inside and notified Emilia''s maid who quickly reprimanded him for letting Rin wait that long.


    The two then were allowed inside. This was the first time Elise had entered this ce she could only look around her curiously.


    The two reached her office and were invited inside. There, they found Emilia, buried inside a huge pile of papers and documents. They could barely see her face from behind that mountain.


    "Wait a moment, Rin."


    Weirdly, she would usually just ignore himpletely until she finished what was on her hand but this time, she actually acknowledged his presence for some odd reason.


    ''Is she that stressed?'' Rin thought to himself.


    He could feel that Emilia wasn''t as calm andposed as usual so he could only assume this huge amount of document work was taking a toll on her.


    The two sat down and quietly watched Emilia moving like a machine as she wrote something on the papers before putting them aside. The process continued for a period of time before she just sighed, threw the paper on the table, and stretched her limbs with a satisfied moan.


    "I need a vacation after this." She murmured to herself with a frown.


    Then, she looked at Rin as she opened her mouth to talk. But, when she noticed the other presence inside the room. Assessing Elise with her cold eyes, she said.


    "Who is she?" The question was directed toward Rin.


    "She''s my closest friend, Elise Aviresion."


    "Aviresion? Do you mean the daughter of the Aviresion royal family?"


    "Yes."


    "Hmm, interesting¡­" Eyeing her again with a more interested look.


    "Is she another monstrous talent like you?"


    "Hehehehe, she is." Rin chuckled awkwardly.


    "Well¡­ It''s nice meeting you, Elise."


    "Likewise."


    "Now, what made you twoe here suddenly?"


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 133 133- Massive Scale Investigation (Part 4)

    Chapter 133- Massive Scale Investigation (Part 4)


    Rin then went on to ask her the most important question. He wasn''t going to waste time on small talk on such a crucial matter. Besides, Emilia was not a big fan of small talk either.


    "What is this matter about the investigation? It''s so sudden." He asked.


    "Did you read it?" Emilia asked back without answering his question.


    "Yes, I did¡­"


    "Then, is there any need for me to reexin what was already exined?" She asked as she adjusted her sses. There were small yet noticeable dark circles under her beautiful, fox-like eyes that indicated deep exhaustion.


    "No, I am asking about the reason for this idea. The academy doesn''t assume that this measly attempt of an investigation can actually reveal the culprits, right?"


    "They do¡­"


    "Huh?" Rin blurted out confusedly.


    "Is this their only n to fight off the cult?" Elise took Rin''s ce in asking questions since thetter seemed to be falling into deep thought with his own self. His eyes turned unfocused as he stared at nothing in particr.


    "Well, since I had no hand in nning this, I can only say that it''s an order from the top. All the responsibility will fall on their shoulders while the actual problems will fall on ours. I can only foresee the failure of this n yet also try to make it seed as much as possible." Emilia tapped on the table as she exined.


    "Why go with a n that''s destined to fail?" Elise asked.


    "I have no say in the matter, as I just mentioned. I can only follow orders."


    ''Following orders, huh? the hierarchy in this ce is as apparent as day. The higher-ups control everything while floor masters have to execute. They are the meat shield that protects the brain.''


    "On another note, there is a crucial detail that the notification didn''t mention."


    "Hmm?" Rin, who just regained hisposure, focused on Emilia again.


    "Top 10 Rankers will be involved in this matter."


    "Wait, what?"


    The duo looked at each other confusedly before shifting back to Emilia who already continued exining.


    "From what I heard, this was a request from the top 10 rankers themselves and not the higher-ups. They seem to be interested in this matter so they wanted to handle it themselves."


    "That sounds¡­"


    "Troublesome." Emilia finished Rin''s words as she gazed at the window. The golden rays of the sun kept on prating the thick ss of the window, casting beautiful shadows on the floor, making it shine faintly as if it was made out of crystals.


    "The fact that those ten monsters will be roaming the academy unperturbed and unrestrained is the biggest headache they could cause us. We can''t monitor them at all when they can do whatever they want."


    "Can they do something bad?" Elise inquired.


    Since she had never really asked about those ten, Elise had no idea about them. Her questions will inevitably sound stupid to some extent.


    "Something bad? Those 10 can destroy the whole academy if they want. They can''t be trusted to be left alone to interact with other students. No one can predict what they can do or what kind of reckless things they might bring with them."


    It was indeed a huge pain in the ass to let a bunch of extremely cunning and clever people wreak havoc however they wanted especially when they had full permission to do so. That''s not to mention that they could easily exterminate a thousand people with a snap of their fingers. It was akin to letting 10 catastrophes spread through the student body.


    "What do you intend to do, Master?" Rin asked.


    Taking a deep breath, Emilia shook her head.


    "No, I am troubled because of it but I have no say or control over the matter. We did send a formal refusal to the higher-ups and we asked them to change that order. But, I am skeptical about the fact that it will be epted.


    "That sounds tough." Rin rubbed his head.


    ''The situation is worse than I thought. Not only do I have to deal with the appraisal, but I also need to make sure none of the top 10 rankers get close to me.'' Rin thought.


    ''But still, why would they ask to be involved in such a matter? It doesn''t make sense.''<novelnext></novelnext>


    From what Rin heard about them, they seemed to be very anti-social people who wouldn''t leave their floor at all. He had already formed an image of 10 unknown monsters that no one could speak with.


    ''Did they have another reason and this opportunity was merely for that sole reason? Or maybe they want to protect the academy? Or maybe they want to fight strong foes?'' He stated multiple possibilities in his head.


    "You both shouldn''t bother with this matter and just follow the investigation. The process won''t take more than 10 minutes. It will start tomorrow early morning." Emilia said.


    "Now, I am quite busy so if you have nothing else to say you can leave."


    The two then were basically kicked out of the office before the door was closed shut. Then, they both left the office and strolled around the city.


    "We are really in trouble, Elise," Rin said as he rubbed his beautiful, ck hair with his left arm.


    "We shouldn''t lose our calm in such a situation."


    "I am calm but I can''t really think of a way I won''t be discovered by the academy. If they just know I possess that, we both will be in danger."


    "We will find a solution, Rin," Elise assured him confidently.


    "Fuuh, yeah, I shouldn''t think of the worst now."


    The two reached a park and sat down on the benches, enjoying the cold breeze and the asional happy chirps of birds as they flew from one tree to another, unbothered by whatever was happening in the world.


    They looked so free that Rin could only envy them a little bit for that. Living a life where nothing can stress you or bother you, a life of pure freedom and no restraints. How beautiful such a life could be? How amazing could he feel if he wouldn''t get shackled by problems merely for existing?


    ''No! What are you even thinking, Rin? I promised to change this part about me.''


    pping himself on the face, Rin straightened his posture and closed his eyes. His brain worked through everything like a supeputer. He kept on imagining each possible scenario and what it could lead to.


    ''If I escape before the appraisal. That could put me as a potential suspect. What if I try to alter the appraisal orb? But, I don''t have any idea how I can do that. Hmm, what if I ask Emilia for help? No, there is no guarantee she won''t turn on me if she discovered the truth. What about¡­'' Rin thought.


    Opening his eyes, Rin''s clouded gaze seemed a little bit more clear.


    "I think I have an idea, Elise."


    "Hmm?" Thetter looked at him with an interested look.


    "But, before that, I want to say something."


    "In case shit hits the fan tomorrow, I want you to promise me one thing."


    "..." Elise squinted her eyes suspiciously.


    Rin found it a little bit difficult to say it but then he took a deep breath and forced the bad feeling down his throat before he continued.


    "I want you to promise me that you will run away and never look back." He said.


    "Huh?" The young girl could only make an iprehensible sound.


    "I don''t think they will suspect you of anything at first. But, in case that happened and you were targeted by the academy, I want you to try and escape and never look back no matter what happens to me. Can you promise me that?"


    He knew that what he was saying was nothing short of absurd. To ask Elise to escape? What a load of trash. He knew how much of a dignified person she was and how much she valued her pride more than anything else so to tell her to run away, as much as it may sound right, was like a huge scar to her pride.


    For Elise, that pride was all she had left and if she lost it too, how different was that from just dying and losing her soul?


    The matter wasn''t merely escaping and trying to prioritize her survival over anything else. It was also a matter of leaving Rin behind to be possibly tortured for answers and then killed horribly alone.


    Living with that idea in her head was worse than death itself. Rin was her one and only friend and dearpanion, a person she valued highly above other people. For her to lose him and go back to square zero was like death row.


    Many would onlyugh in disdain at her thought process and even call it ''arrogant and naive'' but Elise doesn''t care at all. That''s what her heart and mind agreed upon and she wasn''t going to change that anytime soon.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 134 134- Trick?

    Chapter 134- Trick?


    Elise looked at Rin for a few seconds, unflinching as if she was waiting for him to say something else other than that. She assumed that he was intending to say that he was joking or that it was just a mistake. But, Rin didn''t utter another single word after that.


    So, after a cruel 10 seconds of pure silence, Elise sighed and shook her head.


    "I won''t."


    Two words, as simple as they may sound, were enough to make Rin blink a few times in surprise, clearly taken aback.


    "It''s either both of us or no one." She continued.


    "... Can I ask why?" Rin calmed down and looked at the scenery with much more appreciation than before.


    "I have no reason to run away."


    "Huh? What about you-"


    "My life?" She asked casually which made Rin nod in response.


    "Well, I have no need for that."


    "But that''s not the¡­"


    "No, it is the point. I won''t ept this, end of the conversation." Elise stubbornly didn''t want to continue trying to convince Rin. She knew that he won''t be able to ept her reasoning as it was merely something she understood.


    It was somethingpletely linked to her past. The idea of running away wasn''t something that she could tolerate especially when it was rted to her well-being of herself too. If she kept living with that guilt, she was sure that eventually, insanity will gue her thoughts and that will be basically her end, all that was left was to dig a hole and put herself inside of it.


    "I¡­ understand. But, at least, don''t actively try to make yourself look like a suspect too, ok? That way, there is a good chance they won''t be focusing on you." Rin said as he tapped his fingers against each other rhythmically.


    "What is your n?" She asked after a while.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    The next day, while Rin was still asleep, a loud ringtone echoed in the whole room, waking him up. Well, he instead basically jumped on top of his bed because of the sudden loud noise. Then, he frowned and rubbed his head as he read the notification with squinted eyes.


    In a nutshell, the notification was telling him to wake up and get ready before heading toward the magic grounds area.


    "Sigh, wasn''t there a better way to wake me up?" Rin grumbled annoyingly and quickly left his bed.


    After getting ready and eating breakfast, he walked out of the room. Exactly in front of his door, swarms of students were passing by and walking toward the exit in groups. Everyone was discussing the matter of the cult and the incidents.


    It has been a few days since that news became public and so everyone was aware of what was going on, to a certain extent. After Rin told Emilia everything he saw, she made a note that he must not tell anyone about it except those he can trust.


    She was more than certain that if Rin told a person by mistake and that person turned out to be a cult member, Rin would be in imminent danger.


    However, thetter was slightly skeptical about that for a few reasons. The first one is the weird reaction the bulky cult member showed when he was about to kill Rin. Not only did he not finish Rin off, but he also showed such a deep, soul-chilling fear in his eyes when he gazed at Rin''s clear violet eyes. Rin was still extremely confused about that reaction.


    Why did he fear Rin? Wasn''t he toying with him not even a second before that? What did he see that made him cower in fear like that and lose all of hisposure then run away without looking back?


    Not to mention the weird words he said ''You aren''t¡­ You aren''t him! You aren''t worthy!''


    Who was this ''him'' he mentioned? Did he mean the shadow monarch or another person? If he meant the shadow monarch, then what did he see that made him think that Rin was the shadow monarch? As far as Rin can remember, the man didn''t see Rin using shadow maniption so that should be impossible. However, if he meant another person, who was this person? Did he have some kind of connection with Rin he didn''t know about, yet?


    A thousand questions and no answers. But, what made Rin rather calm and chill about the matter is that the answer will eventually appear. The cult was still hiding inside the academy, waiting for a perfect time to strike, and as far as he knew, Rin would be one of those affected by it along with the others or maybe even more than the others considering his weird connection with them.


    ''Having something inside you getting worshipped by some lunatics is sure not the best experience out there. I feel like some kind of god.''<novelnext></novelnext>


    [Aren''t you, host?]


    ''I am no. I still am technically, biologically, gically, and socially human. There is no changing that for the time being.''


    Reaching the training grounds, he found himself in the middle of hundreds and even thousands of people. Students, administrative personnel, maids, butlers, cooks, cleaners, you name it, all waiting for the same exact thing.


    They had all been invited to be appraised. The matter won''t take that long even with this huge number of people to test. It was all a matter of a few seconds before the next person will be tested that''s not to mention that the academy will be using multiple appraisal stones to be able to make the process as swift as possible.


    Normally, Rin and Elise would meet before going anywhere, but since they agreed to keep their rtionship mysterious and low-key, he made sure toe here alone and not get in contact with her in any form until the end of the tests.


    After waiting for a while, tens of guards walked toward them and started organizing the lines and the groups assigned to them. Students were on their own and other academy workers were on their own to make it easier to distinguish between them in case of fishy suspects.


    After that, without any more exnation or even any speech, they started the process. Rin guessed that the academy had already given the culprits way too much time before this so they wanted to quickly get to the root of it before anything can happen.


    Slowly, people approached the appraisal orbs, and touched them, myriads of colors would shine on the orb before itnds in a certain color that represents the element that person has. Most of them were varied shades of green, blue, and red.


    They all represented the mostmon elements in the world: Fire, wind, water, and earth. Since these elements were the mostmon in nature, the majority of humans would be linked to them because of them. Rarer elements mean rarer users for that element because of its rarity.


    ''Elements like ice,va, lightning and such are quite hard to find since they are merely a variation of a bigger element. Yet, they are also way stronger than those main elements.''


    As Rin thought so, gasps of admiration echoed around him. Looking at the person who was getting appraised now, he didn''t really show many reactions.


    ''A sound user?'' Rin thought.


    Sound was also one of the rather rare elements even though it was something basically abundant in the world and could be found basically everywhere.


    However, it was a very strong element with a lot of potentials that could guarantee its bearer a fruitful future. The user that got that appraisal merely smiled proudly before gazing at everyone with a clear hint of disdain. He was extremely happy that everyone was now appreciating his talent and power.


    After that, a series of people went buy. Rin''s turn was getting closer and closer and subsequently, he was starting to feel nervous more and more.


    ''Are you 100% sure, system?''


    [The system would never lie, host.]


    ''Well, if I''m fucked then you are also fucked so no worry about that.'' He thought causally as he calmed his beating heart.


    When it came to his turn, he walked to the appraisal orb with confident strides to hide any suspicious nervousness from appearing on his face or in his movement.


    The woman that was taking care of the process, assessed Rin up and down before quickly averting her eyes and focusing on the orb.


    "Put your hand on it."


    Rin nodded and extended his hand closer to the orb. Then, he closed his eyes and made thest push.


    A few, long, excruciatingly horrifying seconds passed. Rin felt the time halt to a stop when he touched the cold, smooth surface of the orb. He thought he was already prepared for the worst but now that he was this close to it, he could only swallow a mouthful of saliva secretly.


    ''I''m dead, or alive¡­ dead or alive¡­ dead or alive?'' He kept asking in his head as he waited for the woman to say something and free him from this tormenting wait.


    "The element of air, good. You can pass." She said in one single breath.


    (A//N: How he did that will be exined in the next chapter :) )


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 135 135- Top 10-Ranker Appeared? (Part 1)

    Chapter 135- Top 10-Ranker Appeared? (Part 1)


    The moment Rin heard those words, all the tension that built up in every fiber of his body rxed and he finally took a small breath before he smiled softly at the woman. It was a smile of genuine relief that a huge problem was evaded but in the woman''s eyes, it looked like a flirtatious yet extremely dazzling smile that took her breath away.


    She kept staring at Rin''s stupidly handsome face not daring to avert her eyes for a second. His hypnotizing purple eyes were like two strong mas and she was a small, weak piece of metal.


    "Mmm, can I leave?" Rin asked when he found the woman irresponsive.


    "A-Ah? Where? Ehem! I mean, yes, please." She spoke with a slightly higher voice than usual before she signaled for the next person to stop ahead.


    Rin nodded his head and walked away before he stood somewhere he could watch everything ensue while not needing to bother with the huge noise prating his poor ears.


    ''I can''t believe that worked.'' Rin thought as he looked at his hand.


    There, right in the middle of his hand, there was a small ck dot that looked like a dark hole rather than a colored part of his skin. He used his shadow maniption to create that hole in his hand instead of the ground. But, what mattered more than that was what was peeking from inside the hole.


    There, he could see a small, dark part of what seemed to be the tip of a bird''s wing. It was the Hybrid wing bird''s wing.


    ''So, if I kill a monster and turn it into one of my summons with Ruler''s army skill then it will keep its true element affinity intact. That''s why I was able to make the orb think I had an affinity with air. Just a small touch from the summon was more than enough.''


    He smiled as he closed the palm of his hand and opened it again after a moment. The shadow part hadpletely vanished from the palm of his hand.


    Then, he opened his stats window to check something.


    *[Shadow Maniption]


    [Rank: ???]


    [Level: 4]


    [You are the ruler of the shadows and the sole sessor of darkness. The night is your domain and the light is your ally. Where bright light exists, dark shadows are present.


    *(First Phase: Shadow Bringer) You can control your shadow and the shadow of your enemy to some extent. It depends on your mana, strength, and dexterity.]


    ''It leveled up twice? Why?'' Rin thought.


    [You made use of two skills and linked their properties to make a sessful n. You also discovered new ways to manipte your shadow elements so the system gave it an appropriate breakthrough.]


    ''One more level and the skill will evolve right?'' Rin asked.


    [Yes, but bear in mind, host. The higher the level, the harder for you to make it level up any further. For you to make a breakthrough in levels, you need to make a breakthrough in your ability to manipte the shadows.]


    ''Mmm, I know. I wille up with more ways to make it more stronger and useful. Besides¡­ I can feel that my control over the element became way smoother and easier. I think I have more space for imagination.''


    As he kept speaking with his system like that, something odd was happening far away from Rin. In the section assigned to guards and other working personnel, a weird thing was urring.


    "Man, can you stop fidgeting like a small girl wanting to pee? You keep hitting my fucking back with your leg."


    "T-That''s not my leg¡­" The man said.


    "Huh?"


    "J-Just leave me the fuck alone, bastard!!!" The man shouted as if he was on the verge of losing it.


    His eyes looked bloodshot red and his face was as pale as a sheet of paper.  His breathing was also ragged as if he hade out of a marathon not long ago.


    "Huh?! Are you retarded?" The guard could only ask with a confused yet also angry look.


    "Yeah! I am losing it! Mind your fucking business?!"


    "Now it is mine!!"


    *BANG*


    Without hesitating, the guard sent a punch flying toward the fidgety man''s face, hitting him square in the jaw. The hit was strong enough to make him fall on the ground.


    "What is going on there?" The other guards that were responsible for organizing the whole process noticed themotion and came rushing toward them.


    The fidgety man saw them and in the midst of his weird state quickly sprang up on his legs and started running away.<novelnext></novelnext>


    His expression was abnormal as if fear was consuming his own soul. Even if he saw a ghost, he would most likely never show such a terrified look in his eyes.


    "Hey, you, wait!!" The guards shouted and ran after him.


    A huge chase started, and people were confused about the reason for the man''s escape.


    "Catch him! He is acting suspicious!!"


    10 guards were chasing the man who was running at his top speed, passing through the lines and quickly heading toward the exit of the training grounds.


    There, two more guards saw him and tried to stop him. But¡­


    "GET OUT OF MY WAY!!!"


    Pulling out his sword, the man swung his sword quickly, slicing one of the guard''s arms off.


    "AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!" The guard fell down on the ground, crying from the sheer agony and pain before he lost consciousness.


    Then, without hesitation stabbed to the side but ended up missing his target, barely touching the hem of the guard''s clothes, slicing it open.


    "You fucking¡­" Before thetter could even do anything, the man dashed away as fast as he could.


    Leaving the training grounds, swarms of guards followed him relentlessly. They even tried to hit him with their spells and even throw things at him but he was just running like there is no tomorrow. In fact, because of his recklessly high speed, his muscles tore and contorted painfully. He was overusing his body and harming it in the process.


    As the man took a turn around one of the main streets, he saw someone standing in front of him.


    ''A small girl?'' The man thought as he dashed toward her. The girl was indeed quite young, with a very small frame and a small teddy bear in her hand that seemed to be at least half her size. She wore cute clothes akin to a fairytale princess in real life.


    "GET OUT OF THE WAY!!!" He shouted.


    But, the girl didn''t even look at him let alone listen to his words. She seemed to be fully focused on her teddy bear and ignoring everything else around her.


    When the man saw that, he decided to kick her away and continue running. His crazed mind didn''t even contemte whether hitting a small child was a good idea or not.


    But, before he could even start executing his mad idea, he felt something weird inside of him. Ignoring the mind-chilling fear he was feeling and the numbness that came with it, there was also another feeling that he ignored the whole time he was looking at this little girl.


    ''Wait¡­ What is a little girl doing here?''


    That idea made his eyes widen for a split second then¡­


    *BOOOM* *SPLASH*


    His body exploded without any trigger for that. Blood, broken shards of bones, and even bits and pieces of shredded flesh sshed everywhere, coating the whole street in an ominous red color.


    The guards that were behind the man froze inplete and utter shock. Their minds couldn''t even process what happened to the man. Blood sshed on them too but they couldn''t even care about it as all of their focus was directed toward the small human standing near this gruesome mess that was a living creature not even a second ago.


    Even though the girl was the closest to the explosion, not even a trickle of blood fell on her or her dress.


    Then, under their watchful and horrified gazes, the girl approached the main torso of the man and bent down looking at it closely. She had deliberately left this part intact for one single reason.


    "Heart¡­ Silika, you want the heart?" She murmured to her teddy bear.


    Then, she put the teddy bear near her ear as if she was listening to what it was going to say.


    After that, she nodded her head and then pulled the teddy bear out.


    "Here, eat. It''s enough to satisfy your hunger."


    Approaching the teddy bear from the torso, she shoved it inside the torso, directly destroying the heart. After that, she started moving the teddy bear inside the hollow torso as if she was trying to discover the inside of it.


    "Eat¡­ Eat, it''s delicious." The girl''s voice was cute yet for an odd reason, the guards could only feel a bone-chilling shiver when they heard it. It wasn''t cold or distant but instead sounded so emotionless and devoid of anything humane that they could barely believe it came out of a child.


    "Eat to your heart''s content."


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 136 136- Top 10-Ranker Appeared? (Part 2)

    Chapter 136- Top 10-Ranker Appeared? (Part 2)


    The sound of wet innards just getting stirred inside the empty carcass of what was a human not long ago was like a cursed melody to the ear. Each note of it was capable of sending shivers down the spine of listeners.


    A hollow, mind-numbing silence took over the ce. The girl was upied with the teddy bear and the dead corpse so she didn''t even nce at the guards standing not that far away.


    After a crucially long time, one of the guards finally woke up from his trance and hesitatingly asked with a meek voice.


    "W-WHo are you?!"


    Even though he tried to sound intimidating and strong, his voice would betray himpletely. He couldn''t even say the words without stuttering.


    However, the small girl didn''t respond at all as she shoved the teddy bear deeper and deeper into the corpse''s chest, threatening to pierce it from the other side.


    "H-Hey, I''m talking to you! Who are you and what are you doing here?!" The guard was already on the verge of losing hisposure from the fear and stress he was feeling. The situation was just too absurd in the first ce to even be properly dealt with by anyone.


    *Swish*


    Suddenly, the girl''s body blurred and vanishedpletely in front of their eyes.


    "Is he also tasty, Silika?" The girl asked.


    All the guards present flinched as fear dawned on them. Turning around quickly, they found the girl standing there, looking at them with her hollow yet extremely beautiful eyes. The guards could swear they couldn''t see a single emotion inside her pupils.


    In this field, meeting cold, cunning, and evil people was something they had to experience so they grew quite sensitive to detecting emotions through the eyes. The eyes are the mirrors of the soul, after all.


    However, looking at her eyes they sensed nothing from them¡­ The emptiness inside of them was just inhuman. Hell, even insects don''t have that lifeless eyes.


    "Woah!!"


    Realizing the horrible danger they were in, they retreated behind in fear and pulled out their swords. However, their shaky hands didn''t make their stances any more threatening than that of a domestic cat.


    The girl didn''t even bother checking their swords as she shifted her gaze to her teddy bear she named Silika.


    "Hmm, so no?" She murmured to herself.


    Then, as if she lost interest, she started walking away, ignoring the guardspletely. Her small steps made what she did a second ago seem like nothing but an illusion created by their stressed mind.


    "Hey wait!!" They shouted but the girl continued walking away. None of them even thought about trying to chase her or fight her as they had already ssified that girl as imminent death. Instead, they contacted the only person they can report that stuff to, the floor master.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Rin, who was oblivious to all of this, waited for Elise to finish. He had searched for her all around the student queue with his eyes and found her right in front.


    ''I don''t get why she''s confident with the appraisal when her element is as rare as mine?'' Rin thought to himself.


    He had thought that Elise might be troubled to reveal her element. However, for better or worse, she didn''t seem to be bothered about the matter for several reasons.


    The main and arguably the most important one was that her powers weren''t something ''forbidden'' like Rin''s powers are. Even if the academy was to discover that she can manipte gravity, they will most likely only consider it as an extremely rare and amazing talent. They might even try to nurture it.


    But, that would only be the case if the second reason didn''t exist. The reason for it Elise seemed to bepletely rxed about the matter as if it wouldn''t be trouble.


    Watching as she approached the orb and put her hand on it, he waited for the result curiously.


    Then, the woman spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear.


    "Earth element." She said.


    ''Hmm?'' Rin''s eyebrows rose with a surprised look.


    Was there a mistake? Or did Elise do something he didn''t know of?


    When Elise nodded her head and approached him, he asked her curiously.


    "I didn''t do anything." She replied.


    "Huh?"


    "I had experimented with my element beforeing here and for some odd reason¡­ Gravity appears as an earth element on every appraisal orb. I have no idea why or whether it was intended or not. Maybe because gravity and earth elements are simr or share a simr effect?" Elise analyzed the matter from her point of view.


    The earth and gravity elements are mostly simr in their effects on the earth. But, while gravity is extremely strong and very vtile, earth element was way more restricted andcklusterpared to gravity.


    "Well, that''s most likely the case. It''s honestly better than getting caught with a rare element like that."


    "It still is foreign to me. I tried researching further but I couldn''t find any trace of any human capable of using gravity in all the history of Divine Sapphire."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Maybe it isn''t from this world? Didn''t you ask your system?"


    "I didn''t get a clear answer at all. It''s as if the question is being avoided and I don''t know the reason for that."


    "What abo-" Before Rin could finish his words, his eyes caught something.


    There, not that far away from them, a small girl was walking across the street, ying with her teddy bear as she continued jumping from one ce to another.


    "A small girl?" Rin murmured as he pointed at her for Elise to look too.


    The two were confused by the appearance of a small child in such a ce.


    "Could she be¡­?" Rin asked.


    "Let''s go."


    "Wait, where are you going, Elise?" Rin asked her as he quickly hid his body from the girl''s view.


    "She''s clearly not someone normal. Let''s leave before she sees us."


    "I know¡­ But, if she''s what we think she is¡­"


    *Swish*


    Suddenly, the girl vanished and reappeared behind them, startling the duo as they jumped back warily. The hair on their skin stood up from the sheer tension they felt from the girl. But, even though they tried to sense her presence or even a speck of her aura, they couldn''t at all.


    There were only two possible answers to that: either she was so stronger than them that they simply can''t feel her aura at all or she had an extremely high-mastery over mana camouge that it made it impossible to detect her.


    Either way, seeing that they were exposed before they could even run away, the situation became from bad to horrible in less than a second.


    The girl, on the other hand, didn''t seem to be bothered by their clearly unfriendly reactions. Instead, she assessed both of them, taking more time looking at Rin more than Elise.


    After that, she lifted her teddy bear and showed it to Rin.


    "Silika says¡­ she likes you."


    Rin looked at Elise with clear confusion.


    "Like me?"


    "Silika¡­ wants a hug." The girl added, making Rin even more lost.


    ''Why is she acting like this? Is she crazy?'' Rin assumed in his head that this girl who he assumed was one of the infamous Top-10 Rankers was somewhat not sane.


    ''I mean, what sane person would meet someone and then say that their teddy bear wants a hu-... Wait¡­'' Rin''s head froze as he realized something. Then, he tapped his face with a sigh.


    ''There is indeed some type of sane creatures that would say something like that¡­ Children.'' Rin thought.


    He had thought that since she was a top-10 ranker she would be a mature and more level-headed person. But, for her to actually be a child through and through, in and out was something so obviously visible yet also hard to see.


    "Silika¡­ Wants a hug." She said as she shook her teddy bear a few times.


    "Isn''t that blood?" Elise murmured.


    The brown teddy bear had a dark color covering its fur. The color was apparent to be red and Elise had seen that color more than enough times to identify it with one simple look as clotted blood. She could also see that the girl''s hands were coated in that same sticky liquid.


    ''She killed someone or something?'' The idea was horrifying but also not that surprising. The person they were dealing with wasn''t normal.


    "Silika¡­ Ate food and now she wants a hug to sleep." The girl exined apathetically.


    "Wait a moment, girl¡­"


    "Hug." She cut him off.


    Rin felt his face twitch for a moment before he regainedposure. He had no idea if he was dealing with one of the strongest people he had ever met or a mere child.


    "Hug¡­ Now." Her voice was growing faintly impatient as if she was getting angry.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 137 137- Sorophi Rampage (Part 1)

    Chapter 137- Sorophi Rampage (Part 1)


    Her order became more and more forceful the more Rin didn''t nod his head and do it. But, thetter was simply not going to just agree with that simply because she said it. Never mind the fact that the teddy bear was tarnished with the rotten blood of some kind of creature, why would he even hug a teddy bear in the first ce?


    Not only was it a weird-looking teddy bear but it was also one of the belongings of a top-10 ranker! It could bite off his head if he hugged it, for all he cared!


    But, on the other hand, he was dealing with a potentially massive threat to his life that didn''t seem to be any more mature than a small toddler. If she wanted, she could literally st him out of existence in a small tantrum.


    Rubbing his head, he shifted his gaze to his partner who seemed to have realized something.


    ''You should hug it.'' She said through her beautiful eyes.


    ''Should I?''


    ''If you don''t want to end up killed, then yeah. We should entertain her for some time until Emilia appears.''


    ''Ugh, fine.''


    The conversation ended swiftly with that conclusion that didn''t sound that pleasant in Rin''s ears. He wasn''t really keen on the idea of hugging a fucking blood-soaked bear!


    Gritting his teeth, he approached the small girl and picked up the plushy animal. Examining it, he found it to be quite bizarre and unsettling for some odd reason.


    It''s body wasn''t that weird and the texture of its synthetic fur wasn''t weird either, it was its eyes that unsettled him greatly. He didn''t know the reason why but he just couldn''t look at them straight for more than a few seconds at a time before he has to avert his eyes.


    ''Is this thing alive?'' He asked himself.


    "Hug!"


    "Ugh! Fine. I will, give me a second."


    After that, he wrapped his arms around the teddy bear, ignoring the sticky feeling and the disgusting smell of it.


    After hugging it for a second, he quickly pushed it away and gave it back to the little girl.


    "There, I hugged it! Now, what do you want?" He said as he tried to clean his arms from the red blood.


    "Here." Elise gave him a handkerchief as she kept eye contact with the small girl.


    "Thanks, this blood is quite sticky. It doesn''t look like any blood of a beast I have seen." He murmured.


    "Maybe because it isn''t," Elise said as she squinted her eyes at the girl


    "Huh? You mean¡­"


    "Yeah, this is the blood¡­ of a human. Isn''t that right, little girl?"


    The girl didn''t answer and merely watched Rin as if he was the only thing that existed in this world. She had an amazing ability in ignoring people that it doesn''t even make them feel offended. People get offended when the other person deliberately ignores them. On the other hand, this little girl was simply not even trying to ignore them, in her head, the people she doesn''t take interest in do not exist.


    ''She isn''t responsive.'' Rin concluded after seeing her weird behavior.


    "Mmm, little girl, what''s your name?" Rin said as he bent down and tried to smile a little bit to not appear intimidating to her.


    Thest thing he wanted was to get turned into small particles just because she got scared.


    "..."


    ''Dealing with a child capable of sending you to your grave is not fun!''


    "Mm, can you please tell me your name if I¡­ give you this candy?" He rummaged through his inventory and found a small piece of candy he kept for when he wanted something sweet in his mouth. It was one of the small habits he kept from his old world as having a sweet candy in his mouth helped him keep his calm and think rationally even when he is feeling stressed.


    Looking at the candy, the girl blinked a few times with her petite eyes and then extended her arm to pick up the piece of candy.


    The moment she put her hand on Rin''s hand¡­


    *BANG*


    His hand fell down as if it got hit by a giant truck from above. His eyes widened in clear shock as he stared down at his hand that had created a crater in the ground.


    The girl, unbothered by what happened as if it was the most normal thing in existence merely ate the candy. Her small, red lips kept moving adorably while she crunched on the candy.


    "What the¡­" Pulling out his hand, he checked it carefully.


    A small cut appeared on his hand and blood oozed out from there.


    ''Even though I knew she''s stupidly strong. This is just¡­''


    As for Elise, she couldn''t even say anything. Her eyes shed with a weird glint before they returned to their usual calm state.


    "My name is Sorophi." The girl suddenly said.


    "Oh? Nice to meet you, Sorophi." He tried to keep his professional smile as he talked with her. Rin had no right toin or say anything to this childish monster or he knew that he might have to start nailing his coffin.


    "So, Sorophi¡­ Ehem, what do you want from us?"


    "Hug."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Didn''t I just hug it?"


    "Hug¡­ for me." She said as she extended her arm toward him. Her small hands kept closing and opening just like a child asking for their mother to lift them up.


    ''This is really stupid.'' He scratched his head as he felt lost on what to do with this girl.


    Rin thought he was someone who could deal with small children and even make them like him. But, Sorophi was just eerily different. She just didn''t act like a child but at the same time, she was acting like a child. It was a weird paradox he couldn''t get¡­ Sorophi Paradox.


    "Rin!"


    As he was like that, he heard a voice calling for him so he turned around. Much to his delight, he found Emilia who hade rushing toward them looking quite agitated.


    "Master."


    "Where is that girl?" She asked before her eyesnded on Sorophi.


    Thetter didn''t even acknowledge Emilia''s presence.


    "What happened, master?"


    Sighing, Emilia answered.


    "She¡­. Killed one of the guards."


    "Huh?"


    "From what they reported¡­ This guard seemed to be quite fidgety and suspicious. He ran away at some point. Then¡­ he ended up in the hands of this little girl."


    "Where is he now?"


    "You mean where''s what''s left of him? The only intact part of his body left is his torso. Everything else was blown into smithereens."


    "Damn¡­" Hearing that, Rin shuddered a little bit.


    "So you don''t know whether he can be a cult member or not?"


    Shaking her head, Emilia directed her next words toward Sorophi.


    "Why did you kill him?" She asked.


    "... Silika wants to eat."


    "That doesn''t give you the right to kill him. Sigh¡­" Tapping her forehead, Emilia tried to take a few deep breaths to calm down.


    "Silika wants to eat so I gave her food!!" Sorophi shouted again as she rubbed her teddy bear gently.


    "Now, we lost a possible lead because of that stupid doll of yours," Emilia added.


    *Click*


    Without any warning, Sorophi''s face contorted into a strong frown before she swung her arm.


    "Bad!"


    That small swing of her arm, as minuscule as it may look created a violently strong airwave.


    Rin felt his body getting sted in the air like a tree leaf.


    "WOAAAAH!!"


    Looking to his side, he found Elise flying back uncontrobly too. Without thinking twice, he grabbed her and hugged her body tightly. His instinct had told him to protect Elise.


    *BANG*


    "Ugh." Rin groaned as he smashed into the ground 50 meters away from Sorophi. A small move of her arm was enough to st them like this, Rin felt the hair on his arms stand up from thinking about the idea of what could''ve happened if she used more force than that.


    Emilia, on the other hand, was merely pushed back while still keeping her bnce. Her hand was put in front of her face. Clenching her teeth, she forced herself to stop and then red at Sorophi.


    "Stop acting childish, Sorophi! This isn''t a game."


    "No!" Crying as loud as she could, Rin could swear his ear drums were almost destroyed.


    "Sorophi, enough!" Emilia was also losing her temper slowly because of the small girl.


    "Bad! Siliki and Sorophi hate Emi!" Sorophi screamed again as she threw her teddy bear in the air. The small plushy creature fidgeted once before itpletely morphed in an instant.


    From a small, arguably cute anime, it turned into a giant, nightmare-inducing monster. The moment itnded, the ground beneath it cracked as if it was made out of biscuits. The series of cracks extended till it reached Emilia which made thetter jump back a few meters so as to not get stuck in the broken rocks.


    (A//N: Sorry for not uploading a chapter yesterday. I was busy getting my second book get ready for WSA. I hope when it gets released, you would read it ;) )


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 138 138- Sorophi’s Rampage (Part 2)

    Chapter 138- Sorophi''s Rampage (Part 2)


    The creature was at least triple Emilia''s size, its fur was dark brown and pointy as if it was made out of shards of metal and not actual soft fur. Inside its giant mouth was a row of carnivorous teeth ready to rip off chunks of flesh. With its overly jacked body, the giant bear looked like a puffed-up balloon.


    Its huge paws looked so menacing with the huge ws made out of some kind of dark matter that Rin couldn''t identify at all.


    But, out of all of this, its most striking thing was its eyes Rin was quite unnerved by when he touched the plushy body. They were now as red as a sea of blood and as ominous as the stare of a death reaper.


    ''What the actual fuck is that?'' Rin, frozen in his ce, thought bbergasted.


    "Sorophi, this isn''t the time to start these stupid tantrums! Calm down." Emilia said as she took a stance, ready to fight the enraged bear.


    "No! Emi is a bad person! Silika hates Emi!! Sorophi also hates Emi!!"


    Shouting at the top of her lungs, the bear quickly vanished from where he was standing, carving a deeper crater in the ground because of the sudden movement.


    *BAAAAAAAANG*


    The next moment, Emilia was sted in the air like a rocket. Her body flew so fast, Rin and Elise didn''t have enough time to react to that.


    *BOOOOM*


    Her body smashed against a tall building. ss was obliterated and the woman ended up inside it,ying on a broken desk.


    "That fucking¡­" Standing up, Emilia spat out a mouthful of saliva before she jumped out of the window again.


    ''You have done it.''


    Even though Emilia was sure Sorophi wasn''t even using a fraction of her true strength, this fight was still going to be intense.


    Pushing with her legs, Emilia jumped in the air, cutting through the air like an arrow. The huge bear so hering right toward him so it quickly opened its arms and tried to p Emilia when she was close enough.


    *BANG*


    The two powerhouses shed violently, sending everything into a frenzy. The bear Silika felt its paw getting stuck no matter how much it tried to move it.


    "You are nothing but an overgrown plushy." Emilia, through the smoke, said. Before the bear could even register what she uttered, it felt its whole body twist violently before it was pushed far away.


    Landing face first, the bear dragged its face out of the dirt and debris before it red at Emilia.


    "Enough, Sorophi. We are going to destroy the whole city if this continues."


    "No! Only when Emi apologises to Silika!"


    "Why should I¡­"


    Before she could even finish her words, the bear had already moved and shed with its paw at Emilia. That mere movement was so fast that Rin couldn''t even follow it with his eyes. If he was the one targeted by that sh, he would be as good as dead before he even knew it.


    ''This is ridiculous!'' He blinked a few times as he heard the loud bang following the sh.


    Emilia had jumped back a few meters with clenched teeth.


    "Sorophi! Just make it stop and I will apologize, how about that?"


    "No! Apologise to Silika and I will stop!" Sorophis was stubborn as ever.


    The rampage continued with an ever-increasing intensity. Holes were created in the ground, turning into some kind of grey swiss cheese. Silika seemed to grow angrier and angrier the more Emilia dodged its paws and hits.


    *BANG* *BANG*


    Emilia wasn''t trying to fight back for one simple reason¡­ If she hit Silika, that would only be like adding more fuel to the fire. She could only try and minimize the damage that could happen to the city instead of engaging in a brutal fight that could destroy all the buildings of the city and even kill some people.


    "What should we do?" Rin asked Elise.


    "I have no¡­ idea." She answered as she watched the fight between twopletely different species. For Elise, seeing this level of strength being used in front of her. The sheer difference between them and these two was so vast that it could only make her wonder how long it will take them to be like that.


    The speed, the strength, the overwhelming presence, it all was iparable to anything Elise had ever seen before. It was to an extent that it could break anyone''s motivation to try and keep improving. However, for her, this was nothing short of a great motivation to get stronger, to break through and be like that, extremely dominating.


    ''Poweres with time and strengthes with effort.'' She shook her head.


    "I think I have an idea." Rin suddenly said.


    "Hmm?"<novelnext></novelnext>


    "I will be going for a moment."


    "Huh?" Before Elise could sound her confusion, Rin had already dashed toward the middle of the fight.


    "What is that idiot doing?" She blinked a few times as she tried to chase him. Getting entangled in a fight like that was a death wish. He would be killed byplete mistake.


    Rin, however, ignored Elise''s calls and quickened his steps. His eyes were focused on only one target, Sorophi.


    "Rin?!" Noticing his presence closing down on them, Emilia''s eyes widened as she quickly jumped back, barely avoiding a hit because of the small mishap she did.


    "What the hell are you doing?! Get out of here!!" She shouted at him angrily while keeping herself busy with Silika.


    "I have an idea." He said that and continued running ahead.


    Noticing him, Silika stopped for a moment as if Rin caught its interest. Its eyes didn''t look as angry as before.


    Then, with weirdly slow steps, it walked toward Rin who ignored itpletely.


    Luckily, a secondter, Rin reached Sorophi who was now sitting down with her knees stuck to her face as if she was angry. She only lifted her head when she saw Rin in front of her. Thetter gave her a long nce before he did something unexpected.


    "Hyah!" Making a small sound, Sorophi found herself inside a warm embrace.


    ''I hope this works.''


    "Here, I hugged you. Can you stop Silika from fighting?" He said in a fake yet well-trained soft voice.


    "Mmm¡­" Thetter didn''t seem to be responsive but not because of her usual aloofness and quirky personality but because she was frozen in Rin''s embrace. Her face instinctively got glued to his chest and her nose was buried in his clothes, smelling a whiff of his odor that seemed so calming for some reason.


    Then, her arms moved on their own and wrapped around Rin''s abdomen.


    "Mmm, isn''t this enough?"


    "No." She replied as she tightened her grip.


    ''Ugh. Her arms are strong. I''m getting crushed.'' He thought as he felt his bones shaking a little bit from her powerful grip on him.


    ''I will be suffocated. But, she at least didn''t use her crushing strength from before or I will be turned into meat paste in a second'' He groaned.


    "Sorophi¡­ Can you, ugh, please, stop Silika and release me?" Even though he was in pain, he tried to keep calm and treat her gently just like how treats a small child. He knew that if he lost his temper now or sounded harsh, she will only act more stubbornly and even do things that might be disastrous.


    "Mmm¡­"


    However, Rin''s trouble had only started.


    *BAM* *BAM*


    Sensing a huge shadow appearing behind him. He turned around slowly, only to find Silika looking at him from above. Its eyes were now a fainter shade of red and there was no more saliva trickling down its chin.


    However, her scary looks and suffocating aura were still there so Rin''s face paled a little bit as he tried to say something. Instead, he found his mouth close as he lifted up in the air with Sorophi still in his hands. Then, without any warning, it hugged him tightly.


    "Huh?" He was frozen in his ce as he felt the rough fur beneath him soften considerably when he touched it.


    ''Is it hugging me?'' He thought, clearly not understanding what was going on.


    Then, he recalled what Sorophi had said.


    ''Silika likes you.''


    ''She wasn''t joking!!!'' He thought as he felt the huge bear cover him wholly. The soft fur was quite pleasant to the touch like a huge thick nket. While Sorophi was crushing his waist, Silika was using a lot less strength in its hug as if it feared crushing Rin by mistake.


    ''This is weird! But, I''m at least not dead.''  He thought.


    "What are they doing¡­" Emilia wondered as she tapped her face.


    "At least, nothing catastrophic happened." She sighed in relief.


    "That moron¡­" Elise, on the other hand, didn''t seem to be satisfied for some reason. Her face had a visible frown on it as she gazed at Rin and the other two in this triple, bizarre hug.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 139 139- Taking Care Of A Girl (Part 1)

    Chapter 139- Taking Care of A Girl (Part 1)


    After what seemed to be a few minutes, Silika finally released Rin and put him down gently. At the same time, Sorophi also left his embrace. Her eyes looked weirdly dazed as if she was inside a dream or barely woke up from a deep slumber a moment ago. Her face was frozen in a calm state like a statue and her breathing seemed to be extremely quiet and rhythmic as if she was indeed asleep.


    "Uh¡­ So, is this over now?" He muttered as he looked at the huge bear behind him.


    Silika, who seemingly understood what he meant, nodded her head and then with her giant paws patted him on the head gently.  All the anger and ominousness of her eyes vanished like mist and even the red color of her eyes also disappeared. Now, she looked more like a bear than before. A grizzly bear to be precise.


    ''Wow, I made a huge magical bear like me.'' Rin thought as he didn''t know whether tough or cry at his weirdly effective charm. Even though being handsome was a perk, he never thought it would make a monstrously powerful beast like him.


    "Sorophi?" He called the dazed girl after noticing her weird behavior. Her weird behavior was getting to him more and more.


    The moment she heard the young man''s voice reach her ears, her eyes shed with a weird light before she shifted to look at him instead. Her void-like eyes were as hypnotizing as they were eerie but for some reason, Rin didn''t see that emptiness inside them as before. She just seemed to have found something to fill that emptiness with.


    Then, she opened her mouth and said.


    "Friend¡­"


    "Huh?"


    "You are Sorophi''s friend." She said before she jumped on him again, this time hugging his face on her small chest. Her thin yet beautiful armstched on the back of his head and her chin was rested on him. Her cute nose moved slowly as if she was smelling him greedily.


    "Woah!" Rin''s nose was buried into her body, almost being crushed by mistake. He tried to pick Sorophi up before she breaks his neck by mistake but it seemed that she was now aware of how much strength she must exert not to kill Rin.


    "Why is she acting like this now?" Emilia muttered with an exasperated sigh.


    "Mrs. Emilia.." Elise approached her and asked.


    "Hmm?"


    "Who is she?"


    "Oh? That''s Sorophi, nost name¡­ She''s the ranked number 7."


    "Number 7?"


    "Yes. She is quite powerful even among the top 10 rankers. That brat would''ve been able to wipe half of the city off the face of Divine Sapphire if she threw a bigger tantrum than that. Luckily, she''s still mature enough to recognize the consequences of her actions."


    "How did she get this power at such a young age?"


    "Young age? She''s 18 years old."


    "Wait¡­ what?!" Hearing that, Rin quickly squeezed his face out of Sorophi''s hug and looked at Emilia with widened eyes.


    "She''s 18 years old?"


    "Pretty much. That child form isn''t her true appearance."


    "..."


    Elise and Rin were taking one shock after the other. Especially Rin who was the more knowledgeable one of the two on these matters.


    ''Is she what they call¡­. A legal loli?'' He muttered as he looked at Sorophi''s face.


    Since he consumed a lot of anime in his life, he knew that term very well. For Sorophi to actually be someone who hid her age with a childish appearance was something he never really expected. But, now that he knew, it was actually quite obvious that she might be altering her appearance as a child possessing such great powers isn''t something possible even by Rin and Elise''s standards who are both monstrous talents on their own.


    "She just enjoys moving in that form since it''s ''easier''. As she says. I can''t be bothered."


    "Mmm, Sorophi, you are suffocating me, can you go down, please?"


    Even though Sorophi is now technically older than him, she still didn''t try to act mature for some odd reason. Rin had felt that the way she was speaking and even down to her smallest gestures didn''t seem rigid or fake. It was as if she genuinely is a child and merely was older in age.


    "Mmm¡­" Nodding her head in a rare scenario, she jumped back andnded on her feet gracefully. Her face returned to the usual aloofness and apathy she always had.


    "Anyway, Sorophi. Why did you kill that man?" Rin asked.


    "Silika¡­ She likes to eat food so I gave her food."


    "But, it would be troublesome if you kill suspects isn''t it?" Rin added.


    He was sure that the man, whoever he was, had some kind of connection with the cult. No one would act in such a weird way and be normal. So, unfortunately, they had lost a potential lead that could''ve been crucial.


    "Silika said that the human is bad¡­ she eats bad humans."


    "Why bad humans precisely?"


    "Bad humans have delicious hearts¡­ Good humans taste bad. Silika eats bad humans."


    Instinctively, Rin''s eyes turned toward Silika who was now sitting down and looking at the two talking as if she was protecting them from any possible threats.


    The moment she saw Rin gazing at her, she nodded her head as if approving of her owner''s words.


    "I see¡­" Falling in deep thought, Rin didn''t try to ask any further.


    "Sorophi¡­ I need you to do one thing." Emilia barged into the conversation.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Don''t kill anyone you deem ''bad''. Instead, send him to me, if he turns out to be indeed ''bad'' then you can kill him AFTER we investigate him properly. Understand?"


    "... Emi is always grumpy!" Pouting, Sorophi didn''t look at Emilia anymore.


    "Huh?! Who is the grumpy one, you brat!"


    The little girl, as if scared by Emilia''s re, ran to Rin and behind him.


    ''She knows how to make Emilia angry and then acts as if she''s scared. What an odd girl.'' He thought.


    "At least, promise me that, Sorophi?" She said with a calmer voice after breathing a few times.


    "Mmm¡­" Sorophi didn''t answer quickly.


    "Mmm, can you do that Sorophi?" Rin asked.


    "Ok¡­" In an instant, she epted without hesitation.


    "You¡­"


    "I listen to Rin¡­" She said.


    "Sigh¡­ Fine, she at least listened." Emilia didn''t try toplicate the situation any further and instead decided to leave.


    "There is still the investigation part left. You will be notified soon so don''t leave the vicinity of the ce, ok?"


    "Mm, master! wait a second." Rin called for her before she left.


    "Do you have some kind of rtionship with Sorophi?"


    "..."


    "Why do you think so?"


    "No, I heard the way she addresses you as ''Emi'' so I thought that maybe you are both friends or something like that?"


    Hearing that, Emilia turned around. Her intentions to leave were now gone after that question.


    "It''s a pretty long story. But, basically, she''s my niece."


    "She''s your nephew?!" Rin blinked a few times before he looked at Elise secretly. Thetter shook her head as if she was denying whatever he was asking.


    ''So even Elise doesn''t know too?'' He thought to himself.


    "Yes, we are technically not blood-rted but she''s still my sister''s daughter."


    "..." Meanwhile, Sorophi was busy patting Silika on the belly while thetter wasying on the ground, unbothered by anything in the world.


    ? "Why did you hide this, master?" He asked.


    "I didn''t try to hide it. The academy did. They wanted to keep the top 10 rankers as secretive and unknown as possible so as to not make a huge problem out of nothing."


    "Damn¡­" The weight of the information was quite heavy.


    "Then, they sent her to our floor¡­"


    "Yes, because she''s my niece. They thought I can take care of her in case she tried to do anything reckless. But, I can''t really deal with her at all. She''s too unpredictable. One moment, she would be sitting in my office then when I turn my head for a moment, she vanishes somewhere."


    "That sounds troublesome."


    "It is. I''m having a huge headache trying to keep her away from trouble."


    Rubbing his chin, Rin tried to think of something.


    "Well, she seems like she likes me. More than you, at least."


    Then, he smiled as he clicked his fingers together.


    "How about we keep an eye on her in your stead?"


    "You two?"


    "Yes.  She doesn''t seem like she is going to do any harm and besides, she can be a huge help in many things."


    "... Indeed, as much as I can''t bear her attitude toward me, she''s a good girl when she''s satisfied," Emilia murmured as a sh of emotions appeared on her face.


    (A//N: Some Fluff iing. It''s gonna be a good small arc for Rin and Elise.)


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 140 140- Taking Care Of A Girl (Part 2)

    Chapter 140- Taking Care of A Girl (Part 2)


    "Hmm¡­" Thinking for a moment, Emilia tried to find any possible trouble that could happen if she left Sorophi with Rin, and in a moment¡­ She found countless ones!


    First of all, Sorophi wasn''t an easy person to deal with so her staying with Rin won''t guarantee that she won''t do anything bad again. The second problem is that Rin is already a walking disaster in and out of himself. He is a trouble ma that somehow can''t seem to stay out of problems.


    Now, if such a person was left with someone like Sorophi, only she could imagine what could ur in the next few days.


    ''This won''t be a good ide-'' Before she could finish her words, she remembered another person. Her eyes quickly traveled to Elise.


    ''Or maybe it''s not that bad.''


    From what Emilia had seen, it seemed that Elise was the more mature one out of the duo. She also seemed to be a very level-headed and smart girl who can deal with bad situations cleverly.


    Besides, Emilia knew that she will only get even busier now since they will start the full investigation. She can''t even have the time to follow Sorophi in case she did something troublesome.


    ''Sigh, am I even doing the right thing?'' She asked herself. But, even if this was going to be troublesome, she really had no other choice but to ept.


    "Fine¡­ I will let her stay with you two. But, promise me one thing."


    Rin tilted his head confusedly.


    "You must NOT let her get out of your sight for even a second. I will deal with the matter of her getting into sses with you. She can sleep with Elise." Emilia said.


    "Hmm, are you fine with that, Elise?" Rin whispered to Elise beside him.


    Thetter shrugged her shoulders and didn''t refuse. She didn''t see any trouble with that since either way, Sorophi was going to be following them from what she can see, they might as well entertain her until she leaves. They had lost any possible chance to evade Sorophi the moment she saw them.


    "Fine by me."


    "Good. I rely on both of you to keep her away from trouble." Emilia said. Then, she pointed at Elise and continued.


    "You two, leave. Elise, I need you in an important matter."


    Rin wasn''t quite confused at first but then he quickly nodded his head and left along with Sorophi and the now back to a plushy form, Silika.


    When they were far enough, Emilia looked at Elise seriously.


    "Listen Elise. I know we don''t know each other very well but I can see you are quite capable."


    "Thank you?" Elise didn''t know what to say except to ept thepliment.


    "So, I know how troublesome Rin and Sorophi can be. So, can you take care of them?"


    Elise kept gazing at Emilia''s eyes for a moment before she opened her mouth.


    "Rin is an important person to me. I always make sure to try and keep him out of trouble." She said tly.


    "..."


    ''This girl¡­'' The determination Emilia saw in her eyes took her aback. She could clearly see how much Elise meant her words even if Elise herself wasn''t aware of it. She cared for Rin a lot.


    "Good. I am sure you can do that." Emilia nodded with a satisfied look before she vanished from Elise''s sight in a second.


    Thetter didn''t move for a while, her mind was upied by something only she knew. Only when Rin called for her did she wake up from her daze and finally move toward them, her eyes not clouded anymore just like before.


    ****


    "Where should we go?"


    "Sorophi wants candy."


    "Candy?"


    "Candy!!!"


    "Fine, fine, candy it is. Let''s go to the amusement park since it''s nearby until we are called for the investigation." Rin said.


    Sorophi, who was by his side, grabbed his hand and started dragging him toward the amusement park with Silika in her other hand. As for Elise, she walked behind them, watching the two casually while keeping an eye on the surroundings just in case. She knew that Rin was also careful with how his bodynguage was. His body was always tense and ready for a fight at any possible second.


    The three reached the amusement park and entered inside. Even though it was a Monday, there were many people inside since most of them just left the Appraisal session and were waiting for the second notification.


    The trio took some tickets and started ying. There were many unique rides and games that didn''t exist in their previous world. Magic was a great tool to create some great inventions that normal worlds without magic can''t pull off.


    ''Don''t we look like some married couple?'' Rin thought as he looked at how they were walking.


    A man and a woman with a little girl between them having fun in an amusement park. No matter how he looks at it, it could only create a misunderstanding in the eyes of people of how weird it is.


    Sorophi seemed to be enjoying the session. Her face seemed to be sparkling cutely as she went from one ride to another, shoving her mouth with candy and ice cream. Her void-like eyes were also sparkling whenever she saw something entertaining that she wanted to try.


    "Hey, Sorophi. Have you never tried rides before?" Rin asked as they sat down to rest for some time.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "No."


    "Then, didn''t your mama show you around before?"


    "Rin¡­" Elise who was about to say something stopped and could only sigh.


    "Mama? Mama is¡­ dead."


    Hearing the answer, Rin froze in his ce for a good 4 seconds. His mouth opened and closed to say something but ended up deciding to only rub the back of his head.


    "Oh, I see¡­ I''m sorry for asking."


    "..." Sorophi, on the other hand, didn''t answer and merely licked the ice cream with her cute tongue as if this matter wasn''t even that big of a deal to her.


    Rin noticed that weird behavior and could only wonder.


    ''Isn''t it any important to her that her mother is dead?''


    For someone to lose their parents is a big deal and even for Sorophi who is an oddball clearly, she should at least show some kind of reaction when she talks about her mother.


    ''Am I just overthinking her reaction?'' He thought as he touched his chin before he shook his head and tried to smile.


    "Let''s continue ying, shall we?"


    "I was intending to tell you about the matter of her supposed mother but¡­" Elise pulled Rin to the side and said.


    "It''s fine¡­ But, her reaction to her mother''s death is weird."


    "The whole matter of Emilia''s sister being her mother is already extremely bizarre."


    "Yeah, I didn''t think that would be the case."


    "In the original story, there was no mention of her or Emilia''s sister. So, I can only imagine that the plot changed again." Elise said.


    "However, there is something more to it than just an alteration in the plot. Sorophi doesn''t seem to be thinking much about this mother of hers."


    "Let''s keep an eye on her for now. Emilia must have an idea why but she won''t tell us."


    "I am not surprised. She can''t spout out every secret she has merely because she knows you, Rin."


    "Hey! That''s mean." Rin said with a pout.


    "It is the truth."


    "..."


    Elise didn''t continue the conversation any further and followed Sorophi who was standing a little bit far away.


    The time passed quietly and finally, after an hour and a half, the notification came and they had to stop their fun time.


    "We should go back."


    But, as they were leaving the amusement park, Rin noticed someone, standing near the entrance, resting with his back on the wall and seemingly waiting for someone.


    "Huh? isn''t that¡­" He squinted his eyes to make sure he wasn''t mistaking him for someone else.


    The boy also noticed Rin and quickly came walking toward him.


    "Hey¡­ Rin." He said as he shed him a weird gaze before giving a way-softer one to Elise who merely watched from the sidelines. Sorophi was the only one who didn''t even look at Arthur at all.


    "Can I have a moment, please?" He said in an eerily calm tone.


    "Yeah, sure. What do you want?"


    "I would prefer if it''s only you." He added with a small frown. It seemed that saying that pained him a lot for some odd reason.


    ''Huh? What does he want now?'' Rin blinked a few times before he nodded his head and released Sorophi before walking away with Arthur.


    Thetter followed behind him until they were slightly far away from Elise and Sorophi.


    "So, what is it?"


    Arthur averted his eyes under Rin''s gaze and then took a deep breath.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 141 141- Taking Care Of A Girl (Part 3)

    Chapter 141- Taking Care Of A Girl (Part 3)


    Arthur didn''t seem to be that eager to say this for an odd reason that Rin couldn''t discern. His behavior seemed odd and iprehensible as if he was struggling with something in his head.


    But, even with all of that, he still spoke to Rin with a quiet tone.


    "Can you... Train me?" He asked.


    "Huh?" Rin couldn''t hold the weird sound of confusion to escape his mouth as he stared at the young man in front of him.


    "What do you mean?"


    "It''s as I said, I want you to train me to be stronger. I found that I amcking a lot in many areas and I couldn''t find any other way to improve except to ask for help from you." Arthur exined.


    "No, no, no. This is just stupid." Rin shook his head.


    Not only is the idea in and out of itself too sudden and unexpected, Rin wasn''t even that confident in his abilities to help someone improve, let alone train them.


    He was also training under Emilia''s guidance. He had no time to train someone else let alone the protagonist of the story for that matter.


    "Please, Rin. You are the only one I could ask. I know that I screwed up by doing that horrible thing to Elise. But, believe me, I truly love her with every ounce of my being. I am not even sure if I can ever love someone else other than her."


    His confession of love in the middle of tens of people caught the attention of a few. Rin noticed that and signaled for him to keep his voice quiet.


    "I have nothing against your feelings. You can deal with them by yourself. However, If you think that since you are indeed in love, then you have the choice to do whatever you want then..."


    Rin''s eyes turned colder than before as he red at Arthur.


    "Then I will deal with you. As for your request, then it''s refused. There are many professors that can help you with that and can be way better than me."


    After saying what he had in his head, Rin walked past Arthur. Then, he looked to the side and added.


    "Don''t fuck up your own life for things you can''t attain. It''s better for everyone."


    Then, he walked away, leaving Arthur motionless and frozen, like a broken statue. His face looked normal but in his eyes a swirl of emotions were twisting and turning, as if something was beating the other.


    Then, he bent down on his knees and muttered.


    "What can I do?"


    ****


    "What did he say?" Elise asked Rin the moment he came back, he could feel the slightly worry in her voice.


    "I will tell youter."


    Then, Rin grabbed Sorophi''s hand and started walking. He could only think whether what he said was the right thing to do or not.


    In general, Rin had no grudge against Arthur. He was indeed a reckless idiot who did some weird things but Rin wasn''t any better. He was also a reckless idiot, a big one at that so he was in no position to me Arthur.


    However, that doesn''t mean he wasn''t in a position to stop him when he tries to cross the line.


    ''I feel like he had more things to say.'' Rin thought as he looked at the horizon.


    Arthur seemed oddly quiet and unenergized. Even his face looked eerily calm andposed except for when he looked at Elise.


    That made Rin have some doubts about what that boy is doing or going through. Was it some form of depression? Or maybe regret?


    He couldn''t tell the difference between the two things at all. He wasn''t an expert in people''s emotions after all.


    ''I hope I''m just overthinking it.''


    ****


    Then, the investigation process was conducted. Rin and Elise were asked multiple questions and were run through multiple tests to see if they had any weird, suspicious things about them. The questions weren''t hard, varying from ''What''s your family members'' names?'' to ''What was the test you went through to enter the academy?''.


    They were all easy to answer since Rin and Elise had nothing to hide. However, Rin had one small problem during the process.


    "So you went through a sudden memory loss not long ago?" The investigator asked.


    "Yes."


    "Do you know the reason for it?"


    "No. Even my own family doesn''t know."


    The investigator squinted his eyes as he read the document in his hand before he sighed, put it down and then locked his fingers together.


    "Well, you don''t seem to have any suspicious records from what I can see. But, this memory loss seems to be quite odd. I mean, isn''t too sudden and out of nowhere."


    ''He is not gonna ignore that, huh.'' Rin thought calmly as he took a sip from the cup of tea they gave him.


    "I am also quite curious about the reason for it. But, what I am even more sure of is that I am grateful for family for helping me through the tough times." Rin said with a straight face, hiding any thoughts he might have about this.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The investigator also seemed to notice that he won''t be able to get anything that might make his suspicions be more and more prominent.


    ''He seems to also be under Miss Clearsky''s Guidance. If he was a cultist, she would know.''


    Concluding his thoughts with that, the man sighed, closed the document and then said.


    "You can leave, Mr. Rin. Thanks for your time."


    Nodding his head, Rin stood up to leave. But, before he could walk out of the room he turned around and said.


    "If I''m suspecting someone. Can I report that to you?"


    "Yes. As long as you have a good reason for your suspicion, we wee any suggestions."


    "I see... Well, If I do see anything weird, I will report it."


    ''I am certain that I will be reporting something soon.''


    His upied mind was now a lot more clearer after the end of the investigation. He had his fears but at the very least, nothing bad happened.


    All that was left, was to find those cultist and end them before they do something that could destroy the peace of this world.


    That''s what Rin had in mind. However, in a whole different ce, maybe far or maybe close. Those same people Rin was searching for, were dealing with what seemed to be a huge matter.


    "I saw it..." A man said as he sat down on the ground, shaking like a cooking pot about to explode from pressure.


    "I saw it with my own eyes. That darkness... that suffocating darkness."


    The others around him listened quietly without uttering a single word. A grim atmosphere was looming over them.


    "Are you sure?"


    "Yes! I am fucking sure!! That boy, he had it... He had what we thought didn''t exist anymore."


    The bulky man''s voice was turning more and more fearful the more he talked. His crazed face was staring at the ground, unmoving, as if his neck was broken.


    "It stared at me... silently. Threatening me not to kill him. For a moment, my soul was consumed and I was robbed of all my senses." He said.


    "I am not sure why or how. But, I can''t... I don''t want to see that thing ever again. We are too unworthy to face it."


    After finishing words, the man put his hands on his face and started crying like a small child. His hoarse sobs echoed in the empty room.


    The other men looked at each other, not knowing what to say.


    "We can''t stop now." One of them suddenly said.


    "But, what if it''s true?"


    "So what? Are you going to give up on our purpose. On the purpose of our lord?"


    "..."


    Silence took over again for a good minute.


    "The n shall continue. We already crossed the path of no return. Our lord shall take care of the rest... Did you finish ''that''?" The man, who at this point could only be considered their leader, asked to a particr one.


    "It''s almost... Over it takes time to finish the process."


    "How long?"


    "One month.... At least one month." He said after careful thought.


    "One month... Huh."


    Repeating the same words in a mutter, than stood up.


    "Thest phase shall start in two months then. It''s the final decision.  Praise our lord, the shadow monarch!"


    His hand lifted in the air as he continued.


    "Praise him, hail him, pray for him! He shall be the beacon that lead us to justice! He shall make us live for our own desires!!"


    The moment he started saying such things, all of the others bowed in respect at the mere utter of the two words Shadow Monarch.


    "Our glory is near!!"


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 142 142- Are You Cheating!

    Chapter 142- Are You Cheating!


    The praises continued as the group kept praying to their lord, the shadow monarch. Their cold and stoic fronts fell apart as they kept doing that.


    The only one that didn''t do such a thing was the bulky guy in the middle. The tears on his face didn''t stop, for even a second. His mind didn''t seem to be calming down even under the continuous prayers of his peers.


    ''I can''t¡­'' He said to himself as the memory of what he saw at that moment filled his whole vision again.


    No matter how much he reasoned with himself to start praying like them, his mouth wouldn''t open to speaking like them. A seed of doubt had taken root inside his heart yet he didn''t know how or why.


    But, when he noticed that they were ring at him through their prayers, he coughed and then started pretending to pray like them. His mind, however, was still upied by somethingpletely different.


    ''Is there something wrong going on?'' He reckoned.


    All his life, he thought the shadow monarch way is the true path to the peak and he devoted himself to such a thing and did everything in his power to be the ideal follower of the shadow monarch cult.


    Every mission he took was for a purpose and one purpose only, that is to be able to spread the power of the cult and restore the glory of the shadow monarch.


    His death was never meant to be his end¡­ It was merely the beginning of something much bigger. As for what that thing is? Even they didn''t know.


    ****


    "U-Ugh¡­" Rin''s eyes parted open slowly as he sucked in the light of the day. The rays of the sun prated through the window and hit him right in the face making him squint visibly.


    ''Mmm, there is something on top of me?'' He thought as he tried to turn around. Being fully covered, he couldn''t see what it was.


    Moving hiszy hands, he pulled up the cover.


    "Huh?"


    Much to his surprise, a small girl was sleeping on top of him with her thumb in her mouth and a small teddy bear next to her.


    "Sorophi? What is she doing here?" He wondered as he quickly pushed her to the side and tried to wake up.


    "Rin! Wake up! It''s alrea-" At that moment, a voice echoed in the room as the door opened. Aria walked inside with a bright smile on her face. In her hand was a tray of what seemed to be a breakfast she prepared.


    *BREAK*


    The tray fell and all the pots and tes on it broke into pieces. In front of her, Rin was on top of a small girl with his hand on her shoulder and the other on her waist.


    "Huh? Aria?" Rin was very confused at the sudden appearance of his sister.


    Thetter didn''t reply as she stared wide-eyed at the scene.


    "M-My brother¡­. MY BROTHER IS A INTO SMALL GIRLS!!" She shouted.


    "Wait, what?! I''m not!"


    "W-W-W-What is the meaning of that, then?! What is a litt-" As aria was speaking, her eyes looked closer at the girl.


    She then squinted her eyes.


    "Her face is familiar." She murmured before she shook her head and red at Rin.


    "Ok, calm down, and let me exin." He said as he tried to leave the bed.


    However, much to his bad luck, Sorophi didn''t seem to be keen on the idea of him leaving the bed. Pulling him, he was yanked back to the bed and hugged.


    ''Why does this feel like it''s amon urrence at this point?!'' Rin thought as he tried to get out of her grasp.


    At this point, Rin seemed to always end up with a girl in his bed whenever he went to sleep. It happened many times with Aria, once with Elise and once with Sorophi. He didn''t even know if this was some kind of curse he was struck by at some point and it was getting even worse every time.


    "Let me go." He said as he tried to wake Sorophi up.


    "It seems that you two are already more than close enough to cuddle to sleep." A cold voice made him look up.


    "Wait, Aria¡­ I didn''t really do anything." He said with a small smile that even he wasn''t convinced of.


    ''I should''ve expected such a thing to happen considering how bizarre this girl is.''


    "I see¡­ So you did something."


    "Huh?"<novelnext></novelnext>


    "You need punishment," Aria said sternly.


    "No! This is stupid! I don''t deserve a punishment. Besides, punishment for what?"


    "F-For¡­" Aria''s tongue twisted as she found herself lost in what to say.


    She couldn''t just say ''Because you are cheating on me'' since he was merely her brother and it will only make her look even weirder. She also can''t say because he ''slept with someone else other than her'' as she had no right to stop him.


    "Because¡­ Because you deserve it!!" She said at the end with a blush of embarrassment. She wanted the ground to open and eat, never to appear again.


    The matter was somehow turned in favor of Rin instead of hers. She was going to do something about the matter but instead found herself making excuses like a small child.


    "Mmm¡­" As they were like that, Sorophi seemingly rose from her position, revealing her small body that would only shock people if they heard it belonged to an 18-year-old girl.


    "Good morning¡­" She said as she rubbed her eyes and then fell on Rin''s chest again, basking in the warmth of the sun. Her eyes were half open, half closed.


    "It was fun¡­ Rin is energetic." She murmured as she rubbed her face on his shirt.


    "Huh?! Oi, Sorophi, don''t things that could be easily misunderstood." He said.


    "I did nothing, Aria. It''s not how it looks."


    "Y-You¡­ get bonked!!"


    *BONK*


    Using what seemed to be a newspaper she had, she rolled it into a small stick and hit him in the head.


    "That doesn''t hurt but it''s still so stupid!" Rinined as he rubbed the ce where the newspaper hit him.


    ***


    "Hmph!"


    "Come on, Aria. I already exined what happened."


    "And I am still angry. How can you be so defenseless when a top 10- Ranker is around you?! They are extremely dangerous."


    "I didn''t put my guard down. I had nothing to do even if I was alert. She was following me everywhere." He said as he rubbed his head with a sigh.


    Rin knew that Sorophi could be nothing like what she is showing right now and he was still wary of her even if he treated her friendly. However, even if he wanted to do something to try and get her to stay away from him, he won''t be able to do so. The sheer difference between them in power makes him merely an easy target of interest for Sorophi.


    Hell, she easily entered his dorm room and slept on his bed without him noticing at all. Killing him wasn''t hard either.


    "Sigh¡­ You are such a trouble ma."


    "I heard that many times," Rin said as he tried to finish his breakfast.


    "How did she even take inte-" Before Aria could finish her words, she squinted her eyes at the child that was dipping her spoon into a bowl of cereal at the moment, eating silently, not even caring for the conversation urring between Rin and Aria.


    Her looks and demeanor now were so far away from the image of sheer power and insanity that both Rin and Aria had pictured her as. She just looked like a harmless, extremely adorable girl, no more than that.


    ''Can she also¡­ hear his thoughts.'' Aria thought.


    The idea seemed usible since she was already aware that a specific number of girls could also hear his thoughts. However, for Aria, this power was still mysterious. Not only does it not work sometimes and sometimes it does, but it also can only allow her to hear one sentence at a time or maybe a full string of thoughts at other times.


    She had tried to understand what triggers this but no matter what she did or theorized, she can''t find amon point that she could link between them all.


    ''She seems to also be interested in Rin because of this power. Damn it! Every bitch is after my Rin! How dare they?!'' Frustration rose in Aria''s heart as she imagined evil women trying to seduce her dear brother and take him away from her.


    ''It''s unforgivable!''


    Aria wasn''t someone to allow anyone to touch her precious Rin. Rin was hers and hers alone and no one shall try and even get a small piece of him. The only way they could try and have a chance with Rin is over her dead corpse.


    (A//N: Yandere Aria is on the move :) )


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 143 143- Magic Training (Part 1)

    Chapter 143- Magic Training (Part 1)


    "Aria?..." Rin noticed her weird silence and could only try to catch her attention again.


    He knew how much Aria liked to overthink things if left alone with her thoughts. Rin was sure that she was now thinking about something wild that would make his jaw drop if he heard about it.


    As much as she can be the calmest person he knew, that can change in an instant and she turns into a panicking mess when it''s rted to Rin and their family.


    ''I hope she doesn''t end up doing something stupid.'' He prayed in his heart.


    "So, why did you visit this early in the morning?"


    "Ohoh? It''s obviously because I wanted to have breakfast together." She said as she giggled happily.


    "Just that?"


    "What do you mean ''Just that''?" She asked as she impressioned Rin in thest two words jokingly.


    "A breakfast with my dear brother is the greatest start for a day I could ever have. Don''t underestimate that."


    Seeing her so proud of what she said made Rin smile warmly before he said.


    "Well, it''s the same for me too."


    The smile on his face looked so dazzling that it made Aria blush and avert her eyes.


    "Y-Yes, that''s what I said."


    "Anyway, today is the start of my magic training so I should leave soon." He said as he picked up the tes and walked to the kitchen.


    "Huh?! Already? But, I wanted to spend the day together." Aria grumbled to herself and threw herself on the couch again with a sigh.


    "Don''t be down. After sses today, let''s go have some fun, how about that?" He said.


    "A date?" The moment she heard that keyword, all the negative thoughts were erased from her head and were reced with something else way too different.


    "Huh?" Rin was taken aback by how quickly Aria stood up and walked toward him.


    "Say¡­ Is it a date?"


    "Well, if you want it to be a date then a date it is."


    "I see¡­ "Nodding her head, Aria turned around.


    A weird grin appeared on her face as her mind wandered to dreands on its own. The image of her and Rin doing all kinds of things, eating in a romantic restaurant, taking a stroll around at night, looking up at the sky.


    He then would turn around and grab her by the shoulders making her flinch a little bit with surprise. After that, he will look directly into her eyes and say with his serious, mesmerizing face.


    "I love you, Aria. Would you stay by my side forever?"


    Hearing such words, Aria will tear up and then nod her head.


    "Yes, I love you too, Rin. I love you so so much."


    ''And then, and then, we¡­ K-Kiss¡­ Kyaaah! I can''t! It''s too embarrassing to do that outside. Maybe after the date, when we go back home, and then¡­ We can¡­ do all that ''stuff'' and more, hehehehehe!'' Giggling like a child, she held her cheeks.


    Rin could only look at her fidget from behind as he let her daydream as much as she wanted.


    "Anyway, I need to leave now." He said.


    "Yes, wait¡­ huh? Wait a moment, Rin... No! Rin!! Wait!!"


    However, thetter didn''t wait and merely grabbed Sorophi''s hands and left the house. It might seem cruel but he knew if he stayed for a second longer, Aria will try and make him entertain her. She was that kind of person, after all. Can get serious when it needed seriousness and can also be the most spoiled person Rin knows when she''s fawning around him.


    After he left, he met with Elise, who seemed quite worried and was breathing slightly irregrly.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "I had to search for her all around the area." She said.


    "Ah! Sorry for the trouble." Rin could say after coughing awkwardly before looking at Sorophi who didn''t seem to care at all. She was disconnected from this worldpletely most of the time.


    "Sigh, It is what it is. It''s merely a few days and she will leave." Elise brushed it off and the two quickly headed toward the magic training grounds. They had been there yesterday but for apletely different reason.


    When they reached them, they found the other sses taking some areas with the biggest one left for the A-ss. It was as apparent as day who the academy favors out of the students but no oneined as they already knew¡­ Those who are strong will be treated fairly while those who aren''t could only settle down with scraps.


    Their ss was already waiting there so by the time they reached there, the professor finally appeared.


    ''Oh, isn''t that¡­ Donnie?'' Rin raised an eyebrow when he saw the professor that appeared in front of them. He hadn''t seen him ever since the day of the test.


    ''So he''s our professor?''


    "Wee everyone to your first ss of Magic training. Some of you might know me, others may have never seen me before. Anyway, I''m professor Cleardawn."


    After he made sure everyone heard him, he took a deep breath and said.


    "Before we start teh actual curriculum. I need to assess all of you. That''s why I came up with an idea."


    Then, he pointed at them and said.


    "I want to watch you all spar in front of me."


    It wasn''t that surprising to hear about spars but for their first-ever ss to be a spar was kind of surprising. They all expected to learn new spells to hone their magic control and their mana.


    "For a mage to be able to excel in their craft, they need two main things: Practice and experience."


    The first one is quite direct and simple. To learn something, you need to do it again and again and again thousands of times to master it. That''s how you learn. However, even if someone who trained for tens of years doesn''t have the second requirement, they can still lose easily. Battle experience is also an extremely important thing. Frankly, it''s more important than practicing."


    His voice was loud and domineering yet also had a weird charm to it that made people want to listen to what he wanted to say. In contrast to Malza who relied on his aura and charm in his speech, Donnie relied more on his voice and presence. He had this weird tone in his voice that albeit stern, carried such confidence to the students when he spoke.


    "If you don''t fight against other opponents and face threats, you won''t be able to hone the most important part of your fights¡­ Your instinct."


    "It''s your best ally¡­ With it, you can determine whether your life is in danger or not, whether you are at a disadvantage or actually winning, and most importantly¡­ Increases the chances of you taking a good decision."


    Thest few words ignited some confusion in the masses. Good decisions? Aren''t good decisions taken by the conscious mind rather than the instincts?


    Even Rin was quite confused too as he never assumed his instinct could take decisions on his part. He always used them as a form of warning trigger to save him from danger in brutal fights. Everything else he does is something he thinks threw and not some spontaneous move.


    The students started whispering with each other as they discussed his words.


    "What is he saying?"


    "Is that actually true? I never heard of such a thing."


    "False! Instincts are merely a form of survival switch. They help us determine whether our life is in danger or not, nothing more, nothing less."


    Most of them were skeptical about it while others outright disagreed with Donnie. However, thetter didn''t seem to be bothered by their reaction as if he predicted this kind of thing all along.


    "Silence, now." He said, making everyone shut up immediately.


    "I can understand why all of you are having such ideas but let me exin. It''s true that instinct is our main weapon to survive. But, that weapon can also turn from a mere trigger warning to an actual offensive weapon we can use to dominate any enemy we face."


    "Instinct, like any other thing in the human body, can be cultivated and honed. It''s like a sword we are born with yet can''t use because we never learned how to. But, those who faced countless battles, killed countless creatures, and rose to the top can say it proudly that their instincts are their strongest weapon. That''s why one of my main goals is to cultivate your instincts and make them your greatest power¡­ I trust myself with that goal and I shall do it."


    The confidence he had in his voice made even the most skeptical of the students feel convinced to a certain extent. He had somehow made them feel his confidence through mere words.


    (A//N: Instincts are a form of power? What''s that? :) )


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 144 144- Magic Training (Part 2)

    Chapter 144- Magic Training (Part 2)


    Rin and Elise were also one of the few that were convinced to an extent yet still questioning whether this would work or not. They could see that Donnie was confident in his abilities but it was still a foreign idea.


    "Now, before I divulge into my lessons, I want to assess the prowess of this year''s A-Rank ss. You all are the creme of the crop when ites to new students so I expect a lot from all of you. You better not disappoint me."


    Then, he smiled coldly and continued.


    "That''s why I came up with this small idea. From this container, there are random numbers cloned twice and each one of you will pick a random number. The ones that end up with the same number will spar against each other. The fight is simple, you can use mana and your element but refrain from using any form of lethal attack that could kill your peer. I will keep watch and stop anyone who dares to break this rule and then punish them."


    The idea was straightforward and simple but it was more than enough to rile up the students. As hot-blooded teenagers, they obviously liked the idea of fighting each other and experimenting and showing off their powers in front of everyone else. The thought that everyone will look at them with awe and respect was intoxicating.


    But, most of them also had another reason. All the boys looked secretly at one particr girl in the masses. Her jaw-dropping beauty was still something that they didn''t grow ustomed to. She was akin to an immortal goddess among humans.


    ''I want to impress her. I want to impress Miss. Elise.'' They all had that same thought inside their heads.


    For them, Elise was the highest peak they could only watch and admire. She was the sacred flower on top of the icy mountain that could never be touched by filthy human hands. However, sadly, humans would still want to touch it.


    If they were able to at least impress, they might catch her interest and maybe¡­ just maybe, end up getting her favor and affection.


    The idea alone had a stronger effect on them then the spar itself.


    On the other hand, the girls focused on a totally different person. Rin, who was deep in his thoughts, ignored the gazes that were directed at him from all the girls.


    They also had the same thought about Rin, if not even more intense than the boys. Rin was like a piece of art for sore eyes. The girls that enter the academy are all proud individuals that would never bow down before anyone, especially men. However, Rin was a different someone. In fact, for them, he was the most handsome man they had ever seen, exceeding even the greatly-loved Malza Lindell who had stolen the heart of hundreds and hundreds of girls.


    Because of his usually stoic look, Rin quickly turned into this cold prince that could not be approached. His cold face and elegant demeanor were so eye-catching that most girls could only find themselves looking at him for long periods of time without being aware of it.


    Many tried to go and talk with him, from princesses, nobility, and even extremely rich women from all backgrounds. However, because Rin wasn''t really keen on the idea of trying to humor every girl that approaches him, he deliberately makes himself look as unapproachable as possible. The idea worked on most of them but some were strong or thick-skinned enough to ignore that and throw themselves at him.


    Those were the ones Rin dreaded the most, he was a patient person but when ites to people like that, he just feels as if he was getting suffocated by the neck. Their clear attempts at making him fall in love with them from deliberate seductive moves or even trying to show their cleavages through their clothes had be a daily urrence for him.


    ''Lord Rin shall see me. I will give him my body and soul so that he embraces them and then¡­ fill me up with his love~~'' Some twisted minds thought to themselves as they tried to hide a weird giggle from leaking out.


    "Now, please, take one number and return to your ce."


    The process was quick as everyone got their number and found their opponent.


    "Number 13." Rin thought.


    "I''m 16¡­  Elise said."


    "22."


    "Huh," Rin looked at Sorophi beside him with a questioning gaze.


    "Did you take a number, Sorophi?"


    "Yes¡­"


    "No, that''s not¡­" Before he could even say anything, he saw Donnie looking at him with a meaningful nce. Rin didn''t take long to understand what he meant.<novelnext></novelnext>


    In his ss, there were only 21 students so the fact that Sorophi got the number 22 meant that there will be no one that will fight her. Rin knew that Sorophi would protest if she wasn''t included so for Donnie and possibly Emilia toe up with this n was quite smart.


    Nodding his head, he didn''t say anything else and merely continued idling around. Since he was number 13, his turn won''te until the others that got numbers lesser than 13 spar between themselves.


    Then, the fights started. Most of the spars didn''t take a long time to be finished with the longest being 3 minutes long. Donnie didn''t even wait to see who wins in the end but instead stops at a particr point as if he got what he was looking for from each student before he moved to the next one.


    Elise tried to determine what he was looking for and why he would stop the fight for. But, she eventually gave up and didn''t think much of it. He will eventually exin what he saw to them.


    Time passed and eventually, it was Rin''s time to fight. He wasn''t really worried at all as he knew that he was way stronger than all the students here and that he would probably finish it in a few seconds.


    ''Seeing how many of the stories I read, the main character hides his strength for no reason. Tsk, how stupid! I will show them how it''s done.'' He said to himself.


    When he reached the small arena, he gave a small nce to his opponent. He recognized his face as he was Rin''s ssmate but he couldn''t recall his name. On the other hand, the young man was more than thrilled to fight Rin.


    He had been watching him for the longest time and how he was the only one Elise allowed to sit next to her and even talk with her. The jealousy was killing him as he dreamed of being able to talk with his goddess at least once yet this bastard in front of him was her friend or even lover for all he cared.


    ''I will make him theughing stock of everyone and then he will Mrs. Elise will be disappointed. She instead will see how cooler I am. Looks aren''t everything, pretty boy!'' He snickered secretly as he took a stance.


    Rin on the other hand was simply rubbing the back of his head, unbothered by anything. He didn''t seem to even show any kind of intent to fight. His other hand was even in his pocket.


    ''This bastard!!'' The boy couldn''t handle this clearly disrespectful attitude and his anger rose to dangerous degrees.


    ''I will fucking turn you into a clown¡­ No! I will turn you into an entire fucking circus!''


    After that, he looked at Donnie waiting for the signal to start.


    "START!!" The moment the professor uttered the word, the young man dashed toward Rin at his fastest speed. His eyes were sharp and his movement was precise and to the point, using every part of his body to his advantage. For someone who is that young, his skills were apparent and could be considered that of a talented mage.


    However, there was one small problem in that¡­ It was his opponent.


    The moment he was close enough, the boy sent a punch flying toward Rin using a good chunk of his power. He wasn''t intending to do this but since Rin disrespected him so tantly.


    But, before his hit could connect, his vision turned upside down out of nowhere before he felt a loud thud on his back that knocked the breath out of his lungs. Widening his eyes in shock, he looked up in silence at Rin. He still didn''t quite understand what happened.


    "Is the fight over, professor?" Rin, on the other hand, merely asked Donnie for the finish sign so he could walk away.


    Donnie, who was also staring speechlessly at what urred, finally woke up from his trance and nodded his head.


    "Ehem¡­ It''s over, Rin Silvereye Won!"


    However, instead of hearing the students p, no one made a single voice. It was just too quick. everything happened in less than a second. No, not even a second¡­ it happened in a fraction of a second.


    Many of them didn''t even see what happened!!


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 145 145- Magic Traning (Part 3)

    Chapter 145- Magic Traning (Part 3)


    Many of the students looked at each other as if they were searching for someone that could exin what happened a second ago. Their eyes weren''t able to follow Rin''s movements that were akin to a messy blur that ended before they even opened their eyes again.


    "Did he just move?"


    "I don''t know¡­ Did you see anything?"


    "Beat me¡­ I saw nothing." Another said as he rubbed his eyes.


    "But, I''m sure he moved. Then, how do you exin the defeat?! Did he magically fall down alone?"


    "No. But, what if he did a trick we couldn''t see?"


    "That''s impossible. If he did that, Professor would''ve noticed it too. But, look at him, he''s also surprised. He also noticed how fast he was."


    "Amazing¡­ I never thought someone from our ss can be that strong¡­ This is unfair."


    "He was hiding his strength all along. What a bastard! Is he some kind of strong student that came from the higher floors?"


    "Possible. He seems to also be quite elegant with his moves so he must''ve trained for a long time."


    Such things were being repeated left and right. Everyone was starting to create rumors and gossip about Rin. They simply couldn''t ept the fact that one of their peers was so overwhelmingly stronger than them that he beat one of the strongest A-ss students in a split second.


    It was just too unbelievable. The idea in and out of itself didn''t fit with what their minds thought as the power level of the new students.


    On the other side, Donnie wasn''t even bothering with what they were saying. His sole focus was the ck-haired boy that was walking back to where he was standing before. A sh ofplex emotions passed through his eyes.


    ''This is¡­ Not a joke. When I heard what Miss. Emilia said I half-believed it.'' He thought to himself. Even though Donnie was able to see Rin''s movements clearly with his eyes, it still shocked him beyond words.


    ''He had used one hand to throw his opponent in the air. Such a strength, speed, and precision. Should it even exist on the lower floors?'' He wondered as his memories came rushing back to him.


    Yesterday, he was called by Emilia to talk about the first lesson he was going to do the next day. He already knew about Sorophi''s visit and so he was sure that Emilia will just warn him about the potential trouble that could happen and how he should deal with it in case it happened.


    But, he was slightly off the mark in his guess because Emilia didn''t only warn him about that matter but also talked about Rin.


    "Listen, Donnie. I have personally taken Rin under my wing. He is in the simplest terms possible a ''Freak of nature''. I trust you with keeping that information to yourself or you know what could happen." She said as she gave him a side re.


    The reason Emilia told him about that was not that Donnie was someone extremely close to her but because she had full control over him. It''s safe to say that Emilia controlled Donnie''s life and the life of those he cared about so whatever she tells him, she was sure he will never dare to leak it out to anyone, especially enemies.


    The other reason she told him was a matter she was waiting for.


    "He will soon ascend from the lowest floor and I don''t want him to take long there. He won''t be using his full powers so that might lower his score in your ss. Make sure he doesn''t end up taking longer than expected to ascend, understand?"


    "Yes¡­" Donnie nodded his head with a rather calm expression.


    He already knows that Rin was talented but hearing the great praises someone like Emilia was giving to Rin made him wonder how stronger he got after thest time he saw him. He was honestly skeptical about that.


    He had seen talented individuals and Rin was certainly one of those that could be considered geniuses. But, to call him a ''freak of nature'' was stretching it.


    But, even with that in his head, he didn''t say anything as he wasn''t stupid enough to offend Emilia.


    However, now that he saw with his own eyes what that young man could do, he could only click his tongue and look down with shame. He was too naive to believe that Rin wasn''t as big as Emilia said.


    ''She wouldn''t take a mere ''Genius'' under her wing after all. He seems fit to achieve her ambitions in the future.''


    He had heard about Emilia''s long-living dream before but he wasn''t sure if it was actually true or not. But, whether it was indeed a fact or not, Rin was a precious gem that could help Emilia a lot.


    Shaking his head, Donnie quickly pped his hands and said loudly.


    "Enough, chit-chatting! Who is next? Hurry up!"


    His stern voice killed all gossip and the spars continued.<novelnext></novelnext>


    But, that didn''t mean that Rin wasn''t the focus of everyone anymore.


    ''I think I overdid it.'' Rin thought as he rubbed his chin with a re.


    He was going to show his strength to a certain extent just to make sure everyone was aware of how strong he was. But, now that he looked at it, he felt as if he just did something very wrong.


    But, Rin had no idea about the power level of the students so he just took a guess and used a certain amount of power he thought was the best for such cases. Albeit, he overestimated the power level of newbies and ended up turning himself into some kind of monster in the eyes of his peers.


    "You didn''t have to beat him that quickly." Elise approached him and said with a casual look.


    "I did?"


    "I heard some of them talk about the fact that you are a spy that descended from the higher floors."


    "Really?! Damn, that''s absurd. I am a newbie too." Rubbing the back of his head, Rin could only sigh in exasperation.


    "I''m not surprised they thought so."


    "Huh? You too?"


    "You obliterated your opponent so quickly no one could even see it. I''m pretty sure that''s more than enough to make you stand out like a sore thumb."


    "Fuck. That''s bad! I don''t want some stupid rumors to spread around me. Damn it! Did I really make a mistake by doing this?" He murmured as he was slightly panicked.


    "I think it''s not that bad of an oue. Let them think you are actually a student from the higher floors. That will only make them fear you even more and reduce the trouble that might happen to you."


    "Hmm¡­ Now that you say it, it is indeed the case. Haha! So I was indeed a genius by doing this." Rin''s desperate look quickly changed to a proud smile.


    Elise''s lips fidgeted a little bit as she looked at him secretly.


    ''He likes to deliberately act childish sometimes in front of me. I wonder why?''


    She had noticed how Rin would usually act like that and even try to tease her. But, she didn''t know why he would go out of his way to do that. She was sure Rin wouldn''t usually treat the others like that. She was the only one he did that with.


    At first, she thought that maybe he just found it fun but then when she thought about it again, it didn''t seem normal at all.


    Being so dense when ites to the matter of emotions, Elise couldn''t really notice that all that Rin was doing was only for her sake.


    He knew howcking her trust in other people was and so he used this light-hearted yet effective method to open her heart again to ept others and trust them. Well, in this case, he wanted her to trust him only and no one else but it was still a form of healing for the traumatized Elise.


    Rin found that teasing and pulling her into conversations was the best way for Elise to crack her shell and leave it.


    But, neither of them noticed that the other thought that way. They just followed their instincts and what their minds told them.


    "Sigh, well, only time will tell us how these rumors could affect me. I hope I won''t end up in trouble because of it."


    "You won''t be alone if you get in trouble if that happens," Elise said mysteriously.


    "Huh? What do you mean?"


    But, as he asked that question, Elise''s turn came and she quickly left without telling him anything. Rin could only watch her walk away with a confused look. He couldn''tprehend the idea behind her mysterious reply.


    ''Why do I feel as if she''s going to do something?'' He wondered.


    (A//N: Elise is starting to notice the smaller things from Rin :); hopefully she would notice other things too :3)


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 146 146- The Meeting (Part 1)

    Chapter 146- The Meeting (Part 1)


    Elise reached the stage and readied herself for the fight. She was going with another girl. Since magic-wise, there isn''t much difference between how a female''s body functions or a male''s body functions, Mixing both of them in fights won''t create any kind of disadvantage for either of them.


    In fact, some of the fights that urred between a male and a female student were equal or even ended in the girls'' favor. That''s because Mana can enhance the strength of the body so if a woman has enough mana and mastery over it, that difference in physical prowess between them.


    The girl didn''t appear as cocky as the student that faced Rin as she already knew all about Elise. She also heard rumors about Elise''s crushing strength. Apparently, when she goes to the forest to train and hunt monsters, some students see her and follow her secretly. They had seen how stupidly strong she was as she ughtered monsters one after the other as kept going deeper and deeper into the forest.


    However, they couldn''t see her full strength as most of them can''t venture that deep into the forest so they end up leaving her alone eventually. So, how capable Elise was is still a mystery to them.


    The girl gulped down a mouthful of saliva as she stared at Elise''s cold, emotionless eyes. Her mere presence was so strong that the girl immediately averted her eyes and tried to look elsewhere, at Donnie for example.


    Thetter nodded his head and gave the sign. Instantly, Elise vanished from where she was standing and appeared behind the girl.


    Before thetter could even react to the sudden move, she was already pinned to the ground  skillfully. The girl''s eyes widened in shock as she stared at Elise on top of her, staring at her with the same cold face as usual.


    "Elise Aviresion is the winner!" Donnie announced as he blinked a few times too.


    ''Another monster too?!'' He thought as he almost dropped down on his knees from shock. He had already been shocked beyond words yet somehow things weren''t over yet. How could he forget about the other person besides Rin?


    Elise was also a very mysterious individual, no less than Rin. In fact, now that he looked at it closely, Elise was even more mysterious than Rin himself.  He basically knew nothing about her except that she was also extremely talented.


    Elise wasn''t someone who stood in the limelight. In a sense, she was always in Rin''s shadow out of her own will. She only steps out when Rin needs her. One seemed like the rarest genius that stepped on Divine Sapphire while the other, who is equally as talented, kept it low-key for the longest time.


    ''A perfectbo.'' Donnie thought.


    Each one of thempleted the other and each one needed the other to hide their weaknesses.


    ''Maybe we are focusing on half the talent, Miss. Emilia.''


    At this point, ignoring Elise would be a grave mistake in and out of itself. One freak of nature was cool, on the other hand, two freaks of nature are a different matter altogether. If one can be a god amongst men, the other can be an immortal goddess.


    As Donnie was going through his own thoughts, Elise merely walked back to her spot. Cheers took a long time to start as everyone was quite taken aback. They were all ready to see her crushing power but it still exceeded their wildest expectations.


    In a sense, she wasn''t any more absurd than Rin did but since they all expected to see her do something amazing, the reaction wasn''t as intense as Rin''s.


    "You are¡­" When Elise reached Rin, he tried to say something but ended up being silent.


    "I told you. You won''t be the only one that will be in trouble." She said casually.


    "..."


    Hearing that, Rin finally understood what she meant. She was intending to also show dominant power in front of everyone and rise suspicions about how strong she was. Elise wasn''t intending to let Rin get dragged into a problem alone while she stays in safety.


    They were both stuck in this mess together so they either leave it together or be imprisoned in it together. She wasn''t going to just guarantee her own safety when her friend was going to be in trouble.


    ''What¡­ an odd person?'' Rin thought as a small smile appeared on his face and a sh of weird emotions passed through his eyes. He felt a weird feeling welling in his heart that he couldn''t describe in words.


    This was something he had never felt before. It wasn''t intense enough to make him fall into panic or question it deeply. But, it still made him feel confused.


    ''Am I falling in love with Elise?'' He asked himself as he rubbed his chin.


    Rin never fell in love before but he heard that when someone falls in love, their heart starts beating loudly, and his face blushes. Even though he wasn''t blushing or feeling embarrassed, his heart was beating faster than usual.


    As much as he wanted to say that he had some understanding of the way of the heart, he could only dejectedly realize that he still had a long way to go before he became an expert in this field. He was sure that if he was able to learn more about this, he might be able to discern what kind of feelings he was having at the moment.


    ''Am I really falling in love, System?'' He suddenly asked.


    [I don''tprehend human emotions, host.]


    ''You don''t?''


    [Yes.]


    ''Then how are you this annoying?'' He asked as he squinted his eyes.


    [The system is a manifestation of some parts of your personality, host. I take from your soul and integrate it.]


    ''...''<novelnext></novelnext>


    Rin was turned speechless. He had unknowingly shot himself in the foot and ended up regretting it greatly.


    "Oi, Rin¡­" Suddenly, Elise spoke to him, waking him up from his daze.


    "What?"


    "Look.." She said as she pointed at the entrance to the magic training area. There, a handsome young man was standing with a small smile on his face. When he noticed that Rin was looking at him, he waved his hand amicably.


    "Malza?" Rin was confused when he saw the student council president in such a ce.


    He didn''t seem to havee here by coincidence or other business. He was here to meet Rin. But, thetter didn''t know why.


    "Wait¡­." Suddenly realizing it, Rin facepalmed with a sigh.


    "I forgot."


    "You forgot about the meeting?" Elise asked.


    "Yes¡­" He replied with an exasperated look on his face.


    "I forgot that today was our meeting. It''s still not time for it tho. He said that I should visit the student council in the evening."


    "Maybe he has something important to say?" Elise suggested.


    "From the cheeky smile he has on his face right now, I doubt he has anything ground-breaking to reveal. He knew that Malza wasn''t someone to reveal things to others especially when his best interest is involved.


    Rin was sure this meeting was going to be tricky. He will have to navigate the dangerous waters that were Malza''s mysterious thoughts and goals.


    He was the worst possible enemy Rin could ever face if he became one. The maniptive, smart enemy is far more dangerous than someone who only got muscles and no brains.


    However, luckily, Malza isn''t an enemy yet. As long as he didn''t try to do anything suspicious, he was considered a neutral party.


    As he was like that, Malza somehow had already moved closer to Donnie and said something that no one heard.


    After a few seconds, Donnie seemed to nod as his eyes looked at Rin. After that, he signaled for Rin to leave with Malza.


    Thetter blinked a few times.


    "What about the ss?"


    "He doesn''t care. Just go. I will take care of Sorophi." Elise sighed.


    "... Ok, I rely on you, Elise."


    After giving her a trustful smile, he walked away, following Malza who already was close to the gate again. Even though Rin had watched him closely when he was walking, thetter somehow was able to move so quickly without Rin noticing.


    "What kind of magic is that?" Rin murmured to himself.


    It was quite eerie how this seemingly nonchnt thing tricked Rin''s mind.


    ''I swear, I saw him walking normally. How is he that far?''


    "It''s one of my tricks." Malza suddenly turned around and said with his usual mysterious smile.


    "Those are some handy tricks you have there."


    "Fufufufu! I appreciate thepliment, Rin." He said elegantly.


    Looking at him with a nk face, Rin didn''t know whether tough or cry.


    ''Why do I see roses behind him?'' He asked himself the 1-million gold coins question.


    (A//N: Roses everywhere :) )


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 147 147- The Meeting (Part 2)

    Chapter 147- The Meeting (Part 2)


    "So, are you going to tell me how you did that?" Rin asked casually as the two continued walking.


    "How can I spoil surprises, Rin?" Malza replied.


    "Well, it''s not that big of a deal to show me, is it? You don''t seem like you care whether I discover your powers or not."


    "Was I that obvious?" He shrugged before continuing.


    "Pretty much. But, what''s the fun if I spoil it now? I want to see you take a guess."


    Squinting his eyes, Rin fell into thought as he reyed the scene in his head. The way it happened so swiftly, so seamlessly was just chilling. The idea that someone could trick Rin so easily without him noticing was spine-chilling, to say the least.


    ''I can''t really think of a possible way to do that. Was there even an element that can trick the eyes? Mist?'' He thought of a random element but then shook that thought off.


    He knew some information about the mist element but none of what Malza did right now fit in the description of that element. For mist users to create those fake images and trick their opponents, there would be a vague distortion in the vision of that target. So most of the time, the one fighting a mist element user will be aware of the fact they are being tricked but can''t discern how.


    However, with what Rin saw right now, there was no distortion in his vision. Everything happened fluently and perfectly. It wasn''t something even the best of Mist users can pull off.


    ''It''s not mist. Then, what is it?''


    He rubbed his head, searching for a good answer but eventually, he gave up on it. Rin was confident he had knowledge about most elements that exist in this world if not all of them and none of them fit what he saw.


    It''s just extremely bizarre and iprehensible.


    "I give up."


    "Hahahaha! Seeing you think about it so hard is quite entertaining." Malza chuckled amusedly and then continued.


    "You don''t need to worry about it. You will know eventually. But, I must say, you are the first student to ever notice my powers on the first time. All of them took a few tries to finally notice the abnormality. Your eyes are sharp."


    "Thank you¡­"


    The two then continued walking till they reached one of the huge cafes of the city. It was a very popr ce for those who have enough money to afford it. The ce was also perfect for romantic dates, friend meetings, and many other things like studying or reading books.


    Malza quickly guided them to a very luxurious table inside the cafe that he seemingly booked before. Rin was quite impressed by the quality andfort of the seats and the amazing view of the city from such a high floor. It was truly worth the huge sum of money.


    "Order anything you want, it''s on me." He said as he rested casually on the seat.


    "Well, I won''t hold back then."


    After that, Rin ordered some sweet pastry and a cup of coffee. He wasn''t into exotic sweets or anything of that sort especially when some of theme from unknown creatures and weird nts. The food in this world was mostly great but Rin would still crave some things from his old world from time to time and would either cook it or try it in cafes.


    After their order came basically in 3 minutes, Rin finally asked.


    "Why did you not wait for the evening?"


    "Because I was sure you were going to forget."


    "..."


    "Am I wrong?" Malza asked again with a cheeky smile.


    "No¡­"


    "Hahaha! Then I was right by visiting you first."


    "Mhm¡­ So, for what reason did you call me here?"


    "Oh? Did Elise not tell you?" The blonde-haired young man blinked a few times.


    "No?"


    "Oh? That is interesting. Was she that much against my offer?" Malza sighed under his breath.


    "What offer? Huh?" Rin confusedly questioned his words.


    He didn''t hear anything from Elise about meeting Malza or even this ''offer'' thing. His mind went to uncharted territories as he imagined the worst-case scenario. Since Malza was indeed very tricky and hard to understand, he could only fear what he could say to Elise or even how he tries to manipte her into his ns.


    But, then he realized something¡­ This is Elise he is talking about. She wasn''t some normal girl. Intelligence-wise, she was far smarter than Rin in his opinion so if there was anything, she would instantly notice it.


    ''I should probably worry about myself instead.''


    "Hahahah! You don''t need to be that suspicious! As I said before, I am not intending to harm any of you. You are both just quite interesting and worthy of trying to befriend in the future. I am sitting in front of you right now with pure intentions."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Sorry, but I can''t believe you when you have that kind of smile on your face."


    "What kind?"


    "The kind that says ''I already predicted what you will do 30 steps before you do it''. I hate those kinds of smiles." Rin replied.


    "That''s why you caught my interest, Rin. You are like a box of candy, the more I eat from it, the tastier it bes." He said as he licked his lips.


    Rin felt a chill run down his spine when he saw that and could only re back at him.


    "You want me to dread this meeting, don''t you?"


    The moment he heard that Malza chuckled loudly and then dropped the act.


    "Sorry, sorry! I love joking around, you see."


    "Whatever, can you please now say what this ''offer'' you are talking about is?"


    "Oh, right¡­ The offer."


    After that, Malza quickly exined what he said to Elise. Rin didn''t believe his words as he didn''t trust Malza to say the truth or even worse, twist it so that he could trick him. He will wait until he asks Elise about it to know the truth.


    But, for the sake of the conversation to proceed, he feigned ignorance and nodded his head at every word Malza said.


    After the end of the exnation, Rin finally opened his mouth to speak.


    "I don''t really see why you would be this eager in recruiting us. Do you know something?" Rin asked as he squinted his eyes.


    "Why do you think so?" Malza''s smile didn''t change at all. He never really changed his expression throughout the whole conversation.


    "You don''t seem like someone who would recruit people to your student council merely because they are ''interesting'' or ''entertaining''. I''m pretty sure Elise asked you this question."


    "Hmm? That''s a bold im. Do you trust Elise that much?"


    "Yes," Rin replied without any hesitation.


    He basically had blind trust in Elise. Even though he knew that was a stupid thing to do to trust someone blindly. But, Elise was just someone who made him believe that she was worthy of that high regard.


    "Well, it is indeed true that she asked me that question. But, I can''t answer it now. You see, Rin¡­ I am a very practical person. I always search for the best method to do things. I don''t like to beat around the bush. However, as much as I want to tell both of you about the reason for my offer, I still can''t. Trust me on this one."


    Malza then shifted his gaze to the outside, seemingly admiring the scenery from the sky.


    "''Create 1 enemy and 1000 friends'' is something.'' have you ever heard of that quote?"


    "No."


    "Well, it''s one of the few things I believe in. Creating enemies is stupid. I only need allies." Tapping on the table rhythmically, Malza''s eyes shed with a hint ofplicated emotions.


    Rin, whose eyes were attracted to the rhythmic hitting of his fingers, shook his head.


    "People are bound to have enemies."


    "But, I don''t like making them. So if I have the choice to have an enemy or a friend, I will have a friend. Anyway, I want you to think about it, Rin. You can win a lot and lose nothing from my offer. It''s going to really help you in the future after you leave the academy too. The student council''s reach is far bigger than the academy and stretches behind its walls."


    "... I can''t promise you anything. I can''t take a decision alone when my partner is against the idea."


    "Well, I trust that you can think about it rationally and convince Miss. Elise."


    Without saying anything, Rin nodded his head and stood up to leave.


    "It was nice talking to you, Malza. I will give it a thought."


    "I appreciate that."


    After that, Rin left the cafe, leaving Malza sitting on his chair.


    His smile had already vanished from his face and a neutral expression appeared instead.


    "''Create 1 enemy and 1000 friends'', huh? Well, I fear for my enemies rather than my friends. Because if anyone tries to y, I will make them my toy."


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 148 148- A Father And Mother (Part 1)

    Chapter 148- a Father And Mother (Part 1)


    Rin left the cafe and went back to the training area where he found Elise and Sorophi waiting for him. The little girl was oddly calm even though she was with Elise and not Rin. Her eyes even looked a little bit interested when she gazed at Elise.


    Rin was quite impressed at her attitude.


    "You didn''t take long," Elise said when she saw him.


    "Yeah, the conversation was short. I will tell you what happenedter."


    "Nh¡­" Nodding her head, Elise didn''t pursue the matter any further.


    Then, she looked at Sorophi and continued.


    "She said she''s hungry."


    "Oh? It''s already time for lunch so we might as well go to a good restaurant. What do you think, Sorophi?"


    He bent down and tried to act friendly as he patted her on the head. Just imagining himself doing this to someone that''s technically older than him in age made him realize how bizarre it was. But, for better or worse, no one knew who this girl was and would merely question her presence there.


    Rin and Elise would use the excuse ''She''s the daughter of one of the professors and was here to watch the training''. Although the excuse might sound half-assed, no one dared to question it in front of Rin and especially Elise. She was simply too scary and too beautiful for them to make a proper conversation with her.


    The three then turned around to leave. However, before Rin could even take one step, he heard a sudden whisper in his ear from Elise. Her melodic, divine voice almost made him flinch. Just her presence so close to him was mind-boggling. However, Elise didn''t seem to notice the consequences of this casual move from her.


    "When you left, Sorophi wanted to face one of the students too."


    "Wait, what?" Rin blinked a few times as he looked at Elise.


    "Didn''t she get the¡­"


    "Wrong number? Yes, she did and it seems that made her even angrier that she wasn''t going to fight anyone. She kept nudging me to let her fight. She even threatened to run away if I don''t let her do that."


    "So, what did the professor do?"


    "He could only¡­ ept," Elise said with an iprehensible look.


    "He did?!"


    "Yes, apparently, his position is lower than that of hers so he could only oblige."


    ''How is this even allowed?!'' Rin could only facepalm while secretly looking at Sorophi who was holding his hand and walking idly.


    "And? What happened after that?" He asked.


    "..." Opening her mouth, Elise exined.


    ******


    Before Rin came back, Elise looked at Sorophi with an exasperated look.


    "Why do you want to fight someone?" She asked.


    "Because it''s fun." She said.


    "You are way stronger than anyone present here. You will only harm them one-sidedly."


    "I want to fight!" Sorophi shook her head and kept stubbornly asking for it. For some reason, her mind was hell on bent on doing this.


    Donnie, who was standing beside her, shook his head as if he was experiencing the biggest headache of his lifetime.


    "I want to fight." Sorophi, knowing that Donnie seemed to be wavering, quickly cornered him with her strong gaze.


    "But, it''s against Miss. Emilia''s orders?" He tried to reason with her, making sure his voice wasn''t being raised. Just a small offense against someone as important as Sorophi would end up with him either dead or kicked out of the academy by the administration.


    "No! Emi has nothing to do with this! I want to fight!" Pouting and ring at Donnie, he felt as if a thousand knives pierced his body. Breaking a sweat, he tried to keep hisposure.


    "Miss. Sorophi ne-


    "No!" Crossing her arms, her aura started leaking making Elise and Donnie flinch. Thetter felt as if she was now stuck between two giant problems. Not only did he not have time to call Emilia, but she is also extremely busy with other things so calling her here is like admitting that he had failed in delivering her request. Not to mention that if She came here, there is no guarantee that the fight that urred between her and Silika won''t be repeated, perhaps even more intense than before.


    ''Dammit!''


    Cursing under his breath, finally gave up and nodded his head.


    "I understand. You can fight one of the students. But, if one of them refuses or all of them refuse, you will have to ept that, Miss. Sorophi." He said.


    "Oh, and also. Please, don''t harm them at all. No breaking bones or any heavy injuries. I hope you understand that or Miss. Emilia will never allow you toe down here ever again." Donnie gave her a respectful warning that could even pass as him begging her to not harm or kill his student.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Rubbing her small chin, Sorophi seemed to be thinking about it for a moment before she finally nodded her head.


    "I understand. Sorophi will not harm them."


    "Good. I hope you keep your word." He said.


    Elise, on the other hand, was looking at them with a frown. Even if Sorophi did nothing to a student, she could only imagine the worse happening. Sorophi was simply too strong that a mere move from her could probably erase a student off the face of the world. It didn''t even need to be intentional. It was akin to a giant bear trying to deal with a thin sheet of ss and trying not to break it into pieces.


    It was simply hard not to make a small mistake and end up crushing that sheet of ss.


    But, she simply can''t change the mind of a stubborn person like Sorophi. Her attitude was exactly like that of a child and children would never ept something that they don''t like except if you force them to.


    However, thest thing Elise was capable of was forcing Sorophi to listen to her.


    After that, Donnie turned around and walked to where he was standing before and then said as he looked at every student.


    "Listen, it seems the small girl there wants to try and spar with one of you. Does anyone care to entertain her?"


    "Oh?" Weird sounds of confusion echoed between the students. They all quickly looked at Sorophi. In their eyes, they could only see a small, harmless girl. They also couldn''t sense any kind of aura around her so they assumed that she was still not awakened yet. Because of the sheer strength difference between them and Sorophi, they could not even feel her crushing pressure at all.


    Some even sneered and said mockingly.


    "Who would want to fight a small girl? Should we use a lollipop as a weapon? Hahahaha!"


    "Man! Maybe a cup of milk would be enough to make her fall asleep!"


    "Hey! Don''t mock a small girl! Fine, I will do it!" One of them said as he tried to hold hisughter.


    Donnie nodded but then quickly said.


    "Let me warn you. She is by no means weak. Don''t underestimate her power!" He said.


    "Yes, yes, professor! I will make sure to be careful."


    ''Not to break her that is.'' He thought as he licked his lips.


    Sorophi also stepped up and stood in front of him.


    "On my¡­ mark." Trying to hide his nervousness, Donnie said.


    He was already ready to move and try to save the boy before he ends up dead or crippled.


    ''If I lose my job because of this, I''m going to retire and live on an ind alone with my wife.''


    The moment he said so, the boy chuckled.


    "Come on, little girl, attack me."


    "..." Sorophi didn''t say anything back and merely looked at him.


    "What? Are you scared? Don''t worry, I won''t harm you." He added.


    Finally, the little girl started moving, she walked slowly toward the student with Silika in her hand.


    "Yes. Good job, be careful not to stumble on your legs. One step at a time." He continued encouraging her, under the muffledughs of his peers. They all enjoyed the show as if it was some kind ofedy y.


    Elise was the only one who had a grave face, ready to see a human turn into a bloody lump of flesh in a split second.


    Eventually, Sorophi reached the boy and looked up at him. Thetter also looked at her but at that moment, when he saw that pair of eyes she had, he felt a chill run down his spine. His smile disappeared. But, he still didn''t realize why he was feeling this weird dread and instead shook those thoughts away.


    "G-Good that you were able to reach me. Now, try to punch me." He forced himself to smile again."


    Sorophi nodded her head and extended her arm forward.


    *BANG*


    Her small hand made contact with his abdomen.


    "Blurgh!"


    (A//n: oof! Poor boy, he is in great trouble :) )


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 149 149- A Father And Mother (Part 2)

    Chapter 149- A Father And Mother (Part 2)


    The student felt all of the air leave his body and even his soul exited his core for a good second. His eyes bulged out of their sockets as he was sted back to the edge of the arena.


    The silence as his body was dragged across the dirt terrain was impressive. Jaws opened as students looked at what happened with sheer shock. No one dared to believe what they saw with their eyes.


    It was, in a sense, even more surprising than what Rin did before as not only did thise out from a mere child, the sheer strength of that simple move could only send a shiver down their spines.


    In Rin''s case, some people still expected to see a great show of strength from Rin so not everyone was blown out of their minds. However, in this case, no one was anticipating seeing such a scene.


    "Boring¡­ That wasn''t fun." Sorophi said as she looked at her teddy bear before walking back to Elise''s side as if nothing happened. When she reached her, she held her hand and didn''t say anything else.


    Everyone looked at her as they unconsciously retreated away from the little monster. No one wanted to end up like that boy at all.


    The first one to wake up from his shock was Donnie who ran toward the boy to check on him. After popping out a healing potion and making him drink it, he sighed in relief. He didn''t sustain any major injuries or internal bleeding. The hit didn''t touch his ribs or they would''ve been pulverized, instead, the strong momentum of the punch spread all over his body from his stomach which lessened it to a certain extent.


    ''Damn it. Dealing with a monster is already a huge trouble. A monster that has the mind of a child is even more troublesome!'' He thought as he lifted up the boy.


    "ss is over. I will carry your friend to the hospital. He is fine, nothing bad happened." He tried to assure the students but none of them were even listening to him.


    "I said ss dismissed!" He repeated with a higher tone that finally caught their attention. Finally, they regained their senses and quickly scurried away, whispering and talking. Even with that, they were still not finding the right words to say.


    "What¡­ Happened?"


    "I¡­ have no idea."


    "Are¡­ we hallucinating?"


    "Like hell I would know! I don''t even want to think about what just happened?!" One of them snapped off as he ran away from the training ground.


    The ce was quickly emptied of students and the only people left were Elise and Sorophi who stood silently, not saying anything to each other.


    ***


    "That''s what happened," Elise said.


    "..." Rin could only blink a few times speechlessly.


    "All of this happened in the few minutes I was away?"


    "Yes."


    "Sigh¡­ What a headache. I guess I won''t be able to let Sorophi wander alone from now on."


    "That''s for the better. She oddly listens to you, to a certain extent." Squinting her eyes, Elise replied.


    "... What?"


    "No, nothing."


    "Then, why are you looking at me like that."


    "Like what?"


    "Like that. You are doing it right now."


    "I''m not doing anything."


    Rin shook his head as he pointed at her eyes.


    "I know that look. It''s the look of ''He''s troublesome''."


    "Is it? I don''t think so."


    "No! Sigh¡­ Never mind, I give up." Feeling defeated by Elise''s deadpan look, he could only stop and stay silent.


    The three then went to a restaurant nearby that offered some fast food. Rin was craving a good old burger and fries with a few dipping sauces. This world was something created from his previous world so these things do exist.


    The three then ate their meals and sat down to rest before the next sses start. Sorophi, who didn''t utter a single word during this whole matter, sat next to Rin as she rubbed her teddy bear''s head. Her eyes seemed listless as they blinked slowly. Then, out of nowhere, she closed her eyes and fell to the side, on Rin''sp.


    "Hmm? You are going to fall asleep?" He asked.


    "Mmmm¡­" The only response he got was a small moan of agreement before Sorophi quickly fell asleep. She didn''t care about the fact that she was this close to Rin at all as if she trusted him fully which was odd for the young man.


    "What a weird girl¡­" He sighed as he looked at Elise.


    "When is she going back to the high floor?"


    "One more day, I think."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "One more day to go¡­ huh," Rin murmured to himself as he watched Sorophi''s sleeping face. She looked exactly like a very cute and adorable little girl. It was different from anything she was capable of doing. This powerless, defenseless attitude could only make him wonder more and more who this girl was.


    She came out of nowhere and immediately barged into Rin and Elise''s life without even knocking on the door. Although her position alone should allow her to do anything she desires, she barely asks for anything other than her weird requests from time to time. Were her powers that useless to her?


    He didn''t know and even if he asked, she probably would never answer. She was that type of person after all.


    "Mommy¡­"


    As he was like that, he heard a small murmuring from the sleeping Sorophi. Bending down, he tried to listen again.


    "Mommy¡­"


    ''Is she dreaming of her dead mom?'' He wondered.


    "Mommy¡­ Why¡­" She said again.


    Rin kept listening as he tried to piece things together from the small fragmented sentences she was saying.


    "Why¡­ did you do that?"


    ''Why did she do what?'' Rin signaled for Elise toe closer and listen to him. He knew prying on someone else''s dreams and secrets is a bad thing but he could only be curious about what she went through and most importantly why she acts like a child and even changes her form to be like that of a child. Was it just merely for the fun of it?


    "Why did you kill¡­?" She asked.


    ''Kill?'' Rin''s face frowned a little bit.


    ''Who did she kill?''


    He expected to hear her talking about how she missed her deceased mother but instead, it seems that her mother''s rtionship with her mother wasn''t as simple as that.


    ''Is she going to say anything else?'' Rin and Elise waited without saying anything, only conversing with their eyes, trying to piece whatever they heard together. However, sadly, Sorophi''s mouth stopped moving and she seemingly wasn''t going to say anything else.


    Seeing that, Rin sighed and rested his back on the seat.


    "What does that mean?"


    "No idea," Elise said as she rubbed her chin.


    "Her mother seems to be quite the person. Well, it''s predictable considering the fact that she''s master''s sister. Was there anything about her mother in the original game?" Rin asked.


    "I''m trying to remember since she wasn''t mentioned a lot at the beginning of the game until where I stopped."


    Then, a few seconds passed before Elise''s expression lightened up as if she recalled something. Then, her eyes widened slightly.


    "Emilia''s sister¡­ she was one of the few that graduated from the academy as a top 10 ranker. This was a long time ago. But¡­ she died, along with her husband, in an expedition." She said.


    "Expedition? What expedition?"


    "An expedition done almost 17 years ago to thend of demons."


    "Wait¡­ what?"


    "Yes! I remember now. It was an expedition arranged by the academy to explore more of the unchartednd of demons. But, all of those who participated in the expedition never came back." She said.


    "..."


    Rin felt his thoughts running wild as all kinds of points started linking.


    ''An expedition to the demon realm? Why was this never mentioned before?'' Rin thought.


    Students, by nature, liked to talk about history and its mysteries and Rin naturally could hear them. It was a great way to harvest information about this world. However, no one, not even once, had mentioned an expedition to the demon realm where everyone died including a Top 10 ranker graduate at that.


    Yet, it also doesn''t make any sense that such a huge event that could be considered one of the most important points in the longsting fight between demons and humans be ignored by everyone. It''s simply impossible.


    ''Did the academy hide this information from the public? But, how can they hide such a huge event?''


    All kinds of questions appeared in Rin''s head like annoying flies as he felt more and more confused the more he thought about it. It just doesn''t make sense at all.


    "This is not normal¡­ Now that I can remember¡­ It''s definitely not normal at all." Elise murmured.


    "I have to research more about this. The library should have some books about the history of the demon realm, maybe I can find something there." Rin added.


    (A//N: The Plot thickens.)


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 150 150- A Father And Mother (Part 3)

    Chapter 150- a Father And Mother (Part 3)


    "I don''t think there would be anything useful in the library. if no one knows anything about this, they would''ve already read it in a book before." Elise shook her head in disagreement with Rin.


    From a certain perspective, she has a point. There is simply something oddly bizarre with this situation. Not only was this thing supposedly forgotten or not even known in the first ce, but something was still hidden from everyone, including Rin and Elise.


    The academy, the one that supposedly arranged this expedition is most likely the reason behind this hidden information.


    "I still want to check the library anyway.  Maybe I can find some bits and pieces of information that I can link together."


    Rin wasn''t certain that he will find anything remotely useful but there was nothing to lose if he searched around for a little bit. However, if in the end, he found nothing, he will have to resort to asking Emilia. As much as he didn''t want to pry into this matter from her side, he has no other choice. This matter concerned greatly and concerned everyone that is rted to the matter of the cult.


    Their goal, in the end, was to open the gate and let demons into the world, and start another war between the two races. The danger of such a thing happening was unimaginable. It can even lead to theplete erase of a whole race.


    If the first war ended up sealing the demons in their ownnd, this one can be their end or the end of humanity. No one knows what the demons are up to or what changed about them in the years they were sealed there. Not to mention the huge number of demons that are enved by humans and bred by humans. Their numbers could be in the thousands for all he cares.


    So, for Rin to be able to know where he could go with his future ns, this matter must be uncovered.


    Rubbing the back of his head, he looked down at Sorophi again with aplicated gaze.


    ''What did she experience to look in such pain?'' He wondered as he examined her facial expression.


    He always thought Sorophi looked expressionless like a doll because she was just an oddball. However, this could not be any further from the truth. Her past seems so horrible even without having a clear idea about what she saw or felt.


    ''This only makes her even weirder than before.''


    Sighing, he didn''t look at her anymore and merely shifted his gaze to the window where he could see the outside world. The sun was shining brightly and the weather was warm. He could also hear the sound of birds whistling and flying freely.


    The world looked so peaceful and happy that he could only wonder if all of this would one day vanish in a second and despair will take over, coating the whole world in a shade of grey. Rin was certain that this peace won''tst long. Peace neversts long even for those who seek it let alone those who chose to temporarily hide it, thinking that future generations would be able to deal with it.


    That''s what exactly happened, the older generations had fought demons, and won but couldn''t finish what they started so they merely temporarily hid that mistake just so that they can taste a free, untroubled life, not even caring whether their sons, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren would be able to face off against the lurking dangers in the shadows.


    ''I hope by that time, we will be ready.'' Rin wished in his head as he stilled his will. There was no time for fear. Cowering now would only mean a certain death.


    Time passed quietly, Rin and Elise didn''t say a word to each other during the whole lunch break. Even though many would assume that it was an awkward silence but in truth, the two of them enjoyed this quiet atmosphere and the presence of one another.


    When the two hours were over, Sorophi woke up and the three went back to finish the rest of the sses. By the time Rin finished everything, the sun was already near its dusk. The yellow, reddish color of its rays coated the whole world and announced the end of the day.


    However, instead of going back, Rin took Sorophi and went to the library. Most students would either go back home or go out to have fun with their friends in one of the many entertainment facilities that the lower floor provides. But, since the end of the month was close and the rankings were about to be assessed, most students were focusing on their studies and training.


    No one wanted to see themselves going back home after a single month. The humiliation was too unbearable for them.


    Rin also took time to hunt monsters and to somehow study magic to an extent. The other subjects were stupidly easy so he didn''t give them much thought. He was sure that he can perfect scores in them.


    Reaching a huge building right near the study area. It was quite noticeable as it was quite huge even whenpared to the buildings around it. This ce was the library... the biggest one in the whole world. This ce had inside its walls the biggest number of books in all of Divine Sapphire.


    Since magic was the most dominant thing in the human world, most people didn''t focus on science in general. They were all more interested in magic and its secrets rather than other things. That''s why most technologies in Divine Sapphire were quite primalpared to the modern world Rin was living in.


    Things like books, research, schrs, and the such were quite rarepared to magic schrs and the studies done on this miraculous thing.<novelnext></novelnext>


    That''s why, even when this ce has thousands of books inside of it, outside, books were a rarity that could only be found in the possession of nobility, rich merchants, and libraries.


    Entering inside, the ce was eerily quiet with no one walking in or out. There were huge rows and rows of books distributed across the whole area with two other floors on top also filled with books. The ce was akin to the wet dream of a bookworm.


    ''Amazing.''


    Shifting his gaze, Rin looked at a particr desk that was near the door with a man sitting behind it. The man was short, slightly old, and with a few wrinkles on his face.


    "Oh? If it isn''t a young man and a... little girl?" The man said as he scanned the two of them briefly.


    "Good afternoon, sir. I''m here to look for a book to read, is that fine?"


    "Yes, sure! Not many peoplee here at this time so feel free to look around. If you can''t find something, do ask me. I know this ce better than my house, hahahaha!" He chuckled lightly.


    "Mmm, so can you lead me to the historic area of the library... Particrly anything concerning the demon realm."


    The moment the old man heard such words, the man''s face turned serious for a moment before he nodded his head and stood up.


    "May I know why are you looking for these particr types of books?"


    "I''m a history enthusiast so I want to learn more about the history of this world and what better ce to start other than the most iconic historical moments?" Rin said without showing any reaction.


    He expected the librarian to ask such questions since everything rted to demons is taboo, especially with all the events urringtely. He could only feel suspicious about Rin''s request.


    "I see... It''s indeed a rich and amazing part of our long history. I am happy young men like you can appreciate our great ancestors and their heroic deeds in saving our beautiful world." The old man said as he smiled again, not seeming suspicious anymore.


    After that, Rin was led to the third floor where the oldest books and the rarest ones are stored. This section was very important so it was prohibited for students to take any books from this section back home with them. They were all precious possessions of the academy after all.


    Inside this floor, in one of the deeper wings of ce, was a section with a sign hanging from the ceiling in front of it saying ''history''.


    "Here is it. This is the ce. You can take any book and read it but please be careful not to damage or tear them. You will have to pay for the cost of repairing it.


    "Understood. Thanks for the help."


    "I''m always happy to help people thirsty for knowledge.


    After that, the old man left Rin alone and walked back to his desk.


    "Ok, let''s see. Don''t let go of my hand, Sorophi. I don''t want you to get lost or wander somewhere, ok?"


    The little girl nodded absentmindedly.


    ''I should''ve note here with her but if I left her with Elise, she will cause trouble.''


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 151 151- A Father And Mother (Part 4)

    Chapter 151- a Father And Mother (Part 4)


    Walking through the aisle of old books that could be as old as this ce itself or even older. Even though most of these books were hundreds of years old, their condition looked quite impressive. There weren''t any wrinkles, dust, or fragile conditions. Rin quickly discerned the reason for the amazing preservation of these old books.


    ''It''s magic.'' He thought.


    With just a small scan, he sensed traces of mana on every single book so he could safely say that they used magic to keep them in their peak condition even after years and years of them existing.


    ''Hmm, now let''s see. I want to start with the books that talk about the origin of the demon war. I still have no context on the reason for this eternal struggle between the two races.''


    Rin knew that humans and demons could never get along but he wondered whether there was a direct reason for such a thing. Maybe it wasn''t really something that was inherently engraved into their minds for no absolute reason.


    As he searched around a little bit, he found an interesting book that might have some information on what he was looking for.


    The book''s title was ''Divine Sapphire: Origin And End''. Even the name felt quite edgy in Rin''s mind, he wasn''t really that keen on criticizing the naming sense of some old figures and schrs.


    Picking out the book, he was about to open it to read it. However, a notification popped in front of him out of nowhere.


    [Book detected!]


    [Would you like to consume the knowledge inside the book?]


    Rin looked at the notification with slight surprise.


    ''I can do that?''


    [Yes, host. The system can consume any form of knowledge from scrolls, books, or any form of scripture and transmit it straight to the host''s brain.]


    ''Well, that''s amazingly convenient. Wait...'' When Rin thought about it, it wasn''t merely amazing. This was stupidly broken!


    If he can easily read a whole book andprehend it in a few seconds, wasn''t that stupidly strong? He is able to consume all knowledge written in a few seconds.


    ''Now that I recall. You also did the same thing with the skill scroll that Emilia gave me before.'' Rin rubbed his chin as he remembered that urrence.


    ''My memory is really bad. I need to start working on it.''


    Shaking his thoughts with a sigh, he epted the offer from the system. Instantly, a faint light extended from his arm and engulfed the book. The light was very weak but still visible of anyone looked closely. Shifting his gaze secretly to Sorophi, she didn''t seem to be looking at the weird urrence.


    ''Fuuh, luckily it''s only visible to me.''


    A few seconds passed before the light finally retracted from the book and emerged with Rin. A momentter, Rin''s eyes widened as he felt a weird feeling that was slightly familiar enter his head. From all the fantasy books he read in his previous life, Rin was scared that any form of knowledge absorption simr to this one would be extremely painful but luckily for him, it didn''t seem to be the case.


    Closing his eyes, Rin slowly epted the stream of information that kept entering his brain. With each passing second, he could understand more and more about everything that was written in the book. It was as if hours and hours of reading werepressed into a few slow seconds.


    Such a miraculous thing could only make Rin more and more amazed at the things his system can do. He was breaking thews of this world and the boundaries of humans with such ease.


    Be it as it may, Rin was grateful that he had such an advantage over everyone else. It''s not only going to elerate his training but also make him capable of learning every possible thing in existence.


    A few seconds passed and Rin finally opened his eyes and exhaled a deep breath. He had understood everything he consumed and all he could say is...


    ''No way...''


    From what the book said, the story of this eternal struggle between humans and demons goes back tens of thousands of years ago. Before the existence of humans and demons who were the only sane creatures with rational minds on Divine Sapphire, this world was ruled by mana beasts, the same savage creatures that still roam its forests and unchartednds to this day.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The whole world was a huge ce filled with jungles, mountains, rivers, and deserts. Until, the goddess of creation, Lili, created the first human and the first demon.


    Since the human was a man and the demon was a woman, they were both instructed to start the whole of demon-folks and humanity.


    Weirdly enough, these two creatures loved each other and quickly ended up having children... four to be exact.


    Two were pure humans and two were demons. (Don''t judge the gic possibility of such a thing, please :) )


    They lived as a happy family for years and years until these children grew up and became adults and expanded the small civilization they started. Each one of them possessed enormous strength so the domain this family controlled quickly became vaster and vaster. The two demons chose to expand toward the north while the two humans decided to expand toward the south.


    That way, two different domains were created that were ruled by these siblings.


    But, eventually, their two parents grew old and finally died. When that happened the children sat down to discuss where to bury their parents. Each one of them loved their parents a lot and also loved their siblings as much. However, a disagreement urred. The demons suggested that they bury their parents in their domain while the humans disagreed and suggested they get buried in their domain.


    This small disagreement quickly grew into a huge conflict between the siblings. Neither of the two parties epted to let their parents be buried in opposite domains and they also didn''t ept separating their parents away from each other. The two loved each other dearly so they respected that love they carried for each other.


    The conflict became more and more intense until one day, they fought. The fight was so horrifying that it destroyednds, decimated mountains, and evaporated seas. That fight was also the reason for the extinction of many mana beasts and the death of billions of creatures.


    In the end, the humans were able to kill one demon but sustained great injuries because of it. The other one was able to escape back to its domain. But, not before it swore in front of them.


    "From this day, I cut my ties with you. Our blood doesn''t mix and neither does our ideas. Our parents were meant to rule the demon realm and flourish our race. As for you, you are nothing but lowly creatures that were meant to follow us. Lowly humans! I swear on the death of my wife that I will curse you and your off-springs for eternity."


    That was, from what Rin read, the first time demons and humans became enemies. It was all because of this fight.


    ''To think that the reason for this is hatred is this disagreement between siblings.'' He thought with a sigh.


    These two races were born to love each other and rule the whole world yet they ended up bing eternal enemies. For love as pure as that of brothers and sisters to turn into a deep hatred, ruled by revenge and guided by anger, it was sadly ironic.


    ''I guess even a bond as strong as that of a family can be broken easily and the consequences of that are huge.''


    But, Rin had one single question, why did Lili not stop such a war from urring if her desire was to make the demons and humans live in peace?


    Was she unable to do so? No, Rin was sure that she could''ve easily done that as she was the one who created this whole world in the first ce. So, what was her reason?


    Rubbing the back of his head, Rin couldn''t find an answer to this question.  He could only ept this information as it is and work with it. Maybe if he met Lili again in the future, he would be able to ask her directly.


    After that, Rin closed the book and put it back in its ce before he turned around to walk deeper into the ce, searching for another book.


    However, that was when he noticed it.


    ''Where is Sorophi?'' He asked as he looked around quickly, searching for the little girl.


    ''Dammit! I forgot about her for a moment and now she''s already gone!'' Clicking his tongue, he quickly tried to sense her presence.


    ''Oh, she''s isn''t that far.''


    In fact, the moment Rin took a turn to the right, he found her standing quietly in the corner, holding a book in her hand tightly. The odd thing was that her own teddy bear that she always kept in her hand, was thrown to the side as she cradled the book instead.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 152 152- A Father And Mother (Part 5)

    Chapter 152- a Father And Mother (Part 5)


    For some reason that teddy bear was the first Rin noticed when he took the turn. It just felt odd to see that plushy thrown on the ground even tho it had always been cradled in Sorophi''s hands as if it was the most precious, important possession she had. He was grown ustomed to the fact that Silika was Sorophi''s most liked thing in the whole world and he never questioned that.


    However, now, right in front of him, that same teddy bear was on the ground, thrown as if it was nothing of any worth for the little girl. In its ce was a book that could only arouse Rin''s curiosity.


    Taking a few seconds to scan all of that, he finally shifted his gaze toward the little girl''s face. Sorophi looked oddly expressive, not to the point of being very apparent, but still visible nheless.


    Examining her face, Rin could only describe it as one thing¡­ Perturbed. She wasn''t frowning so hard to call it fear yet wasn''t so calm to call it neutral either. It was as if the little girl saw something that she didn''tprehend yet certainly didn''t like.


    However, that alone was more than enough to send Rin into confusion. Sorophi was a monster, an individual with enough strength to destroy cities and cities and pulverize whole domains if she wanted. So, what kind of thing can make her react like that?


    Rin could only dread the answer to that no matter what it was.


    ''Is it rted to her parents.'' Rin suspected as he shook that uneasiness and started approaching Sorophi.


    He didn''t want to alert the girl so he took careful steps as he tried to calm his aura as much as possible. He wanted to make sure she doesn''t snap and do something catastrophic. The little girl was not as stable as many would assume.


    "Mmm, Sorophi?" He called for her name in a quiet tone.


    The little girl, who was looking down didn''t answer. So, without any hesitation, he spoke again.


    "Sorophi, is everything alright?"


    The girl, predictably, didn''t say anything. Her mouth was pursed shut as if something was stopping her from speaking or she simply didn''t bother to utter a single word.


    "What is that book?" He changed the question, trying to lure her into speaking.


    "Mmm¡­" Making a small grunt, the girl finally reacted to his words and looked at the book in her hands.


    "Why¡­ is this in my hand?" She asked a question that was clearly not directed at Rin but toward herself.


    She didn''t seem to have noticed the presence of this book in her hand the whole time she was staring absentmindedly at the ground as if she froze in time for a few seconds. This made Rin frown even harder than before as not only this odd behavior was out of nowhere, the girl herself didn''t seem to be that aware of it either.


    "Do you not remember why you picked up that book?"


    "No, Sorophi didn''t¡­ I didn''t¡­ I don''t remember." She tried to form some kind of coherent exnation but all she ended up with is iprehensible gibberish ended with a vague answer.


    Knitting his eyebrows, Rin finally focused on the book that was most likely the reason for this bizarre situation.


    The book didn''t look that old evenpared to other books that were preserved perfectly. With a small appraisal, Rin could feel that the mana used to keep it intact from the assaults of time is still quite fresh, barely over 15 years old if he had to give a rough number.


    On the cover, there was no title or perhaps it was scratched off by someone. Other than that, there wasn''t much to appreciate about the book, even the color of the book cover was a nd brown mixed with a darker shade of brown around the corners to add some kind of aesthetic to it.


    "Where did you find that book, Sorophi?" Rin asked.


    "Mmm, there¡­" She said and pointed at a particr shelve a few meters away from her. Looking there, Rin could only wonder how she was able to notice it.


    If Sorophi was acting normal, that book would never catch her attention as not only was it put in a very hidden corner, drowned by the sea of the rather more alluring books but it was also quite pushed deeper into the shelf as if the one who put it there didn''t want anyone to notice it.<novelnext></novelnext>


    However, for her to pick that one in particr, it had to have something special about it.


    "Mm, can I perhaps see the book, Sorophi?"


    The moment Rin said that the little girl guarded the book in her arms and turned around as if she was trying to hide it from Rin. That defensive possession could only raise Rin''s suspicion more and more.


    "It''s ok, Sorophi. I will give it back to you quickly. Here, trust me." He smiled a little bit and approached her slowly until the distance between them was less than a meter.


    The girl''s guard seemed to be quickly defused as she looked at the book and then at Rin before she nodded and handed it to him.


    The book was not that thick, barely 100 pages long. However, the moment he made contact with it, Rin felt a weird sensation run through his whole body. It wasn''t a bad feeling by any means but it was still quite bizarre. As if the book was calling for him to return it back to Sorophi. The call wasn''t strong but it still made him wonder how or why it was doing so.


    ''What is this?'' Rin wondered as he tried to open the book. But, then he remembered that he can justprehend the whole book with his system. As he was about to do that, his hand suddenly stopped.


    ''Maybe¡­ I should just read it normally.'' He had this gut feeling that doing what he can with his system was off. The young man didn''t know why but he decided otherwise.


    Sighing, he opened the book and read the first few words written. Just a few words, not even a full phrase, and his eyes were already widened to the extreme.


    He never expected to see something like this, not this direct, not this straightforward.


    ''Hello, my name is Somi Clearsky. This is a small diary I will start today¡­ Hmm, let''s see, it''s the XXth of the 9th month, year XXXX.'' He read.


    ''Somi Clearsky? Is this perhaps¡­ Emilia''s sister?'' He frowned as he squinted his eyes. They had the samest name so it was safe for Rin to assume that she was indeed his master''s deceased sister.


    Somi Clearsky, the person who Rin was investigating, and Sorophi''s mother. She was extremely mysterious and her death was even more of a mystery. Yet, somehow, with any bare searching, he found her diary that from the date written, which was started a few months before her supposed death.


    Shaking his head, he tried to continue reading.


    ''I have started writing this diary to keep it as a memorial for me. This is my first time doing such a thing so I hope I will be able to write it properly.''


    From the tone and the form of the book, it wasn''t even a diary but more of a conversation Somi was having with herself. She didn''t even seem bothered to keep it strictly rted to what she wanted to keep as a memory.


    ''The other reason for this diary is the fact that today, I adopted a small girl. I found her in an extremely poor state in one of the orphanages in the slums of one of the cities I was visiting. She looked so pitiful. But, even though there were many people like her in that area of the city, I felt something weird in her eyes that I had never seen in someone else before. Her eyes carried an extremely strong will to live. Way stronger than anything I have ever seen before. I could swear that even if I left her there to die, she would never do so. She''s only one year old yet carried such a desire to survive, I found myself quickly picking her up.''


    Talking about a little girl, Rin knew that it was Sorophi she was talking about which verified the fact that Sorophi was indeed not Somi''s biological daughter.


    "The fact that she was thrown away at such a young age. This world never ceases to amaze me with how cruel it is." Rin murmured to himself. He felt numb to such inhuman acts as he already saw them plenty of times before in his two lives.


    Humans are only humans in the name alone.


    (A//N: I just started my newest book ''Supreme Warlock''. As much as I love Shadow Monarch, I have put a lot of effort into writing Supreme Warlock. I hope you would give it a try and support it if you like the book :) )


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    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 153 153- Past With A Smile (Part 1)

    Chapter 153- Past With A Smile (Part 1)


    Ever since young and after the ident that happened to his father, he had seen how ugly a human heart can be if put in the right situation and time.


    The friends he thought were the most important part of his life quickly turned on him and exiled him from their lives at the first mistake he did. They destroyed his life and made him theughingstock of many and the target of mockery and insults from many more.


    Since then, Rin had this doubt seeded into his heart that no one in this world was actually good except for his family. It was a debatable thought process that could only apply to those who actually experienced it firsthand. That''s also the reason why when thest friend Marcus he had didn''t leave him at all, he felt as if he was the only person other than his family that was good.


    Maybe it was also the reason for Rin to keep on following him even when he made gruesome mistakes that affected Rin himself.


    That belief was broken again when he finally realized that thest friend he had in this world also had a twisted heart that only cared about his own benefit and not the benefit of others. Then, he was sent to this world and that idea was put to the side for a while.


    As much as he suffered throughout his life, Rin refused to get broken, he refused to fall for darkness and end up consumed. He saw what cruelty could do to a person and how much it could change them and he hated that.


    ''I don''t even know if I will either consume that cruelty or let it consume me.'' He thought as he shook his head and tried to focus on the book in his hand. There was no point in having some philosophical debate with himself now.


    His mind quickly cleared and he was able to continue reading.


    ''It took some time but I was able to get her back to my home. Rophian is also excited about the idea. Because of the nature of our work, we don''t have the luxury of settling down and having a family so adopting our own child is the best method for now. I am really happy that I am finally able to feel like a mother. She looks extremely adorable, just like a small doll.''


    Seeing a new name, the young man easily determined that it was her husband that she was talking about.


    Rin could feel the sheer excitement from Somi''s words even though he couldn''t see nor hear her directly. The way she was writing that part was so hurried as if she was extremely happy and couldn''t control her handwriting properly.


    That subtle detail could only make him crack a small smile.


    ''I hope I will be able to take care of her properly. I have taken care of my little sister before but I don''t know if it''s the same thing with my baby. I had fought many monsters before and faced countless threats yet I am feeling anxious at the thought of caring for a small girl. This is ironically funny!''


    After that, for the next 20 pages or so, the only thing Somi wrote was how her day was spent with her daughter, how she took care of her, the problems she faced when doing so, and all kinds of funny things that Sorophi said or did.


    ''I can''t believe it! I think she said ''Mama''!! I''m so happy! My husband says that she can''t speak yet but I don''t believe it! She called me ''Mama''! I will take it!'' Was an example of what she wrote. It was a wholesome diary about a mother going through her first attempt at raising a child.


    Rin also felt warm inside from seeing this. However, in his head, he could only sigh at the thought that such a beautiful family would never be as the two parents were long dead now.


    As he was like that, he reached a certain page that made him halt and freeze in his ce, his eyes were fixated on a certain paragraph. He didn''t expect to see such a sudden thing in the middle of this daily diary.


    ''Today, my daughter finally developed her mana core enough for me to link it with mine and my husband''s cores. That way, we can stay connected and we can also see what our little girl is doing when we aren''t at home. She can also see us.''


    A mana connection? Rin raised an eyebrow in surprise, it was a form of link that could be created between two parties that can allow them to basically know everything about the other person no matter where they are, it was an extremely strict method to keep an eye on someone that requires the eptance of both parties. He had never thought that he would hear about such a thing in this book. But, now that he thought about it, it was indeed quite logical. If Somi did indeed connect Sorophi with their cores, it can exin the reason for her dream and what she saw. Maybe she indeed saw what Somi and Rophian did.<novelnext></novelnext>


    However, if that was indeed the case, then¡­ Realization quickly struck him.


    Widening his eyes, Rin looked at the little girl in the corner with aplicated gaze.


    ''Did she see¡­ how they died in the demon realm that day?''


    The realization made him frown even harder. Sorophi had most likely seen the way her parents were killed. The link wouldn''t be cut off even if her parents entered the demon realm. At least, that''s as far as Rin knows.


    ''Then, if her dream was true¡­ Then, what the hell exactly happened?''


    Rin felt his mind explode with thoughts and he couldn''t understand any of them. Anyone would simply ask Sorophi but since Rin knew that she either has a form of amnesia because of the trauma or just simply didn''t know, he decided not to ask her. Instead, he decided to continue reading.


    After that, the next tens of pages were basically all about Somi''s daily life, her work, her daughter, and even her wholesome time with her husband. If Rin ignored the fact that she was a freak of nature and a genius above all geniuses, she seemed like a loving mother and wife that prioritized her family over anything else, even her job. She didn''t show any ambition for power or control, she just wanted to live a happy life with her husband and little girl.


    However, Rin could see that under that veil of daily happiness, Somi was hiding something. She kept saying some sentences along the lines of ''Until that time'' or ''Before It happens'' or ''After the end of that, we can finally be able to settle down for a long while''. She was anticipating something big from her tone and Rin knew what it was.


    ''The expedition¡­ She was aware that it will happen months before it does.''


    Somi was clearly worried about that expedition, to some extent. She had clearly stated that her life before and after the expedition will changepletely. She took that mission as thest major thing she will do before she finally leaves and fully focus on her family.


    ''She wanted to bnce between her high status as a prodigy and her deep love for her family¡­ Yet, sadly, it never came to a happy end.''


    Eventually, 15 minutes passed of reading, Rin finally reached thest few pages of the diary, and his dread of seeing how it ends kept umting in his heart. He didn''t want to know the end but was also eager to see it. How did this story of a family of extraordinary people end up tragically?


    Finally, he flipped to thest page, to see a small paragraph written there. The piece of paper had dark spots everywhere. Rin traced them with his finger gently.


    ''Are these tears?'' He asked himself.


    Since the book is fairly new and well preserved, even something as easily erasable as tears stayed.


    ''Today is¡­ No, I decided not to write the date. I want this to be a small letter to you, my cute little girl, Sorophi. Tomorrow is the expedition. I''m going to leave when you still can''t even walk properly. I''m going to leave when you still didn''t say ''I love you'' to me. But, worry not, Sorophi. We will be back before you even know it. You won''t need to read this letter at all. However¡­ if we don''t¡­e back, know that I and your father love you so much¡­ more than anything this world canprehend. We will always watch over you. See you in a few months, Sorophi.''


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    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 154 154- Past With A Smile (Part 2)

    Chapter 154- Past With A Smile (Part 2)


    Reaching thest word which was coincidentally the name of the little girl he was with right now, Rin was simply speechless. He didn''t know how to react to seeing that message. Somi had clearly weighed out the consequences of this mission and knew that she could simply nevere back and never see her daughter again so she left that letter to directly tell Sorophi what she wanted to say to her.


    However, Rin was still confused about one thing.


    ''Why did this book end up hidden here and not in Sorophi''s hands? Whoever hid it here deliberately didn''t want her to see it as it was clearly connected to her deceased parents. But, who did that? and why?''


    Rubbing his chin, Rin tried to solve this mystery. However, a few secondster, he sighed and shook his head. He simplycked information to generate a good answer. Even the only person he could ask at the moment couldn''t remember a single thing about all of this.


    But, at that moment, as he was having such thoughts, Rin finally recalled something important¡­ way more important.


    ''Should I let Sorophi see what''s inside this book?''


    He had seen how she was attracted to the book involuntarily as if it was leading her toward it without her control. So, if he let Sorophi see the content of the book, bad things could happen. As far as he cared, the little girl was still a mystery to him. He knew nothing about her at all except for the bits and pieces he collected today and that wasn''t even enough.


    ''I have no other choice. I must ask Master.'' Nodding his head, he chose to take the safest route. As much as he wanted to avoid asking Emilia, he has no other way to go about this.


    "Mmm¡­ Book¡­"


    As he was like that, a small voice shook him off his thoughts and made him focus on Sorophi again. The little girl''s hands were extended as if she was asking for something.


    "Ugh? You want the book back?" He asked to which Sorophi nodded vigorously.


    ''Now this is troublesome. I did promise her I will return the book.'' He thought.


    "Can I request something from you, Sorophi?"


    Hearing that question, she looked up from the book and into Rin''s eyes.


    "Would you not open it if I give it back to you? I will exinter, ok? Would you promise me that?" He softened his tone and tried his best to hide his emotions behind a calm smile.


    Sorophi''s eyes shed with a hint of iprehensible emotions that Rin barely noticed. After that, her face returned to neutral as if nothing happened as she nodded her head.


    Sighing in relief at the fact that she didn''t disagree with his request, Rin handed her the book again and added.


    "Since you want the book. I guess we will have to ''borrow'' it for some time. Hide the book as far as you can from the librarian''s eyes." He shed a cheeky grin as he held her hand.


    He was sure that if she wanted to hide something, no one can see it or even feel its presence no matter how strong they are.


    *Swish*


    In a split second, the book vanished from Rin''s vision as if it was never there in the first ce. The move was so smoothly done that he questioned his eyes for a good second.


    After that, the two walked back to the entrance of the library. There, the old man was sittingfortably on his chair, reading some kind of book calmly. When he heard Rin and Sorophi''s footsteps, he looked up and smiled.


    "You finished your reading session?" He asked.


    "Yes, it was quite a fruitful trip. Thanks for the hospitality."


    "Of course, you cane at any time. This ce is for everyone."


    Nodding his head, Rin walked out of the library and took a deep breath of the fresh air outside. The woody smell of the interior of the library was good but if inhaled for a long time, it makes the person crave some fresh air.


    "Well, should we go back?" Rin asked.


    A few minutes passed and the duo eventually reached the dormitory area.


    "Can you stay with Elise for some time? I have some things to deal with."


    After that, he met Elise who was waiting for him outside the dormitory, and handed her the little girl.


    "What happened?"


    "A lot¡­ I found many interesting things. But, before I tell you everything, I need to get the full story. It goes way deeper than we both predicted."


    "I see¡­" Murmuring, Elise didn''t pursue the matter anymore and left Rin to finish what he needed to finish.


    After that, Rin quickly left and headed toward one particr ce¡­ Emilia''s office.


    Because of his hurry, Rin had to run and use shortcuts to reach there in a few minutes. Eventually, he found himself in front of her office door. Knocking, he waited for her to respond.


    "Enter."


    Quickly opening the door, he walked inside and closed the door shut.


    "You sure like to visit me, huh? Do you miss your master that much?" She asked jokingly even though her tone didn''t sound joking at all.


    "Well, you are my master after all. Where else should I go?"<novelnext></novelnext>


    "... You have a point." She halted for a moment and looked up at Rin.


    "So, what''s the purpose of this visit?"


    The way she asked was nonchnt as she continued scribbling on the paper in front of her.


    "I want to know about Somi Clearsky." Rin cut to the chase and asked directly.


    "..." Emilia''s whole body froze as she slowly looked up at him with a shocked look on her beautiful face.


    "How do you¡­"


    "Know that name? Well, I found her diary."


    *swish*


    Without a warning, Emilia''s silhouette vanished and reappeared in front of Rin, her aurapletely different than before and her face was as cold as ice. Rin stared at her, confused. He had never seen Emilia this angry before, ever. Her whole demeanor has just switched in less than a second without a warning. But, that cold aura wasn''t directed at him since if it was indeed focused on him, Rin would''ve been crushed ruthlessly as Emilia was now using a good chunk of her strength.


    "Where? How?" Two words seeped out of her mouth in the coldest, most emotionless tone he ever heard.


    "The library. Actually, Sorophi found the book."


    "Sorophi?" Hearing that name, Emilia''s aura calmed down considerably and she murmured.


    "Yes, I don''t know how but it seems that the book had attracted her by its aura."


    "Mana link?" It didn''t take long for Emilia to realize why.


    "Yes, exactly."


    "I¡­ never heard of that. Sister¡­ I mean, Somi had never told me about it."


    "I don''t know about that.. but, the book is in Sorophi''s hands."


    Grabbing her face, Emilia seemed to have been hit hard by the information Rin revealed. She staggered back and rested on the arm of the couch behind her. Her face paled considerably and her eyes seemed unfocused.


    "Master, are you ok?" Rin approached her and rubbed her back worriedly.


    "Yes, yes, I''m fine."


    Shaking her head, she took a few deep breaths to regain herposure. Then, she looked at Rin and said.


    "I need to meet Sorophi and see that book¡­ Now!"


    Then, she stood up and stormed toward the door.


    "Wait, master!"


    Calling for her, she stopped and looked back clearly in a hurry.


    "What?"


    "I need to know first¡­"


    "Know what?"


    "What exactly happened to your sister? I know it might not be anything of my business but if I am going to face off demons, I want to know the full truth."


    "..."


    "You have told me before that I''m naive and that I don''t know the full truth. Well, here I am, asking for it." Gazing at his master, his eyes were as serious as they could get. He had enough of being put in the dark about this particr matter. He wants to know more, he wants to know what really happened for all of this to ur.


    Emilia also seemed to notice that expression on his face since she sighed, turned around, and sat in front of him. All of her urgency had vanished and what was left became nonapparent on the surface.


    "I guess you don''t want to stay out of this any longer, huh?"


    "Yes, I had enough of running away and being hesitant. I will take my decision sooner rather thanter. Whether I deem demons as evil or not, that is."


    Nodding her head, Emilia opened her mouth to speak.


    (A//N: Time to reveal a big chunk of Sorophi''s past. We will change PoV for the first time in a while to Somi. It''s going to be fun.)


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    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 155 155- Somi Clearsky (Part 1)

    Chapter 155- Somi Clearsky (Part 1)


    *17 years ago*


    Inside what seemed to be a normal bedroom, a woman could be seen sitting on a chair near her table scribbling something on a piece of paper. Her extremely beautiful face was frowning with a sad grimace and her hands would shake from time to time as if she was hesitating about writing something and then quickly shaking her head and continuing her process.


    The quiet atmosphere in the room made her thoughts sound louder than usual. This woman was one of the strongest people in the world, a person capable of erasing a whole continent alone. However, this same person was now feeling something that someone at the peak shouldn''t feel¡­ fear.


    She was fearing the future and what fate held for her. She had too much she cares about to let her life be taken away.


    Maybe fear was a true instinct that hits even the strongest of individuals no matter how strong-willed they can be but that didn''t that this woman would allow this mere feeling to stop her from doing the right thing.


    ''Onest time¡­ Just onest time.'' She thought to herself again and again.


    A hot sensation trickled down her cheeks and dripped on the piece of paper. Looking down, she examined the wet traces that her tears left on her writing.


    "How unsightly." She murmured with a smile¡­ a self-deprecating one.


    Luckily, the words she wanted to write were finished and all she had to do was put thisst piece of paper in the book, right at the end of the diary.


    However, as she was about to do so, two arms appeared out of nowhere and wrapped her neck.  The woman was surprised at first but then quickly calmed down as a warm smile appeared on her face before she rested her back on the chest behind her as she closed her eyes.


    A deep, yet soft voice spoke calmly.


    "Did you finish?" He asked.


    "Yes¡­ It''s all finished. If things go perfectly fine, all of this will just be useless, wouldn''t it?"


    "No, I don''t think so. Memories are made for the future and will stay for the future. Let''s hope she won''t have to see this." The man sighed and kissed the woman on the head. Even though he was trying to reassure his beloved wife, he was as uncertain as she was or even worse. But, for her sake and the sake of their daughter, he had to be the one to stay confident if even on the surface alone.


    "Well, you know to whom you should hand it, right? We will have to leave soon."


    "Yes, I already decided who will take it." She said.


    "You mean ''that'' person?"


    "Yes. It has to be that way. I can only rest assured if it''s in his hands. I know he will hand it to Sorophi if needed."


    Nodding his head, Rophian didn''t try to push the matter any further. He trusted his wife''s choices and he knew how smart and shrewd she is. If she decided to hand her secrets to that person then she knows better than anyone else that he will be up to the job.


    "Let''s just hope for the best."


    Turning around, Somi looked deep into her husband''s eyes with deep affection that only she could understand.


    "If by the end, we end up dead. I don''t mind dying next to you."


    "Mmm, me too." Rophian smiled and hugged his wife tightly.


    Enjoying each other''spany, neither of the two said anything.


    *Knock* *Knock*


    As they were like that, the door to the room was knocked lightly as a soft voice belonging to that of a small girl shook them from their warm moment.


    "Sister, are you there?"


    "Oh, it''s Emilia."


    Releasing herself from her visibly unwilling husband, she walked to the door as she wiped the tears from her face, and smiled happily. Opening it, she found a little girl, barely 10 years of age at most looking up at her with her wide, cute eyes.


    Even since she was young, Emilia had always been a very distant and cold person so her natural aura was very elegant even though it wasn''t as mature as it is when at the time.


    "What''s wrong, you can''t sleep?" She asked.


    Emilia opened her mouth to say something but then hesitated and shook her head in a response instead.


    "I¡­ I¡­" She wanted to say something, anything. However, instead, her eyes watered as she looked down with her teeth and small fists clenched in frustration. She was trying to hold in tears.


    Seeing that, a hint ofplicated emotions shed in Somi''s eyes before she quickly hid them and smiled warmly.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "I see¡­ My cute little sister is going to miss me, huh? That makes me really happy, you know." Bending down, Somu pulled Emilia into her embrace and hugged her tightly.


    "You are a brave girl, Emilia. You are way braver than me. I''m sure I can trust you with Sorophi while I''m gone, right?" She whispered as she rubbed her back.


    "Y-Yes¡­" Replying between her sobs, Emilia gave up the resistance and hugged her sister.


    "I-I promise that when youe back, I will be way stronger than you! So, you bettere back so I can beat you in a sword spar!"


    "Fufufufu! Yes, I know. I''m sure you will easily exceed me in power." Chuckling, Somi kept rubbing her sister''s back.


    Emilia was Somi''sst living family member and one of her most precious people in the world. She had taken care of her since she was a baby and gave her everything she needed to grow up not missing their deceased parents. Maybe that was the reason why she saw something in Sorophi and decided to adopt her. That feeling of having no parents that can love you, care for you, and give you the warmth of a family was cruel and hard.


    "Mmm, this is a promise!" Pulling out, Emilia stared into her big sister''s eyes.


    "I know, this is a promise. I will definitely return back and then¡­ we will live in peace forever. I''m going to end all of this."


    Saying that Somi stood up again and signaled for Rophian with her eyes. Thetter nodded his head and walked to the exit.


    "We need to leave right now. The other expedition members are waiting." Somi said with a sigh.


    "You¡­ can go."


    "Ohoh? Are you that happy to get rid of your sister this quickly? You better not eat all the cookies and pastry in the house or I wille back quickly and punish you. Hahahah!"


    "Then, then¡­ I will do it so that youe back faster."


    "..."


    Even though Somi meant for this to be a light-hearted joke, the response that came from her little sister made her freeze for a good 3 seconds.


    *Swish*


    Turning her face to the side, Somi tried to hide her face from her sister.


    ''Dammit! I can''t tear up in front of my own sister!'' Holding in the urge to just sob from happiness and sadness at the same time, Somi walked out of the room and said.


    "See you soon, dear little sister."


    "Mmm, see you soon."


    Then, Somi quickly vanished from Emilia''s vision as if she was never there. Her speed was beyond anything any individual was capable of. It was so fast that it didn''t even create a gush of wind inside the house as if the atmosphere itself didn''t sense this sudden burst of energy that happened.


    "I will get stronger for her sake¡­" Emilia murmured as she closed her eyes, thinking about something only she knew.


    ***


    Somi''s silhouette reappeared somewhere in a vast in. The area was filled with greenery and trees. It was quite beautiful if one ignored the heavy atmosphere of the areaing from a group of people standing there.


    3 Men and 2 Women could be seen standing there in grim silence. Their facial expressions were neutral but if a normal person was present there, they would be suffocated by the sheer pressure emitting from each of these individuals.


    These people were the creme of the crop when ites to power level in Divine Sapphire.  Each one of them was extremely powerful, and could even be considered the best users of each of their elements and masters of mana and sword. These 5 people were about to face their greatest challenge ever.


    *Swish*


    Suddenly, out of nowhere, two silhouettes appeared out of nowhere in front of them.


    "You two are alwayste, huh." One of the men spoke as he looked at Rophian and Somi. The man was named Ampivor. The greatest fire element user in the world. His fire was said to be able to melt down whole mountains and turn anything into ashes.


    "As always. It''s not something new, Ampivor." One of the women said with a light-hearted smile.


    Somi nodded her head and apologized for the mistake. Then, she scanned her group carefully. She didn''t show any reaction when she looked. Out of the three men, one particr person was very familiar to Emilia¡­ Someone she works with at the moment and also the strongest floor master¡­ Letum.


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    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 156 156- Somi Clearsky (Part 2)

    Chapter 156- Somi Clearsky (Part 2)


    Being one of the most talented mages of his generation, Letum was obviously one of the trusted ones chosen for this huge mission as not only was he quite capable, but he also had nerves stronger than steel andposure like no one.


    Even those present couldn''tpare to him when ites to keeping their calm no matter how bad the situation is or how much danger they were facing. He is an unfeeling, unperturbed person who most likelycks any form of human emotions for an odd reason that no one knows about.


    "Why always so grim, Letum?! Hahahah! Here, have a cookie." The only man left, who was the most noticeable one out of the three for his extremely obese body. He had a huge, fluffy body that was akin to a bear rather than a human. In his hands was a bowl filled with chocte chip cookies that was he gluttonously eating as if he was famished. A huge, pure smile filled his face like that of an innocent child. His name was Bulbos and even though he looked that fat, he was actually the fastest person out of them all by a far margin. Because of his element, even Somi wouldn''t dare to say that she canpete against him in a race. It was said that at his top speed, the world would start going in slow motion.


    Letum ignored the generous offer from Bulbos and nodding his head at Somi and Rophian, he didn''t say anything and merely looked somewhere else, drowned in his own unknown thoughts.


    "Somi, Rophian. It''s nice seeing you again." One of the women stepped out and gave a courteous smile at the two. She was a middle-aged woman, most likely in her mid-40s but still looked quite young for her age. Her aura was friendly and amicable but also seemed serious enough to not let people just treat her casually.


    This was Ina, the best healer in the world. It was rumored that this woman could basically heal any injury or any sickness as long as her target still has a single breath in his lung before their eventual demise.


    Her powers were nothing short of miraculous, to say the least, and could even be considered the most important part of this mission. These people were going to fight theplete unknown so having a capable healer that can basically give them many extra lives was crucial.


    The two other women were Sina, Ina''s younger sister and also an extremely strong water user, and Lifi, an extremely talented metal element user.


    Now, the full group waspleted and all was left was for the mission to officially start. However, before that, Somi stepped up and said.


    "Before anything, I want to first properly thank you all for epting to put your lives on the line for this expedition for the sake of the greater good. With great power,es great responsibility. So, we have the hope of every human in Divine Sapphire on our backs and their future. The sess of this expedition will mean a great step for our race toward ending this pointless war. It''s time to stop this bloodshed of lives."


    Her voice coupled with her extremely charismatic aura made every word she says attractive to the ear. Even the expressionless Letum showed a little interest in her words.


    "I know that it''s dangerous and I know that we could die. But, the bigger the risk, the higher the reward. Our mission is simple, gather as much information about the demon realm and kill at least one of the great demon generals if possible."


    From the little information the academy extracted from the demons they have as ves, the demon realm was now ruled by one supreme being¡­ the demon monarch. This existence was able to somehow recuperate from the strong hit the demon realm sustained after the war and made that domain stand on its two feet again. As much as the academy tried to get more information about this supposed Demon Monarch, they couldn''t find any so all they had was this small thing to consider and nothing else.


    The other thing they knew was that this Demon Monarch also had his followers, 10 of them to be exact. These demons were all able to survive teh war and run away to hide. Now, hundreds of yearster, they had grown stronger than ever. Each one of them had endless might and strength that rivaled the powerhouses of the Human realm. That fact alone made the higher-ups of the academy feel fear and worry so they decided to do this expedition in hopes of revealing more truth.


    They already were anticipating the urrence of another war. However, whether that war will be a year from that time or 100 yearster, they didn''t know.


    All that was important now was to try and gather information and if possible, give the demons a strong blow that will take them ages to recover from. These 10 generals and the demon monarch were the most important individuals in the whole demon realm and getting rid of one of them was.


    "Are you ready?" Somi asked.


    Everyone nodded their head confidently and then, they all moved toward the ce where they could enter the demon realm¡­ The gate of crya. The entrance


    The huge ck hole was as intimidating as ever, scaring everything away from it. The eerie sound of the wind howling as the night sky with its stars and the beautiful moon illuminated the world. However, even that light failed to show anything deep inside that hole. It was as if light was repulsed by the idea of entering this hole which wasn''t an exaggeration to say it was the truth. The demon realm was a lightless world despised by the sun and moon of Divine Sapphire.


    Looking down at the endless abyss, Somi took a deep breath before she looked back and said.


    "It''s time."


    *Swish*<novelnext></novelnext>


    Then, she threw herself inside the hole without any hesitation. Everyone followed suit and they all eventually disappeared inside the hole, never to be seen again.


    ***


    "That''s it?" Rin asked as he looked at Emilia with a confused gaze.


    Her story stopped at the moment when everything should''ve started.


    "That''s all I know¡­ from what that bastard Letum revealed to me a long time ago."


    "Wait, so when it was rumored that no one survived from that expedition¡­ it was a lie?" Rin rubbed his chin contemtingly.


    "Yes, it''s a lie."


    "But why would the academy hide this? In fact, why is this expedition in and out of itself a mystery that no one knows about?"


    After listening to Emilia''s upleted story, all Rin had was even more confusion than before. There was simply no proper reason for all of this.


    "It''s not the academy that did this out of their own will¡­ Letum did that."


    "He asked them to hide any traces that he participated in that expedition and even erased any records of his link to this mission from its roots. He basically shed himself out of it." Emilia exined with a serious look on her beautiful face.


    "I tried to get a clear answer from him but he never answered. I couldn''t even know how my own sister died."


    It was already painful enough to hear that your sister died without even seeing her again. But, it was even more painful when she couldn''t even know how she died. The only people in this world that knew what actually happened were Letum who was present there and Sorophi because of her link with her parents and neither of them can provide a clear answer to this question.


    "This has been my biggest regret. I tried for years and years to find out what happened but all I got was nothing. It''s¡­" Adjusting her sses, Emilia looked down, hiding her face from Rin. But, thetter didn''t need to see her face.


    Staying silent for a few seconds, Rin clenched his fists and looked at Emilia.


    "I will¡­ definitely find out the truth. Don''t worry, master."


    "..." The beautiful woman didn''t say anything in response but Rin understood that she gave him the sign to do whatever he wanted. She didn''t expect much from Rin anyway as she already tried every possible thing to find out what happened.


    "Well, If Sorophi has the book, it can be helpful. This can trigger her memory and maybe she would be able to recall something."


    Emilia then stood up again and walked to the exit, followed by Rin. Both of them had the same goal albeit with varying degrees of desire. One still had lingering feelings of regret while the other was guided by the instinct that told him that whatever happened that day will be extremely crucial in the future.


    (A//N: The PoV will continue soon :) )


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 157 157- Somi Clearsky (Part 3)

    Chapter 157- Somi Clearsky (Part 3)


    If one asked Rin what he thinks about something as strong as the bond between siblings, he would only describe it as ''Unbreakable''. There is simply nothing that can rival the bond of a family and siblings are one of those cases.


    No matter whether they were alive or dead, siblings should never forget each other. They share the pain in the toughest times and the happiness of their highest moments. That''s why, to a certain extent, Rin understood Emilia''splicated feelings at the moment.


    She had lived 17 years of suffering with curiosity eating away from her sanity. She had tried to search, ask, and go above and beyond not even to get her sister back but to just know how she died. As much as that broke her from the inside, she had epted that her sister was no more. However, for her to honor her legacy, she wanted to know how. If it was at the hand of the Demon Monarch or one of the Demon Generals then she can finally execute her revenge for her sister''s shed blood.


    This was a personal matter no matter how Rin looked at it. However, he also had a bad hunch about this. If someone as strong as Somi was killed by a Demon General not only did that mean that the demons were now stronger than the strongest of humans but they also were somehow able to also kill all the expedition members except one.


    The horrifying realization of such a possibility being very high made Rin''s spine go numb for a second.


    ''If one of them can do that¡­ Then, what can 10 of them do?'' He frowned as he thought to himself. Such a level of power was something Rin''s mind can''tprehend. If such beings were to be freed from the demon realm, it might be the end of this world.


    ''Power¡­ I need power as fast as possible.'' Rin thought with a tinge of worry in his eyes.


    His daily progress with training and leveling up was decent and could even be considered great. But, he felt as if he wascking greatly in terms of instant power gain. His power was a high risk, high reward based so the more threats he faced the more Action Points he will get and the more strength he gets.


    ''The end of the first month is very soon. I will probably move floors, finally.''


    Since Rin had been collecting points from all the things he had been doing, he was sure to move up. He didn''t know what the next floor has for him but he was sure to find things that will help his training.


    As he was thinking like that, he found himself in front of the dormitory again. Emilia had already entered inside but since Rin can''t really enter the girls'' dormitory if he doesn''t want to bebeled a pervert or a creep so he waited for them toe out.


    After that, they all returned to Emilia''s office. From the moment Emilia entered the girls'' dormitory and got Elise and Sorophi out, they were all silent oddly. Rin wanted to ask for the reason for such weird behavior but Elise signaled for him to not say anything.


    ''Did Sorophi reveal something?'' Rin thought.


    It was possible that Emilia learned about something and only wanted to discuss it when they are in apletely safe ce where no one can eavesdrop on their conversation.


    Back at the office, the group sat in silence. The solemnity of the ce made it hard for anyone to say anything exceptionally when Emilia, the one that should''ve started speaking, was looking at Sorophi silently, not averting her eyes.


    Thetter wasn''t looking back, however, and was merely ying with her teddy bear. Sighing, Emilia stood up and walked to the window before looking outside.


    "Did you read the book, Sorophi?" Emilia asked.


    "... No."


    "Why?"


    "Because¡­ Rin told me not to." She said.


    shing a weird gaze at Rin, Emilia continued.


    "Well, you can read it now."


    "I¡­" Sorophi tried to deny her order but Emilia was faster than her.


    "You can read it."


    Sorophi''s eyes blinked confusedly before they shifted toward Rin who could only nod his head at her. He knew that Emilia knew better than he did when ites to this matter so if she decided it was safe for Sorophi to read the book then it was most likely the case.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Seeing that Rin epted it, Sorophi pulled out the book and opened it. Then, with an emotionless expression, she started reading the book. However, that expression froze quickly as her muscles stiffened visibly. Yet, even with that, her eyes didn''t stop moving as she read the book and her hands didn''t stay frozen as they kept flipping pages continuously.


    Then, for the next 15 minutes or so, the only sound that echoed in the room was of pieces of paper being flipped rhythmically every minute or two.


    The shock in Sorophi''s eyes only grew bigger and bigger by the second. Rin watched her closely with a hint of worry on his face. He didn''t know why but he felt as if what she was going through now was slightly simr to what he lived through, maybe even worse.


    Although she''s an extremely strong individual that strode the path of her mother, she lived all her life not even remembering her mother''s face, her voice, or even thest words she left for Sorophi. That in and out of itself was something that no one should go through. Yet, here she was, facing that past, not knowing what to think or do.


    Seeing someone as scary as Sorophi being faced with an extremely harsh truth was not a fun sight to admire.


    Eventually, Sorophi reached the part that Rin was waiting for. His breathing stopped for a good 3 seconds.


    *Drop*


    A momentter, Sorophi''s hands released the book and it fell down to the ground. Her face seemed to be confused, and desperate yet also in deep pain. As she looked down, she started shaking her head ever-so-gently.


    "N-No¡­ That''s¡­" She uttered under her breath in a faint voice. However, because of the silence, the three could hear her quite clearly.


    The first one to react was Emilia who turned around and walked toward her before she picked up the book.


    "Did you remember something?" She asked as she pointed at it.


    For some odd reason, Emilia didn''t seem to be eager to open the book. If Rin had to take a guess, it was most likely because she feared that if she read it, she will only open the traumas and scars she has again. In fact, if she had the choice, she would''ve not made Sorophi read the book. But, for the sake of finding the truth, sacrifices were bound to be made.


    "I¡­ That''s¡­" Sorophi tried to form some kind of phrase but all she ended up saying were iprehensible words.


    "You recall something, don''t you, Sorophi?  I know you do. I know it''s hard. But for the sake of your mother, you must tell me. What exactly happened that day?"


    "I¡­ I¡­ Really don''t know. The only thing I remember is that¡­ M-Mother looked abnormal, way different from how she normally is. Her eyes were red and ominous¡­ It was as if she lost her mindpletely. She¡­ attacked father and¡­ Killed him. Then, I don''t remember anything else." Sorophi uttered with great difficulty.


    "Attacked your father? Why?" Emilia pressed her with questions even though she knew Sorophi didn''t have an answer. Since the moment this matter was pulled out, Emilia had been driven more by her emotions than her rational thinking so she couldn''t control herself when trying to know the truth.


    "I don''t know¡­"


    "Red eyes? Ominous? Did she get controlled by the demons? But, that''s impossible. Demons can''t control humans at all. That can''t happen." Emilia muttered.


    From the description Sorophi provided, this kind of behavior fit that of a demon. But, not only was this something that demons can''t do at all but their target was Somi. Controlling someone as strong as she was is nothing short of a joke¡­ a bad one at that.


    Control magic does exist and even humans can use it. However, demons didn''t have the same mana cores as humans so they couldn''t have an affinity with nature that''s why Emilia didn''t believe in that possibility.


    However, even if that was the case and even if the demons had the strongest control magic, the chances that it could affect Somi were close to none. But¡­


    Suddenly, Emilia''s eyes widened at the thought she reached.  Just the mere idea of it sent a chill down her spine.


    ''The only way for it to be possible is if she¡­ allowed them to cast their magic on her.'' She thought.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 158 158- Transformation (Part 1)

    Chapter 158- Transformation (Part 1)


    Emilia rubbed her face as the thought kept twisting and turning inside her head, not intending to leave any time soon. She just found it quite fitting for the hypothetical situation she created.


    If her sister truly allowed the demons to control her, then the most simple question to be asked is: Why? Why did she do that?


    Thinking about it, there were only two possibilities here. The first one is that Somi was defeated in the fight and could only sumb to the control of the demons. However, Emilia quickly erased that thought from her head, there is simply no way her sister would be defeated by mere demons. Even if she was aware that she was clearly biased here, she didn''t care. Emilia had a firm belief that Somi was the strongest person she had ever met in her life.


    Her power was crushing, dominating, and highly offense-based. It was a known fact that if Somi went into the attack, no defense can stop her no matter how strong it was.


    The second possibility and the one Emilia believed was the more likely case and also the most irritating one is that one or multiple members of the expedition were taken hostages and were threatened to be killed which ended up making Somi give up.


    ''That could be possible.'' Frowning, Emilia thought to herself.


    If that was indeed the case then that exins why everyone died except for Letum. It was possible that he found a way to escape or in this case, the other members created an opening for him to run away.


    ''Is that why he is hiding the truth from me? Because of shame?''


    Sighing, she adjusted the sses on her face and decided to not overthink this matter any further than this. All of this matter was purely a hypothesis-based idea that she came up with that had no bases of truth that she could stand on. That could potentially create huge misunderstandings that Emilia would be totally fine without.


    "Sigh, well, it is what it is." Looking down, Emilia saw how agitated Sorophi was because of what she saw. Her small silhouette was shaking visibly and her emotionless eyes were widened to the extreme as if she simply couldn''t absorb what she saw.


    ''For a child like her to see her mother die in front of her and kill her father in the process.'' Biting the edges of her lips, Emilia felt her heartache with great pain seeing her niece, the one that her sister cherished greatly look so traumatized and hopeless.


    ''Even though I promised her that I will take care of Sorophi¡­ I didn''t fulfill my promise.''


    All these years, Emilia was living in pure sadness and hatred. Her mind was only filled with knowing the truth and nothing else. The grief she went through made her forget her most important duty and which is to take care of thest person that can make her remember her sister.


    Yet, because of her stupidity, she abandoned that child and left her to live with the deep scar of a lifetime. Seeing her niece in this state now had opened her mind to the great mistake shemitted. She had not lived up to her sister''s request.


    ''I''m a shitty person¡­'' Without sensing it, tears welled up in her eyes and her face contorted visibly.


    Then, she bent down and with a hesitant hand, she extended her palm to Sorophi''s face.


    "I''m sorry¡­" She murmured.


    Her voice wasn''t the same confident, strong voice that Rin was ustomed to. Now, it sounded weak, wavering yet also carrying a huge burden on top of it.


    "I''m genuinely sorry, Sorophi¡­"  She said again as she rubbed her face ever-so-gently.


    Thetter didn''t react at first but when she felt Emilia''s touch, she looked up slowly and hesitantly.


    "I didn''t understand what you went through¡­ I was¡­ Blinded by anger and frustration. I was upied by these thoughts and never looked at what matters the most¡­"


    Her hands slid down to her shoulders as she squeezed them lightly and continued.


    "I haven''t really cared about you for the longest time. I can''t imagine the pain you lived through. You had to deal with all of this alone. I¡­ have no right of facing you."


    Tears dripped down Emilia''s cheeks as she looked down.  The shame that broke through her heart like a huge wave filled her mind and drowned her soul.


    Waiting for a few seconds in pure silence, Emilia sighed and was ready to lift her hand up and pull away from Sorophi. She assumed that her apology wasn''t epted and that she had already exceeded the forgivable threshold.


    ''I was toote¡­'' Closing her eyes to try and stop the tears, she moved her hand.


    However, before she could do so, two hands grabbed her arm tightly making her flinch and look up surprised. There, Sorophi was looking at her, tears still welling up in her eyes.<novelnext></novelnext>


    ''her hands¡­ they are shaking.'' Emilia felt the subtle movement when she touched her.


    "I¡­ don''t hate Emi¡­ Emi is a nice person. I like Emi. Emi doesn''t need to apologize. I know that Emi also feels sad about mother''s death. I understand that Emi is sad too." She said.


    "..." Emilia''s eyes widened in shock at her words. Her mouth opened and closed trying to say something but could only end up silent again and again.


    "Mother''s death is something I want to know too. Emi doesn''t need to feel scared. You have helped Sorophi grow up. You took care of Sorophi when she was sick. You read Sorophi stories when she''s about to fall asleep. You have given Sorophi your time and effort when she still can''t rely on herself."


    Each word was like a shock to Emilia''s heart. Her mind was in shambles and her heartrate increased to an unimaginable amount.


    "Sorophi is grateful for Emi. Sor- No, I am deeply grateful for you. I don''t know what could''ve happened to me if I didn''t have you as the mother that I lost."


    Then, Sorophi''s hands moved toward Emilia''s back before she hugged her tightly and buried her face in her chest.


    "So¡­rophi?" Emilia uttered as she looked down.


    In all these years, this was the first time she was hugged by Sorophi like this. No, in fact, everything that happened today was a first for her.


    Emilia knew that Sorophi was an odd child, a person that can''t be evaluated by normal standards. So, when she saw that she didn''t express emotion at all, she thought that it was merely her personality. But, she couldn''t be any farther from wrong. It wasn''t something inherited by Sorophi but something she created herself to be able to cope with her trauma.


    Yet, now, here she is, hugging Emilia and telling her that she doesn''t hate her and that she has always been grateful for her. What bigger of a shock could Emilia get?


    "I-I''m genuinely sorry¡­ Sorophi."


    Finally, giving up all resistance, she hugged her back tightly.


    "I promise I won''t do such a mistake ever again. I understand now. Somi relied on me to be there when she can''t. I will definitely make it right now."


    "Mmm¡­ I understand¡­ Emi is truly¡­ a nice person." Sorophi murmured as a small smile bloomed on her adorable face.


    The two sat down there for a long time hugging, not saying anything. As for Rin and Elise, the two merely smiled lightly at the beautiful moment and didn''t try to say anything to ruin it.


    ''For such a bad situation to have a wholesome moment like this. Maybe fate ain''t bad all the time.'' He could only think so.


    [Fate isn''t always bad, host.]


    ''Hm? What do you mean?'' Rin asked, clearly surprised by the sudden message from the system.


    [Fate is not something that can be controlled. It moves in organized chaos. Something that is messy and in order at the same time. That''s why you might find good in the bad and bad in the good. It''s all meant to be like that.]


    ''That''s¡­ well, it''s understandable. But, since when did you be a profound speaker, system?''


    [I have always been that, host.]


    ''Yeah sure. I believe you.'' Rolling his eyes, Rin didn''t try to speak about the matter any further and merely looked at the window. The sun was nearing its horizon, ready to vanish and thest few strands of golden light were slowly disappearing.


    ''This matter¡­ It''s going to end up in our hands, huh. That guy¡­ his name was Letum, right? Well, I have no choice but to meet him. I must get the truth no matter what and he is the only one that has it in this world.''


    For a moment, Rin''s eyes turned sharp as he set his goal on something. For him to be able to meet someone like Letum, he needed to do one thing¡­ to be a top 10 ranker.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 159 159- Transformation (Part 2)

    Chapter 159- Transformation (Part 2)


    ? What does bing a top 10 ranker mean?


    For Rin, it means that he bes closer to the peak of power in this world than ever before. It meant that he finally broke down the limit that was put on him for being a human and turned into anotherpletely different being that possessed the strength to manipte and twist reality itself.


    That''s what being the strongest means. To finally be able to not fear anything that can stand in front of you.


    It was going to be hard and maybe even near impossible considering the huge amount of problems that keep standing in front of him every other day at this point, he still believed that eventually, he was going to achieve that peak or die trying to do so. There was no third option because for Rin life and death weren''t the only important things. It''s how he lives and how he dies that matter the most. If he died while at the peak after achieving everything he dreamed of then that was the best thing he could ask for.


    Life without substance is not a life for Rin.


    ''Well, if it is meant to be then it will happen.'' He sighed and looked back at Sorophi. He was about to open his mouth to speak something. However, the moment he noticed the weird phenomenon happening in front of him. A faint light could be seen surrounding Sorophi that was considerably bright.


    Its faint red color didn''t add any ominous feeling to it and instead somehow made it warmer and brimming with life than before. The smile on Sorophi''s beautiful face also made the sight even more mesmerizing.


    "Thank you, Emi." She said as the light grew more and more intense with each passing second. It was as if it was reacting to every word Sorophi is saying.


    "I''m feeling a lot better. I still want to know how mother died but, I''m sure the truth will be revealed. However, I will definitely keep living and trying to smile as long as she''s watching over me which is something I''m sure she''s doing."


    The red aura was now covering every inch of Sorophi''s body and extending beyond. It reached a point where it was as bright as the light in the room.


    Elise blinked a few times in disbelief as if she couldn''t understand what was happening. The same case was for Rin who was still frozen in his ce with squinted eyes.


    ''What''s happening?''


    The only one who didn''t seem confused was Emilia albeit she showed a degree of shock too. Her eyes shed withplicated emotions.


    "Sorophi¡­ You, are you going to¡­"


    Thetter nodded her head and looked at her hands before tightening them.


    "I think I might want to spend some time in my real form." She said.


    ''Real form? What is she talk-'' Rin''s eyes then widened as he remembered a small detail.


    Sorophi''s child form was merely a part of her ability. So, when she said ''real form'' she most likely meant her adult form that actually fit her age, right?


    Watching with even more interest, Rin and Elise could only be curious about how Sorophi actually looked. In her child form, she was an extremely adorable girl with a doll-like body and face.


    *Swish*


    The red aura finally became brighter than ever to the point where it made everyone cover their faces and eyes. A few seconds passed before the light finally started vanishing slowly and they could finally open their eyes again to look.


    The moment Rin and Elise''s eyesnded on Sorophi, they froze in their ces. Even though they had expected to see a drastic change, it still was impressive to see the final result.


    The girl''s noticeably small body was nowhere to be seen and in its ce was a more voluptuous and developed body that could make any man''s jaw drop to the ground. Her figure was so perfect akin to the work of a godly sculpture. Her long ck hair now had a strong hint of red to it that added a sense of mysterious beauty to it. Her face was now more mature and her features lost that innocence she had in her child form.


    She was now a more beautiful, more elegant, and more attractive version of her old self which made Rin''s heart skip a beat.


    However, for the most part, his heart skipping a beat wasn''t because of her amazing beauty. Rin had been basically spending everyday with Elise and as far as things went, she was still the most beautiful woman he had seen if he didn''t count Lili in the equation because of her status as a divine god and not a human. So, seeing Sorophi would''ve made him blink a few times but that was it. The real reason for his reaction was her attire at the moment or to be more precise, theck of said thing.


    Because her clothes from before were made for children, the moment she changed form, those clothes were shredded to pieces which ended up leaving Sorophi basically fully naked from head to toe. Her voluptuous breasts, her t stomach, and her plum legs were in full view for Rin to enjoy.


    Opening her eyes, Sorophi looked down with a smile, seemingly enjoying the reaction of everyone present. She seemed in a good mood so her smile did contain some emotions like happiness. However, when she saw her naked body, her smile froze. Staying motionless like a statue for a good 3 seconds, she lifted her head up and looked at Emilia, Rin, and Elise.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Mmm¡­ I''m sorry!" She said as she fell down to the ground and hugged herself. Her left hand wrapped around her big breasts, deforming them slightly, and her other hand went to cover her crotch. Her milky legs were now intertwined and squeezed together.


    Sorophi didn''t know that this seemingly protective gesture of hers only worked to make her look more alluring to the eye.


    ''Sigh¡­'' Closing his eyes, Rin looked away with a small hint of red on his face. Even after this change, Sorophi still acted clueless just like in her child form. Maybe that change didn''t affect her head and her personality.


    "You idiot! How can you not think about whether your clothes can change size or not?" Emilia reprimanded her as she quickly pulled out a towel to cover her body.


    "I''m sorry, Emi!!" She screamed with a guilty look.


    "There is no point in apologizing to me. Don''t forget that there is a man with us here." Emilia pointed at Rin.


    Elise also red at him from the side. She looked clearly displeased by the fact that he saw a naked woman in front of him.


    "Hey, hey! Why did this be my mistake now?" He asked.


    "It''s not your mistake indeed. But, why did you take a long time to avert your eyes?" Elise asked with a judging look.


    "Sorry for not having the ustomed mind of a promiscuous man who sees naked women daily. Of course, I will need a few seconds to react." Rolling his eyes, Rin retorted angrily.


    "As far as I can see, you enjoyed the sight, didn''t you?" Elise pushed further with her sharp gaze focused on Rin.


    "Well, I mean¡­ I''m a healthy young man so if I see a beautiful woman it''s obvious that I will have some kind of reaction. There is no point in ming me for enjoying what I saw."


    Rin found no shame in the fact that he reacted positively to a sexy woman naked in front of him. He wasn''t gay or stupid like most people would think. If he sees naked breasts and a plump butt and thighs in front of him then he will look at them for more than one second if the opportunity was present.


    "You¡­ Shameless." Elise muttered.


    "It''s the truth. Whether I''m shameless or not is up to you to decide." Shrugging, he didn''t pursue the matter any further and instead looked at Sorophi.


    "So that''s how you actually look, huh?"


    "Yes¡­" Sorophi seemed oddly fidgety when she replied to him. It wasn''t an ufortable look by any means but it was as if she was shy.


    ''Well, considering the fact that she was naked a second ago, it''s normal to feel shy.'' Rin didn''t think much of it.


    "But, that''s weird¡­ What kind of power can change someone''s form?" Rin asked confusedly.


    He had seen how Sorophi could change her teddy bear from one form to another and even make it look like a real bear.


    "Sorophi has a rare ability that can''t be categorized under any normal element. She can shapeshift anything in front of her to any form she wants." Emilia exined.


    "..." Rin''s eyes widened.


    ''Shapeshifting? That''s extremely strong. To have such strong effects.''


    Not only did she use this ability to create a scary monster out of a plushy but she also could change her appearance to anything she wants. It''s not an exaggeration to say this was one of the strongest abilities Rin ever heard of.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 160 160- Moving Floors (Part 1)

    Chapter 160- Moving Floors (Part 1)


    What does Shapeshifting mean in general? Well, Shapeshifting is the ability to change the state, the form, or the appearance of something from one thing to another. In a broader sense, that means that this ability didn''t care about the material this thing was made of or what they were intending to turn it to.


    However, Rin knew more than anyone else that this was nothing short of absurd. The ability, as strong as it was, most likely had restraints that makes it stay within the worldlyws of Divine Sapphire. One of the restraints Rin could think of is that Sorophi could only change one thing from one state to another only if the two objects were at least close when ites to appearance.


    For example, when she turned that plushy into a huge bear, the two things were quite close when ites to appearance. The same thing applies to her child form and adult form. Rin was certain that this was the case even without asking Sorophi about it.


    "Well, it''s expected," Rin murmured as he stood up. Elise also followed suit.


    "It seems that you two have finally talked properly." Smiling, he looked at Emilia and Sorophi warmly.


    Emilia, whose eyes are still wet with tears, realized her blunder and quickly wiped her face with her hand, and looked away. She was clearly blushing because of the things she said not long ago. Her ears be slightly red and her cheeks looked clearly blushing even tho she tried to hide it.


    "Master is really cute," Rin said with a grin.


    "Shut up!" Emilia red at him with a cold look.


    "Oh? Why? I just said the truth. Those words really touched me, you know. Even though you try to hide it, you really care about Sorophi, don''t you?" He asked.


    "..." Finding herselfpletely speechless, Emilia could only clench her teeth.


    "Emi is cute, heheheh!" Sorophi chuckled as she joined Rin''s team and ganged up on her.


    "See? Even Sorophi agrees. It''s truly a waste to see master not blush more. Maybe if wepliment her, she will feel shy. Or maybe even better, we hug her. Hmm? That sounds like a great idea." Rin kept bbering on and on with a smile.


    However, he failed to notice the change in Emilia''s expression as she stood up and approached him. When he finally noticed her, it was toote.


    *BONK*


    "OUCH!! What was that for?!" He grabbed the top of his head as he red at Emilia.


    "You seem to be enjoying your time, huh? You deserve punishment!"


    "No! I''m sorry! Ok, I''m really sorry!"


    "Come here!"


    Then, Rin ended up getting several punches on his head that made him rub his head for the rest of the day. It was at that time that he learned that teasing Emilia was the biggest mistake he couldmit. That monster would never ept being embarrassed like that.


    ***


    A few days passed quietly and finally, it was the end of the first month. During these 4 weeks, so many things happened quickly that it made it by far the longest month in Rin''s life. Demons, strong individuals, tests, training, and many other things. He had never thought he would get this busy so quickly.


    However, for better or worse, all of this was beneficial for Rin whocked experience and knowledge about this world.  He had learned a lot about the world, the power, the current situation they were in, and many more things.


    "Wee, ss." Professor Roseair said as she entered the ss with her usual warm smile. However, today in particr, the atmosphere inside the ss was quite tense.


    The reason for that is that today is the end of the month which also meant that they will finally know their rankings for the first month and whether they will get dropped out of the academy or not.


    Now, while most of them were aware of their ranking for the most part of the month, the academy went ahead and hid the rankings three days ago to avoid any possible trouble that might arise because of it.


    There were some cases of students trying to wreak havoc because they knew they will get kicked out of the academy before so they decided to hide the numbers in thest few days to keep everyone from knowing their fate until thest second.


    However, that also made the fear and tension rise way higher than before. Everyone tried their best to gather as many points as they can so none of them believed that they would be the lowest.


    "I can see that everyone is eager to know their rankings, huh?" She said as she scanned the whole ssroom.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Some students gulped mouthfuls of salivas as they stared, half-anticipated, at the teacher.


    "Well, I shall reveal the numbers now. But, before that, I want to say one thing. The scores for this month were quite¡­ impressive." Her mysterious tone made people feel hopeful and also even more nervous.


    ''Did we overdo it?'' Rin thought as he rubbed his cheek.


    He had made sure to spare time to go hunt in the outskirt forests. Because of the weak monsters there, Rin had greatly sessful hunts and gathered what he believed is a good amount of points. Elise also did the same thing. The two of them were able to safely secure the two highest spots for the whole month with the closest students being hundreds of points behind them.


    Rin wasn''t really concerned by that fact as he already decided to never hold back. Still, he was intrigued to know whether the number of points he collected was within the margin of students across the history of the academy including the previous top 10 rankers that passed through the lowest floor.


    "I have never seen this many points being amassed in one month. It''s quite amazing, to be honest." Melinda said.


    Her eyes shed a gaze at Rin and Elise secretly before she looked away as quickly and continued.


    "Two particr students were the anomaly out of everyone in this ss. The others did within the margin of expectation. However, it''s still amazing to see all of you try your best. Even those who will leave us today, I can say that you have a good future ahead of you. Never lose hope at all. Life is filled with opportunities. Well, they won''t be as good as this opportunity but they are still great chances that you can use to rise up. Never forget that."


    Her words, as encouraging as they sounded, were obviously merely there for the sake of formality and nothing else.


    Then, she turned around and looked at the board with her smile still as warm as ever. Her hand moved gracefully and drew something in the air. Then, on the ckboard, words started appearing out of nowhere.


    In a few seconds, a long list of names and numbers manifested in front of everyone to see.


    Rin looked at the lowest point of the list. As much as he was curious to see how many points he scored, he was more curious to see the person who will leave the academy.


    There, the name of 3 students, two males, and one female were written in red, the ominous red of elimination. Each one of them scored 20 points ordingly. Those points were most likely only from their attendance and also from the tests they went through which they ultimately failed.


    He then shifted his gaze to search for the three students in the ss. It didn''t him long to locate them as they were the ones with the strongest reaction out of everyone in the ss.


    "No¡­ way." A boy said as he fell down on his knees. His face was as pale as a sheet of paper and his eyes were almost popping out of their sockets.


    "There is¡­ No! How could it be?! I¡­ I tried my best to¡­ Hick¡­ I tried my best!!" Tears fell down his face.


    On the other side, the female student that failed merely fell down unconscious as she was surrounded by a group of students who tried to wake her up.


    Thest student and also the most eye-catching out of the three had already stood on his feet and was walking down the stairs toward the professor.


    "This is bullshit! I object!!" He said with an angry tone.


    "Oh? And what are you objecting over, Mr. Harpier?" She asked with her calm smile.


    "I think there was some kind of miscalction of my score. I won''t ept that I was kicked out. It''s simply impossible."


    "Well, that is impossible, Mr. Harpier. The scoring system is supervised by the bracelets and in all these years, not even one bracelet generated the wrong number."


    "I said I don''t believe that!!!" He howled back, ignoring the words she said.


    It was clear that the student wasn''t there to listen to her exnation and merely wanted to stay in the academy by any means.


    (A//N: I just started my newest book ''Supreme Warlock''. As much as I love Shadow Monarch, I have put a lot of effort into writing Supreme Warlock. I hope you would give it a try and support it if you like the book :) )


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 161 161- Moving Floors (Part 2)

    Chapter 161- Moving Floors (Part 2)


    The boy red at Miss Roseair without backing away. Maybe it was the adrenaline that pumped into his body from the sheer fear of dropping out or maybe it was merely a desperate attempt to make the professor intimidated.


    Anyways, he ignored the clear difference between them in strength, social status, and everything else, he spoke to her with clear rudeness that won''t save him in case she decided to report him to the administration.


    But, from the time these students spent with Miss Roseair, they could easily predict that she won''t do such a thing at all. She wasn''t that type of person at all. In fact, Miss Roseair was by far the kindest and the most peaceful professor they studied under. She had never shown any change in her expression or emotions during the whole month they studied under her.


    So, it was safe to say that Rosair was someone who appreciated peaceful treatment rather than harsh punishments and violence whether physical or mental. That might also be a reason why the boy dared to do such a thing.


    "Mr. Harpier, can you please sit down first?" She asked with her usual smile.


    "No! I want a recalction of my score! I won''t sit down until I get what I want."


    "Well, you are disturbing the atmosphere of the ss with your rude behavior."


    "I don''t care!" He shouted again, raising his voice even higher.


    "I see¡­" Murmuring in a quiet tone, Mrs. Roseair rubbed her chin before she approached him.


    She took casual steps until she was in front of the boy before she looked at him. Even though the student was clearly taller than her, that didn''t feel like much at all. In fact, the boy felt as if he was a midget in front of her.  His face changed for a split second before he quickly tried to recuperate. He most likely thought about what would happen if he backed off now.


    "Aren''t quite the troublesome child, Mr. Harpier? Not only did you not work hard to be able to stay at the same level as your peers, but you also rudely intercept my ss. That''s quite problematic if I have to say." She muttered.


    "I-I''m only asking for my rightful points! I believe that I don''t deserve to be dropped out." He retorted with an audibly more timid tone.


    "Your rightful points, huh?"


    Nodding her head, Roseair suddenly looked at her bracelet as a hologram image appeared there. She then scrolled through it for a while before she stopped at something that Rin couldn''t quite see.


    "Harpier Lenon¡­ Points: 20¡­ Monsters hunted: 1¡­ Homework done: 0¡­ Passed tests: 0¡­ Attended sses: 0¡­ umted training hours: 2¡­ umted studying hours: 0¡­" She then went on to recite everything that the student did throughout the whole month. Things as small as where he spent his time, where he went, what facilities he used the most and even what he ate for dinner every day.


    Hearing these strings of information, the boy''s eyes widened as he froze in his ce. Even Rin was quite impressed by this as he blinked a few times.


    ''They tracked everything?'' He asked himself.


    For them to know this much about a student, he was quite curious how they were able to keep an eye on him and everyone else.


    ''This is creepy.'' Imagining someone watching everything he does 24/7 was really eerie and weird. Rin was someone who liked his privacy. However, if he thought about it, it could merely be a spell bound to the bracelet that kept track of such a thing without the need for the academy to actually monitor every single student manually.


    In fact, Rin believed that was the case since during this month, the things he had done could easily make him get invited by the higher-ups of the academy for a small ''talk''. The secrets he had were numerous after all.


    ''Well, it''s still weird, nevertheless. However, I apud their professionalism.''


    After a few minutes ofpletely spilling out the student''s track record, Roseair closed the holographic image and looked back at Harpier.


    "From what I can see¡­ you had a lot of fun this month, didn''t you? You even got entangled with multiple female students. Quite thedies'' man." The oozing sarcasming from the professor made Harpier blush with clear shame as he looked down.


    "Nothing in this track record shows that you are worth more than those 20 points you got. In fact, I think you should get way less than 20 points but it is what it is. The academy is quite generous with the points after all."


    After that, she red at Harpier and added.


    "Now, since your request has been fulfilled. Leave my ss. There are guards that will help you continue the procedure of being dropped out."


    The boy, clearlypletely destroyed, walked out without saying a word. He had never expected to actually be publicly shamed like that in front of everyone. His n backfired on him and destroyed whatever dignity he had left intact.


    "Sigh, what an idiot." Rin murmured as he finally ignored the bottom barrel of the list and looked at the top. There, he saw it.


    "Wha¡­"


    The third ce was a female student that got 500 points. She was by far the most talented mage out of everyone in the ss if Rin and Elise were excluded. Then, the second ce was Rin with 3200 points.


    "3200 points? Holy¡­" Now, while he was aware that he will get something close to that number, he never expected the number to be this hugepared to the third ce.<novelnext></novelnext>


    He could''ve checked the rankings before but because of his extremely busy schedule, he totally forgot to do so.


    Then, in first ce was Elise with 3201 points. The difference between them was a mere 1 point.


    Seeing that Rin smiled happily and looked at the girl sitting by his side. Her beautiful silhouette from the side never ceases to amaze him and take his breath away. Even when she''s casually sitting with her eyes closed as if she was resting.


    "Congrttions, Elise." He said in a whisper to not surprise her even though he knew she sensed his eyes.


    "Mm, thank you. But, there is nothing to congratte me on. It''s just some stupid points." She replied as she opened her eyes and looked at him.


    "No, that''s not true. Achievement is still an achievement. You even exceeded me by a point. That''s worthy enough of a whole banquet in celebration." Rin said as he jokingly flexed his chest.


    "..." Elise, looking at him with deadpan eyes, said.


    "You could''ve easily got first ce. But, you didn''t really go out to hunt that much."


    "No, that''s not true. I did try my best. You were just amazing!" He retorted.


    "I don''t think so. You were busy at the start of the month so you didn''t have time to get points."


    "No, no, no. That''s wrong, you were also extremely busy so we are in the same situation. You are just better than me.


    "Wrong."


    "It''s the truth."


    "It''s not."


    "It is."


    "Sigh, you are really stubborn, Rin."


    "You too! You don''t seem to understand how strong you are." Rin rolled his eyes with an exasperated sigh.


    The two kept going back and forth for a while. From an outsider''s point of view, they looked like a lovey-dovey couple flirting in broad daylight without a care in the world. Their interactions were just so intimate that one could only misunderstandpletely. Even now, the students nearby were looking at them withplicated emotions as they didn''t know whether tough or cry.


    ''Sigh, the power couple of the ss are going at it, again.'' They all thought the same.


    Even Rin and Elise weren''t aware that they were acting like they were deeply in love with each other.


    Then, after that, the ss continued normally. After seeing their points and feeling the threat that could hit them out of nowhere, the students focused on their studies more. Especially those that were close to thest ranks.


    After a few hours, the first ss was over.


    Roseair called for the three people that got the highest ces.


    ''It''s time for us to finally ascend from this floor.'' Rin thought as an excited look appeared on his face.


    Even though he had enjoyed this ce and the atmosphere of the city quite a lot. He was also eager to see what the higher floors had to offer. His expectations were quite high if he had to be honest.


    He had imagined the highest floors to be this paradise-like ce for him and the highest floor being the most heavenly ce out of them all.


    However, as dreamy as he got, he still didn''t forget the main reason why he was ascending from one floor to another.


    ''The top 10 ranks¡­ Here Ie.''


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 162 162- Moving Floors (Part 3)

    Chapter 162- Moving Floors (Part 3)


    The group left the ss, they walked inside the corridors of the building with Mrs. Roseair at the lead. She had a satisfied smile on her face for some reason as she hummed some kind of happy tune.


    Then, midway, she turned around and said.


    "It''s truly amazing what I have seen from both of you. You have broken the record of the highest ever points umted in the first month inside the academy. In fact, you doubled the previous number."


    The way she praised them with a warm look made Rin and Elise feel unconsciously rxed. Her aura was just too friendly to make them put their guard too high around her.


    "I''m now more curious than ever about you two. Fufufuf! It''s been a while since my old heart was ignited with excitement about seeing two young talents rising up this quickly. Your path to the top will be hard and thorny but I''m sure if you kept your head straight and focused on your goals, you will be able to achieve great things, I''m certain of it."


    "Mm, thank you, Mrs. Roseair."


    Chuckling, the old woman didn''t say anything and walked them to an empty office in the same building that most likely belonged to her. Every professor had an assigned office in their teaching buildings where they spend most of the day in.


    When they were inside, she made them sit down and then walked to another room. The three people started looking around with impressed looks on their faces.


    Roseair''s office was unlike anything they had seen before. If Rin had to describe it in one single word, he would say that it was very very ''Lively''. Flowers and nts were everywhere. All kinds of rare species with multiple beautiful colors filled the office and made it look so weirdly ambient and rxing even though the atmosphere of the room should''ve been overwhelming because of the huge number of colors present.


    ''Hmm, is there some kind of trick here?'' Rin questioned confusedly. However, for better or worse, this ce didn''t affect him much. In fact, it had a positive effect on his mood so he wasn''t going toin.


    "Hey, t-this r-room is really w-weird, h-huh?"


    As they were like that, the third girl that was with them suddenly spoke with a whisper. Looking to the side, Rin could see from one nce that it took her her full effort to actually be able to utter those words and he could guess the reason why.


    ''Well, we are both quite intimidating, I guess?'' He smiled wrily at that fact before he responded.


    "It is. Well, It''s the good type of weird at least."


    Seeing that Rin answered with a friendly tone, the girl was able to gain more confidence in talking.


    "True! I feel like I''mying on a warm bed. I love it." Her face lightened up with a happy smile.


    "By the way, what''s your name again?" Rin decided to ask.


    "Tonalia Laker. It''s an honor talking with you, Mr. Silvereye." She said as she extended her arm for a handshake.


    "Rin is fine. Nice to meet you too¡­ mm, can I call you Tonalia?" He asked.


    Seeing that dazzling smile on Rin''s handsome face, the girl''s face turned beet red as she looked down shyly before she nodded her head.


    "Y-Yes, please. Ehem, feel free to call me however you want." She said.


    "I see. Well, Tonalia it is. A very beautiful name inde-"


    Before he could finish the word, he felt something hit him on the side and made him squint a little bit.


    Looking to the side, he saw Elise still staring ahead as if she had no hand in what just happened.


    "Mmm, Elise?" He asked with a questioning gaze.


    "Nothing." She said before she immediately ended the conversation and seemingly started checking her system stats.


    ''What''s up with her, geez?'' He furrowed his eyebrows before he turned to Tonalia again.


    "Well, as I was saying before, you have a very beautiful name."  He said.


    Hearing that, the girl''s eyes widened as she panicked quickly and started fidgeting around.


    "Y-You think so? I-I-I, it''s an honor to hear that from someone great like Mr. Rin!!"


    Seeing her acting all flushed and shocked, Rin chuckled before he shook his head with a sigh.


    ''I guess I still am quite intimidating even after talking with me.''


    [I don''t think that''s the reason for her reaction, host.]<novelnext></novelnext>


    ''Hm? Then, what is it?''


    [She''s reacting to your superficial features.]


    ''Superficial features? What the fuck does that even mean?'' Rin blinked a few times.


    [Your face and your looks, host.]


    ''Ooooh? Yeah, I guess that''s another reason too. I''m still not ustomed to my new looks even though it has been a while. One who lived as an average joe for the biggest part of his life shall still be an average joe in the heart.''


    *Pinch*


    "Ouch!" Rin looked to the side again as he held his side where he was pinched by Elise for the second time.


    "What?!"


    "She''sing back," Elise replied with an oddly colder tone than usual.


    ''What''s the matter with her? Is she jealous or something?'' Rin clicked his tongue and didn''t say anything else.


    A few secondster, Roseaires back with a tray filled with cups.


    "I''ve made some very delicious tea. Please, give it a try. These tea leaves are very expensive."


    Smelling the whiff of aromaing from the tea, Rin felt his mindpletely rx. The smell was just so hypnotizingly good. Picking up the cup, Rin took a sip, and his eyes immediately widened in surprise.


    "This is really great!" He praised honestly.


    Even Elise and Tonalia responded with the same impressed look.


    "Ohoh, well, thank you for your honest opinions. I love this particr nt for its great mental effects. It even reduces stress."


    After a few seconds of silence, she put the cup down and then looked at the three of them and said.


    "Well, since you three are going to be moving floors soon. I have to tell you a few things before that since the next floors are quite¡­ different from what you have seen here."


    "Different?"


    "Yes, most of the things on the higher floors are actually quite different from here. However, before I go deeper into that, I want to tell you two something. I have received a notice from the administration about you." She looked at Rin and Elise.


    "You will be moving 3 floors." She said.


    "3 Floor?!" Rin almost spat his drink as he looked at Roseair. Elise was also quite shocked by the revtion. Did something happen? Were they noticed by the higher-ups already?


    "Yes, 3 floors. It should be expected. Your points are both too high for you to keep moving one floor at a time. Your level fits the 4th floor quite perfectly if I have to say."


    ''I see¡­ Damn, we really did something that broke the system of the academy. Jumping 3 floors in one month.'' Rin rubbed his chin.


    "Well, if anything, that would be very helpful to you two. Being around people your level, it will boost your growth a lot."


    Then, she rxed on her chair and continued.


    "Now, for the rather more important part that also concerns you, Miss. Tonalia. The next floors have two major differences from the first floor. The first one is that these floors focus more on training than theoretical knowledge. Those that aren''t pursuing theory and studies, they are going to have to focus more on power-up and gaining strength. That''s your main goal in contrast to the more broad curriculum choice you have here."


    ''Well, we were going to focus on training anyways.'' Rin thought as he rubbed the back of his head.


    It was already given to Rin that training is his top priority now. Especially knowing that at any moment, a world-scale war could start so if he wasn''t prepared for it, he would be in huge trouble.


    He had no idea how strong the cult was or how far behind he was. His only option right now is to try and close up that gap as soon as possible. Using his system, that task, as hard as it may look, would be ten times easier and more within the realm of possibility. From his progress and Emi''s training, Rin was sure that in a few months, he couldpletely be a monster capable of fighting against the cult confidently. It would still be a very hard war that could end up killing him but Rin was mentally ready for the ordeal.


    As to whether he had that much time or not, he didn''t know. Only the future will tell.


    "The second biggest change is your bracelets."


    (A//N: Sorry for theck of updates these days. I have been quite busy with life and also with the second book.  But, I wille back to uploading two chapters a day. Don''t forget to check my other book too and support it, it would mean the world to me :) )

 Chapter 163 163- For Elise (Part 1)

    Chapter 163- For Elise (Part 1)


    "Our bracelets?" Rin asked with a confused look on his face.


    ''What''s there to change about their bracelets?'' He thought to himself.


    Even though it had been a month since he got his own bracelet, he still didn''t discover all of its functionalities yet. There were some things that the bracelets provided that he didn''t have any use for like most of the entertainment options for example.


    "Yes, your bracelets will change quite drastically when you move floors. The biggest change will be the ranking system. Since most of you won''t be relying on major studies, your points will be calcted through battles."


    "Battles?"


    "Battles are the most simple term for a weekly tournament held on each floor after the first floor. These tournaments require the student to spar against other students. If they win, they got points and the student who garners the most points by the end of the month will get various rewards and perks. However, this is where things be harder. Being at the top with the most points doesn''t mean you will automatically go to the next floor."


    Roseair''s face became serious as she held a finger up. Then, she took a deep breath and continued.


    "For that to happen, you need to leave the academy on a mission¡­ No, actually considering the difficulty of the mission, it can be multiple ones."


    ''Ugh, right, I forgot that missions exist in the academy. Hunting monsters, catching criminals, and other objectives.'' Rin rubbed the back of his head.


    "These missions are also a great way to gather points, experience, and even practice everything you trained inside the academy grounds. But, the most important thing you will gain is the feeling of a life-or-death battle. Most of you aren''t aware of how dangerous this world is and so experiencing it firsthand will help teach you the value of your own life and the life of yourpanions."


    "I see¡­" Elise murmured as she seemingly fell into deep thought.


    "Sigh, anyway, this is it for the time being. The rest will be exined once you move to that floor. You will have today and tomorrow to get ready."


    Nodding their heads, the three students left the office. Tonalia then left to deal with a matter, leaving Rin and Elise alone.


    "Mm, I have a matter to deal with. I need to go." Rin said suddenly.


    Elise looked at him confusedly as if she was waiting for him to exin. However, Rin shook his head.


    "It isn''t a big deal. I will tell you once I get done with it. Later. Oh, right, can we meet tomorrow, I have something to show you." He said.


    "Fine¡­"


    It would be a lie if Elise said she wasn''t curious about what he was nning. However, she trusted Rin almost blindly so she knew that if he can''t tell her now, it was for a good reason.


    "Mm, anyway,ter."


    After that, Rin walked away in a random direction. When he turned around, he smiled widely before he vanished somewhere.


    *****


    "Psst, Evelyn, you there?"


    In a particrly wide room, Rin walked inside secretly as he made sure no one saw him. His eyes looked around warily.


    Then, out of nowhere, two hands appeared and wrapped around his neck like a gentle breeze of warm air.


    "I''m here, darling. I missed you so much~~" She said.


    The addictive smell of the seductive woman filled his nostrils as he felt her cheek touching the back of his neck gently. That single touch could''ve easily turned a man into a crazy animal. However, Rin had already grown ustomed to her yful attitude. Besides, for a particr reason, he had to bear with Evelyn''s provocative actions.


    "You came early today~~," She said as she chuckled and released him. However, her body was still awfully close to his.


    "Yeah, I will finally be moving floors."


    Hearing that, Evelyn''s hypnotizing eyes blinked innocently.


    "Already?"


    "Yeah, it wasn''t that hard."


    "Oh, I guess it''s time for me to move floors too, then."


    "You¡­" Rin had already understood the woman in front of him to a certain extent. Yet, somehow, she still amazes him with her answers sometimes.


    "Whatever, I can''t even stop you even if I wanted to."


    "Fufufufu! Rin is really cute! I want to eat you~"


    "I don''t taste delicious~" He rolled his eyes as he walked past her toward the thing that he had been working on for a while.


    "You are delicious enough in my eyes~ Almost too delicious." She murmured thest few words for Rin to not hear them.


    "Hm, you said something?"


    "Nooo~~ Anyway, do you want to start?" She asked as she cheerfully walked to his side.


    "Yes, I think I got the hang of it. Maybe a few more tries and I will be able to master it."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Yes, I can''t believe you learned that quickly. You are truly skillful with your fingers, Rin~"


    "Really?"


    "Yes, yes. You have the technique down and how you move your fingers does feel amazing." She said.


    "Hmm, I see. Well, I take pride in my hands." He smiled proudly.


    Rin had been upgrading his dexterity for a long while now and he could say with a straight face that he was now a dexterity master. His body was now almost fully under his control.


    "Your hands, you say? Hmm, let me try them again, will you?"


    "Don''t make it sound suspicious. What happened that day¡­ was just stupid."


    Leaning forward, Evelyn looked deep into Rin''s eyes. A weird atmosphere loomed over the two of them. Rin felt some tension between them.


    "Was it?" She asked in a slow, breathy voice.


    Rin''s body froze for a second but quickly, he shook his head and coughed a few times.


    "I only asked you for a favor to teach me. Don''t take it too far or I will leave."*


    "Hehehehe! Ok, ok, I won''t. But, teasing you is just so much fun, I can''t hold myself back~"


    "Ok, sit down, and let''s start. I won''t go easy on you~"


    "I never asked you to do so."


    "Good boy~"


    ***


    The next day, Elise received a message from Rin through her bracelet.


    "Meet me near the club building." The message said without specifying anything.


    ''What is he trying to do?'' She wondered.


    Elise had already noticed that Rin had been acting suspiciously for a while now but she didn''t question it as she thought it was merely because of exhaustion and stress. However, now that she thought about it, it did seem quite weird.


    But, no matter how much she tried to recall seeing anything, she failed. So, instead, she decided to see for herself what Rin had in mind.


    A few minutester, Elise was standing in front of the Clubs'' building. For students that are fond of hobbies like archery, literature, drawing, and all other kinds of activities, this area was built for them. It had almost every kind of hobby and every kind of club. They can spend time here after sses to enjoy their time and to also do something beneficial for them.


    However, because everyone was still shocked by the rankings, all of them were now either training or hunting to be able to increase their points. There was no time for fun and games.


    Walking inside the building, Elise couldn''t find Rin at all. He had said to meet him there but he wasn''t present.


    ''Did Ie early?''


    However, as she was about to turn around to walk out, she heard a sound. It wasn''t loud but it was still audible enough to catch Elise''s interest.


    ''This sound¡­''


    She was very familiar with it. Of course, for most of her life, this sound was the only thing she heard after all.


    Instinctively, her legs walked toward the origin of the sound. The more she approached it, the more her eyes widened in pure shock.


    She knew this tone, she knew these notes. She knew them very well.


    ''A piano?'' She asked as she finally reached the ce where this music originated from. The door was half closed.


    Without hesitation, she pushed the door and looked inside.


    There, on a chair in front of a huge piano, Rin sat down with his eyes closed. His fingers were running through the piano keys so elegantly as if he had been doing this for years on end.


    His gentle aura was amazingly dancing along with his notes. It took Elise''s breath away. She didn''t know why, but this sight in front of her was by far the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. It looked so unbelievably perfect.


    ''This is¡­ Fur Elise by Beethoven.'' She quickly identified the song Rin was ying and it quickly clicked in her mind.


    Fur Elise meant in anothernguage ''For Elise''. Was this song for her? Did Rin learn the piano just to y her this song?


    All kinds of questions bugged her mind. Yet all she can do was stand motionless enjoying the music. Her eyes closed and her mind flew somewhere else, a beautifulnd where no pain or fear existed.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 164 164- For Elise (Part 2)

    Chapter 164- For Elise (Part 2)


    The moment she closed her eyelids, an extremely blissful feeling invaded her very existence. It was so beautiful, so paradisical, yet also weirdly sad.


    All her life, these sounds were what she heard for hours and hours on end. At some point, she fell in love with the piano and even decided to spend all her life learning everything that could be learned about this musical instrument.


    As much pain as she experienced because of it and as much as this instrument was technically the reason she lost her whole family and lived through hell. Yet, not even for one second did she ever hate the piano.


    It was her only time of freedom from her horrible life, after all. How can she hate that? How can she hate the only colorful thing in the sea of her monotonous days? That would only make her fall deeper and deeper into the abyss.


    That''s why, when she heard that familiar sound again, it was as if a part of her came back to life, a part that she thought had been long dead.


    Her whole soul seemingly started moving with each press on the keys. Seconds, minutes, or even hours passed, she didn''t know and didn''t care, this feeling was just too amazing to let her think about anything else.


    On the other hand, Rin who was the one ying the song, his smile widened as he saw Elise enjoying it. All the hard work he had put into practice was all worth it for this moment. It all started a few weeks ago when he asked Evelyn whether she knew how to y the piano and luckily for him, she seemed to be quite skillful in it.


    So, he struck a deal with her to teach him to how to use a piano, and in return, he would¡­ go on a date with her?


    Rin is still confused about why she only asked for a date with him instead of actually trying to get to whatever she was aiming to get from him. Rin wasn''t dumb and neither was he dense, in his own opinion. So, he was certain that Evelyn wasn''t really there to merely y and tease him. Luckily, she didn''t seem to be aiming to harm him but that didn''t mean he could trust her either.


    But, if a date is all she asked for, then he wasn''t going to disagree with her as it wasn''t really that hard of a request, anyway.


    ''I''m happy that I was able to learn quickly. I thought the piano would be harder than this. I might actually be a music genius without even being aware of it.'' He thought as he chuckled.


    A few momentster, the song finally reached itsst part and arguably the hardest one. It was also the one that took the most time from Rin since for some reason, theposer decided to turn it into thisplex song. From what Rin heard, the name of the song was actually targeted to a certain woman theposer was in love with and had dedicated this piece to her since she was one of his students. However, midposing it, he discovered that she was engaged and then decided to take revenge and made thest part horribly hard.


    As sad and funny as the story is, Rin wasn''t really that interested in it. He certainly chose it because it had the same name as Elise and because it was very beautiful and mesmerizing to the ear.


    Eventually, Rin finished the piece. His fingers ran through the keys as ast signature move and then turned to look at Elise with a rxed smile. He would be lying if he said that he was nervous about how she was going to react. Seconds passed in deep silence.


    Elise''s eyes were still closed as if she didn''t realize that it was over yet. But, eventually, she opened her eyelids and stared directly at Rin. Her expression looked serene, and calm yet also weirdly perturbed. A contrast that Rin didn''t even know was possible.


    "Mmmm¡­ Ehem." Finding the silence extremely awkward, Rin coughed a few times as he rubbed the back of his head.


    ''Did I fuck it up?!'' He could only wonder.


    Elise was a professional piano yer so it wasn''t that hard to think that he had made grave mistakes that made her hate it.


    But, the next second, Elise finally spoke.


    "Why?"


    Only one word yet it carried many meanings. She wasn''t ming him, she was merely confused as to why? How? And when?


    "Mmm, I started learning the piano a few days ago. I wanted to surprise you since today is your birthday, no?" He said.


    Rin had asked Elise before about this in their usual banter and luckily, he was able to discern her birthday. So, he decided to surprise her on that particr day.


    He had heard about a part of Elise''s past and had seen how much she''s struggled throughout her whole life so he wanted to show her something that might make her feel better. Rin was sure that Elise loved the piano but couldn''t express that love because of the hardships and cruelty of the world.


    For better or worse, she had lived for the sake of this talent.


    "..." Elise seemed to have frozen again in her ce.


    ''Did you like it or not?!'' Rin screamed in his head as his heart started beating loudly. He thought he was ready for her reaction but he couldn''t be any further from being wrong.


    ''Am I proposing to her or something? It''s just a small gift for her birthday!''


    *Tap*


    As he was having such a dilemma in his head, he heard the sound of someone stepping on the tform. Looking up, he saw Elise staring down at him with her hypnotizing eyes.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Then, out of nowhere, she extended her arms and did something that Rin didn''t even think of in his wildest imagination.


    "Wha¡­"


    She engulfed his neck and pulled him in for a very strong hug. Rin''s body instinctively tensed up at first. But, when he heard what she said next, he immediately rxed.


    "Thank you¡­ Thank you¡­ Thank you." She murmured again and again. Her arms started shaking visibly and her breathing sounded erratic near his ear.


    ''Is she¡­ crying?'' Rin asked himself since his face was buried and couldn''t look up. Elise didn''t allow him to look at her crying because of the sheer awkward feeling.


    "Thank you, Rin¡­"


    Closing his eyes, Rin also hugged her back and stroke her long silky white hair gently.


    "No problem." He simply replied.


    There was no need for them to talk in order to understand what the other was thinking about. It was useless. They had already grown toprehend each other to a great deal. Sharing thick and thin with someone is the best way to create the strongest of bonds. Bonds that can challenge the passing of time, never waning, never staling, and never disappearing.


    "You have worked hard, Elise. You deserve to rest. But, sadly, we can''t rest now. Maybe when everything is over, we can take some time to rx. What do you think?"


    "Mmm¡­" She replied as she nodded her head.


    ''I actually like this very expressive, Elise. She''s really adorable!'' Rin thought as he kept gently caressing Elise''s back.


    To say that hugging her was the best feeling he ever experienced wasn''t an understatement. Even though he hugged and touched many people before, he somehow felt different doing it with Elise.


    It was as if touching her was the only right thing to do. As if she was a part of him that he missed for a long time and finally reunited with.


    "We have taken a huge leap. The distance is still long but I''m certain we are going to get to the end. I will definitely make sure we reach the end. I promise."


    "Me too¡­"


    "Hehehe¡­ I know that. You aren''t going to let me get all the limelight for myself, are you?"


    Pulling out slightly, Elise looked up at him and then in a rare sight, smiled warmly at him.


    "You are too stupid¡­ You need me to stop you from doing stupid things." She replied.


    Rin was aware she was merely teasing him yfully so he yed along.


    "Ooh, how horrible of you. You also need me or you are going to keep ring at everyone menacingly."


    "I sure do."


    Looking at each other, the two started chuckling joyfully. The atmosphere in the room was very wholesome and warm as if this ce was a whole different world only made for the two of them.


    ''I''m definitely going to fall in love with her if we continue on this route. That would be troublesome¡­ But, It''s not a bad feeling at all.'' Rin wondered to himself.


    He was sure that even now, he was already having to feel stronger than that of a friend toward Elise. It could even be called a ''crush''.


    Whether those feelings will ever be reciprocated, however, he still wasn''t sure. But, one thing for certain, Elise considered him as important to her¡­ If not more than that.


    (A//N: End of the first part of the academy arc.)


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 165 165- Serious Power-Up (Part 1)

    Chapter 165- Serious Power-Up (Part 1)


    "Hah¡­ Hah¡­ Hah¡­ Ugh, fuck!!!" Rin squinted his eyes as he red at his right side. There, he could see his whole arm, covered in dried blood and in a horribly bad shape. His fingers and the palm of his hand were skinless as if it was peeled off like a banana.


    His face was pale, probably from the sheer amount of blood he had lost and also because of the huge injury that cut his face horizontally. The scar sadly damaged one of his eyes and made it basically useless.


    However, the most dangerous and by far the most gruesome injury was the one he had on his chest. From as down as his left kidney and as high as his left shoulder de, a huge sword sh dug deep into his flesh and revealed his bones.


    The blood that kept dripping down and creating a pool around him was rming to say the least. It was in fact quite impressive how he was still capable of standing or even staying unconscious for that matter.


    The only thing that could exin this was the inhuman speed at which his body was recovering. The tissue of his muscles and skin was visibly wriggling and fixing itself at a speed a hundred or even a thousand times faster than normal.


    However, even that didn''t help his case at all.


    ''I can''t breathe¡­ My lungs are damaged!! Every breath I take feels like a knife stabbing me in the throat!! Dammit, all!'' He cursed in his head.


    His one intact eye, slowly moved to somewhere else, precisely whatever he was sitting on. As much as Rin''s current condition was eye-catching, what was under him was way more, dreadfully imposing.


    A pile of dead corpses was stacked on top of one another, creating a horrifyingly huge hill. The smell emanating from that pile of corpses was so repulsing that a human would instantly puke their stomach out if they came anywhere near it.


    It wasn''t an exaggeration to say that hundreds were ughtered here.


    *p* *p*


    Suddenly, out of nowhere, he heard ps that made him lift his face up.  His eyes immediately squinted as a cold aura errupted from his whole body like a raging volcano. In all his lifetimes, Rin had never, ever felt this much hatred toward a person¡­ Not even Marcus, the main reason for him losing all of his family. The person in front of him was by far his most hated enemy ever.


    "Truly a splendid show for the sore eyes. Seeing you do that is truly worth the time."


    "You are dead¡­" Rin replied coldly as his eyes widened to a scary degree and a cold expression filled his face. The eerieck of emotions on his face was more than enough to send someone into a frenzy.


    The person grinned widely as he rubbed his chin.


    "That''s it, that face! That was what I''m looking for! Seeing your pure heart, I could only desire to corrupt it, Rin¡­ That''s how it should be."


    Standing up slowly, Rin picked up his dagger and then picked up the other weapon he had before he slowly started descending the mountain of corpses¡­ Human corpses. Not even the sound of his feet breaking bones or squishing meat made him lose his focus for even a second.


    With each step he took, his speed increased slowly. From walking to strolling, then from strolling to running, then from running to dashing, and finally from dashing to a lightning-quick speed.


    His silhouette vanished like a mist.


    "Come to me, Rin!!"


    This was the start of a fight that will change Rin''s fate altogether. A fight that he never expected to ur so soon yet was tricked into falling into its entangled problems. A fight that deeply turned Rin from who he was to someone drastically different¡­ A devil in human disguise.


    ****


    *Before this happened*


    In the few days that followed, Rin and Elise quickly gathered everything they needed and were finally able to move from the first floor.


    As much as they liked the ce since it was their ce of residence for the past month, their desire to see what the higher floors have in store for them was way stronger.


    Then, when they passed through the gate that quickly transported them to their destination, they were amazed by what they saw.


    Although the size of the city was considerably smaller than the first floor. It was by no means worse. In fact, it was way more beautiful, organized, built, and even administrated than the first floor.


    Because of the way a smaller number of students, it was also less bustled and more lively. The two, as contrasting as they are, somehow were present in this city.


    However, the most noticeable thing about this floor wasn''t the city itself but what surrounded the city. Around it was a mountain chain unlike any other Rin had ever seen. The peaks of this mountain chain were made out of some kind of material that wasn''t simr to rocks at all.


    ''They are man-made?'' Both Rin and Elise couldn''t believe that this was even possible.<novelnext></novelnext>


    For someone to be able to build a whole mountain that even exceeds the highest peak in their old world is nothing short of insanity. Much to their predictions, it was indeed the founder that put those mountains there.


    And the reason for their existence was quickly revealed to them.


    ''You can train there?'' Rin questioned.


    He was told that for those who want to use these mountains for specific training like stamina, strength, and the such.


    So, after settling down in their luxurious dorms and being given all the things they needed including information about their sses, they were given the time to get ustomed to the ce.


    "This is¡­ the ce."


    Now, both of them were standing in front of one of the mountains. Beside them was Emilia, who looked as calm and as cold as ever.


    "Mm, how is this mountain even used for training?" Rin asked as he looked at his master.


    For obvious reasons, Emilia had also epted Elise as her disciple too. Both of them were monstrously talented so it would be stupid for Emilia not to add Elise to the fray.


    "Oh, it''s quite simple and brutally hard. See everything that I taught you? Well, it''s nothingpared to this."


    Her words made Rin gulp down a mouthful of saliva as he felt a dreadful sensation crawl up his body. He knew that when Emilia says such bold ims, she means every single one of them and that was like nightmare fuel for him.


    "Anyway, I got ess to visit this floor for the sake of continuing the training so I don''t want any cking off. You two will be squeezed dry of every ounce of sweat you have until you are incapable of moving."


    Her words were like that of a demon ready to destroy them. However, Elise didn''t seem to be bothered by them as her eyes were focused and serious. She was totally ready for whatever Emilia was going to make them do.


    Then, after that, what happened was nothing short of hell. She summoned two giant boulders. Each one of them is at least 2 tons heavy.


    Then, she put them on the direct path to the top. The task was simple, well on paper it was. They had to push these boulders up the slope.


    Now, that would be considered easy with some mana enhancements. However, there was another factor put into this training.


    "You are going to wear these suits. They have an extra added weight of up to 1000 pounds. I will keep increasing the weight whenever I see fit. Your goal is to make it to the top by the end of the training. It can take weeks to do so but it will increase your physical prowess greatly."


    The suits were made of some kind of brown fabric and had many traces of mana on them, most likely for the function of weight addition. After wearing them, the two of them felt their bodies sink down into the ground.


    *CRACK*


    The rock beneath them cracked considerably as their shoulders and their bones shuddered.


    "Ugh¡­"


    It took both of them a good second to get ustomed to the new weight.


    ''I feel like I''m carrying an elephant on my back!'' Rin clenched his teeth as he cracked his neck.


    "Now, you start! I will keep a watch on you two!"


    Rin and Elise then walked to the boulders and tried to push them.


    "Ugh!!" Even before reaching the steep rise, pushing the boulders was already a hard task as it is.


    (A//N: Sorry for the cliffhanger at the start of the chapter. It''s needed since this part of the academy arc will be the actual start of the climax of the academy arc. Hopefully, you stick around to see :) )


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 166 166- Serious Power-Up! (Part 2)

    Chapter 166- Serious Power-Up! (Part 2)


    ''This is really heavy! What the hell?!'' Clenching his teeth, Rin used his whole strength to keep pushing the boulder forward.


    Because of the steep slope in front of him, pushing it forward took way more strength than Rin anticipated. His fingers dug into the boulder aggressively to keep hold of it and with his two feet, he walked slowly forward.


    The journey up has barely started and yet the hardships were present.


    One meter, then 5 meters, and then 10 meters, Rin kept going up and up with Elise on the other side keeping up. The two were already sweating from the sheer physical strain on their arms and legs.


    But, still, both of them were certain that they will be able to continue up. However, that was their grave mistake.


    "Time to add snow," Emilia said as she somehow appeared on top of one of the mountain peaks.


    Then, with a swing of her arm, a huge storm of ice manifested in front of her. The moving wind around it carrying ice particles was impressively strong yet also shining beautifully under the light of the sun.


    Rin and Elise looked to the side and their faces grimaced visibly. A huge snowy storm wasing right toward them.


    ''Is master serious?! This is bad even as a joke!!'' Rin thought as he felt his hair starting to p around because of the gushes of air that reached him.


    But, that didn''t mean that he was going to stop, even if this was going to be hellishly hard, it was all a part of his training. If he was meant to fight against monsters like those from the cult, he needed to evolve and shed everything that linked him to his old self, strength-wise.


    So, he took a deep breath before he turned to the boulder and put all of his strength into pushing it. Elise also followed suit.


    ''Good, you both know what to prioritize in such a situation. Strengthes to those who know what they need to focus on.''


    *Swish*


    The storm eventually reached them as it swiped away everything unfortunate enough to stand in its way. Rin''s felt his body being pushed by the wind as his fingers started losing grip on the boulder.


    ''Ugh, fuck!'' Clenching his teeth, he tried to keep his posture straight and rely on his legs to push forward. The storm, as big as it was, didn''t cover the whole mountain chain so if he was able to reach a particr altitude, he was sure to get rid of the annoying wind ying with him.


    But, he forgot another aspect that this storm had and it was ice. This particr ice that Emilia used wasn''t normal at all, as Rin realized quickly.


    ''It''s¡­ slippery?!'' He felt his legs giving out mid-walking so he looked down.


    There, he could slippery ice umting under him and filling the whole path to the top. The snowstorm was somehow turning into ice the moment it made contact with the ground. It was the result of Emilia''s great control and mastery over her element. It was an impressive sight to look at¡­ If the two of them weren''t struggling to keep themselves rooted to the ground.


    The struggle continued for a while as neither of them made any noticeable progress visible to the eye. Unfortunately, that only drained their strength, and eventually¡­


    *Crack*


    Rin''s fingers cracked the boulder as they slipped out.


    "WOAAAH!!"


    Even though he wasn''t pulled by the storm, he had another, more pressing problem. Since the boulder is not supported by anything at the moment, it will only go back down the path. Or in other words, two tons of dense stone were about to crush Rin and Elise.


    When they tried to jump away, they found their legs slipping so their only choice was to slide down ahead of the stone.


    ''Goddamit! This is stupid!''


    Cursing his bad luck, Rin reached the ground again, followed by the huge boulder.


    "Repeat! You won''t stop until you push it to the peak! No rest!" Emilia shouted with a stern tone in her voice.


    Following that, and for the next few hours, Rin and Elise went through hell and back. They kept pushing the boulder up the hill and then will end up thrown back to the ground by the ice.


    The sheer pain they felt in their muscles was agonizing, to say the least. However, because of their mana regenerating constantly, they couldn''t stop to rest as their bodies weren''t pletely'' exhausted by the training.


    During that period, Rin contemted stopping more than once. He felt his mental strength waning faster than his physical strength. It was really mentally tolling to keep this much focus for hours and hours non-stop.


    However, whenever he felt like that, something pops up in front of him that makes him forget the idea altogether.


    [Host is exerting a huge amount of strength.]<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    [Muscle structure improving.]


    [Strength is increasing¡­]


    [Strength has increased from E to E+.]


    [Agility has increased from E to E+.]


    [Dexterity has increased from F+ to E-.]


    The system kept telling him that his progress was calcted as a form of motivation or perhaps for another different reason. But, that constant increase in stats made the task, as hard as it was, more possible.


    The reason for this explosive increase was that the system rewarded actual training more than the usage of points to increase stats. So, since Rin was doing an extremely hard exercise, the system was able to increase his stats quickly because of the sheer difficulty.


    With each attempt they did, the boulders were pushed higher and higher. The progress was slow but noticeable.


    Eventually, after an unknown amount of time, the two of them were able to push the boulders beyond the storm. The altitude they reached was so high that the air in that ce was so thin and barely even breathable from how cold it was.


    However,pared to the storm, this ce was a breeze. But, Emilia wasn''t going to let them have any easier time in whatever was left for them from the journey.


    ''I''m doing well! My arms are sore but I can continue! I can reach the peak!'' Rin celebrated quietly while keeping his focuspletely on the task at hand.


    But, suddenly, his body slumped down for a second as he groaned in pain. He felt a new weight pushing down on his whole body.


    "T-The suit!"


    Because of the intense training, Rin hadpletely forgotten about the suit that he was wearing. He has even grown so ustomed to it that he barely could discern the weight added on him.


    However, now that Emilia had increased it, he realized the huge problem he was in.  His body was exhausted already but with that on top, he felt his legs shaking visibly, threatening to stop moving any second.


    ''No! You dumb fuck!! Come on!'' He cursed as he exerted his full power.


    His muscles flexed violently as his veins almost popped out of his skin from the tension. But, for better or worse, Rin was able to continue and so was Elise. The two of them knew that getting here was already a great achievement and so they won''t let this opportunity slip from their hands.


    And that''s what exactly happened, with much tenacity, the two of them were able to somehow reach the top. When that happened, both of them slumped down on the ground as they heaved up and down.


    Rin felt the world around him rolling as he looked at the sky with a dazed expression. He was extremely exhausted. His arms were numb and his legs were pulsating hard.


    ''I-I did it¡­'' He thought to himself as he was about to crack a winning smile. But, Emilia appeared beside him out of nowhere and looked down with her usual cold look.


    "Good, you two did an amazing job. The first climb was sessful." She said.


    Hearing that, Rin''s eyes almost popped out of their sockets.


    "T-The first what?" He asked in total disbelief.


    "The first climb out of 100 was great. There are still 99 more to go." Emilia exined casually.


    "99?!!"


    ''No! This must be a joke! Do I have to do that again 99 more times?! Is she trying to kill us!'' Rin despaired visibly. His current state didn''t help to calm him down.


    Now, even though he gained a lot of strength from this, he was certain that Emilia wasn''t going to keep the difficulty fixed.


    ''She must be a sadist! Yes, she''s enjoying our suffering!'' Rin closed his eyes.


    "You have one hour to rest and then we will continue. The training will end when you finish ten more climbs." Emilia added as she looked at the sky. The sun was shining brightly in the middle of the sky.


    It was still early afternoon even after everything that happened.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 167 167- Aria Vs Evelyn (Part 1)

    Chapter 167- Aria Vs Evelyn (Part 1)


    Then, for the next few days. Rin and Elise continued to train non-stop as if they had no tomorrow. Wearing the suits, pushing the boulder up, reaching the peak, and then going back down to do the same thing, again, and again, and again.


    Each time, the difficulty was increased a little bit and each time, they had to exceed their limits to be able to aplish the task. Hours and hours of continuous, rigorous, and almost impossible training didn''t show any mercy on them.


    However, for better or worse, this kind of training somehow started bing enjoyable. It''s not the pain, nor the continuous suffering and exhaustion that made it feel great, neither of them was a masochist, after all. It was the feeling of power growing fast that turned this seemingly cursed training regime into an amazing experience.


    At the end of each day, Rin and Elise would feel as if they were reborn again. The surge of powering with each increase in stat was an addictive feeling that they can''t grow bored of.


    Especially Rin, he had somehow broken any predictions he had for his growth. It was actually amazing how such a very straightforward training could actually create such a burst of improvement.


    In the span of a week, his strength, agility, and dexterity all increased to D- or D. The difference between Rin a week ago and rin after the training was so drastic that he almost couldn''t recognize himself.


    He even tried to experiment with his powers hunting some monsters in the forest near the location of their training and all he could say is¡­ It was shocking.


    So much so that he was horrified of himself. Each monster he faced was killed with one single blow. Not even a single creature dared to fight him as they all tried to escape as fast as possible.


    He didn''t even have to use his shadow maniption skill in order to catch them


    On the other hand, Elise was way calmer when dealing with her powers. She wasn''t someone to show strong reactions to things but it was still impressive howposed she was even when she saw how she was able to massacre tens of monsters without breaking a sweat.


    All this was before they even had to start joining the other students. They had entered into some kind of seclusion that in the end was definitely worth it.


    Finally, when they finished the 100 times, the training was over¡­  for the time being. Emilia then instructed them to focus on their weapon techniques and their elements in order to keep up with their strength.


    A strong individual with no technique to make full use of that strength is merely a savage animal. Not only that, but the techniques are also a form of strength boost as they give the upper hand in tough fights.


    The first few days of school were pretty average, and although the level of students here was way higher, Rin and Elise didn''t find any difficulties to keep up with them. In fact, it was quite easy with how much they grew.


    This time was the most peaceful Rin and Elise experienced in a while. No problems arise, no cult news, no Top 10 ranker tried to wreak havoc and no hellish training that can break the spirit.


    However, that piece was broken by something.


    "Riiiiinnn~~"


    Rin opened the door to his dorm room and something soft weed his face instantly along with an incredibly soft sensation as two arms and two legstched into his body.


    "Oh, Aria!!" The all-too-familiar smell of his sister made him smile widely as he hugged her back.


    "I missed you, I missed you, I missed you." She said as she rubbed her face on his shoulder.


    "To not see my dear brother for such a long time. It has been months, years even. How can you forget about me?! Did you grow bored of your dear sister, Rin?! Huh? Do you hate me now?!" She eximed.


    "But, didn''t we meet like 3 days ago?" He asked with confusion. He didn''t understand where all this dramatic stuff she said came from.


    "No! 3 days are like 300 years for me! How can you take your sister''s feelings lightly?! Do you want to get punished?" She pulled her face away and pouted visibly like a spoiled little girl.


    "Hmm, fine, I''m sorry." He said as he tried to stop himself fromughing.


    "No! Your apology is refused! I want you topensate me for this torture. The damage has been dealt and now I need to heal." She replied.


    "Compensation? Hmm, what kind ofpensation?" He asked.


    It has to be noted that the whole conversation was happening while Rin was carrying her in his arm like a baby. This was a weirdly normal interaction between them at this point.


    "Hug me for two days straight!"


    "Two days?! My arms will be numb! That''s absurd!"


    "I don''t care. I need two straight days of hugging to be able to recharge my Rin-o-meter."


    "Rin-o-meter, seriously?! What the hell is that, hahahaha!!" Rin busted outughing.


    "What''s so funny?! Dummy!!"


    Aria then started punching him on the chest yfully as she protested. From an outsider''s point of view, the two looked like a married couple bantering and flirting. They didn''t even try to hide their intentions even if it was for the most part innocent.


    As the two were like that, suddenly, a small gush of wind reached them from the direction of the window. Instantly, Aria jumped in the air andnded with her sword in her hand while Rin pulled out his dagger and faced the intruder.


    It didn''t take more than a second for the two of them to quickly take a fighting stance. The process was fast and swift.


    "Oh, so scarrryyy~~" The yfully devilish voice that Rin had heard many times before slightly surprised him.


    ''What the hell is Evelyn doing here?'' He clenched his teeth as he looked at Aria from the side.


    Thetter, not being aware of his gaze was still pointing her sword at Evelyn as her aura was slowly seeping out, ready for a fight to break out. Aria had never met her before so in her eyes, this overly-seductive woman is nothing but a potential enemy.


    ''Fuck! Why did she appear now when Aria is here?! Does she want to create a disaster?!'' Rin''s mind raced to understand what exactly was going on.


    Till this point, neither Aria nor Emilia nor even Elise knew of the existence of Evelyn. Hell, even Rin to this day has no information about this woman. All he knew was that she was incredibly strong, a charm user, and a Jack of all trades when ites to skills and talents.


    Other than that, he had no idea about her past, her identity, and even whether her name was actually Evelyn or not.


    "Ohoh, who is thisdy over here, Rin?~~," Evelyn asked as she smiled yfully at Rin.


    "Rin?! Do you know this woman?" Aria asked seriously.


    "Mmm¡­" Rin couldn''t understand what to do.


    If he lied now and denied that, Aria could potentially discover the truth eventually and then would lose trust in him.  But, also, if revealed that he knew Evelyn, he can''t even predict what his big sister would do.


    Either choice could end up in disastrous oues and it was all because the woman in front of him decided to finally reveal herself to one of his loved ones.


    ''Why?!'' He wondered.


    "Rin, do you know her or not?!" Aria asked as she grew more and more agitated by the second.


    She most likely sensed that Evelyn was by no means a weak enemy and that if a fight broke, it can end up with dire consequences.


    "Mm, yes, I do. Well, I met her recently. You can put down your weapon, she isn''t an enemy¡­ I think." He said as he sighed and rubbed the back of his head.


    "Yes, yes, put down your weapon, Aria. How can you try and kill your little brother''s girlfriend, hm?~" Evelyn said with a beautiful chuckle. Her huge breasts moved along with herugh catching Rin''s attention.


    "W-What¡­ did you¡­ just say?"


    Just one word was more than enough to turn the situation that was about to calm down from bad to horrible¡­ really horrible.


    Aria stared at the woman with a renewed cold re, an even stronger one than before.


    ''Oh shit!!''


    "Oh, he didn''t tell you about me? How unsightly of me not to introduce myself. I''m Evelyn, Rin''s lovely girlfriend. It''s nice to meet you, Aria~~. Rin told me a lot about you and I couldn''t wait to meet you." She said as she bowed elegantly.


    "No! Wait, this is a lie! We aren''t dating! Trust me, Aria!" Rin tried to quickly defuse the problem before the misunderstanding could grow any bigger.


    Whatever could happen now is not something Rin was ready to deal with.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 168 168- Aria Vs Evelyn (Part 2)

    Chapter 168- Aria Vs Evelyn (Part 2)


    The two beautiful women stared at each other intently, not backing off or averting their eyes at all. One had a very amused smile on her face as if she was having the time of her life. The other had a strong frown that made her look almost unapproachable.


    Her sharp, cold eyes that were as cute as that of a puppy not too long assessed the seductive woman. As much as she didn''t like this woman, Aria had to admit that she was by far one of the most beautiful women she had ever met next to Elise.


    It wasn''t merely her looks that made her so eye-catching and attractive, it was her whole aura.  If it was for looks alone, Evelyn would''ve still been a top-tier beauty but it was the atmosphere around her that really gave her that strong impression that she could give others.


    Her aura was sweet, calm, and very beautiful, probably as much as she was. However, in that beauty, there was a very unsettling feeling hiding, lurking where the eyes and senses can''t reach. This weird feeling would only be noticed by those who met people simr to Evelyn. These people shared veryparable traits that made each one of them a lethal power in Divine Sapphire.


    "Hmm, I don''t know what someone from the Assassin''s Guild wants from my brother," Aria said as she smiled, trying to hide her nervousness.


    As much as she was certain that she can still fight Evelyn head-to-head in a fair fight, this simply wasn''t enough for her to rx. She was facing an assassin, someone known for choosing every possible fighting style except a direct face-off.


    Assassins are known for back-stabbing and for quick kills that didn''t need a direct confrontation since it wasn''t one of their strongest points.


    "Huh, assassin''s guild?" Rin''s ears perked as he heard what Aria said.


    ''Assassin''s guild¡­ I have heard of them from Elise before.'' He recalled Elise talking about them briefly before.


    As the name suggests, the assassin''s guild was a guild designated for everyone that was intending to be an assassin. As shady as they may sound, in Divine Sapphire, it waspletely legal for them to operate. In fact, one of the most well-known acts of this world that differed from Rin''s real world was the fact that assassination requests were a thing in Divine Sapphire.


    Nobility, kings, emperors, and evenmoners would make an official request to the Assassin''s guild asking to get rid of a certain person they have a grudge against.


    This act was obviously restrained by manyws such as the identity of the target, the identity of the person requesting, the reason for the request, and many more things.


    That''s why, in a few years, the assassin''s guild became a renowned organization across the whole of Divine Sapphire. Ironically, it was also one of the most well-respected guilds in this world for its professionalism and strict rules.


    Hearing her words, Evelyn smiled as she shook her head.


    "Tsk, tsk, was it that obvious? Oh no, I should''ve hidden it better~" She said, not changing the tone of her voice at all.


    "Every assassin is the same and I had met a few of them before, they are buried 6 feet under now." Aria shrugged.


    "Oh my, very cool. You''re going to make this beautiful big sister swing the other way~ Not that I mind tasting the forbidden fruit." She said as she licked her beautiful thin lips. This simple gesture of hers was simply irresistible.


    But, instead, Rin and Elise felt a chill run down their spines.


    "Of¡­ Of course not, you pervert!" Aria shouted in a higher tone than she would''ve dared to admit. She was simply shocked by what Evelyn said.


    "This woman¡­" Rin, on the other hand, merely face-palmed himself with a sigh as he shook his head.


    "Fufufuf! I''m joking, don''t worry. I only have eyes for your little brother over there."


    "My little brother?! Don''t you dare even think about it. I won''t let an assassin get close to my brother."


    Finally, for the first time, Evelyn''s face changed as she looked at Aria sadly.


    "Buhu, but he stole my heart. How can you stop our love from flourishing? That''s horrible, Ari."


    "''Love flourishing'' my ass! and who are you calling ''Ari''."


    "But, I like the name ''Ari''. It suits you well, sister-inw." Evelyn said.


    It was already clear what kind of dynamic the conversation will take. Evelyn was a very tricky person to deal with and Aria would lose all reason whenever her brother is mentioned in the conversation so the seductive woman was able to quickly grasp her weakness and y on it.


    ''This didn''t turn as I anticipated.'' On the sideline, Rin watched as the two argued back and forth.


    ''What should I even say now.'' He wondered.


    "I will never allow that! Never, ever! Rin won''t marry you!" Aria shouted as she closed her eyes.


    "Why did you even believe her words?!" Rin blurted out.


    "Hahahahaha!! I can''t, this is too funny." The beautiful assassin chuckled as she held her stomach. She looked genuinely entertained.


    "But, but, she said that she would marry you!" Aria tried to retort with a sad face. She was now no different from a naive child that was wronged and was on the verge of crying.


    "Of course not! She has no feelings for me and neither do I. She''s messing with you."


    "Oh? How horrible of you to say that, darling. After what you did to me that day and how much you touched my body and made me melt in your hands. You even left your eternal mark on me. Are you going to deny our love now?"


    "Wait, wait, no! This isn''t what happened!" He tried to salvage the situation as he felt a cold re poking his back.


    "Hmm, what do you mean? Didn''t we embrace each other and we kissed intently as if there was no tomorrow. That kiss is still carved into my memory. I couldn''t forget that pleasure."


    "P-Pleasure? R-Rin, you kissed her?!" Aria asked.


    "No! I didn''t¡­"


    ''Fuck! I don''t think I can lie for long if this continues! Evelyn, for god''s sake, stop digging my grave!'' He gave the seductive woman a re.


    He knew that if she kept this stupid y, Aria would get triggered and attack her, resulting in what he was trying to avoid from the start.


    Fortunately for him, Evelyn seemingly picked up his intention and she shook her head with a smile.


    "Fine, fine. I will stop joking around even though it''s so much fun. I don''t want to anger my cute Rin, do I now?"


    In her eyes, however, a different message was conveyed to Rin.


    ''You owe me one, boy.''


    ''Tsk¡­ You were the one who started this, bitch. I owe you nothing.''


    Evelyn was able to hear his thoughts clearly so she smiled and didn''t say much.


    On the other hand, however, Aria still looked as clueless as she was before. Rin''s thoughts somehow didn''t reach her this whole time.


    "S-So, you two didn''t kiss?" Aria asked as she blinked.


    ''How is she this naive when ites to stuff like this?'' Rin thought to himself.


    Usually, Aria was a very sharp and witty person who can understand rather quickly. However, weirdly, whenever it''s a matter simr to this one, she turns into a dumb kid that didn''t know left from right. It was as mysterious as it was intriguing for the young man.


    "No, we didn''t kiss."


    ''We technically did more than just kissing but it shouldn''t be mentioned.'' Rin sighed.


    If Rin knew that by some weird effect, his thoughts only reached Evelyn and didn''t reach Aria, he would''ve died from a heart attack.


    "Now, should I ask the obvious, Evelyn?" Rin turned around and red at her.


    "What are you doing here?" He asked.


    "Fufufuf, I came for a visit since I missed my Rin." She replied as she slumped down on the bed.


    "Hey! don''t sit on his bed so casually!" Aria shouted.


    "Hmm, why? It would soon be the ce where I sleep. Shouldn''t I get ustomed to it?" Evelyn winked mischievously.


    "You!! Rin, I''m going to kill her!"


    "Wait! Are you out of your mind? Do you want to destroy the whole ce?" He asked.


    "But, but¡­"


    "Don''t worry. She''s just an acquaintance. All she says are jokes to get you riled up. Don''t mind her."


    Then, he focused his gaze on Evelyn again.


    "Now, the funny joke aside, what is the real reason you came here?"


    "Hmm, I have been thinking about it for a while now but I decided that now is the perfect time for it." Then, she shed Rin a beautiful smile before continuing.


    "Do you want to leave the academy with me?"


    (A//N: Soon, The mission is about to start :) )


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 169 169- Outside World (Part 1)

    Chapter 169- Outside World (Part 1)


    "Leave the academy?" Rin asked back in confusion.


    "Yes." Evelyn nodded her head.


    "W-W-What do you mean by that, woman?!" Aria shouted as she stood in front of Rin to protect him. This gesture of hers waspletely done by instinct as she was still focused on Evelyn, not leaving her eyes on her.


    "Rx, big sister. I''m not going to snatch your little brother. I was just asking if he wants to go on a mission with me." Evelyn said as she smiled mischievously.


    Rin could swear that she phrased it that way on purpose. Evelyn adored creating misunderstandings merely for her enjoyment. She loved the thrill of seeing people''s frantic reactions as they tried toprehend what she said. It was one of her secret hobbies.


    "Exin, Evelyn." Rin stepped up and asked her with squinted eyes.


    "Well, it''s simple, no? I have a mission I have to deal with and I wanted you to help me." She said.


    "Do you really need my help? I think the sheer difference between us when ites to power is way too drastic for me to be useful." Rin quickly cut down any possible routes she can take to convince him.


    Not only did Rin not trust this woman, but he was also not going to just leave the academy grounds to go somewhere unknown with a mysterious woman that ims to be an assassin. He could be killed as far as he was concerned. Even though the chances that she will harm him are close to zero, he was still not going to risk seeing that 1% chance be reality merely because he was acting naive.


    "Hmm, but, what about our agreement?" She asked.


    "Huh, what are you talking¡­ about." At thest word, Rin''s eyes shed with a hint of understanding as he remembered what ''agreement'' she was talking about.


    ''The date?'' He asked.


    From what he could remember, she only mentioned that she wanted to go on a date with him. Nothing mentioned had any rtion to a mission or going out of the academy for that matter.


    "But that has nothing to do with this request of yours."


    "Hmm, I still think both are the same. As long as it''s with you, I would consider it as such."


    The two kept talking in cryptic words that made Aria more and more panicked. Her face turned grim as she looked back and forth between them.


    "What are you two talking about?! What did she ask from you, Rin?!" She finally couldn''t hold it in anymore as she asked her little brother for a proper exnation.


    "Mm, well¡­" Scratching the back of his head, Rin tried to find a good way to exin.


    However, no matter how he looked at it, Aria would get angry and throw a tantrum no matter what he said.


    ''This is troublesome.''


    Rin would rather not say anything than end up trying to deal with a raging Aria. As much as he loved his sister, she was just a very emotionally-driven person when ites to her family. Words can''t simply stop her if they aren''t satisfactory enough.


    *Ding*


    However, as they were like that, one of the bracelets in the room made a very familiar ding sound. Looking at the origin of it, it was Aria''s bracelet.


    Thetter also looked down and her face immediately paled. Silence dominated the room, the grim atmosphere was very heavy for a moment before Aria lifted her eyes and looked at Rin.


    "I have been challenged to a duel for my rank." She said in a very slow manner.


    "A duel? Is it that serious?"


    "Honestly, yes¡­ I have to go back to the higher floors now."


    "I see¡­ Well, if you have to, there is no stopping it."


    "But, what about this?! I can''t leave you with her now! And also the matter of this agreement." Aria''s panicked tone only increased as she took quick nces at Evelyn sitting on the bed.


    "Don''t worry, I have already met her before when I was alone. She won''t do anything bad¡­ hopefully."


    "Oh, how horrible of you, Rin. If I wanted to harm you, I would''ve done that before. Why the hassle?" Evelyn rolled her eyes.


    "Ugh, well, I guess. So, you don''t have to worry, I will deal with this matter by myself. You can deal with yours." Rin smiled as he extended his arms to hug Aria.


    Thetter allowed him to hug her as she basically threw her body weight on him and buried her face in his shoulders.


    "Don''t worry, ok? I can handle trouble myself. You can''t keep protecting me forever, can you?"


    "That''s why I''m feeling horrible," Aria replied as she held on to his clothes.


    "You don''t need to. Did you forget what I said before?" He asked as a memory of when both of them talked about this matter before.


    At the time, Rin had told her that he would never allow himself to stay under his family''s protection merely because it was the easiest route. He wanted to protect them more than anything else.


    "I¡­ understand," Aria replied slowly.


    "Good, now, go and deal with this matter. When youe back, we will talk more, ok?"


    "Hmm¡­ Let me hug you for a few more minutes."


    After that, the two siblings said goodbye to each other and Aria left the room after making sure to warn Evelyn a few times. As much as she trust Rin''s senses, she still wanted to make sure to tell Evelyn that touching her brother was a big no.


    When the two were left alone, Evelyn finally stood up and walked toward Rin.


    "You have a very lovely sister. I like her."


    "Thanks." He replied without turning around.


    "Now, is it time for our small date?" She asked with a wide smile.


    "What are you thinking, Evelyn?" He asked coldly.


    "Hmm, what do you mean?" She asked as she touched her chin with her index finger.


    " Do you think I can''t see through your small tricks? How did you make someone challenge Aria to that duel?" He asked.


    "..."


    Silence dominated the ce for a very long time after Rin''s questions. Neither of them moved nor made any sounds. A weird tension started building inside the room that could make any third party feel extremely ufortable.


    "What made you think so?" She asked.


    "So I was right. Well, it was mostly a guess. But, if I have to voice out one reason. It''s the timing. It was simply too perfect to be a mere coincidence. You predicted that the conversation will be led in that direction and then somehow made someone ask for a duel at the perfect moment to get rid of Aria."


    He then turned around and stared directly at Evelyn.


    "You also wanted me to have no excuse to not ept, no? However, this part of the n is still not executed yet. Go ahead, say what will make mepletely ept this request." He said.


    Rin''s whole demeanor changed as a dark, hollow aura surrounded him. Neither of them was aware of this change or the strong pressure emitting from Rin.


    "Pfft! Hahahahahaha!! Amazing!~" Suddenly, Evelyn exploded inughter.


    It was the most genuineugh Rin had ever heard from this mischievous seductress. Her expression was as real as they could get.


    "Aren''t you too smart for your own good, darling?" She asked.


    "I could only be like this to see through your meticulous ns and schemes." He retorted.


    "Fufufuf! After all, I do really like you, Rin. You are the most special person I have ever met. Maybe it was all a blessing rather than a curse after all." Evelyn said in a whisper.


    "What blessing?"


    "Don''t worry about it. But, back to the important topic, I do indeed have a very attractive offer for you." She said as she smiled.


    "Spit it out."


    "Before, that, what''s your main weapon?"


    "A dagger, why?"


    "Well, good news. I think I have great news for you. In the ce where the mission will happen, there is another dagger. I have made my research about it and I could only say that it''s freakishly powerful."


    Then, Evelyn extended her arm to her cleavage and from there, she pulled out a rolled scroll. Opening it up, she showed it to Rin.


    On it, he could see the drawing of a particr dagger with some weird scriptures written around it.


    "It''s called ''The blood eye'' and it''s known to have been one of the weapons used by the founder of the academy himself. Its destructive power is unparalleled. But, its most scary power is not the sheer destruction it could inflict. Its what it can give to its user¡­ The power to manipte blood." Evelyn said.


    "Manipte blood?" Rin asked.


    "Yes, blood¡­ It''s said that the founder had more than one element when he was still alive. One of these elements was blood."


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 170 170- Outside World (Part 2)

    Chapter 170- Outside World (Part 2)


    "Blood maniption, you say?" Rin murmured as he looked down, deep in thought.


    "The power to control blood is extremely powerful, almost iprehensible. It''s also one of the main reasons why the demons lost the war at the time. This power, from the few things we knew about it, is something that only existed in the founder''s dagger. I have been searching for it for a while now and it coincidentally ended up being in the hands of my next target whom I was sent a request to assassinate." Evelyn continued exining.


    It was slightly odd how easily she was talking about murdering someone. It goes to show that killing was as easy as breathing for her.


    "Who is this target?" Rin asked.


    "Hmm, In a neighboring country, right north of Avarision kingdom, there is another empire that is politically on friendly terms with it. However, because of a particr city at the border between the two countries, there is a lord that seems to be wreaking havoc among these citizens and even mistreating the merchants that cross the border from there. He is threatening to worsen the rtionship between the two kingdoms. So, I was asked to eliminate him."


    "Why did this kingdom just fire him or something?" Rin asked.


    However, Evelyn shook her head in refusal as she said.


    "That''s not how it works. Most cities in the world are ruled by small lords that are under the direct supervision of the king or queen. However, most if not all cities are ruled by bloodline heritage going down generations of the same family. They couldn''t simply change that. Our job is to merely eliminate the annoying insect and then let his son be the lord in hopes of him being a better one in the future."


    "I see¡­" Rubbing his chin, Rin thought carefully about the offer.


    On one hand, getting a second dagger will be a great boost to Rin''s strength and with the blood element added to it, he can basically make a huge leap and even a breakthrough. However, on the other hand, there were risks to this mission after all.


    The main one is obviously Evelyn herself. She is, for theck of a better word, quite a tricky person and what just happened with Aria was a good example of that. Was it not for Rin''s mind being perceptive, he could''ve easily missed that detail. The fact that she had nned that interaction exactly how she wanted was quite scary.


    But, for better or worse, this woman didn''t show any signs of wanting to harm Rin. In fact, in the past month or so, Rin felt that she started acting more ''genuine'' around him even though it was a rare thing.


    Even now, as she was smiling at him, he could see that there was no mischievousness in her eyes. In fact, he could swear he was seeing a little bit of nervousness shing through her pupils from time to time.


    ''Ugh, I mean, the bigger the risk, the greater the rewards, am I right?'' Rin thought as he found himself falling to the charm of a second dagger.


    All this time, he had been fighting with one dagger and his style relied on two. So, he had been searching for another good dagger that can keep up with the fragment of the shadow monarch dagger he had now.


    But, no matter where he searched, there wasn''t a satisfactory choice that caught his interest.


    "So, what do you think? Are you going to humor your lovely Evelyn?" The seductive woman asked.


    "Ugh, fine, but, before that, how do you prove that the dagger is really there?" Rin asked as he read the scroll again, searching for any indications that it was at that exact location.


    "Well¡­ I have my connections. I''m very certain that it''s in the possession of the current lord." She said.


    Squinting his eyes, Rin looked at Evelyn silently for a long while. The woman was quite surprised that she couldn''t read his eyes at all. Because of the nature of her job and even her powers, Evelyn was an excellent mind reader that can easily discern the feelings people are going through with a mere nce.


    However, at this moment, staring at Rin, she could only see a neutral expression and an extremely calm state of mind.


    "Fine¡­ I ept your offer." Rin said as he closed his eyes and sighed.


    p¦Á§ád¦Á-¨¾?¦Í¨º|¡¤§ã¨®§® "Really?" Evelyn''s eyes blinked a few times adorably as if she couldn''t hear him the first time.


    "Yes, I decided to take the mission. I need that dagger and if it''s really there, then I have to get it." He said.


    "..."


    The woman opened her mouth to speak but ended up merely staying silent. Rin noticed this abnormal behavior of hers as he asked.


    "What''s wrong?" He asked.


    "Yay!!!" Suddenly, Evelyn sprung to her feet as she jumped on Rin, and hugged him tightly.


    "What?!" Rin backed off as he carried Evelyn in his arms. Thattter had put all of her weight on him and even tightly wrapped her arms around his neck.


    "Thank you!!!" She shouted.


    "Why are you thanking me?!"


    "I mean, I thought that you will 100% refuse even when I offer that dagger."


    "Huh? Wait¡­ you were still unsure whether I will ept or not?"


    "Y-Yes¡­" Evelyn said awkwardly.


    "..."


    ''This woman.'' Rin sighed as he didn''t know whether tough or cry.


    "Fine, just release me."


    "Oh, right." Realizing her blunder, Evelyn quickly retracted her arms and looked down with a cough.


    The way she was acting now was drastically different than her usual yful, naughty character which gave Rin a weird feeling.


    ''Was this her true character?'' He thought to himself confusedly.


    He couldn''t say for certain since Evelyn could easily act as a genuine person if she wanted to. So, he shook his head and put this matter to the back of his head.


    "So, when are we going to leave?" He asked.


    "Oh, tomorrow morning. I already chose a good mission for you as an excuse for leaving. We can quickly finish it as we are going back." She said.


    "Oh, you work fast," Rin said.


    "Of course! Fufufu, it would''ve been awkward if I had to return the mission."


    After that, the two discussed some details about the mission and where exactly will it be before Evelyn left.


    ***


    The next day, in front of the gates of the academy''s fourth floor, three people stood motionlessly.


    "Sooo, darling, can you tell me why is this girl here?" Evelyn asked as she smiled at Rin. However, her smile wasn''t the usual amused one but instead was filled with a cold aura that poked Rin''s face and made him avert his eyes.


    "O-Oh, you see¡­ I couldn''t hide this from Elise." The young man broke a sweat from the re.


    On the other hand, Elise seemed to be busy with something as she kept tapping on her bracelet.


    "I won''t let Rin go alone." She said in a cold tone.


    Last night was long as Rin had to deal with a very angry Elise. She didn''t like the fact that Rin had Evelyn''s existence from her and he had to keep exining the reason for that. However, in truth, Rin did feel bad that he hid it from his partner even though he did tell her about Evelyn before, albeit not in detail.


    ''At least help me here!'' Rin screamed in his head.


    "Sigh, it''s fine. The more the better, I guess." Evelyn said.


    "Ehem, yes, Elise can make it easier," Rin said as heughed awkwardly.


    "So, how are we going to travel?" Changing the topic, he tried to make Evelyn focus on the mission instead.


    "We are going to use the portal to get us to the border and then it''s on foot since it''s not that far. We can reach there in one day if we keep a steady pace." Analyzing the n in her head, Evelyn nodded her head as if she was approving of it again.


    "I see¡­ well, let''s go."


    The three then walked out of the gates and then stood up on the tform that leads them down from the sky ind they are on.


    Looking back, Rin admired the amazing scenery of the academy from the outside. This ce never seizes from amazing him with its odd structures and impossible feats like the fake sky above them.


    ''It''s a weird feeling to leave after the weeks I spent here. Well, I will be back soon, I guess.''


    However, what Rin didn''t know was that this simple mission that seemed like a mere walk in the park will turn out to be the pivotal point where his whole destiny will change. A change that will totally divert Rin''s path. Whether that path will be good or bad, no one knows. Only fate will tell.

 Chapter 171 171- Outside World (Part 3)

    Chapter 171- Outside World (Part 3)


    Then, the tform they were standing on sted off into the horizon, flying at an extremely fast speed as it quickly descended from the clouds. The ind behind them quickly vanished behind the veils of whiteness as the ground beneath them, as vast as the eye could see, finally appeared.


    Rin felt a sense of nostalgia seeing it even though it has been barely over a month since thest time he saw it. But, Divine Sapphire was an extremely beautiful world filled with vast green ins, amazing wilderness, mesmerizing cities, and beautiful structures reaching hundreds of years of history.


    Even a neer would instantly feel attached to the world as if they lived there their whole life. This was also one of the reasons why this world was a fan favorite in the game.


    People loved it greatly and loved its mysteries more than anything else.


    A few momentster, the tformnded on the ground near the gate to the demon world. After Rin, Elise, and Evelyn stepped out of it, the tform instantly flew up again like a rocket, disappearing in a second.


    "This way, the journey will be slightly long so try to keep up with me," Evelyn said to Rin and Elise.


    The two nodded their heads in understanding. After that, Evelyn cracked her neck a few times and got ready before her body vanished from where it was standing before, appearing 20 meters away.


    The duo was quite surprised by this sudden show of speed. However, they quickly shook their heads and then dashed after Evelyn at top speed.


    ''Woah! No matter how many times I try it! Gaining powers and experimenting with them is the most amazing feeling in the world!'' Rin beamed with an excited smile as he crossed tens and tens of meters in a short period of time.


    Quickly, they were able to reach Evelyn''s side and keep up with her which was something that made thetter blink a few times. But, eventually, she smiled and didn''t say anything at all.


    The journey was still at the start so they had to conserve their energy as much as possible so that they don''t end up exhausted in the middle of the road.


    ***


    "Ouch, ouch, ouch. These bug bites piss me off!" Rin groaned as he pped an insect away that tried to bite him. His arms were swollen from all the bites he got.


    "Fufufu! Orange-eyed bugs are known for being blood-sucking creatures. Although, the ones that actually suck blood are the females. Even female insects like you, Rin. You naughty yboy~" Evelyn joked as she looked at Rin with a smile.


    "Huh? What kind of nonsense is that?" Rin replied as he rolled his eyes before he pped another insect.


    "Hmm? Is it tho? Look at me and Elise, we are both untouched. I don''t think that''s a coincidence."


    What Evelyn was indeed the truth as when he looked at her, there was not even a single female insect trying to bite her. Turning to Elise, she was also free from the horrible pain of the insects.


    ''Huh? is this really the case?!'' Rin couldn''t know whether tough or cry at this sudden realization.


    "yboy! Rin is a yboy~"


    "Shut up!"


    "Fufufu!"


    As Rin and Evelyn kept bantering casually, Elise was looking around her silently. Her eyes scanned the area they were in at the moment.<novelsnext>please visit </novelsnext>


    It has been almost 15 hours since they left the academy. The sun had already vanished on the horizon.


    They were walking through some kind of thick forest somewhere at the border. She wasn''t really good with maps so Elise relied on Evelyn to guide them. Rin was also the same case.


    "How far is the city?" Elise asked.


    "Oh? We are very close¡­ No, never mind, we are here." Evelyn said as she stepped forward and pushed a huge tree leaf to the side, revealing the sight behind it.


    A majestic city presented itself in front of them with its towering walls and¡­ or that was what Rin and Elise expected to see. However, what they saw was extremely different from their expectations.


    Instead, the city was merely a broken down, gloomy piece of hugend filled with old houses and dirt, uncemented roads that looked as old as the city itself. The whole ce screamed of poverty and misery.


    In and out of the city, came old carriages barely filled with merchandise. Even though this city was on the borders so it was a very great spot for merchant transactions and extremely rich individuals to invest and make it a flourishing haven.


    Yet, nothing of that was present. Instead, it seemed like the city''s economy seemspletely dead as if someone deliberately tried to destroy it.


    "What is¡­ this?" Rin questioned as he looked at the ce, shocked.


    "That''s the city of Linta¡­ or what was left of it at least," Evelyn said.


    "What happened?" Rin asked.


    "Corruption,ck of monitoring, and also the stupid and continuous blunders of the lord. In less than a year, this ce was turned from a prosperous border city that linked the two kingdoms together to a poverty-ridden shithole. I''m quite surprised honestly how bad the situation became." She sighed.


    "Why would he do such things, though? Is he intentionally trying to ruin the whole city?" Elise asked from the side.


    "I have no idea if I have to be honest. All I know is that the lord has been acting weirdtely. It''s quite odd actually, now that I look at it, everything started exactly a year ago. The time is weird and simply too sudden. The lord was fairly normal before that. I really do have some suspicions."


    "Yeah, this doesn''t add up," Rin murmured as he squinted his eyes.


    ''Why do I have a bad feeling because of this?'' He thought to himself.


    His instincts were rming him for some reason. He really couldn''t see why a simple mission like this one could be this bad. Was the lord that strong? He doubted that would be the case since from what Evelyn said, he didn''t even know how to use magic properly.


    Then, where this sense of danger ising from? Rin didn''t know and he hoped he would never know. He really didn''t want to see this mission turn into a disaster. From everything he experienced till this point, the chances of that happening were stupidly high. Rin was now even known as a trouble ma by Elise and they would even joke about it even though both of them knew it was weirdly the truth of the case.


    "Anyway, let''s move. It''s still early so we can find a good inn for the night. We can move tomorrow." Evelyn said as she stood up, dusted her clothes, and then started walking out.


    Rin and Elise followed behind her. Both of their postures were quite tense as they looked around. It seemed that even Elise had the same feeling as Rin which made thetter almost certain that the matter of this lord was way moreplicated than a mere man having some fun.


    (A//N: I decided I will start uploading two 1.2k words chapters everyday instead of one 1.5k words chapter :) )

 Chapter 172 172- The City Of The Mindless (Part 1)

    Chapter 172- The City Of The Mindless (Part 1)


    The group of three walked down the road toward the small, rundown city. The more they got closer to it, the more a weird feeling started rising in their hearts.


    Rin couldn''t discern what it was as it wasn''t a sense of danger or fear. Just mere dread, as if the city was the most repulsive ce he could enter and his body was telling him to just turn around and leave now.


    But, Rin neither smelled anything bad nor saw anything suspicious. This weird sensation was quite literally iprehensible considering their situation. Hell, they still didn''t even enter the city and yet they were already not feelingfortable.


    But, none of them voiced out their thoughts as they knew they weren''t based on any real things happening around them. Except for its really bad condition, the city was really ordinary. Even people didn''t seem to be looking at them or giving them even a nce. Even the merchants they pass beside never gave them even a small peek. They merely guided their carriage ahead, staring straight at the road. Which was nor¡­


    ''Wait.'' Rin noticed something really odd.


    ''Why is no one looking here?'' He squinted his eyes as he searched around.


    While many would consider such an event normal, Rin knew more than anyone else how odd this is. Beside him were Elise and Evelyn, arguably the two most beautiful women in this entire world. For them to garner stares from passersby and even outright attempts of hitting on was the actual norm. Yet, all these people, mostly men, didn''t even stare at them once even though they had the most striking features possible.


    That alone could make Rin just stop them. But, he quickly noticed something else, far worse than what he discovered.


    Each and every person they passed had the same, weirdly tranquil expression on their face. Their eyes were extremely dazed as if they were in a dream world. Even their rhythmic breathing seemed too slow to be normal.


    ''What is going on here?''


    Rin gave Elise a nce and she nodded quickly, seemingly also aware of the abnormality happening. Evelyn was also already getting ready for any sudden ambushes of any sort.


    The idea that this city was normal has far been erased from their thoughts. Whatever they were dealing with at the moment was far from that.


    Eventually, they reached the city gates where they found a small booth with a man sitting inside, motionless and staring ahead of him. Rin didn''t even want to know how long has the man been in that position for.


    "Ehem, we''d like to enter the city," Rin said.


    "..."


    "Hello?" He asked again.


    Yet, not even a sign of response came from the dazed man. Rubbing his chin, Rin tried to think of something before he looked back at hispanions and then smiled.


    "Maybe they have a special way of greeting here."


    "They do?" Evelyn asked with a smile as if she understood Rin''s intentions.


    "Hmm, so you don''t know? Well, since we can''tmunicate with him, we might as well make our way inside. He didn''t stop us after all." Rin said loudly enough for the man to hear.


    ''Come on, show a reaction or anything.'' He thought to himself as he waited for a few moments.


    However, the man didn''t say or do anything. He was akin to a doll, devoid of any life. Just sitting there, as if he was a mannequin of someone doing this job.


    Losing hope, Rin signaled for the two of Elise and Evelyn to just follow him. The man didn''t seem to be going to stop them any time soon.


    So, they simply passed the open gate and entered the city. The city was weirdly bustling with people that moved everywhere. However¡­


    ''It feels so empty.'' Rin thought as he looked around him.


    Not even this huge number of people made this ce feel alive. They were all just hollow, empty souls akin to ghosts moving inside a haunted city.


    In the grander image, they might look like normal people doing their business. However, when Rin focused on one individual alone, he quickly noticed the abnormality.<novelsnext>please visit </novelsnext>


    One citizen for example was simply walking until he hit a wall with his face. But, instead of giving any reaction, he merely continued walking while he is stuck to the wall as if he was a broken NPC in a game.


    Someone else was sitting in front of a stall, selling something. However, the odd problem is that there was nothing to sell.


    A married couple was also standing nearby and were looking at each other, then they went in for a kiss. The problem there is that the husband kissed her eye and the woman kissed his throat. Both of them were obviously unaware of how weird they were at this moment but since no one said anything, they just continued kissing like that.


    "What happened here? This ce is far odd than what you said, Evelyn." Elise voiced her concern as she sidestepped to get away from a person walking right toward her.


    "I''m also quite surprised. I didn''t receive any information about such odd behavior by the citizens." Evelyn replied.


    "Tsk, this is something that definitely has some kind of link to the change in the lord''s behavior a year ago. Where is his ce of residence?" Rin asked.


    "It''s right in the middle of the city. He lives inside a secluded vi."


    "Well, let''s go¡­" Rin said.


    *Swish*


    The three then vanished as they ran toward the heart of the city. Rin''s senses were now going off way stronger than before.


    However, as they were getting closer to the vi, something shocking happened.


    Every citizen they passed by, turned to face them. Every single one of them was now ncing directly at the three of them.


    "Huh?" Rin looked around him and noticed the abnormality.


    The citizens had started moving right toward them. Because of their huge numbers, the group was stuck in the middle.


    "Are they going to turn violent now?" Elise asked as she readied herself to get her sword out. Even though she knew that using this sword as these were innocent people in the end.


    They didn''t know what happened to them but killing was out of the question since they didn''t do anything wrong as far as they could see.


    Hundreds of citizens surrounded Rin, Elise, and Evelyn quickly and closed any possible escape route for them.


    "Damn, what the hell is going on here?!" Rin was ready to use his shadow maniption and pull Elise and Evelyn inside so they can escape.


    But, instead, Evelyn was the first to react.


    "Charming whiff." She said as she moved her arm.


    Instantly, a rosy-red aura exited her body and spread everywhere along with the wind. In less than a moment, the aura engulfed every single citizen around them.


    *Fuuuh*


    Instantly, the whole ce was turned motionless as if time itself stopped. All the citizens stopped moving altogether.


    "Huh? You stopped them?"


    "Yes, but not for long. This is really bad." Evelyn clicked her tongue as she looked around.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 173 173- The City Of The Mindless (Part 2)

    Chapter 173- The City Of The Mindless (Part 2)


    "Why are they acting like this?" Rin asked as he looked at them carefully.


    From the outside, these people looked normal, there was no noticeable change in their bodies or skin.  All they had different were the dazed, emotionless eyes that stared into particrly nothing. It was as if their minds were disconnected from reality itself and were thrown into a different world, leaving only their bodies as the outer shell.


    "Wait, their minds¡­" Rin''s thoughts halted at that word.


    From merely analyzing their current state, Rin didn''t really find much useful information. However, the word mind was the key.


    "Some kind of¡­"


    "Drug." Elise finished his words as her eyes squinted to the size of a needle.


    "They arepletely drugged by some kind of substance or under a spell that disconnects their minds from the world." She added.


    Evelyn''s eyes widened as she also quickly reached that conclusion albeit with a more clear answer. To quickly verify her hypothesis, she quickly approached a random citizen and held their head.


    Even though Evelyn wasn''t really very knowledgeable in this field, she was still someone who relied on the charm as her power and charm affected the mind so she can at least check their conditions.


    The moment her hand made contact with the citizen, she frowned visibly.


    "Hypnotised¡­ This is some kind of hypnotization spell." She said.


    In this world, people with the ability to hypnotize others existed and it was actually moremon than many would think. Although most users of this power can''t really control people and could only do it on monsters and animals. The moreplex the mind is the harder for them to control it so humans were one of the smartest if not the smartest creatures in Divine Sapphire.


    ''But, for this many people to be hypnotized. I have never heard of someone capable of pulling off something like this. How?''


    Controlling one or two humans would''ve been impressive but not something impossible to pull off if the user was extremely talented and had a massive mana pool. However, when the number bes in the tens or hundreds, then there was definitely something off,pletely off.


    "We need to move. They are going to move any time soon." Rin said suddenly, shaking Evelyn''s thoughts away.


    The two women nodded their heads and then they quickly escaped the area. Because of their high speed, they were able to quickly create a huge distance between themselves and the citizens.


    The group kept moving, heading right toward the only ce that could exin that weird phenomenon.


    However, their speed quickly came to a halt when they found another group of humans moving in the streets ahead of them.


    The trio had already agreed to not kill any citizen unless it was necessary. These people were innocent and had done nothing wrong so killing them would only create more trouble than help. However, this also created another problem, as not only can they not move in between them but they also can''t use their powers to push them away.


    Normal humans would end up with broken bones or heavy injuries if they were to be hit by an awakener let alone someone as strong as these three.


    "What should we do?"


    "We can only take a detour and reach the vi from the other side. However, I don''t think that the other parts of the city aren''t really filled with people."


    "It''s our only choice," Elisemented.


    While Evelyn could easily charm these people and open the way, there was no guarantee that they wouldn''t face another group of hypnotized people. Using her mana in such a stupid and wasteful way would only put them in trouble in case they had to face a very tough opponent.


    So, they could only take the long way as it was also the most guaranteed way to reach the vi while still being ready for a fight in case there would be one.


    The three kept discussing the potential roads they can take where the least humans were present. However, at that moment, a small sound reached their ears from behind.


    The group quickly looked back and saw someone hiding around the corner with half their body exposed. The person seemed to be a small child that was barely 10 years old at most or less.


    Seeing that he was exposed, the little boy tried to make a run for it. However, Rin had already moved before he could even think about escaping and appeared in front of him.


    In his eyes was a clear surprise as this boy didn''t seem to be like the others. His eyes seemed to be lively and focused. Even the way he acted was quite normal. This was the first time Rin was so happy to meet a normal person in his whole life.


    "AAA¡­" Before the boy could even scream in fair, Rin put his hand on his mouth and signaled for him to shush.


    "Listen, we aren''t enemies. We are here to save you. So, don''t scream or you will alert those people." He said in a whisper.


    It took the boy a few seconds to finally calm down enough to not yell again. After that, Rin pulled his hand away and looked at him.


    "A normal child?" Evelyn walked toward them as she examined the boy. He was indeed normal and unaffected.


    "How is he not affected by this hypnotization."


    "Let''s ask him."<novelsnext>please visit </novelsnext>


    Seeing three people staring at him, the boy grew distressed and nervous. He still didn''t understand what was going on.


    "It''s ok, take a deep breath and then talk. What exactly happened here?" Rin assured him.


    "Mmm, ok¡­ I-It all happened a week ago¡­ Suddenly, everyone in the city stopped being normal and they started acting weird. They even tried to attack me. But, I was able to escape and hide in my house. I couldn''t escape or find help. I could only fetch some food from nearby houses and then run back to my house. Hick, hick¡­" Tears welled up in the boy''s eyes.


    "I see¡­ Are your parents ok?" Rin asked.


    "I¡­ don''t know. I only live with my mother but since she was also affected, I could only put her in a room and close the door shut. I have been trying to feed her for a while, but she isn''t responding at all¡­"


    ''Poor kid¡­'' Elise thought to herself as her face frowned visibly.


    It was unimaginable how much fear this boy had to go through alone in a weird ce like this one.


    "I see¡­ We will get you out of here." Rin nodded his head and stood up.


    "What? No! I can''t leave while my mother is still stuck in our house. She will die." The boy protested.


    Rin knew that, however, he couldn''t really say for certain that leaving the boy here any longer would help.


    "What should we do?" he asked Evelyn.


    "Let''s keep him with us for the time being. The nearest city is to the north. It takes at least 10 hours to reach it. That''s too much time wasted."


    Rubbing the back of his head, Rin asked the boy.


    "What''s your name, kid?"


    "Cid¡­" Cid answered timidly.


    "Hmm, I see, Cid. That''s a cool name. I''m Rin and these two are Elise and Evelyn."


    The boy''s eyes turned to the woman that Rin pointed at and his eyes widened.


    "Beautiful¡­" He murmured.


    "What did you say?"


    "Beautiful big sisters!" He said. In his eyes were sparkles of excitement as if he saw something great.


    "..."


    Rin didn''t know whether tough or cry at Cid''s reaction.


    ''Do kids these days react like that to beautiful women?'' Rin smiled wrily as he thought.


    "Anyway, are you going to show us where your house is?"


    In Rin''s head, he decided to leave the kid in the house until they dealt with the matter. They can''t just let him go with them as that was not only dangerous but also nothing but an extra dead weight they have to protect which can affect their strength. Besides, since he was able to hide inside his house for a week, it can be considered a safe ce for the time being.


    Evelyn and Elise quickly caught on to his thoughts and nodded in approval.


    "Yes¡­ follow me." Cid epted and started moving toward a small house on the other side of the street near an alley.


    The way he walked was quite silent and fast.


    ''Very skilled, huh.'' Rin thought as he walked after him.


    The group quickly reached the door to the house. The kid then opened the door and walked inside followed by the trio.


    The house was quite small and very narrow with only three rooms and a kitchen. Closing the door shut, he said.


    "Mmm, wee to my house¡­ P-Please make yourselffortable."


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 174 174- The City Of The Mindless (Part 3)

    Chapter 174- The City Of The Mindless (Part 3)


    Looking around him, Rin could see that the house wasn''t really the best ce for a family to live. The wood was old and cracked and the smell of humidity was quite strong. However, even with that, the house was still neat and tidy if you put in mind that it probably hasn''t been cleaned in a week.


    "How did you stay alive alone?" He asked suddenly.


    "T-There is a shop nearby that had some food. We also have a small amount of food stored in the kitchen that I could survive on." Cid replied timidly.


    He did hear the boy say that he fetched some food from outside, however, for him to be able to do that was simply insane and impressive. Not only were the furniture and the utensils well cleaned, but there was also weirdly not even a speck of dust around.


    Approaching one of the shelves in the kitchen, Rin ran his hand on it and then looked at it. There, his palm was as clean as it was before.


    "This house is really well-kept, huh?" He said with a t tone to the boy as he looked at him calmly.


    "Y-Yes¡­ My mother taught me how to clean ever since I was able to speak and it became a habit of mine even when she is¡­ incapable of taking care of the house¡­" He said as he looked down, clearly sad.


    shing a nce at Elise and Evelyn, he could see that they were pitying his current condition. Even Rin felt slight pity for him, but for some reason, he can''t really try to put his guard down ever since he entered this house.


    "Anyway, where is the room that your mother is inside?" Evelyn asked with a small smile. For someone as mischievous and as yful as Evelyn to show such a pure smile made Rin question whether what she shows him usually was actually her real personality.


    "Mm, yes, she''s¡­ there."  Nodding his head, Cid pointed at a particr closed door on the other side of the house.


    Standing up, Evelyn walked toward the door followed by Elise to check on her. Even if she wasn''t in her normal condition, staying without food for a week can easily deteriorate her health or even kill her.


    *Tap* *Tap*


    The only one who stood behind was Rin, he kept his eyes on the two women and the boy Cid who followed behind them.


    His eyes were particrly focused on the small boy, there was simply no particr reason why he felt something weirding from that boy. His guts were telling him that something was off yet he couldn''t wrap his head around it.


    "Mm, wait, let me open the door, I have the key¡­" Cid suddenly said and ran toward the door.


    Passing beside Evelyn, his hand extended to the side as if he was trying to touch her.


    "No!!!"


    Suddenly, Rin yelled as his body vanished, his shadow quickly absorbed him as it extended toward the boy at an inhuman speed. Because of the nature of his element and also the power-up he got recently, closing a 10-meter distance in less than a second was an easy task for him now.


    But, to make it even quicker, Rin''s shadow extended in the blink of an eye, reaching Cid before anyone could even notice what happened.


    The moment his shadow connected with Cid''s shadow, the boy''s body froze. His hand was barely one millimeter away from Evelyn.


    "W-Wha¡­" Cid''s eyes widened as he looked down with his eyes only as his face was frozen in his ce too.


    Both Evelyn and Elise were also quite shocked, especially Elise who was the first to realize what Rin has done and could only stare at the blob of darkness floating on the ground speechlessly.


    *Swish*


    Out of the shadow, Rin emerged with an extremely serious look. His eyebrows were knitted tightly as he red at Cid.


    "What¡­ What happened?" Evelyn said as she looked at Rin. She couldn''t understand what he did as her mind was still processing the situation.


    "You¡­ I''m truly amazed at your tricks, friend." Rin spoke as he looked at the frozen boy.


    "Get away from him, Evelyn. It seems we aren''t dealing with a normal child."


    "Wait, what do you mean by this, Rin?" Elise approached him to ask.


    However, he pointed his hand up in a sign to stop her.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Stay away, we don''t know what he can do."


    Then, his eyes returned to Cid.


    "At first, when I saw you, you didn''t seem like something odd to me. However, for some reason, when we entered this house, I started having this hunch that you aren''t really what you seem to be."


    "H-Huh?" The boy tried to speak but could only say one word with great difficulty.


    "A normal 10-year-old child, surviving alone in a ce filled with hypnotized humans and was able to do so for a whole week. I mean, that''s quite impressive, isn''t it?" Rin asked.


    Then, he sighed and added.


    "It''s as if this is almost meant to happen. Evelyn, didn''t you say that all of this started a year ago?" He changed his questioning to Evelyn who visibly flinched when she saw his eyes.


    "Ah, yes¡­"


    "I don''t know how someone can pull off something like hypnotizing and controlling a whole city in less than a year. But, I can guess that this was a graduate change and not a sudden one or people would''ve noticed that something odd had happened and would''ve alerted someone outside way before all of this could happen, but since it was a slow change, no one, including the kingdom itself noticed this weird behavior of the city folks. However, this is where I found it hard toprehend."


    Approaching the boy, he faced him directly with his ominous purple eyes. Rin now looked like a horrible monster that was ready to wreak havoc and destroy.


    "Why is a young boy the only person that survived all of this?" He asked, in a slow, cold manner.


    Cid''s eyes widened as his breathing halted for a second. Rin could see the panic in his eyes.


    "Rin¡­ you¡­" Evelyn finally spoke.


    "Yes, I mean what I''m saying¡­ This little guy here is most likely the culprit for all of this." He said.


    "He had noticed our presence in the city and used a simple yet almost perfect n to trick us. All he needed to do was to touch one of us and he would''ve probably been able to control that person. Since you are the strongest one out of the three of us, he found you to be the perfect target since you can kill both of us if he was able to hypnotize you."


    "But, how can a human be capable¡­ of doing such a thing? It''s impossible."


    Shaking his head, Rin replied.


    "Who said he''s a human?" He asked.


    At that exact moment, a weirdugh escaped Cid''s mouth.


    "Hehehehehe! Hahahahahahaha!"


    His voice which was cute and adorable suddenly changed to something deeper, darker, and uglier.


    Raising an eyebrow, Rin watched carefully as the boy''s mouth opened wide and his teeth were starting to morph and change from normal human ones to sharp, animal-like teeth.


    His eyes also lost all of their innocence and timidness.


    "For you to be able to notice all of that this quickly¡­ I''m impressed, Rin. You have truly exceeded my expectations." The boy said.


    "You are losing track of your perfect acting, Cid," Rin replied calmly.


    "Oh, no need for that anymore, is there? You have fully revealed my n. I couldn''t be more impressed by something." He replied.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 175 175- Huge Trouble! (Part 1)

    Chapter 175- Huge Trouble! (Part 1)


    "Huh? What do you mean¡­ Wait¡­" Hearing his words, Evelyn was confused at first as the idea that this young boy wasn''t a human still didn''t hit her.


    But, when her mind worked and she realized that there was another race in this world that was as sane and as conscious as humans, her eyes widened to the extreme.


    But, even though Rin saw that she caught on, he still affirmed her suspicions.


    "He is most likely a demon¡­ Isn''t that right, Cid?" He pointed thest question to the little boy.


    "Bingo! You got the right answer. How about a reward for your analysis?" Cid asked as his eye stared up, right toward Rin''s.


    "Wait, wait, a demon? That''s impossible. Demons can''t use magic¡­" Evelyn said.


    The thing that affected the citizens is Hypnotizing magic and magic can only be used by humans. This was a widely known thing that no one, not even demons, can refute.


    The fact that a demon had somehow been the culprit behind this made it so unbelievable that Evelyn tried to find ways to refute that possibility even though the reality was right in front of her. The boy Cid was a demon and a very strong one at that.


    "Fuuh, how did you do it?" Rin asked as he exhaled a sigh.


    "Hahahahah! I have no reason to tell you! Although I''m intrigued to see what kind of reaction you will have if you knew the truth."


    "I see¡­ You''ve been a ve here, no?"


    "..." The moment he said those words, Cid went silent as he red daggers at Rin.


    "I''ve been hitting the bullseye for a while now. Well, I can see what most likely happened. You have been enved a long time ago and have been treated poorly by the lord of this city. I will assume this is you exacting revenge on humans?" He asked.


    ''He is¡­ What is he going on with him?'' From the sideline, Elise couldn''t understand how Rin was reaching these conclusions in such a record time. Usually, Elise was more quick-witted than he was, not because of a difference in mental capabilities but more of a character-based difference.


    Elise was a very serious, observant, and clear person so she can see things as they are. On the other hand, Rin was serious too but not as serious as she was so his mind couldn''t reach conclusions as fast as Elise.


    However, now, not only was he easily and perfectly hitting all the right points, he was also eerily calm when dealing with a potentially lethal demon. The boy, as misleading as he looks were, is still someone who was able to hypnotize a city of hundreds of humans.


    Even Evelyn, who was far stronger than both, is still struggling toe to terms with the situation.


    "Am I right, Cid?"


    "..."


    "Hm, why did you be silent all of a sudden? Shouldn''t you continue running your mouth with that smug face?" Rin asked.


    "Shut¡­ up."


    "Hm? I can''t hear you, could you repeat that?"


    "Shut up."


    "Why? Isn''t that the truth?" Rin asked.


    Although Rin''s words might be purposefully trying to make Cid get angrier, but, the reason for that is very simple.


    ''If he can break the shadow bind, then I''m going to kill him.'' He thought to himself.


    Cid is the only demon Rin had met that could use magic so getting to learn more about him is extremely important and crucial. However, at the same time, he can''t risk putting Elise and Evelyn in danger since that could be the end for them. However, if even in his outraged state couldn''t break the shadow bind then that would make it way easier.


    "I SAID SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!" He screamed and yelled as he tried to move his hands left and right. The frenzied movement put a slight toll on Rin but it wasn''t a big trouble.


    It seemed that his powers were solely reliant on his hypnotic magic.


    *Swish*


    "You don''t have to move! You can''t break that." Rin said with a mocking smile.


    However, the moment he said them, Cid went motionless instantly.


    "I¡­ can''t break it?" He asked. His voice hade back to its lower tone from before.


    "I can''t break it? I can''t run away? I can''t escape? I won''t be able to return to my home?" He asked in a quick, unperturbed motion, one after the other.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Rin¡­ What is happening?" Elise approached him quickly and stood beside him while retreating toward the door.


    "I don''t want to be a ve, I don''t want to stay imprisoned. I can''t, I can''t¡­ I don''t want that. I want to see my father, I want to see my mother. I want to see them." He said.


    A huge strong aura erupted from Cid''s body, creating a strong gush of air that sent everything inside the house into chaos.


    ''Shit, I might''ve overdone it.'' Rin thought as he quickly pulled out his dagger.


    "Stay here." He said to the two of them before he dashed toward Cid at his fastest speed.


    He had already started feeling the pressure of the demon''s power on his shadow and could immediately discern that if he let him do whatever he wanted, he would be as good as free.


    Closing the distance between them while ignoring the ominous, evil aura exuding from him, Rin quickly shed with his dagger. The de quickly moved like sh and severed the demon''s head as if it was cutting through butter.


    Cid''s head flew in the air as blood splurted everywhere. The evil aura vanished along with the sound of the head hitting the ground.


    Instantly, the room returned back to silence.


    "Tsk¡­" Clicking his tongue, Rin tried to get rid of the blood that fell on him.


    Although at the moment he wasn''t feeling any particr change in his head because of the danger that he could''ve faced if he let this demon live. But, for better or worse, this was Rin''s first ever real kill in his entire life.


    Although he had killed Kaisa, the smiling demon before, since that creature wasn''t sane or conscious, it could still be considered a monster. However, Cid was an actual sane creature that had thenguage and a brain tomunicate with humans and even trick them into believing he is a human too.


    ''Fuuh, calm down. It was for the sake of our safety.'' He thought.


    "What was that?" Evelyn muttered as he held her face.


    This was the first time in her entire life that she felt overwhelmed by something. Even though she considered herself a very calm andposed person no matter the situation, but seeing how absurd and sessive the events that urred in thest few minutes were, she started questioning whether that was really the case or were the things she saw simply no absurd enough to challenge her mental fortitude.


    On the other hand, Elise simply walked toward Rin in pure silence. He was still giving her his back so neither she nor Evelyn could see his face.


    When she was close enough, she extended her arm and touched his shoulder then whispered softly in a worried voice.


    "Are you ok, Rin?"


    She didn''t care about the demon, or what could''ve happened if Rin didn''t kill him. Hell, she didn''t even think twice about the mystery of the origin of this demon''s power nor how he was able to escape the shackles that the lord put him under. All she cared about at that second was Rin.


    She was sure that this was the first time Rin actually killed a conscious being and she knew how strong the effect of that thing was on him. He could be going through a swirl of thoughts that would only push him down, for all she cares.


    "Yeah, I''m fine. It''s just¡­ slightly weird that''s all." He replied in a confused yet calm tone.


    "..." Elise kept staring at him silently as if trying to read his mind.


    "I''m really fine." Rin chuckled awkwardly at her nce and tried to change the topic.


    "I was sure he would''ve broken the chain if I didn''t kill him. I guess I should''ve not pushed him that far."


    "So he was indeed a ve?"


    "Yeah, almost every demon in the human realm is enved, killed, or both." He said, recalling the scene he saw in that pocket dimension when Maria led them there.


    Those demons may seem to be alive, but they are dead as far as Rin was concerned. Being stuck in darkness for years and years wasn''t a life, that was death itself if not even worse.


    In a sense, Cid was nothing but another victim of this stupid struggle between humans and Demons. He might be an evil human being by human standards, however, by his standards, he was simply exacting a well-deserved revenge for the people that were the reason for his suffering.


    ''This can''t go for any longer¡­ It really can''t¡­ Blood is being shed for no reason.'' Rin thought as he was about to turn around and leave. He can''t handle the look on Cid''s dead face, it was pained, sad, and regretful yet also mournful.


    But, as he was about to do so, something happened.


    *Swish*


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 176 176- Huge Trouble (Part 2)

    Chapter 176- Huge Trouble (Part 2)


    Something behind Rin moved slowly. The motion wasn''t that far and could even be considered a small gush of air pushing something slightly. However, Rin knew better not to believe in coincidences when dealing with a very dangerous situation. His senses were rming him.


    "Get back!" alerting Elise, he pushed her along with him before he created a distance between himself and the dead corpse of Cid.


    Looking at it, his eyes squinted tightly and focused on the decapitated head. At the moment, the head was motionless, just like how he left it. But, Rin was certain that it did move now. Its position was slightly different from before.


    "What?" Elise asked, clearly not noticing anything abnormal.


    "I have sensed the head moving, that demon is still alive," Rin said as he stood in front of Elise instinctively as in his subconscious mind, she was his highest priority at the moment even if he didn''t really think it through at all.


    At this point, Rin considered Elise as someone way more important to him than his own safety.  He would rather risk himself for her than see her get harmed. Whether it was love or not is possible but not certain, but the certain thing is, Elise is someone that Rin cherished greatly, even more than a mere friend or apanion.


    Hearing that, Elise walked back without any hesitation. She wasn''t going to question whether Rin was sure or not as she trusted his senses.


    Evelyn, on the other hand, channeled her mana as she got ready to stop Cid in case he was actually still alive. There were cases of demons that don''t die after they get their heads severed. But, that only happened on very rare asions during the war.


    As they were like that, deep silence permeated the ce and filled the room with invisible tension. The three of them stared daggers at the decapitated head, waiting for it to move again.


    Rin was hoping it was merely his senses ying a small prank on him. However, that didn''t turn out to be the case.


    The head suddenly started fidgeting without being touched by anything. Not even the airing inside from the windows can actually make it move like that.


    Seconds passed as the three of them watched the head move back and forth before suddenly starting to lift up slowly from the ground and floating in the air. Under the pure, surprised looks of the group, the head slowly floated toward the body that was still attached to the shadow bind.


    Then, when it reached the severed neck, it slowly descended and linked with it again. The pce of the dagger cut vanished as if it was never there in the first ce.


    The blood also was sucked inside the crack before it waspletely closed. A secondter, the unfocused, dead eyes of Cid regained their focus and their vigorous life.


    The moment that happened, a wide, ominous grin cracked through his lips, unsettling the trio even more.


    "Hahahahahahahaha!" A heartyugh then echoed in the whole room.


    "This is funny¡­ truly funny! I''m really impressed, Rin! You have done something that no one had done to me before. I''m a master of deceit. I can trick but never get tricked. However, you have truly outyed me. However, sadly¡­ You were toote." The boy''s voice was turning deeper and deeper as time went on.


    "Did you not realize it already? This city is my domain. It''s where I can be the supreme ruler, the one that controls everything that happens. So, what could happen when you step inside my domain?"


    Those words shook Rin to the core as he clenched his dagger. How did he not think that was possible? Assuming that Cid had individually hypnotized each and every citizen sounded way too hard and tedious of a task as each one of them will have to go through a gradual change as time passed. If he had to repeat that process manually on every person, it would take him tens or even hundreds of years to pull off what he did in a year.


    But, when his thoughts reached that point, he realized something. Something that made his heart stop for a second.


    ''If he didn''t need to manually control someone to make them his underling. Then, when he tried to touch Evelyn¡­ He¡­ He tricked me.'' Rin thought in disbelief as he stared at Cid, wide-eyed.


    "Hmm, have you finally realized it? Well, It was indeed quite risky to do that. I almost had a heart attack thinking that you realized what actually happened. Well, I guess there is a limit to even the smartest of minds, am I right? Hahahaha!"


    ''He did all of that¡­'' Feeling despair in his heart, Rin took a deep breath and tried to keep his calm.


    "I see, so this was all a trick. But, why was it targeted toward me?"


    "Hm, now that you mention that, I have no idea why. You just seemed like a good target." Cid replied as he shrugged his shoulders effortlessly.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''What does that even mean? Wait, why are we even having a casual conversation right now?'' Shaking his head, Rin tightened the grip on his dagger.


    "Evelyn, Elise, get ready! We are¡­" He called for his twopanions. But, weirdly enough, no reply came.


    "Hm?" Noticing the silence, Rin looked at Elise. She was still standing behind him normally. However, when he looked into her eyes, his thoughts halted.


    The same dead, emotionless eyes that he saw on the citizens were on her now. She just stared ahead, not focusing on anything.


    "E-Elise¡­" He called for her again, hoping that what he is thinking of didn''t actually happen.


    But, that was not the case¡­ Elise had been indeed hypnotized.


    Shifting his gaze to Evelyn, it was the same case. The two people he was with had been caught in Cid''s trap.


    ''Fuck! Fuck! This is bad! This is really bad!''


    Seeing panic set in Rin''s eyes, Cid smiled and said in a nonchnt tone.


    "It''s already done the moment you stepped inside the city, Rin. Why are you surprised?"


    "..."


    "Hm, are you already giving up? Well, that''s sad. I expected some resistance." Lifting his hand with a sigh, Cid ordered Evelyn and Elise to grab Rin and restrain him. The two grabbed his arms tightly and pushed him down. The movement was swift and strong, making Rin groan slightly.


    However, even when he ispletely controlled now. Rin didn''t lose hisposure. If he lost it now, he was as good as dead. There was definitely still a chance to save Elise and Evelyn.


    "Hm? Aren''t you going to hypnotize me, Cid?" Rin suddenly asked with a light chuckle.


    "Of course not, how can I hypnotize you when you picked my interest like this? That would only spoil the fun, no?"


    "Hmm, why don''t you give it a try?" Rin asked again.


    ''What am I even saying at this point?''


    The situation was really bad. Not only would Rin have to fight two very strong people, but he would also have to escape while making sure he doesn''t harm either of them. Not to mention that Cid could easily summon hundreds of humans that could stop him from escaping.


    "Hahaha! Is this your desperate attempt to try and escape? It won''t work, you know?"


    "Why would I? Besides, you know that I can escape if I want to, right?"


    "Well, I would love to see you try to harm your dear women. Do you have the ability to do that?"


    "Harm them¡­ Who said something about that?" Rin asked.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 177 177- Cursed Luck!

    Chapter 177- Cursed Luck!


    Channeling his mana, Rin activated shadow maniption. Instantly, his shadow expanded to cover his and his twopanions'' body.  Then, without hesitation started pulling them down with him.


    Seeing what he was doing, Cid''s expression turned from amusement to sheer shock. He couldn''t believe his eyes at all. When he first got restrained by Rin''s powers, he assumed it was that he can control some form of ck liquid and use it however he wanted.


    Never in his wildest thoughts did he think that this power was none other than shadows. That realization hit him harder than anything else.


    ''There is no way¡­ This guy¡­ This mere human has that power¡­ How could it be?'' He thought to himself as his thoughts frozepletely.


    ''How can it be?! Was this really the person he was looking for?! No way! I have to see for myself! I can''t let him escape at all cost.''


    Whether his eyes were betraying him or not became somehow a possibility even for a master of trickery like Cid. Truly ironic.


    Rin''s body quickly submerged in the shadows and Evelyn and Elise who were still in aplete daze were also effortlessly being pulled inside.


    Seeing that, Cid regained some of hisposure and quickly tried to stop him. With a swipe of his hand, Elise and Evelyn started moving again. Their arms that held Rin tightly started pulling him outside with great force.


    Especially Evelyn who possessed an immense amount of strength.


    ''Shit!'' Cursing under his breath, Rin used his full body to try and drag the two of them along with him. Even though he was by no means strong enough to pull off such a thing. However, he could only at least try and hope for the best.


    "Come on, Evelyn. Are you really going to let him control you?" He asked in a quiet tone. Desperation was clear in his eyes. This was hisst hope before he will have to take a decisive choice.


    Staring into the eyes of the beautiful woman, he couldn''t see a speck of life in them as they continued to drag him out of the shadows.


    "Elise¡­ Don''t let him control you like this." He said but again, no response from his dearpanion.


    "It''s pointless! You aren''t going to escape or save your little friends. It was never meant for that to happen."


    "Shut up!"


    "Did you really think that words could work on them?! Hahaha, did you assume your all-so-familiar and warm voice would reach their brains? How admirable!"


    "I said shut up!"


    Yelling, Rin couldn''t do anything other than his only viable thing right now. The thing that although was his best bet from the start, was something that he didn''t want to do.


    *Swish*


    As Cid was basking in the light of his own glory, the two hypnotized women that were half submerged in teh shadows were suddenly pushed back, exiting the darkness.


    "Huh?!"


    Then, quickly, the shadow moved toward the door.


    "No! Don''t let him escape!" Yelling at the top of his lungs, he forced Elise to stand up and then, he made her use her power¡­ gravity maniption.


    Instantly, a crushing pressure weighed down on the whole ce. It was as if a huge weight was put on Rin out of nowhere that halted him for a second.


    "Ugh!" Rin felt his body being squashed even though he was inside the shadow domain. The reason for that is simple, even though shadows are technically not real objects but are the mere after-effect of light cast on an object. So, they can''t be touched, sensed, or used in any form, normally that is.


    But, this is where Rin''s poweres into the equation. His power basically turns these conceptual things into something real, something that could be touched or sensed.


    So, while entering that world protects him from most things in this world, it won''t protect him from worldlyws. One of the worldlyws is gravity itself.


    ''S-She really grew stronger¡­'' Rin didn''t know whether tough or cry at how absurd this situation is.


    Elise, the person he trusted the most in this world, was attacking him with the intent of harming him. He had never thought a day wille when he will have to face her in a true fight.


    ''I won''t forgive him¡­''


    Anger welled up in his heart as it rose higher and higher than he ever felt before. Then, with sheer strength, he broke through the crushing power of gravity and quickly dashed out of the house.


    "Follow him!" Cid shouted as he ordered Evelyn and Elise.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Meanwhile, he quickly tried to use his power on Rin to hypnotize him. Even though this wasn''t a very favorable thing to do. Not only would that make him unable to ask questions from Rin, but he would also be unable to return him to his conscious form unless he does that for everyone else too.


    ''Dammit: He must not escape! The bearer of that power! I must know jow he got that power!''


    However, the moment he tried to hypnotize Rin, he realized something¡­


    ''I can''t¡­ I can''t control him¡­ What the hell is this?!''


    Even though Rin was still in his domain, Cid can''t feel a connection with him as he does with everyone else. It was as if Rin didn''t even exist in this ce. There was not a single trace of his mana in the whole city.


    ''Is it because he has the power of that person? Dammit, this is bad! He mustn''t run! He might be my only way of returning home!''


    Rin''s shadow quickly moved toward an alley near the house. His speed was quick but since he was being followed by Evelyn and Elise.


    Their impressive agility made the chase basically all done for in a few seconds.


    ''No you won''t!


    Changing his direction, Rin entered a random house where Elise won''t have the opportunity to hinder his escape.


    Then, passing through, he exited from the other side with ease, something that took his twopanions some time to do.


    "Don''t allow him to escape! Everyone!" Cid on the other side quickly ordered every single person inside the city to stop Rin at all costs.


    Quickly, swarms of humans closed every route ahead of Rin. All of them were staring straight at him, with their arms extended to try and catch him.


    The sight was as weird and ominous as it could get.


    With great speed, Rin tried to move past all of the hypnotized citizens. WHile many would assume that doing this would be an easy task. However, the reality of things is that Rin had to use an unimaginable amount of mana to execute such a thing.


    One of the traits of Rin''s power is that it''s attracted to shadows by nature. So, anytime he is inside the shadow realm, his powers turn into a gluttonous eater that wants to collect as many shadows as possible to make the domain bigger.


    This meant that to not hinder his escape, Rin had to individually detach every shadow that gets connected to his shadow by default. Now, multiply that task by tens or even hundreds and it bes a chaotic mess that could fry the brain of a normal person if they tried to do it too.


    By the time Rin was out of this maze of shadows, his mana was already depleted greatly and exhaustion was starting to take over his body.


    But, not even a few hundred meters away from him were Elise and Evelyn who were still chasing him relentlessly.


    ''You owe me a dinner after the end of all of this, Elise!''


    Eventually, Rin reached the gates of the city and passed through.  Following him, Elise and Evelyn finally stopped and didn''t continue further.


    ''So they can''t leave the domain even for a second? Good to know.'' Rin thought as he noted down this small detail in case he needed it.


    But, just to be safe, he only stopped his run when he reached the woods nearby. The moment he made sure no one is following him, he exited the shadow andid down on the ground, breathing heavily as if he just finished a two-day marathon of continuous running.


    His face was glistening with sweat and his eyes were wide from sheer exhaustion.


    "Hah¡­ Hah¡­ Hah¡­ The worst had happened. Fuck!"


    Cursing his bad luck, Rin pulled out a mana potion and chugged it down quickly.


    His eyes went back to the city and he could only feel even more anger and frustration rise in his heart.


    For this seemingly simple mission to turn into a huge mess like this one, it was trulyughable.


    "How am I even going to face Elise and Evelyn again¡­ They can easily beat me."


    Fighting both of them or even Evelyn alone was something he must evade at all costs. His only target can only be the mastermind¡­ Cid himself.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 178 178- Shadow Manipulation: Phase Two (Part 1)

    Chapter 178- Shadow Maniption: Phase Two (Part 1)


    For Rin, the choices he had were very minimal. He can''t really go back to get some help as that will take too much time. No one knows what Cid could do during this time. So, Rin had to end this matter in the next few hours at most.


    The second problem is Elise and Evelyn, both of them were definitely going to try and stop him since they are under Cid''s control. Especially Evelyn who can easily overpower Rin if she wants.


    ''I have to somehow make my way through them and deal with Cid before they can catch me.'' He thought as he rested his back on the tree while observing the city from afar. Even though the time was still night, Rin was sure that it won''tst for long if he kept idling around.


    The moon was sadly not present so the light that could create shadows was also minimal.  This info was crucial as if Rin was to not find shadows, he is as good as done for.


    ''Tsk, this is annoying. But, if he thinks this is going to be easy. He is gravely mistaken.''''


    Having no n or idea in his head, Rin rubbed his forehead in frustration. This was by far the hardest task he will have to pull off so far. There was really no way around it. But, this didn''t mean that he had used all of his cards. There was still one¡­ No, two things that can be of great help.


    The first one is already in Rin''s hands. A power that although he didn''t use once inbat, was still something that was beyond powerful. Since the moment he got his hands on that power, he had been slowly nurturing it whenever he had time, and the time for it to be useful hade.


    The second thing is none other than the weapon that Rin hade here in the first ce for. The dagger that Evelyn told him about.


    ''The Blood Eye dagger.''


    The weapon that can control blood, ording to Evelyn. If that weapon is indeed inside that ce, Rin was sure to get it. Having two daggers can really change the oue of the fight.


    "Sigh, the problem is¡­ Where can I find it?"


    The vi that Cid lived in is huge and it could be filled with secret paths, hidden treasuries, and storage ces. Hell, it could even be on Cid for all he cares. Finding the dagger would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.


    ''Well, it''s all about luck I guess. Something that I don''t have much of.'' Chuckling at his own bad joke, he stood up.


    It has been almost 2 hours since he left the city and it was eerily calm. Even the citizens that roamed the ce weren''t present.''


    This was a huge red g already before Rin even entered the ce. Cid was definitely nning something.


    ''Well, let''s hope for the best. First, find the Blood eye Dagger, then try to deal with Cid without getting into a fight with Elise and Evelyn. Simple.''


    This couldn''t be considered a real n but since Rin couldn''t really do anything about it, he could only rely on his wits and some luck.


    *Drop* *Drop* *Drop*


    ''Hm, rain?'' Rin felt droplets of water falling on his head so looked up. The droplets of rain fell on his face slowly.


    ''Well, let''s hope this is a good omen.''


    Rin loved the rainy weather a lot. It''s a form of cleansing for this world and a way for life''s cycle to take another turn around itself. It also gives him a sense of peace even in the toughest of times.


    After that, he sneakily made his way toward the city again. The ce was dark except for some torches riddled across the ce that illuminated it to some extent. This was more than enough for Rin to use his power.


    Entering the city, he passed through the smaller alleyways, making sure to peek at every corner and turn. Not even a single human being could be seen in the vicinity. The more Rin got closer to the vi, the more unnerved he was by the fact that hundreds of people had somehow disappeared somewhere in less than 2 hours.


    On the brighter side, Elise and Evelyn were also nowhere to be seen. Cid had most likely put them as his guard knowing that Rin cane back anytime.


    The trip toward the vi was very smooth, in fact, it was too smooth.


    ''So this is the ce. It''s indeed massive.'' He thought as he looked at the house from afar.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The vi was quite eye-catching, standing out like a sore thumb in between all the normal houses around it. It was built of white marble and high-quality mana oak wood which was also very expensive. Right in front of the house was a huge garden filled with trees and beautiful nts.


    After making sure no one was around, Rin left the shadow and then crouched and pulled his dagger out before he stabbed the ground with it. Immediately, a ck shadowy spot appeared from his hand and extended in all directions, creating a big circle around Rin.


    After that, 4 ck figures came out of the shadows, and each one of them had no apparent facial expressions or even features for that matter. The only thing they had was the same form as their former selves.


    ''Shadow summons.''


    During the time he has been in the academy, Rin made sure to make his dagger absorb every monster he kills. The number was small at first but soon it became in the tens of summons. The number would''ve been in the hundreds if Rin wasn''t peculiar with his choices of who to take with him.


    Because of the huge mana consumption of the skill itself, Rin couldn''t really just spam this power as it would put him in great danger.


    In the future, when his mana stat bes way higher than before, he might create a huge army of shadow summons since he wouldn''t have to be worried about the mana cost for it. But, for the time being, only the strongest of monsters he killed are allowed into his small army.


    Looking at the 4 summons, Rin smiled with a satisfied nod. These 4 monsters were the Nightstar tigers, very strong monsters that lived in the forest in the academy and hunted at night. Out of every creature Rin had faced in his life, these felines were the best in camouging and attacking secretly.


    They had great speed and strength too so they were the perfect choice for this mission.


    ''With their help, I can search the whole ce faster.''


    Rin was sure that if done right, not even Evelyn would be able to sense these monsters'' presence.


    ''Now, go¡­ Find me the dagger.'' He gave them the order.


    Instantly, the 4 shadow figures vanished as if they were never there. As for Rin, he submerged himself in the shadow and followed after them.


    Entering from the side through a crack in the wall, Rin made his way inside the garden.


    ''Not even a human here too? Where did they go? What is that bastard doing?!'' Rin thought as he looked around.


    This wasn''t even a safety measure at this point. Cid was definitely doing something far more troublesome than this.


    Passing through the doors that led right to the main hall of the vi. The ce was minimally lit and very quiet. Taking the time to check the ce, Rin also made sure to see how his 4 summons were doing.


    Because of the link he had with them, he could also see from their eyes what was happening.


    ''The first one is doing fine. The second, third, and fou-... Hm?'' As he was about to close the connection, he noticed something from the 4th summon''s point of view.


    This particr summons had gone to the northern side of the house or the interior part. There, it found something particrly eye-catching.


    Out of every room, there was one that had weird bright light behind it. The other noticeable thing is the sheer amount of mana emitting from the inside.


    The aura was so strong and dense that it made Rin shudder for a second. Not only that, but this particr mana wasn''t like the ones Rin was ustomed to. It was darker, more ominous, and very evil.


    ''What the fuck is going on there.'' He thought. Since when did mana be this tarnished? He had never thought that an existence can turn something as pure as mana into this twisted form.


    After taking a deep breath, he ordered the monster to get closer and take a look if possible. Rin had a really bad hunch about it. Really bad hunch.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 179 179- Shadow Manipulation: Phase Two (Part 2)

    Chapter 179- Shadow Maniption: Phase Two (Part 2)


    Getting as close as possible to the door, The monster tried to listen to what was happening inside. Sadly, however, these creatures didn''t have the greatest hearing sense so even when it was near the door, Rin couldn''t hear a single thing from inside.


    ''Tsk, I should go check it for myself.'' He decided after some contemtion.


    The ce was empty and the dagger is still not found so Rin had the time to actually get a good idea about the ce and its structure.


    So, with that in mind, he made his way toward this particr room. When he reached his destination, the frown on his face had already intensified. Sensing it from afar through his shadow summon was way different than being there to experience it himself.


    ''What an evil aura!''


    Whatever was inside the room kept pushing him away as if he was being warned not to get closer or he will regret that choice. However, Rin wasn''t obviously going to leave merely because of that.


    Taking a deep breath, he approached the door and entered through the crack under the door. When he was inside, he looked around him. What he saw truly made him freeze in his ce, in total disbelief.


    Calling the room gigantic was an understatement. It was at least twice the size of the house''s main hall. From the entrance to the end of the room from the other side was at least 100 meters long.


    Inside the room, there were tens of beds put in order on both sides of the room. The beds were beautiful and quite expensive at first nce. On each of these beds, someone wasying asleep.


    Now, this could be considered normal if not for Rin quickly recognizing who these people that wereying on the bed are.


    ''Demons¡­ These are all demons.''


    Their bodies were skinny, sick, and very weak. But, their auras were still as ominous and as strong as they were before. Even though they shouldn''t possess a shred of mana, they are still somehow able to emit a strong aura that Rin could sense.


    ''How did this happen?! Did Cid find a way to give them mana? But then again, how did he even obtain that ability himself? What is going on?'' A million questions popped into Rin''s head as he stared at the rows of unconscious demons.


    Whether this was something that happened by sheer coincidence or a n concocted by Cid himself was still a mystery but the most important thing now is that there are almost 100 demons that could get released at any moment. If they wake up that is.


    The reason for their inability to move or talk is the thing that linked all of them to each other. On their wrists and necks were shackles made of some weird ck material that Rin had only seen once before.


    ''The pocket dimension that Maria showed us back at the castle of Aviresion, I saw the same shackles there. So this material works on stopping them from moving. For better or worse, that is the best oue Rin could wish for.


    If 100 demons were to be released, no one knows what could happen. However, this by no means meant that they can''t be released any time soon.


    ''Since he put them here, Cid is definitely nning to release them.''


    As he was like that, the door to the room opened. Reflexively, Rin hid again and moved to a well-covered corner of the room where he can see who entered and what they are going to do.


    The one that came inside was predictably Cid along with two other people. Elise and Evelyn walked behind him silently as if they were his guards.


    Looking around him, the young demon''s eyes shed with weird emotions that Rin had never seen on his face.


    "Stand there." He then shifted his gaze to the two women standing far away from him.


    After that, he sighed, took a deep breath, and then spoke out loudly.


    "My fellow brothers and sisters, it has been a long time since we have seen the light of day. Years and years passed while we were stuck in darkness, shackled to each other as if we were a bunch of animals. We couldn''t eat, we couldn''t sleep, we couldn''t even talk. We have been treated as if we were trophies they can collect. They had done the worst of deeds for us." He said as he looked around him, eyeing each and every demon.


    "Now, can I ask one question? Did you not miss freedom as much as I did? did you not yearn for your old lives? The lives that we had before the war. These lowly creatures had back-stabbed us and then taken our lives from our hands. They killed our parents, our sisters, our brothers, our wives, and our husbands. They robbed us of everything!! Yet, all we can do is await the day of freedom with pain and suffering."


    Shaking his head, Cid knitted his eyebrows.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "No, that''s not how it should be. Since when did our prideful race be this weak and hopeless? Since when did we be this soft? How can we let mere humans take our fates in their hands? We are the demon race! The one above and beyond everything on Divine Sapphire! We are the descendants of darkness and yet we rule the light too! That''s our destiny, greatness is our destiny!"


    Meanwhile, Rin listened quietly as his face turned paler and paler.


    "Don''t let this cruelty stop you! Don''t let fear stop you! Don''t let those lowly scums stop you! This world had bestowed upon me the power of mana! Hahaha! The power those humans boasted to be only for the pure had fallen into the hands of a demon! Howughable! How trulyughable!"


    Laughing sarcastically, Cid held his face with his hand.


    "This was the divine message sent to me. That if my race is awaiting freedom, then I shall be the one to give it to them. Don''t worry, my brothers and sisters! The day of our revenge is getting closer and closer! We are but a step away from turning this whole world upside down! So, when that dayes, those shackles shall turn into ashes and your eyes shall open again!"


    Then, after doing that, he closed his eyes and lifted his head up as if he was basking in some kind of warm feeling that he don''t want to escape from.


    Around him, the dark mana was turning thicker and thicker by the second.


    "Divine Sapphire is finally going to be handed to its rightful owners." He murmured.


    On the other hand, Rin was in aplete dilemma. As chilling as his speech was, it only made Rin contemte himself.


    ''What should I do? This war is nothing but a certainty now. Blood will be shed in every corner of Divine Sapphire.''


    The cult had already dered this war and Cid had confirmed that even if they were to eradicate the whole cult, it will only be erasing one part of the problem. The other problem was these demons. If Cid was able to free himself from these shackles, then the chances that another demon somewhere in this world had also been freed weren''t zero. In fact, it was far from zero.


    Cid then took a deep breath and stepped forward till he reached a particr bed with a womanying on it.  His expression from before had shifted again. He looked at the woman with the most tender, loving expression he could muster. After that, he put his hand on her shackled hand.


    "Don''t worry, mother. Your suffering will be over soon. No more pain. You''ve had enough."


    ''Mother¡­''


    Seeing that, everything went nk for Rin. The world froze and his eyes solely focused on Cid.


    Staring at his back, Rin''s eyes shed with a simr image. Back when his father died, Rin saw his mother crying alone in her room. He had tried to approach her and say something, apologize even. But, instead, all he could do was stand there, hopeless, silent, and regretful.


    Ironically enough, Cid was far different from Rin. He wasn''t the reason for his mother''s suffering but instead was the beacon of light that was trying to save her.


    One was a demon and the other was a human yet the difference between them was as far as light and darkness.


    No one couldprehend what ran through his thoughts at that moment.


    ''Whether I''m evil or not¡­ doesn''t matter. I have known my mistakes and I''m trying to fix them. Please, give me some time, all I need is time. I will make sure to make everything right again. I promise¡­ I will make everyone smile again too.'' Rin thought.


    Suddenly, as he was like that, something appeared in front of him.


    [Ding!]


    [Host had met the requirements for evolving Shadow Maniption.]


    [Shadow Bringer had be Shadow Manifestor.]


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 180 180- Blood Eye Dagger (Part 1)

    Chapter 180- Blood Eye Dagger (Part 1)


    The series of notifications did surprise Rin a lot. Shadow Maniption had been with him since the start and was basically his only weapon for the longest time. Through the days, it leveled up automatically without Rin trying to actively do anything.


    However, because he didn''t have any idea how he can even make it level up faster, it was a matter of time before it reached phase two. The first phase, Shadow Bringer, was already strong enough as it is, giving Rin the ability to do things not even the greatest of prodigies could dream of reaching.


    So, one could only imagine how amazing Shadow Manifestor could be.


    Shaking his head to clear up his thoughts, Rin focused on the notifications.


    ''Shadow Manifestor? What does that mean, system?'' He asked.


    [Shadow Maniption has evolved to phase two.]


    ''Yeah, I can see that, but why now all of a sudden?''


    [As mentioned, the host had met the requirements for the evolution process.]


    ''What were the requirements?''


    [My apologies, host. I can''t tell you the requirements. I''m not allowed to do so.] The system replied.


    ''Sigh, fine. But, what does this evolution give me?''


    [As the name suggests, you are now capable of manifesting shadows out of nothing.]


    The moment he heard that Rin''s eyes widened to the extreme.


    ''What did you¡­ just say?''


    [You can now manifest shadows and use them without the need for a pre-existing shadow.]


    ''That''s¡­ that''s amazing!!''


    All this while, Rin''s only ring flow when using Shadow Maniption is itsplete uselessness in dark, shadowless environments. Not only did this rob him of half of his strength but it also put him in danger in case the source of light he relied on suddenly vanished.


    So, to hear that now he can manifest shadows out of thin air was the greatest news he could have. It also came at the perfect time for what he was about to do.


    [It''s not over, host. Not only can you manifest shadows, but you can also control their form, nature, appearance, and everything about them. In easier terms, you can create anything you want from them.]


    ''Wait, by that you mean¡­ I can create clones of myself?'' He asked.


    [Yes. Although they won''t be as strong as the original, it''s technically possible.]


    ''Holy shit! This is beyond amazing!!'' If it wasn''t for the fact that Rin was still inside the room with the other three, he would''ve started jumping around like a small kid after getting a Christmas present.


    ''Ehem, I see. Anything else?''


    [Yes, your ability to control shadows had also reached a new level of mastery. Now, you can use shadows with greater efficiency, which means the mana cost is reduced greatly.]


    ''Good. Really good! Keep on giving me this good news from time to time, system.''


    [...]


    After that, Rin closed the windows and quickly moved out of the room. His time of celebration is over and the mission needs to continue.


    When he was sure he was safe, Rin checked his summons. Luckily for him, they had already covered a great area of the house and checked many ces. However, there is still no trace of the Blood Eye dagger.


    ''As I thought, this is not going to be an easy task.''


    Sighing, Rin looked around him and decided to focus on something else till his summons found anything interesting.


    ''I need to find the citizens. The fact that I still didn''t see a single one of them is really giving me a bad omen.''


    Setting his mind on that, Rin quickly moved toward the next area of the ce that neither his summons nor he checked. Rin had left this ce forst since it was by far the most obvious ce where the citizens could be¡­ The ''prison area''.


    Since the lord of this city loved to collect ves, mainly demons, he had a particr section of his house that he put his ves in. Rin had heard about it briefly from Evelyn beforeing here. He never thought this simple information wille in handy.


    From one corner to another, Rin made his way to the prison until he ended up in front of a thick metal door that was closed shut with a keyhole in it. There was also no cracks under it that he can use to pass through.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''Hm, this is troublesome¡­'' Rubbing his chin for a few seconds, Rin''s eyes lit up with a great idea.


    He had an idea that might work.


    *Swish*


    Leaving the confines of his shadows, Rin approached the door and then put his hand on the keyhole.


    ''Let''s see how this new power works.'' He thought as he closed his eyes.


    When he searched through his mind, the way he should be using Shadow Manifestor was there. It was so engraved in his head that it almost made him question whether it was there the whole time or not.


    So, he quickly channeled his mana and instantly, out of the palm of his hand a ck, weird matter appeared and spread around the keyhole.


    ''Cool, now the harder part.''


    Although this was the first time he was using his power, what he was about to do required him to be familiar enough with it. However, he had no time for that, the matter was way too urgent, after all.


    The shadow matter moved slowly and entered the keyhole. Inside, Rin felt his way around it.


    ''Ok. I need to do this now.''


    After feeling the whole ce, he started morphing the shadows as if it was made out of ydough making them take the form of the keyhole. The process was slow at first but quickly sped up as Rin grew ustomed to the feeling of the shadows until eventually¡­


    *Click*


    The sound of something clicking along with the door opening up a little bit reached his ear, making him open his eyes.


    ''It actually worked? If this is possible then opening every door in this world is possible!''


    After noting that down, Rin pushed the door open and walked inside. Then, he closed it again just in case Cid decided toe here. Then, he submerged himself in his shadows again. This time, he didn''t need light at all. All he had to do was to think of shadows and then he found himself in the shadow world again.


    The ce was predictably very dark with no light whatsoever. The moment Rin stepped in, the strong smell of mold, humidity, and other bad smells assaulted his nose making him frown slightly. Ahead of him was a long staircase going down to the basement of the house.


    ''This ce definitely needs some fresh air. For demons to stay in such conditions, sigh. I don''t know anymore. The more I get to know the truth from both sides, the more confusing it bes. I guess Emilia''s words are right, there is no right or wrong in this, only desire.''


    At this point, Rin only had one thing in mind as his goal, to protect his loved ones no matter what. That''s his top priority. His father and mother, Aria, Emilia, and the most important person, Elise.


    Those people are the ones he cared for and so he will do everything to stop the demons from hurting them. If he can also stop this war with that then he will also be satisfied with it. However, stopping this war is easier said than done.


    As he was having such thoughts, the journey downward had already ended and Rin found himself in front of a long corridor. On each side of the corridor were old prison cells.


    ''What an ominous ce.'' He thought as he held his nose.


    The smell of feces and other things filled the ce making it almost impossible to breathe inside here.


    Taking a peek at the first prison cell, Rin found a group of people sitting in corners. Each one of them was in a tattered state with their eyes closed.


    ''The citizens.'' Rin''s eyes turned sharper as he looked closer at one of them.


    The first thing he noticed was that they were unconscious although whether they were still hypnotized or not is still a mystery. After approaching one of them, he put his hand on their wrist and checked their pulse.


    ''Shit, his heart rate is very weak! Theck of oxygen will kill them! I need to get them out of here quickly!''


    But, that was easier said than done. Getting hundreds of citizens out of these cells is extremely hard and would take a long time. Many of them could die.


    ''Think, Rin, think. What should I do? Oh!''


    That''s when Rin remembered that he had something that could help. Although this method was very rough and won''tst long, it would at least give Rin enough time to get all of the citizens out of the prison, hopefully.


    ''I need to hurry.''


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 181 181- Blood Eye Dagger (Part 2)

    Chapter 181- Blood Eye Dagger (Part 2)


    Quickly, he opened his shadow domain again and out of it, he summoned another creature he had killed before. This creature was particrly a type of bird that could be found in the forests of the Academy''s grounds.


    The reason he summoned one of them is the attribute of their powers. These birds can control the air current to a certain extent.


    Even though the power in and out of itself wasn''t that strong or versatile but it was still quite potent with the speed of these creatures and their predatory tendencies which makes it a great assistance when they are hunting.


    Since their powers are reliant on air maniption, they can technically also move the air in and out.


    ''This better work!'' Rin thought to himself as he looked at the majestic shadow bird standing in front of him at the moment. Its huge frame and long wings coupled with its featureless, ck form made it look even more intimidating than its original form.


    After making sure that it was small enough to fit this ce, Rin ordered it to push the air inside the room to the corner and push the fresher air toward the unconscious citizens.


    Instantly, the bird started working, jumping in the air, it started pping its huge wings up and down with slow strokes. The airwaves created from each p pushed all the smell and the bad air to the end of the corridor.


    In record time, the room turned colder and the smell of feces lessened greatly. Not only that but even Rin started breathing betterpared to before.


    Eventually, Rin heard the sound he has been waiting for. Coughsing from the unconscious citizens echoed in the room. One after the other, they started breathing audibly as if they are trying to find the air in the room.


    ''Great!'' Rin beamed with hopeful happiness.


    After that, he quickly opened the doors of the prison cells and woke up those he thought regained their consciousness. As for those that didn''t or those that were still incapable of breathing, Rin had to manually do CPR for them.


    Even though he knew that some of them will die whether he liked it or not, he still tried to do his best in saving as many of them as he could. It was a tough, horrible process that affected Rin as much as it affected the Citizens themselves.


    Minutes passed with Rin moving from one Citizen to another and doing whatever he can to save them.


    But, sadly, some of them had already died by the time he reached the ce and so he couldn''t do much in that regard. With a sad look on his face,id them down gently and walked outside.


    Out of the few hundred citizens crammed inside this prison, ten lost their souls.


    Clicking his tongue, Rin stood in front of all the citizens of the city. Some of them were crying, while others were holding their loved ones and merely looking down, staring at their bodies, dead or alive.


    The feeling of despair was apparent on their faces. After Rin had exined what happened, they lost all the color in their faces. A demon was akin to a bad omen for these people and so a demon that was going to kill them is nothing short of a disaster that befell them.


    Staring at them, Rin took a deep breath and then said.


    "I will be honest with all of you. I am not 100% confident that I will save everyone here. It''s something beyond my capabilities. Whether everyone will be able to leave this mansion alive isn''t certain. I can say all kinds of hopeful things to calm you down but the reality is often harsher than what we might think."


    His words made the people''s faces darken and be even more rigid than before. They knew that and yet hearing it again could only make their fears strengthen.


    "Mama, I don''t want to die..." A child said to his mother. Tears had welled up on his face.


    "D-Don''t worry, we won''t die..." The mother tried to calm him down and hug him tightly to reassure him. But, in truth, even she wasn''t certain about their survival, so she could only hug her child and cry, trying to console herself too.


    Rin saw that and shook his head and continued with a serious face.


    "But, that doesn''t mean that I''m the only one that can change that. You... All of you could also increase your chances. I, alone, am not enough."


    "H-How can we even do anything?"


    "W-We are w-weak in front of this horrible demon!"


    However, Rin shook his head.


    "That''s not true. Everyone here can help. There is no need for you to fight nor face the demon. All I want you to do is this..."


    After that, Rin went ahead andid out the n he came up with during the time he tried to save everyone there.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    It was by no means a full-proof n but it was still the best he could think of in this short span of time he had before Cid realized that he infiltrated this ce.


    After he ended his exnation, Rin made sure that everyone was ready and then ordered them to do what he asked of them.


    ''Let''s see if our little trick would work.''


    After that, Rin jumped into his shadow and then left the ce. The reason he did was that he finally received the good news he was looking for.


    ''One of the summons found a hidden treasury!''


    The ce wasn''t far from where he was now so he reached it quickly. The ce was exactly one of the living rooms of the house.


    The thing the summon was staring at was a particr painting hung up on the wall. It''s giant size was already eye-catching enough but Rin was focused on the actual drawing itself. The art was that of a man holding an apple while sitting on a chair and crying visibly in pain.


    ''Weird painting.''


    Then, Rin quickly examined it until he found a trigger. The moment he tapped on the apple, it was pushed back along with the sound of something clicking.


    After that, the paint was suddenly pushed to the side as if it were an automatic door revealing an opening in the wall.


    Quickly, Rin walked inside. The room he found himself in was rather small with shelves on both sides of it filled with all kinds of artifacts and ancient magical objects.


    Each object emenated an impressive amount of mana. However, these things were mere irrelevant magic toys to Rin who had his eyes solely focused on something put on a pedestal right in the middle of the room.


    The thing was a grey, in dagger that could be considered mere rubbish thrown away by an inexperienced cksmith during his trial and error phase.  Its de was cracked and broken, the handle was rusty, andcked any kind of beautiful decorations to it.


    However, Rin knew better than to judge a book by its cover. The feeling he got when he saw the dagger was something that he only felt once and that was when he first saw the Shadow Monarch Dagger.


    The feeling of attraction to the dagger was as if it was calling for him.


    Shaking his head, Rin stepped forward and reached with his hand to lift up the ss contained it was put inside. However, when his fingertips were about to touch it, he halted and then pulled out his dagger.


    *Swish*


    With one swing, he sliced the ss in two halves. The moment it fell to the ground it started melting as if the ss was some kind of hotva.


    ''Tsk, small tricks like this are dumb.'' He thought.


    Trying to burn anyone who touches the ss was quite the interesting trap but Rin wasn''t going to fall for it.


    Finally, he reached out again and picked up the dagger. Rin made sure to not squeeze it too hard in fear of breaking it when its in such a fragile state.


    ''Hm, its heavier than I thou-''


    His trail of thoughts was suddenly halted by a strong feeling of pain assaulting the hand that was touching the dagger. The moment he looked down at the origin of the pain, Rin''s eyes widened.


    At the end of the dagger from the handle''s side, a needle like object had appeared and pierced his skin.


    Rin could feel as it sucked some of his blood in.


    ''Is this some kind of trigger?!'' He almost panicked when he realized the potential threat of the dagger trying to kill him because he touched it. However, none of that happened as the blood suction ended quickly as if the dagger had had enough of his blood.


    Then, a faint red light appeared around the dagger along with a faint scent of mana.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 182 182- Rage (Part 1)

    Chapter 182- Rage (Part 1)


    The aura quickly grew more and more pronounced with each passing second. Along with it, weird changes started happening to the dagger itself. The cracked de was visibly getting fixed in real time.


    The grey color of the handle was also turning into a red, blood-like color. Then, from the lowest point of the dagger, weird runes started appearing around the handle, reaching the guard of the dagger. The pommel hadpletely transformed from a in one to something akin to 4 long fingers of some kind of creature.


    From a grey, in dagger, it turned into an ominous weapon that nted fear into the bravest of hearts.


    [The Blood Eye Dagger linked with the host.]


    [Blood Eye Dagger: A dagger forged by the hands of the Blood Godsmith. Its power is unmatched by most weapons. With a swing of it, the blood of a million enemies is shed on the battlefield.]


    [You have learned the dagger''s skill: Blood Maniption.]


    [Blood Maniption: Blood is the purest and the most tarnished form of life at the same time. The Emperor Of Blood shall be reborn, ready to wreak havoc in thends and coat them with the color of blood. Activating this skill allows you to control your blood and the blood of others to a certain extent. Requires mana to be used.]


    ''So, it was indeed true. This dagger is great! But, what does it mean by the Emperor of Blood?'' Rin thought as he read the content of the messages that appeared in his retina.


    The skill and item description has always been a mystery for Rin as they were always encrypted and hard toprehend. No matter how much he tried to solve them, he ended up in failure.


    ''Ugh, whatever... It''s not time for it anyways.''


    Turning around, Rin quickly submerged himself in his shadows and went back to the prison area. He wasn''t intending to leave the citizens alone but since he had to get his hands on the blood dagger.


    It''s risky but Rin needed every possible thing in his arsenal to fight Cid or Evelyn and Elise in case they were to attack him.


    Quickly, he reached the prison and went down. But, what he found there made him halt as his eyes widened.  His pupils shrank to the extreme.


    ''No...''


    Leaking on the ground was a clear, red liquid moving down a small stream between the cracks of the stone.


    The liquid wasing out of every prison cell.


    ''No, no, no, no...''


    Rin''s mind was submerged in dark dread and fear of what must''ve happened during the time he was out to get the dagger.


    Approaching the first cell, he hesitantly checked inside. Much to his horror, what he predicted was the truth. The ones inside the cell had their necks slit and were slumped down on the ground,pletely motionless.


    ''No...''


    Shaking his head, Rin clenched his teeth till they threatened to crack then quickly moved to the second cell. His hope of finding the others at least alive was still there, as faint as it was.


    But, reality merely destroyed that hopepletely. Each and every person inside these cells was brutally murdered.


    At some point, Rin had halted his movements. His eyes fixated on the ground as the realization of what happened dawned on him.


    Lifting his hand, he touched his face in disbelief.


    *Step* *Step*


    "That was truly a magnificent n, Rin. I was almost tricked."


    Cid''s mocking voice reached his ears. But, Rin didn''t move nor reply at all.


    "You told them to not move and pretend that you are asleep, didn''t you? But, sadly for them, acting isn''t everyone''s talent."


    "..."


    "How horrible for them to die in such a manner. Truly a sad day for humanity." Tapping on his hand, Cid continued.


    "You know. Since we are now considered friends, I will tell you a secret. If you didn''t discover this ce, I would''ve not resorted to killing everyone. They could''ve just stayed here and minded their business the same way you should''ve minded your own. But, as they say, curiosity killed the cat. In this case, 200 cats were brutally murdered and all the fault is yours, haha haha!!"


    Each word stabbed Rin where it exactly hurts. Coupled with the confused state he is in, it would only strengthen the effect that Cid will have on him.


    "Tsk, tsk, truly a bad decision, Rin. Because of you, these innocent citizens died in vain. It''s all your fault. The lives of many are on your neck."


    ''I killed them... Me? I have killed them because of my stupidity...'' Rin''s thoughts were as such. Chaotic yet also eerily calm.


    ''If I didn''t leave, then they would be alive... If I didn''t assume my n would work, they wouldn''t end up dead...''


    *Click*<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Then, with a snap of his finger, many men wearing armor and bearing swords and spears came inside the cell, closing the cepletely as they stood around Cid. They were the lord''s guards that he hypnotized.


    No matter where he would look, Rin won''t be able to escape at all. His mana was already low enough as it is after using many summonses in a short time span.


    From that group, Elise and Evelyn also came out walking toward Cid before they stood behind him as if they were his bodyguards.


    "Now, all of this shall end... I yed with you long enough. Was it not for the fact that you caught my interest, I would''ve not gone along with this. Give up."


    *Silence*


    Rin, the target of all of this, didn''t say anything. He just stood there like an unmoving statue.


    "Tsk, no reaction. Well, how boring. Catch him, guards..." Cid said.


    Immediately, the first group of guards approached him. However, what happened next made Cid''s rxed expression turn extremely sour.


    Rin had suddenly vanished from where he was standing and reappeared behind the group of guards. Instantly, blood splurted out and the group fell down... dead.


    Rin... had killed them.


    "W-What..." Staring at him, Cid felt a chill run down his spine.


    Rin''s eyes looked empty, emotionless, and quite literally the most horrifying eyes Cid had ever seen in all of his life.


    [Due to the host''s unstable emotional state, the berserker skill has been activated.]


    A notification appeared in front of Rin but not only did he not give it a single nce, but he also didn''t even realize it appeared in the first ce. All of his focus was on one single person.


    "W-What is wrong with you?!! What are you two waiting for? Attack him!" Cid shouted as he quickly retreated back and ordered his guards to attack Rin.


    However, before the guards could even do anything, Rin moved first. He lifted his hand with the Blood Eye Dagger in it.


    Mana circted through his veins at an inhuman speed. The dagger''s color intensified as the fingers running through its handle moved slightly.


    Then, from the tip of the dagger''s de, a small red ball of mana appeared.


    Blood maniption has been activated. The skill that was attached to the Blood Eye dagger had quicklye to use and the results of it were horrifying, to say the least.


    *Pop*


    Suddenly, the sound of something exploding echoed in the room as one soldier fell down to the ground. From his eyes, blood leaked out as his eyeballs turned red. The veins in his brain had exploded out of nowhere.


    Then, another popping sound reached Cid''s ear before another guard fell down dead. Then another one and another one after that. Quickly, men were dying of unknown causes. Each one of them didn''t have time to resist or do anything.


    ''What is he doing?!''


    Cid had no idea that the Blood Eye Dagger existed so he could only panic seeing this power.


    "Stop him, quickly!"


    The rest of the guards abided and dashed toward, Rin.


    But, by the time they reached him, everyone had fallen down dead. Silence loomed over the ce.


    ''H-How... He killed everyone... What kind of power is this?... Why did his whole demeanor change?!''


    All kinds of questions popped into Cid''s head but he couldn''t find an answer to them.


    As he was like that, Rin put down his hand and then pulled out his other dagger, the shadow monarch dagger.


    Then, he pointed it at Cid with his cold emotionless eyes gazing at him as if he was prey ready to be hunted down.


    That mere look sent a shiver down his spine. He felt it, the looming death, the sense of fear that filled his heart. Rin was going to kill him if he stayed here, that fact had settled in his head. Whether he survives or not had be something uncertain.


    ''I still have these two women! He won''t dare to kill them, would he?!'' Staring at Evelyn and Elise, he thought.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 183 183- Rage (Part 2)

    Chapter 183- Rage (Part 2)


    The moment Cid gave the order, Evelyn and Elise moved. Neither one of them had shown even a shred of hesitation.


    The level of hypnotizing was so high that it closed any possible loopholes that could wake them up. A fight between Rin and his twopanions was bound to happen or that is what Cid assumed as he got ready to evacuate the ce the moment they sh. As much as his magic is extremely strong but when ites to actual physical strength, Cid waspletely useless.


    The moment the two women go closer to Rin, he suddenly lifted his hand up. A huge amount of mana started circling around him, creating a ck aura.


    The light in the room had suddenly started dimming even more than before as Rin''s aura got stronger and stronger at an extremely rapid rate.


    At some point, he put his hand down before he crouched on one knee. His hollow eyes stared down at the ground, not caring for the fact that Elise and Evelyn were merely a few inches away from him. Their arms were already moving to grab him.


    *Tap*


    Pointing his index finger, Rin touched the ground lightly with it.


    "Shadow Sea..." He murmured in a cold, emotionless tone as if he was a robot.


    *Swish*


    Instantly, an area the size of half of the prison area was suddenly turned into pure darkness. A huge shadow had appeared out of Rin''s finger and engulfed everything. Even Evelyn and Elise were then swept down by it. Their bodies were quickly consumed by the shadows, disappearing inside of them before they could even do anything.


    "Whaa-" Cid''s eyes blinked inplete shock.


    He couldn''tprehend what just happened. It was all too fast, too sudden.


    ''How?! Didn''t he fail at pulling them down with him when he tried a few hours ago?! When did he have the time to get stronger?!''


    Nothing made sense for Cid, who could only freeze in his ce like a broken statue. A horrified, rigid expression filled his face.


    This was just too overwhelming, soul-crushing. To see that when everything was thought to be going perfectly, a single person would change everything. All of his work and nning were thrown down the drain merely because of a young man.


    How painful was it?! He had promised to save his kin and to erase the humans out of the face of the world! He had promised his mother that he will make her smile again and live a carefree life.


    Yet, not even an hour passed, and that promise was torn to shreds.


    ''I... failed.''


    Cid didn''t think about running or trying to fight. He could''ve prolonged the fight and tried to resist. But, in the end, he lost his guards, he lost the two strong pawns that were Evelyn and Elise. His powers didn''t work on Rin for some reason. All he could do was use his fists which were pretty much as useless as his attempt to escape.


    Meanwhile, Rin who had just gotten rid of the two women stood up and stared directly at Cid. For some reason, he didn''t move immediately to kill Cid or restrain him. Instead, he also turned into a statue just like the demon.


    "What are you waiting for?" Cid, who noticed that abnormal behavior, said.


    "Come on, kill me... I won''t resist." He said as he lifted his arms in the air in a sign of surrender.


    "Hurry up and end it, you fucking piece of garbage!!!" Being met with continuous silence, Cid lost his temper and shouted.


    *Drip*


    "H-Huh..." Suddenly, the demon noticed that something had dripped from his chin.


    ''Tears...''


    From his eyes came down what seemed to be tears. At that instant, Cid''s despairpletely turned into confused disbelief.


    ''Tears... How can I...  How can I cry?!''


    Many would consider crying to be normal behavior for someone who was about to die brutally. But, this wasn''t the case for Cid and demons in general.


    In contrast to humans, demons aren''t capable of tearing up. Their anatomy is different from their counterpart so they don''t show the same reactions and emotions as humans.


    But, now, something weird happened that could potentially be the first of its kind. A demon had shed a tear.


    This was also the reason for Rin''s weird behavior. He knew that this wasn''t something normal for a demon.


    "No! No! This is bullshit! Why am I crying like humans?!" Wiping his face, Cid tried to get rid of the tears that kept going down his face.


    "Stop! I won''t cry!" Wiping his face violently, scratches appeared on his skin from the friction of his hand.


    Seeing that, Rin opened his mouth and said in a very slow, barely understandable tone.


    "You... aren''t... a human..."


    Because of the berserker skill, talking was very hard for him yet he still forced himself to speak.


    "..."


    Cid''s movements halted again as he squinted his eyes at Rin again.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "What do you mean?"


    "Tears... aren''t exclusive for... humans..." He said.


    "What do you even know, you lowly human?!"


    "I... Know... Demons... feel too..."


    "We are far superior! We don''t need tears! Looking as pathetic as you humans... how disgusting!"


    "Yet... here you... are... doing it..."


    "I said shut up!!!!"


    Losing his temper, Cid dashed toward Rin with his fist swinging in the air. His outrage had made him lose all reason.


    *Swish*


    But, as he was about to hit him, Rin extended his arm and grabbed his fist easily. Then, with a swing of his arm, he punched Cid in the face violently.


    The sound of teeth breaking echoed in the prison as the young demon fell to the ground.


    "Humans... and demons... aren''t bound to live in peace...."


    *Step*


    "Blood is the only oue of these two races connecting." The more Rin spoke, the less his berserker skill''s effect took over his mind. The power had been deactivated.


    *Step


    "I have thought about it for long. I thought of trying to change the future. I even tried to distinguish right from wrong. Who was at fault and who was the victim? I truly believed in the possibility of peace. But..."


    Stopping right in front of Cid and staring down at him with a dark expression. Shadows loomed over Rin''s face.


    "But, the more I see from both parties, the more I realize that the truth is far from that... Neither of these races is right... Both are bloodthirsty, twisted creatures that seek death more than death seeks them. From the moment these two races diverged into two paths, they were never meant to meet again on amon point..." A long sigh escaped Rin''s mouth between the words.


    "Maybe this was what destiny meant for them... Maybe it was all just a big, bad joke..."


    "..."


    Cid opened his mouth to say something but ended up looking like a small bird opening and closing its beck.


    "I was never meant to stop a war... Hahah! For a moment, I thought I was the main character... The one that will change the fate of the world. How naive, right?"


    "..."


    "Well, this life is shitty anyways and it became even shittier the stronger I became. They say power gives happiness. But, look at me, the stronger I became, the more danger my loved ones are put through. Sigh..."


    Shaking his head, Rin pointed his dagger at Cid.


    "I already made my choice. Whether this is the right one or not is only for the future to tell me..."


    *Swish*


    Then, like a lightening, Rin''s dagger moved and sliced through Cid''s neck. This time, it was indeed a real death.


    The head fell down on the ground, rolling for a moment before ending in front of Rin''s feet. Staring down at it, Rin felt a cold sensation in his heart as if he had just lost something massive part of what he used to be.


    ''Even at yourst moment, you never begged for your life... Maybe the demons are way more prideful than I assumed.'' He thought.


    Staring up, Rin closed his eyes as he let his mind think on its own. He didn''t care what might''ve changed in him at this moment. He had killed many and was the reason for the death of many. In mere hours, he saw changes in himself that months before he could never do. All because of the young demon in front of him.


    "Blurgh!"


    Suddenly, Rin''s eyes widened as he bent down and coughed violently. Blood fell down from his mouth on the ground as an intense pain assaulted his heart.


    "U-Ugh!!" Then, he fell down to the ground,pletely unconscious.


    After using the berserker skill, Rin had basically consumed all of his mana. But, it didn''t stop at that, after consuming all of his mana, the skill used a part of his core just to fuel the Shadow Sea.


    Now after he returned to normal, the after effect of such a dangerous thing were huge.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 184 184- For You (Part 1)

    Chapter 184- For You (Part 1)


    "U-Ugh..." Rin groaned slightly as his eyes started cracking open. The heavy feeling of his eyelids refusing to listen to him along with the strong grogginess made him incapable of waking uppletely.


    Instead, he merely fought the urge to go back to sleep again and bit his tongue slightly. The feeling of slight pain was more than enough to help him finally open his eyespletely to look around. That was when he realized that all along, Rin wasn''t stationary at all. In fact, he could clearly sense the warmth of someone''s body touching his whole torso.


    Calling the feelingforting was an understatement. The warmth of this person''s body was akin to the heavenly softness of silk.


    ''Someone... is carrying me?'' He thought as he felt the rhythmic movement along with the fact that his feet weren''t touching the ground.


    Looking around him dazedly, Rin caught a glimpse of something.


    ''Huh... White hair...''


    Even though this hair was extremely familiar to Rin, because of his current state, it took him an awfully long time to recognize it.


    "E-Elise..." He murmured with great difficulty.


    The person that was carrying him, hearing that voice, quickly turned around and looked at him with clear, deep worry in her beautiful eyes.


    "Don''t move and don''t talk! You are heavily injured!" She said in a higher tone than usual. It was clear from her voice that panic had struck her.


    "W-Where... are we?" Rin ignored her requests and asked.


    "We are close to the academy! I said don''t talk!" She replied with urgency.


    Nodding his head, Rin continued.


    "A-Are you and Evelyn... ok?"


    Rin could''ve easily deduced that fact from how Elise was talking with him and not hypnotized as she should''ve been. But, his worry made himpletely put logical thinking to the side.


    "We are unscathed... On the other hand, you..." Evelyn was the one to reply this time as she looked at Rin.


    "This isn''t the time for this. Put him back to sleep..." Elise intervened before the conversation continued.


    "Sigh, you are right..."


    ''W-Why is she this angry... Everyone... is fine.'' He thought.


    But, before he could go any further and ask, his eyes suddenly lost their strength again and he fell asleep quickly. No matter how much he tried to resist the urge, he could only sumb to it.


    ***


    "Fuuh, he slept again..." Elise said as she looked back at him. Carrying Rin on her back was an easy task since her strength was great.


    But, that wasn''t her problem at the moment. Instead, what was concerning her greatly was Rin''s condition.


    After getting hypnotized by Cid, Elise couldn''t remember a single thing. After that, she woke up to find herself inside a prison cell filled with corpses. The soul-crushing fear and dread she felt at the moment were the strongest she had ever felt in her life.


    The chances that Rin could''ve killed was the first thing that she thought of and the sense of emptiness that followed after was nothing short of horrifying. It was as if in a second, all of her desire to live, to thrive for greater heights, and to find happiness again was gone like an illusion. Even Elise herself was shocked at how much this affected her.


    But, luckily, she found Rin to be although unconscious, still alive pretty much. However, quickly she noticed something weird about him.


    ''His aura... it''s very weak... And his body is extremely cold.''


    Before, Rin''s aura was strong, vibrant, and one of the few things that gave Elise a sense of belonging and warmth. But, now, that aura became a shadow of its former self. Weak, empty, and on the verge of death. His breathing was heavy and his face was deathly pale.


    Evelyn, who also had a strong frown on her face, said as she touched his face.


    "His soul core is heavily injured." She said.


    "How?"


    "I have no idea. But, Rin must''ve overused his mana to the point where he had to sacrifice a part of his core." She replied.


    ''Sacrifice a part of his core... What happened?'' The frown on Elise''s face intensified.


    "Is it... a lethal injury?" She asked. The word ''lethal'' was very hard for her to say as she dreaded the answer to that question.


    "It''s an extremely serious injury that can easily kill anyone. But, he will survive... But we need to get out of here now so that we can get him treated as quickly as possible."


    Even though both Elise and Evelyn knew that leaving like this will create countless problems, especially for Evelyn since she was the one who took on the mission. But, for them, Rin''s safety is a top priority now. Everything elsees after that.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    And so, Evelyn sent a message to the Assassin Guild and let them take the matter from here on. Then, they two left the ce heading back toward the academy as quickly as possible.


    "His body is getting colder and colder by the second..." Elise said.


    "The effects of a soul core injury get worse and worse. He needs to get treated. Let''s hurry!"


    "Hold on, Rin... Just a little bit longer..." Elise murmured as she touched Rin''s cheek gently.


    "I won''t let you die... Even if it means I will have to reach the ends of the world." She continued thest part to herself, not allowing anyone else to hear it.


    Two hours passed before the two finally reached the academy. Elise had made sure to notify Emilia and Aria first before their arrival so that they don''t waste time.


    The moment they reached the gates, they found the two waiting for them.


    "Rin!!!"


    Ignoring everything, Aria rushed toward her little brother and quickly checked him. Seeing his poor state, tears appeared in her eyes. But, she knew that going into a frenzy now won''t help her brother at all. She had to keep herposure for Rin''s sake.


    "What happened?! You exined nothing in the message." Emilia intervened.


    "No time for an exnation. Rin had injured his soul core." Elise replied as she moved past, Emilia.


    "Injured his core..." The floor master''s eyes widened in deep shock before she quickly shook her head and took a deep breath.


    "Quickly carry him to my office!"


    When they reached the ce, Emilia went to the other side of the office and opened a door that led to another room. There, a big bedroom was set up. Emilia had made it because she has to stay in her office overnight sometimes so leaving is inconvenient.


    "Put him on the bed." She ordered Elise.


    Gentlyying him on the bed, Elise retreated and left Emilia to do whatever she needed to do.


    After sitting down, Emilia started gently touching Rin and using her mana in a particr way to examine his body.


    After a few crucial, silent minutes with everyone on edge.


    Finally, Emilia opened her eyes again and her face looked as serious as ever.


    "This reckless brat! I have never seen an injury to the core this heavy in my life. If you both werete by even an hour..." Trailing off at the end.


    "Is Rin going to be ok?!" Aria asked as she tried to restrain herself.


    "Fuuh, I do have something that can heal him. But, unfortunately, an injury this heavy won''t allow Rin to use mana for a long while."


    The news was like a huge boulder falling on everyone. For an awakened, mana is akin to one of the limbs on their body. If it''s cut off, the feeling of loss will be extremely heavy.


    "H-How long, Miss Emilia?" Elise questioned.


    "From a few months up to a few years. Depends on how fast he can recover."


    ''A-A few years...'' The three of them thought.


    A few years were nothing to scoff at. Not only would this hinder Rin''s growth greatly but would also put him in great danger no matter where he went.


    ''No...'' Elise was the most affected by this.


    Rin is her partner, one she relied on in every fight and trusted to cover her back. For him to lose his powers. The harsh reality hit her extremely hard.


    "However, I don''t think it will take that long. What I said is the normal case and Rin... He is far from normal. I won''t be shocked if he returned as good as new in a few weeks." Emilia said as she stared down at him.


    These words, although clearly said to lighten the mood of the room, still helped give an ounce of hope to the three women.


    "Rin..." Aria felt her tears well up again.


    "C-Can I do anything to help?"


    "Not really. The only thing Rin needs is topletely rest and not move a muscle for a while and by that I mean, not even a single muscle." She repeated.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 185 185- For You (Part 2)

    Chapter 185- For You (Part 2)


    "I know that Rin won''t ept the idea of staying in one ce. But, I want you to keep an eye on him.  He really must not leave the bed at all costs. A soul core injury affects the body in more ways than we could fathom." Emilia said.


    After that, she stood up, walked to the door, and said.


    "Let me go fetch something." Then, she left the trio alone.


    The silence in the room was quite awkward and gloomy. Each one of these women was talented, strong, and very capable. With one order from them, they could get whatever they wished for. Yet, all they cared about at the moment was the young man sleeping on the bed.


    "Now, miss Assassin... Care to exin how Rin ended up this injured?" Aria turned around and stared at Elise seriously.


    "It''s..." The one that tried to answer was Elise.


    However, Evelyn put her hand in front of her as a signal for her to stop.


    "It''s my fault... I didn''t assess the situation right and it ended up backfiring on Rin. I shall take responsibility for it." She added.


    "Oh, great! The great Assassin is taking responsibility for almost killing my brother. How generous of you!" Aria said in a cold, hostile tone.


    The anger in her eyes as she stared at Evelyn was palpable.


    "Can I at least recount what happened before you hurl your insults at me?"


    After that, Evelyn went ahead and told Aria what happened exactly. From the moment they left till they reached the city and everything that urred after that.


    Throughout all of that, Aria''s expression changed and contorted more and more. The shock in her eyes when she realized that Rin had most likely faced a demon, a swarm of enemies and two hypnotized people alone made her heart feel as if it was tearing apart.


    When the story was over, Aria touched her face.


    "He harmed himself, trying to save both of you?" She asked.


    "I have no idea what exactly..." Evelyn was about to reply but Elise cut her off.


    "Yes, he did..."


    "Huh? How did you even kn-"


    "I know him better than anyone. Rin wasn''t the type of person to harm himself merely to win a fight. But, if someone he cared for is involved, then he turns into a reckless idiot." Elise said as a sh of warmth appeared in her eyes.


    As much as she criticizes Rin''s character in such cases, she could only smile to herself when she remembers those traits of his.


    "I see... In the end, because of this stupid mission, Rin could''ve lost his life. Now, he is paying the cost for that. If he just listened to me... It''s all your fault!" ring at Evelyn, Aria clenched her teeth tightly.


    "I don''t even know why Rin would trust a filthy assassin like you. I don''t know what you want from him or if you got what you came for. Are you satisfied now? Huh?!"


    If it wasn''t for the fact that they were inside Emilia''s office and Rin was resting beside them, Aria would''ve done things that she wouldn''t even approve of. Her anger and hatred toward Evelyn were rising at a very high speed.


    In reality, Aria knew that ming Evelyn for all of this is immature. But, at the moment, Aria wanted a target to put all of her frustration on.


    Turning around, she walked to the bed and sat beside it. Then, she put her hand on Rin''s face, caressing it slowly.


    "Idiot... you are a big, huge, reckless idiot..." She murmured.


    "But, please, don''t kill yourself, Rin... I won''t be able to live a second longer without you... Please understand..." Tears welled up on Aria''s face.


    No matter how many times she hears Rin''s reasons for doing these dangerous things, she won''tpletely understand them. In her eyes, Rin''s life is more valuable than strength, fame, and riches. Hell, it''s even more important to her than her own life.


    Ironically, Aria didn''t realize that her thoughts were a carbon copy of Rin''s. Both of them value the lives of people they cared for more than their own lives.


    "I"m going for now..." Evelyn whispered as she quickly left the room.


    Elise, on the other hand, didn''t say anything and merely rested her back on the wall. Even though worry was still eating away from her heart, she kept herposure and didn''t express a stronger reaction.


    ''If I didn''t leave him to do whatever he wanted...'' She clenched her teeth slightly.


    Had she stopped him from doing this mission?... Had she told him to focus on other things instead? None of this would''ve happened.


    Added on top of that was the fact that when she got hypnotized, she most likely tried to harm Rin with her own hands. There is nothing worse for Elise than to end up killing the only person she cares for in this world.


    Time passed silently as neither Elise nor Aria said a word. They merely sat there, waiting for Emilia toe back.


    "You know, your Highness..." Aria then spoke out of nowhere.


    "Hm?"


    "Rin cares for you more than anything else."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "..."


    "I''ve even heard him a few times dream about you. Hahaha!" Chuckling sadly, Aria looked down and stayed silent.


    "I know..."


    "Good, it would''ve been troublesome if Rin was giving you everything and you were oblivious to it."


    "..."


    Staying silent for a long while, Elise thought about Aria''s words.


    "I think I''m not worth all of that."


    Hearing that, Aria''s hand that was caressing Rin''s hand stopped. Then, she turned around.


    "Why do you think so, your Highness?"


    "The only thing I do is inflict pain on him. He always gives me but I never give back. What worth do I have in his life if I''m bound to hurt everyone around me?" She asked in a slightly agitated tone.


    Elise wasn''t intending to say anything of that sort. However, for some reason, her mind refused to stop. Aria''s words had hit a ce in Elise''s heart that she never wanted to touch.


    "Even now, I had insisted on going with him on the mission. But, I ended up making him self-destruct."


    "... I see." Murmuring to herself, Aria stood up and walked toward her.


    Then, in a sudden and shocking oue, she hugged her tightly. Elise''s eyes widened slightly as she stared at Aria silently. She never expected that she would get hugged out of nowhere.


    "Even though I might be jealous of how much Rin cares about you. But, I also know that no matter what I do, your ce in his heart will never be reced. I don''t think Rin would put this much effort into someone who isn''t worth it and I''m also sure he had told you this before, didn''t he?"


    Indeed, Elise does remember that Rin had told her this before. He even made sure to remind her of this more than once.


    "He did..."


    "Fufuf! Rin is Rin after all. He never stops his recklessness. So, if you want to truly make him feel that he''s doing the right thing, just ept it and care for him as much as he does for you. I''m sure that''s all he wants."


    "I will..."


    After patting on her back once, Aria pulled back and then said.


    "So, can I ask you a question, your highness? Do you... have feelings for Rin?"


    "... Feelings?" Elise tilted her head confusedly.


    "I meant... do you see him as a person of the opposite sex?" She asked.


    "Isn''t he?" Elise asked with even more confusion written on her face.


    The reason Aria changed the topic to this light-hearted one even though the situation was extremely serious was that she wanted to try and lessen her worry. Rin was bound to wake up and when he does, Aria didn''t want him to see her in a gloomy and sad mood. The other reason is to stop Elise from overthinking and reaching conclusions on her own.


    "Sigh, I meant, are you in love with Rin?"


    "Huh... What-"


    Before Elise could even say anything, the door of the room opened and Emilia came inside holding a sk with a golden liquid inside of it.


    "Miss Emilia!"


    "I had to search for a while but I finally found it. A soul core strengthening potion. It can be a good way to strengthen the core but it can also heal core injuries."


    After sitting down, Emilia started unbuttoning Rin''s clothes.


    "Miss Emilia?!" Aria panicked slightly when she saw her doing that.


    "Rx, this potion can''t be consumed normally. I need to directly use it on the ce where his core is."


    After pulling his shirt up, Rin''s chest was revealed for everyone to see. His extremely toned muscles and the defined features of his torso were something to marvel at.


    "Now, let''s start."


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 186 186- For You (Part 3)

    ?


    Chapter 186- For you (Part 3)


    After that, Emilia opened the sk and started pouring the liquid on Rin''s chest. The golden color of it made his body look glossy.


    "I will start." She said as she put her hand on his chest.


    Then, slowly and gently, she started rubbing it on his chest, particrly around his sr plexus and where his heart is. The technique she used was odd but looked very organized and in harmony as if each move had a purpose.


    ''She''s using mana...'' Elise noticed the weird behavior of Emilia''s mana as it seeped through her hand and magically spread across Rin''s body as if it got stuck to him. Then, in a meticulous way, was absorbed by Rin.


    It didn''t take her long to realize what that liquid does. It allows Emilia to easily transfer her mana to Rin. It was akin to a medium between them.


    Minutes passed in the same manner, Rin''s body kept absorbing mana as if he was a dry sponge. The more he absorbed, the better he seemed to get. His extremely pale face gained some color and his blue lips started regaining their rosiness.


    On the other hand, Emilia''s face was riddled with sweat beads. Her breathing was also slightly uneven. It was clear that using her mana this way took a toll on her.


    But, eventually, she lifted her hand and sighed, exhaling a long breath as if she could finally rest.


    "It''s done. His injury is quite deep so it took longer than I expected."


    "Will he be fine now?!" Aria asked with clear nervousness in her eyes.


    "Yes, I''m actually quite amazed by how easily he absorbed the mana. His core''s efficiency in circting mana is impressive." Emilia said as she closed her eyes and recalled what she saw in Rin''s mana veins.


    The way they transported mana around his body was so beautiful and perfect that she almost thought he wasn''t a human. Normally, when awakened develops their mana veins, and they will have some small deficiencies in their structure. It''s all a part of the mana''s effect on his body when it first enters it.


    However, Rin had no such thing inside his body. Emilia couldn''t even find a single fault in his mana veins.


    ''That''s probably one of the reasons for extremely fast learning speed. His body can absorb all forms of magic as if it was solely made for such a thing.''


    "All he needs now is rest. His mana core started the healing process and it will take a while till he woke up. You both should leave and let him rest."


    "I see..." Aria''s face turned a little sadder.


    But, she knew that her desire to stay here is irrelevant if it meant annoying Rin and hindering his rest.


    "Elise, follow me. I need to talk with you." Emilia added as she nced at Elis.


    "Understood."


    So, Emilia along with Aria left the room, Elise was the only one left. Staying in her ce for a few moments, she then approached Rin.


    During all of this, Elise''s eyes never left Rin, not even for a second.


    "Rest well... I will be back soon." She said as she touched his hand lightly before pulling away and exiting the room.


    ***


    "So, care to exin what exactly happened?" Emilia asked as she tapped on her desk rhythmically.


    Taking a deep breath, Elise recounted the story again in great detail.


    "And that''s how we ended up carrying him back here..."


    "... A demon, huh. And they can even use mana... How could this be?" Clicking her tongue, Emilia rubbed her temple before asking.


    The shock from hearing that this demon had ess to magic was strong. But, Emilia''s fear wasn''t from the fact that this demon but from the fact that could be something happening around the world as they were speaking.


    ''No, I shouldn''t think of the worst now.''


    "You didn''t find a single person alive?"


    "No, I didn''t search thoroughly but I''m sure all of them had their throats slit. Even if there was one still alive, they would''ve died anyways." Elise said as a strong frown appeared on her face.


    The sight of tens of dead people was the most repulsive sight Elise had ever seen. Even though she had killed monsters before and saw blood with her own eyes, this was the first time she saw this many people die in one ce.


    "I see... Well, an official letter had been sent to the kingdom. I fear that only the worst could happen from here on out."


    "What do you mean, Miss Emilia?"


    "A demon escaping the shackles is noughing matter. There are only two possibilities that could happen. Either every demon will be eradicated immediately... Or."


    "Or?"


    "A civil war could happen."


    "A civil war?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "After what happened, do you think the lords of other cities will stay silent? Each one of them will fear for himself. Every connection between the lords will crumble. A tense kingdom, with a bunch of suspecting lords that govern it, and a king that can''t control them. That''s the best breeding ground for a civil war. An event this big could affect the whole world and it bes a war on arger scale across all of Divine Sapphire."


    A world war was not something to scoff at. Especially at this crucial moment when the cult could attack at any moment. In fact, if a war urs, the cult would definitely use that opportunity to hit the human race where it hurts and especially the academy since it''s the powerhouse that stands above everything in the human realm.


    ''It''s only getting worse... As if everything is meant to be led this...''


    As Elise thought, she halted on a particr thought she had.


    ''As if everything meant to happen like this.''


    "Miss Emilia..."


    "Hm?"


    "Is there perhaps a possibility that the one that gave demons the power of magic is none other than the cult itself."


    "What do you mean?"


    "Didn''t you just say it, that the cult wants the humans to fight each other so that it can hit them at their most vulnerable state? What''s better than to actually ignite the war themselves?"


    "That could be possible. But, the question remains, how did they do it? I have never heard of such a thing existing or even being remotely possible. Humans and demons don''t have the same anatomy. It''s medically impossible unless they could somehow turn a demon into a human."


    "Turning a demon into a human... Turning a demon into a human." Elise kept repeating thest part as she thought about it carefully.


    Technically, changing a creature from one race to another should be impossible. After all, no magic has this ability. But, then again, impossible things keep happening right in front of their eyes again and again.


    "For now, I will keep this possibility in my head. Maybe the cult was able to find a loophole they exploited to make this possible."


    Standing up, Elise turned around to leave.


    But, as she put her hand on the handle, she heard a sounding from the other room. The one Rin was inside.


    "Huh?"


    Turning around to look at the door and then at Emilia, she rushed inside.


    There, she found Rin, who should''ve been asleep, on the ground, trying to stand up.


    "U-Ugh..." Groaning slightly from pain, he tried to push himself up.


    "Rin!"


    Approaching him quickly, she made him wrap his arm around her should as a support before lifting him up.


    "E-Elise..." Sensing her, Rin said in a low tone.


    "Why did you try to wake up! You are gravely injured!"


    "W-Where am I?"


    "Inside Miss Emilia''s office. Now, here,y down and don''t try to move."


    When he was put down again, he looked at her.


    "W-Why do I feel... Extremely weak..."


    "As I said, you have sustained a heavy injury. Now, go back to sleep. Don''t push yourself."


    "But..."


    "No buts, you must sleep." Elise repeated sternly as she looked at Rin seriously.


    "Please, Rin. Just rest. I will tell you everythingter, ok?" Her tone lowered a little bit.


    "F-Fine..." Nodding his head, Rin didn''t say anything else and closed his eyes.


    Even though Rin had no idea where he was or what happened to him, but the moment he heard Elise, hepletely rxed and didn''t think about it twice. His trust in her was as great as his trust in his own self, after all.


    Seeing how gentle and warm she was even when she was serious, Emilia could only wonder how much did the two go through to create such a bond.


    Having great trust in others is a thing, having blind trust in them is a whole different matter. For one to gain such a feeling toward another, they must face tough moments together. They had to sacrifice for each other.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 187 187- Burdens Of Actions (Part 1)

    ?


    Chapter 187- Burdens Of Actions (Part 1)


    A few days passed quite peacefully after that, for Rin and his group that is. Since they were inside the academy, the outside world was basically a whole different ce disconnected from it. The academy believes in isting its students from the problems outside so that they can focus on their development.


    Even major news reaches the academyte when it was either over or became old at that point. However, this time, this news was far bigger than anything they ever heard of before.


    After the events of the border city, the king decided to invite all the lords for a huge meeting. The goal of it was simple: to try and find a good solution to the huge problem they are in at the moment.


    It seemed that the king had anticipated the repercussions of this event and quickly worked a n to stop it from spreading and creating even more panic.


    However, no matter what he would do, the news would spread. In fact, a few days were all it took for other kingdoms to hear about the matter. Granted, no official statements have been said yet.


    Meanwhile, the one who had the biggest hand in this mess wasying on the bed, sleeping soundly. Because of the mental and physical exhaustion, Rin didn''t wake up once after he made sure Elise was fine.


    However, eventually, on the 4th day, Rin woke up feeling a little bit better. He still felt extremely weak and he still had painful headaches, but he was at least able to stay fully awake.


    That was when Aria, Elise, and Emilia came to check on him.


    "Rin!!"


    "Woah."


    Jumping on him, Aria hugged him tightly and cried for a little bit. Granted, Rin had to calm her down and pat her till she waspletely rxed. This became his job at some point so he was quite skillful at it. Besides, he liked doing that so he wasn''tining.


    Elise also gave him a nod with a small smile. A small of relief. Even though Elise didn''t show as much affection as Aria did, she wasn''t any less happy.


    "It''s good you didn''t die, brat!" Emilia said in a serious tone.


    As harsh as it may sound, Rin knew that this was her way of saying ''I''m d you are doing fine''.


    However, even though Rin was happy no one died, his mind could only go back to what happened at that ce. Quickly, a strong sense of emptiness filled his soul. He didn''t kill one or two people. He had murdered at least 15 and was the reason for the death of hundreds of innocent humans.


    No matter how cold and unfeeling he was, it would still leave a strong impression.


    ''My anger took the better of me and I ended up killing innocent guards. I''m aplete scum...'' Looking down, he touched his face slowly.


    "What''s wrong, Rin? Are you feeling some kind of pain? Is your body hurting?" Aria asked worriedly.


    "No... I''m just..." Clenching his fists, Rin found it hard to even say it.


    ''I killed many innocent people.'' How would they react if he said this? What would they think of him? Would they even look at him the same way? He didn''t think so.


    In fact, Rin wouldn''t be surprised if theypletely lost all respect, admiration, and even love for him. He had be a murdered, a cruel one at that.


    The first one to notice this abnormality was Elise.


    "What happened... back there, Rin?" She asked.


    "..." Taking a deep breath, Rin closed his eyes for a moment.


    ''There is no running away from it. They deserve an exnation and I shall provide them with one.'' He resolved himself and then started speaking.


    He told them everything from the moment Elise and Evelyn were hypnotized. He didn''t leave anything at all. Well, except for his powers, he covered them with some vague exnations.


    Although Evelyn had already seen his powers, but since she wasn''t here, he can at least keep it a secret for the time being until he meets her again, if he was able to somehow solve this situation that is.


    During the recounting of the story, the trio''s faces changed a lot. From confusion to realization to shock and then to confusion again. The story was simply so ridiculous that if it wasn''t for Rin saying it, none of them would''ve believed that it was actually the truth.


    "After that, I killed him and then lost consciousness out of nowhere."


    None of the three women dared to speak at all. No, even if they wanted to speak, they didn''t have the words to say.


    "Rin..." Aria, who was the closest to him, tried to stretch her arm to touch his face. However, thetter instinctively dodged it.


    "I''m a filthy killer... You don''t have to touch me..." He said in a cold tone. Not toward Aria herself but more toward himself.


    "No... You aren''t!" She tried to deny it.


    "How am I not? I murdered tens of innocent people because I couldn''t control myself."


    "You did it to save Elise..." Aria retorted.


    "That doesn''t justify my actions."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Even though deep down, Rin wasn''t regretful of the fact that he did this to save Elise and Evelyn, he wasn''t going to try and excuse his actions because of his selfish desires. People aren''t toys or animals, they are also creatures with thoughts and feelings.


    He had indeed prioritized Elise and Evelyn''s life over those of some people he didn''t know. Rin admits that this would''ve been his choice even if he went back in time. But, it was still a crime and crimes would get punished by thew.


    "Rin..." Finding herselfpletely speechless again, Aria looked down and didn''t say a single word.


    "Brat, don''t jump to conclusions yet! Your actions came in self-defense."


    "Self-defense against people that aren''t even aware of what they were doing."


    "Self-defense is still self-defense. You have fought a demon that can use mana. That''s more than enough to justify the casualties that happened. I don''t think anyone would condemn you for it... No! If they try to, I won''t allow them!"


    "Master..." Rin''s eyes widened slightly as he looked at Emilia.


    "That''s true, you have done what you could. No one would dare to say anything to you." Aria further pushed that idea.


    Rin found himself in a confused state. Even though Emilia''s reasons made sense to a certain extent. The guilt of killing people still ate away from Rin''s heart. It wasn''t something he can get rid of easily.


    "Can I have a moment with Rin?"


    Suddenly, Elise, who was silent this whole time, spoke.


    The trio looked at her silently. Especially Rin, even if Emilia and Aria epted that he had killed people, Elise is still different. Rin knew how much she hated inhuman acts. She extremely hated the ugly side of humanity since she suffered through most of her life because of it.


    "Fine, Aria, let''s go," Emilia replied.


    "Huh, but..."


    "Move."


    When they left and closed the door. An awkward silence filled the ce.


    Even though Elise was the one who asked for this time alone, she didn''t say anything at all for a while.


    "I''m sorry..." Rin, on the other hand, decided to apologize.


    "I put the burden of dead souls on you." He continued.


    ''She already is suffering by other people''s actions yet all I did was add more charge on her.''


    To know that preserving your own life took that of tens of other people.  How bad could it feel? Rin understood that.


    "If you wan-" Before he could add another sentence, he felt his vision being covered. Thest thing he saw were strands of silver hair that shone brightly under the light of the sun.


    A whiff of a familiar smell filled his nostrils. Elise suddenly hugged him.


    "Wee back, Rin."


    The moment he heard those words, something inside Rin''s mind switched off. All the overthinking and the ifs vanished as if they were never there.


    Instead, an extremely warm feeling filled his soul and made himpletely rx.


    "I''m truly d you are fine."


    "Mm..." Nodding his head, Rin hugged her back.


    "I''m the one that needs to apologize. I ended up making you resort to taking such a tough decision. You went through all of this for my sake." She said as she clenched her fists and tightened her hug.


    At this moment, Elise didn''t care about how she looked or what she said.  She just wanted to tell Rin that nothing changed. Rin is still Rin, the same gentle, sometimes funny, and sometimes ridiculous person she knew and liked.


    "Thank you for saving me, Rin. Thank you."


    "No, don''t thank me... I did nothing."


    "You did. You have saved my life again." Smiling slightly, Elise added. Her face looked so dazzlingly beautiful that it took Rin''s breath away.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 188 188- Burdens Of Actions (Part 2)

    ?


    Chapter 188- Burdens Of Actions (Part 2)


    All of Rin''s fears, uncertainties, and chaotic thoughts vanished in an instant. It was impressive how much Elise''s smile could affect his mood and change it for the better without even trying too hard.


    ¦Ñ¦Á§ád¦Á---n?¦Ía| §ãom All he needs was to see her being happy and he will instantly be happy no matter what situation they were in. Since the moment Elise revealed a part of her past to him, Rin took an oath to himself that he will never let Elise suffer again in her life.


    Her childhood was enough suffering. She had seen everyone she cared for leave her. Then, she lived most of her lifepletely lonely. Even when Marcus and his group tried to integrate her with them, Elise never really felt any attachment toward these people.


    In that sense, Rin was the first person she had grown to like after all these years. She had seen Rin at his best, at his worst, and even in near-death moments. The same applied to Rin.  Both had seen each other in every possible light and learned what each one of them is deep down.


    Yet, even after all of that, they both never really changed how they look at each other. Not even once did Rin or Elise feel that the other had done something bad or that they had a bad trait in their character.


    Rin might be a trouble ma who could even risk his life for those he cared for and it''s true that Elise was very dense when ites to her own feelings and loves to hide her own pain just so that no one else would have to carry it with her. However, both of them wanted to fix each other.


    "I know I have said this before. But, I''m truly grateful to you, Rin. I''m truly grateful that I met you."


    The more he heard her talk, the more Rin''s emotions went into a swirl. When did he even save Elise? What did he do to deserve that smile? Is even worth forgiving? Such questions popped into his head one after the other but vanished as fast as they appeared.


    ''Does it even matter whether I did do the right thing or not? As long as it''s what makes her happy, then it''s good enough.'' Nodding at his thoughts, Rin mustered the best smile he could do at the moment.


    "I''m way more grateful that I have met you, Elise. I don''t think even sacrificing my life for you is enough to pay the huge favor you gave me." He said.


    "Stop it, silly. You already paid your favor and even gave a tip on top of it." Saying in a joking manner, Elise chuckled briefly.


    Her melodious voice and her heavenly giggles were like music to the ear. Music that Rin would never get bored of.


    ''Ugh, fuck, I think it''s over.'' He thought.


    ''I''mpletely in love with her. I''mpletely and hopelessly in love with her.''


    Even though this was the first time Rin had felt such emotions, he was certain these feelings were love. It didn''t take a genius to determine this as it wasn''t a sudden love at first sight.  It had been swirling inside Rin''s heart for the longest while and he tried to keep them hidden for the time being as he didn''t want to burden Elise with his own selfish feelings or ruin their friendship.


    However, he can''t hide these feelings anymore. He was still not fully sure if he should confess or not, but he was certain that it won''t take long before he sumbs to the urge to just tell her.


    Although he wasn''t 100% certain, Rin was almost certain that Elise shared the same feelings he had. However, uncertainty would still bug his mind. What if he rejects him? Would they stay the same way if he confessed? Would it ruin their rtionships?


    ''I...''


    "Rin? Is everything ok?" Realizing how her partner is behaving weirdly, she asked as she touched his face gently.


    "Mm, Elise, I have something to tell you..." Taking a deep breath, Rin stared at Elise seriously.


    "What?"


    "I... I..." Fumbling with his own words, Rin tried to find the best way to say what he had in his head.


    ''Fuck! I can''t hesitate now! I had decided to just tell her.'' He thought as he clenched his fists.


    "I want to say... I..."


    ''I''m such a coward! Come on, Rin! Don''t do this now!''


    Seeing him like that, Elise''s lips curved into another, somehow even more beautiful smile than before.


    "Shh... You don''t need to say anything." She said as she put her finger on his lips.


    "I also... share the same thing." She replied.


    "... You do?"


    "I have known for a while but I wasn''t sure whether I was right or not. I guess this confirms my suspicions. I do like Rin more than just a friend." She replied.


    Ending her words with what Rin wished to hear the most, he looked down and then...


    "Hahahaha! Hahaha!" Exploded intoughter.


    "I''m sorry... I''m just too happy... I can''t stop myself fromughing."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "You are such a dummy." knocking on his head, Elise also startedughing along with him.


    "I''m sorry that I''m a coward who couldn''t say it first. I do love you, Elise. Way more than just a friend or apanion. I don''t think I can live without you anymore. It''s really troublesome."


    "Same thing. Hmm, weird. Maybe we are somehow linked by mana rather than feelings?" Thinking seriously about it, Elise nodded to herself.


    "Huh?! Does that mean that this is just mana ying with our feelings?"


    As odd as it was, both of them had grown ustomed to this weird shift in topics.


    "We have to experiment first to make sure."


    "Hm? How?"


    "I didn''t think that far. The chances that we are in love are also quite high. Hmmm..."


    As he was like that, Rin suddenly got an idea. Instantly, a cheeky smile appeared on his face.


    "I think I know the best way to verify it."


    "How?"


    "Lend me your ear."


    *Whisper* *Whisper*


    Whispering in her ear, Rin tried to stop himself fromughing. By the time he was over, he looked at Elise, anticipating a funny reaction that would give him a goodugh.


    However, what he saw instead shocked him.


    "That''s not a bad idea. Let''s do it."


    "Huh?! Wait, this was a joke! Why are you agreeing with it?!" Panicking at his n failing.


    "Hm? Isn''t that your idea? Besides, I''m curious how it would feel."


    "Y-You are?"


    "Yes, besides, I love you so I would also want to learn all kinds of things with you," Elise replied in a deadly serious tone.


    She didn''t even flinch once when she confessed that she loved Rin. In fact, Elise didn''t find it weird that she can easily say it. Rin had proven times and times again that he was someone worth all the trust she can give. She can tell him anything and be certain that he wouldn''t tell anyone.


    "I see... Well, I guess you have a point. So, do you... want to do it?"


    "Yes."


    "I see... Well, close your eyes." He said.


    Nodding her head, Elise did exactly what he asked.  Staring at her face, Rin felt himself falling into a dazed state just looking at it. Her thin lips, her perfect nose, her hypnotizing eyes, her soft cheeks, her perfect jaw. Everything about her was just perfection. There was not even a single fault in her appearance.


    Mind you, Elise was never someone who took care of her appearance that much. Except forbing her hair and taking showers, she kept everything else natural. So, Rin could only wonder how beautiful she would look with some makeup on.


    ''Your beauty is almost a crime, Elise.'' He thought as he closed on her and pursed his lips. Slowly, his eyes also closed. All he waited for was the sensation of her lips.


    However, at thest moment...


    *BANG*


    "Hold up!!"


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 189 189- Burdens Of Actions (Part 3)

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    Chapter 189- Burdens Of Actions (Part 3)


    The door was suddenly opened and Aria came rushing inside with a panicked face. Her eyes were almost bloodshot and her breathing was erratic.


    Finding himself frozen, Rin merely looked back at Aria with a confused look on his face. For a moment, he had forgotten that his sister and Emilia were outside and they could easily hear what was happening inside if they tried to.


    ''Kissing Elise in such a ce would create an embarrassing situation.'' He thought to himself with a sigh. He would be lying if he said he wasn''t excited to actually kiss Elise.


    On the other hand, Aria and Emilia looked at him with varying degrees of surprise. Emilia was purely surprised because she thought that the two didn''t have such a rtionship before. However, it seemed that they had confessed to each other which ended up in them about to kiss.


    However, the rather uglier look was on Aria''s face.


    "K-Kiss?! Were you two about to kiss?!" She said with a hesitant look on her face.


    Finding himself in a tough situation, Rin tried to find an excuse for this. Although he wasn''t ashamed of the fact that he had finally confirmed his feelings with Elise, he thought that if he admitted that they were about to do that, Elise would feel flustered or maybe even ashamed.


    "Hmm... O-Oh, well, we weren''t actua-"


    "Yes, we were about to kiss."


    Much to his shock, Elise turned around and said in her usual, cold, emotionless tone.


    ''Miss Elise?!'' Almost choking on his own saliva, Rin stared wide-eyed at her. Of all the things he thought she would say, he never thought she would actually proudly admit to such a thing in front of these two people nheless.


    ''Whistle, bold.'' Whistling, Emilia thought in her head.


    "What is the meaning of this?! Why would you two kiss?" Finding herself in clear despair, Aria tried to deny the obvious reason for such an action. Her mind didn''t want to ept what could be the case.


    "Well, I presume there are only a handful of cases that would make people kiss. We have confirmed what we both think of each other." Elise exined.


    ''She''s really saying that with a straight face. How badass.'' Rin sighed as he rubbed the back of his head.


    ''I was worried for nothing.''


    "You two... love each other?"


    "Yes.  I guess it should''ve been obvious for a while now. But, well, our inexperience ended up halting the inevitable."


    "But, but, that shouldn''t be the case..."


    "Well, didn''t you ask me whether I love Rin or not, Aria?"


    "I..."


    "I gave it some thought and I found that I was only denying something quite clear. I don''t like to evade reality. Besides, Rin is the most precious person to me so I didn''t want to lose him just because of a mere hesitation." Elise confessed again.


    "Elise..." Feeling touched to hear that, Rin smiled slightly and stared at her.


    ''I guess I didn''t fall in love for no reason.'' Chuckling at his quirky lover, he took a deep breath.


    "Well, I''m sorry for not being clear about it from the start. I never thought we would end up like this, to be honest."


    "Don''t worry, I wasn''t clear either."


    "..."


    Shifting his eyes back to Aria, Rin saw her face looking down. Her expression was hidden from everyone. Not even he could understand what she was thinking of at the moment.


    ''I guess there is still a problem, after all.'' Sighing, Rin didn''t know what to say.


    From how Aria treated him, Rin did have his suspicions that her feelings for him weren''t just ''siblings'' love'' but something more than that. However, he couldn''te to ept that fact as Aria was still his sister even if they weren''t rted by blood.


    He sees her as a family and someone he cared about deeply. However, he couldn''t see himself date her or falling in love with her. It was something that felt weird.


    "I see..." Hearing his thoughts, Aria murmured.


    Then, she looked up and smiled at them.


    "Congrattions, Rin, your highness. I hope you two have a happy life together."


    Then, without waiting for anyone, she ran out of the room without looking back.


    "Aria!!"  Trying to stand up to follow after her, Elise stopped him.


    "There is no point in it. Aria is a smart girl, she wille to terms with it." Elise had long since noticed how Aria saw Rin but she didn''tment on it since it wasn''t her position to do so. However,<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Sigh... This is really troublesome."


    "I can understand her. It''s never easy."


    That only left one other person in the room, Emilia.


    ''What would master think?'' Rin wondered.


    He knew how strict she was, but he also knew how kind she was inside. She doesn''t like to show it but she was very considerate toward him and Elise.


    eaglesnov?1,§ão§® "You two... Let me confirm one thing." She said as she took a seat and eyed the couple.


    "Rin, do you really love her?" She asked.


    At first, Rin was surprised by the question but then he turned serious and nodded his head.


    "I''m 100% sure."


    "I see, and you, Elise?"


    "I''m also certain."


    "Well, I respect both of your honesty. But, since I''m your master, you know that I only want the best for both of you, right?"


    The two nodded again.


    "I think you shouldn''t make it official yet. Or better yet, don''t get into a rtionship altogether for the time being."


    "Huh?"


    "What do you mean, Miss Emilia?" Elise squinted her eyes as a cold aura rose from her body. She was on the verge of getting angry but she was keeping her judgment after hearing Emilia''s exnation.


    "Listen both of you. The situation of the academy and the world isn''t good at all. Quite frankly, it has been going downhill for a while, and with the Mana demon ident, it had be even worse. The world is about to enter a war that could potentially change the dynamic of Divine Sapphire. Many would die and even more, people would end up crippled or injured for life."


    "What do you want to say, master?" Getting impatient, Rin cut her off.


    He didn''t like where her words were leading to.


    "I know that having a romantic partner would take time and effort. I know that you two are very responsible. But, that won''t change that both of you would have spent time with each other. Now isn''t the time for that, you two need strength to be able toe out of this war alive. Life isn''t certain."


    "I apologize, master. But, I don''t agree with what you said. I and Elise know that and we aren''t dumb enough to ck off just because we are finally aware of our love for each other." Rin argued.


    "That is indeed the case. I won''t allow for such a thing to happen." Elise added after her lover.


    However, Emilia shook her head.


    "You two don''t understand. You are going to be at the center of a world-scale war. You both carry the talents of once-in-a-million-years geniuses. I''m afraid that if what I''m predicting will happen, you two will be separated during the war. I don''t want to see both of you lose your sparkle yet."


    ''I know how painful it is to not know what your loved one is doing in a ce far away where you can neither help them nor save them.''  She added in her head, not allowing anyone to hear it.


    "We both had already faced danger before."


    "Elise is right. We already know that this war will be dangerous. But, I believe that we both can get out of it alive and well. I won''t allow for anything to stop me from seeing her again if we get separated. Not even death itself." Rin said with a cold tone.


    "Rin..." Shocked by his words, Elise looked at him with aplicated gaze.


    Just seeing his confidence, it made her hopes increase. She knew that Rin was a wonder in and out of himself. So, if he said that he would do anything to reunite with her, he meant every word of it.


    Both of them were aware that death is always looming over their head. However, they persisted and survived this whole time with their own powers. Now, after finding their other half, they can''t simply die and leave the other alone.


    Extending her arm, she touched his hand gently, making him look up.


    ''Smiling like that toward me is unfair, Elise.''


    On the side, Emilia saw this interaction and it only made her even more conflicted and in chaos.


    They really reminded her of her sister and her husband. Somi and Lucian were just like that and Emilia loved to watch them like this. However, every time she remembers how this love ended up, she felt a deep pain in her heart.


    ''I don''t want to lose you two, again. Please, understand me.''


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 190 190- Discussion

    ?


    Chapter 190- Discussion


    "At the very least, do not make this rtionship public, yet," Emilia said as she started rubbing her forehead as if she was suffering from a severe headache. Truthfully, she was so worried about the future that she could barely keep herposure at the moment.


    "Why?" Rin tilted his head confusedly. Why would making it public or not matter? He thought.


    "It''s obviously what you should do! Not only are you two under the eyes of many kingdoms now, but if the fact that you are lovers leaked to our enemies, they could use it against you."


    "That''s possible," Elise muttered as she fell into deep thought.


    "Hm, if that''s the case then it''s fine by me," Rin replied.


    "Me too. It''s not even that important to let others know."


    "Good. Sigh, now, I need to go since I have many things to do. Cleaning after this mess will be a huge hassle. Hopefully, no unwanted people will hear about this or we will be in for a ride." Emilia said as a sh of coldness appeared in her eyes before vanishing quickly.


    Leaving them alone in the room, Rin finally sighed and slumped back on the bed with his eyes closed. Looking at him, Elise asked.


    "What are you thinking of?"


    However, Rin didn''t reply immediately. Instead, he opened his eyes again and looked at Elise with a serious look.


    "I''m just worried."


    "We are all worried, aren''t we?" She asked in a light tone. Even though she knew what Rin was thinking of yet she didn''t want to burden his mind with such a topic now, especially when he just woke up from a slumber where his body was recovering.


    "Losing my ability to use mana now. I never thought it would feel this crippling." He added as he looked down at his hand.


    "It''s as if I have hands yet I can''t use them." With a wry smile, Rin murmured.


    "Don''t think about it this way. You will recover-"


    "What if I don''t recover before the start of the war?" He cut her off and asked.


    "No need to think about it, Rin. Whatever happens, I will always be here beside you. Besides, we had been through things way worse than this and yet we made miracles happen." Holding his hand, Elise stared directly at him.


    "But, if I end up being a burden through the war, we could lose. Months of training could be lost with me just sitting quietly on a bed! I don''t want to see you fight alone, Elise. I didn''t work hard just to let you face all of this alone."


    Rin was really conflicted. On one hand, he had his health that was not allowing him to do what needed to be done. But, on the other hand, urgent matters needed him to be in his peak form. Either thing required him to sacrifice something and the decision was harder than ever. Either risk his health and prioritize what he needed to do or take care of his health and risk putting Elise in danger.


    "We have gone through hell and back multiple times. Don''t start talking as if miracles aren''t already one of the things we need to consistently pull off. What we expect from ourselves is already too big, Rin." Her serious tone and the gentle squeeze she gave Rin''s hand made his eyes widen slightly.


    "..."


    "Take care of yourself, recover, and at that time, I''m sure you will be able to shine brighter than anyone else. I''m certain of it."


    "You are really mature, Elise. I can neverpare to you when ites to this." Rin said with a sad smile.


    "I''m also bad at understanding others and how to think of my own benefit. That''s why you are here for me, to stop me when I''m thinking way too logically." She exined.


    "Hahaha, I guess that''s true." Chuckling, Rin didn''t push the matter any further as he knew that he would only make Elise worry.


    "How long did master say it would take for me to healpletely?"


    "From a few weeks to a few months."


    "I see¡­" Murmuring, Rin''s mind started working again.


    "Two weeks¡­" He then said.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Two weeks?" Elise tilted her head in confusion.


    "I will definitely healpletely in two weeks. I can do that."


    "What do you mean? Do you have a n? If it''s something reckless, I won''t allow it." Elise asked.


    "It is slightly reckless. But, I''m sure it''s not that risky¡­ Hopefully."


    "I will be the judge of that. Now, tell me what you want to do."


    ****


    Meanwhile, in a different part of the world inside a huge conference room. The kings of most kingdoms in Divine Sapphire were sitting down at a meeting.


    All of them heard of the news about the demons and they quickly arranged a meeting to discuss what happened. The situation was extremely sticky and everyone was on edge.


    That''s the main reason for the heavy the extremely heavy atmosphere weighing down on the room.


    ''This is really bad.'' Between the kings and queens, sat a young man that stood out like a sore thumb. He was by far the youngest king out of everyone present. His name was Arthur Aviresion, the previous prince and current king of the Aviresion empire.


    After his father''s death and the retreat of his sister from the conflict for session, he had to take matters into his hands and be the king. However, even though he was the oldest, bing a king basically overnight wasn''t something a young man could handle properly.


    Political, economic and even social problems fell down on his back, almost crushing him. However, by sheer luck and dedication, he was able to learn his way through these problems and was able to miraculously stabilize his kingdom, for the time being at least.


    However, when the matter of the demons urred and he heard about his sister being involved in it, he almost had a heart attack. Not only did he know how horrible it could be if the other kings started using him of being rted to demons, but he also was aware of the impact of his sister''s problem on the world would be.


    ''Why did you do all of that, Elise? Not only did you leave me to struggle while you enjoy your time at the academy but you also drag me into your problems. Goddamit!'' He thought as he nervously tapped his fingers together. Even before the meeting started, some people were already giving him nces.


    "Is everyone here?" Then, a man spoke as he looked around. He was Talif, the king and ruler of Ignosia, a behemoth of a kingdom that had the biggest area of control over any other kingdom. It was the strongest empire in the whole of Divine Sapphire.


    Ruling Ignosia needed someone capable enough and Talif was the man for the job. Boasting great strength, impressive leadership skills, and a record of great achievements, no one can deny how great he was even between kings and queens.


    "Let the meeting start. As I assume, all of you heard about the news."


    The moment he said that everyone frowned slightly. Every time they heard the word ''demon'' a bad taste would linger on their tongues that made them look bitter.


    Looking around, Talif continued.


    "I understand how bad the situation is. Everyone is suspicious of everyone. However, you all should know the consequences of usations. We are supposed to work together against a mutual enemy. The academy had already sent out formal letters to every kingdom, making sure they don''t initiate internal conflicts."


    "But, Talif, we are really in a pinch. Demons could be roaming our cities and scheming their return. Coupled with the fact that we are already on the edge of a war with the new rising cult. We can''t deal with backstabbing now." One of the people present said.


    "I agree. We must get rid of every demon before they start escaping and grouping up."


    However, Talif shook his head.


    "That won''t work. These demons are now capable of using mana and if I''m correct about this. We won''t be able to get rid of thempletely. In fact, if some of them had already run away and they heard about their race being exterminated, I fear that we might end up digging our own graves."


    "Then, what do you suggest, Talif? We should just shut up and let them do whatever they want?"


    "No, that won''t work either. We must first gather as much information as possible about this demon that was able to run away. We are analyzing its corpse. Meanwhile¡­" His eyes then went straight to Arthur.


    "I need to pay a visit to certain two people." His voice was deep and cold but also carried a hint of interest in it.


    (A//N: I''m back :3!! Wee me, mortals! Ehem, I mean, sorry for the long hiatus. I had to deal with some problems and also write for my newest book ''Supreme Warlock''. However, now, I''m hopefully back and I shouldn''t stop writing for SM anytime soon.)

 Chapter 191 191- A Visit (Part 1)

    ?


    Chapter 191- A Visit (Part 1)


    A few dayster,


    "Rin! Listen to me and don''t move!" Aria yelled as she pushed Rin back on the bed with a serious look on her face.


    "I just want to go out for a small walk!" Rin protested as he tried to resist with all of his power. However, that power only amounted to a fraction of what Rin used to have before sustaining that injury.


    "No! Didn''t hear what Miss Emilia said? You can''t move from the bed."


    "But, I feel way better than before. Just let me get some fresh air."


    "You aren''t allowed to do so. Just sit there and behave." Aria didn''t move as she crossed her arms in front of her big chest and red at Rin.


    "Tsk, you are horrible!" Pouting, Rin red back at Aria.


    "Say whatever you want, as your sister, I must not let you do anything reckless."


    "It''s not something reckless. I can walk properly on my legs. I''m sure in a few more days, I can return to training."


    "Sigh¡­ You like to throw tantrums don''t you?" Sighing, Aria sat down beside the bed.


    Even though their interaction seemed like usual, both of them were sensing it¡­ The weird tension between them that appeared out of nowhere. Rin first noticed it after Aria left the room when she heard about Rin and Elise''s new feelings.


    Even though Rin was worried about her, he couldn''t leave the room to search for her because of his condition. Luckily, she came back a few hourster with a wide smile on her face as if nothing happened.


    However, Rin knew better not to believe that fake smile as he could see through her eyes that she didn''t look fine. He had known Aria for a long time and could easily read her like an open book.


    But, even then, he didn''t know how to tackle this conversation. At this point, he was sure that Aria''s feelings for him aren''t as simple as mere siblings'' love. In fact, she seemed to think of him as a serious love potential.


    While that might''ve made anyone else feel weird, Rin only felt confused about how he should deal with the matter without hurting Aria too much. A broken heart is a very sensitive thing that must be taken care of gently and carefully. Not to mention that Rin considered Aria as his family.


    With that a few days passed quietly, Rin kept getting visited by Elise, Aria, and Emilia frequently, even multiple times a day.


    They provided him with food, and clothes, and even helped him walk to the shower so he can get cleaned. It was very awkward to find yourselfpletely incapable of doing anything alone practically overnight. Rin wasn''t the type to rely on others that much either so he had to swallow his shame and ept their generosity.


    Obviously, staying in one ce for days on end wasn''t something fun at all as Rin couldn''t find anything to do except for talking with his system and cracking bad jokes to try and make himselfugh yet ended up with a serious look as he fixed the n in his head and then start executing it.


    But, doing the thing in his head, only took a fraction of the massive free time he had. That''s when boredom kicked in


    That''s how he ended up in this situation where he was being forced to stay in bed when he just wanted to walk around for a few minutes just to get rid of the cruel boredom eating away from his sanity.


    "I''m leaving to deal with some matters. You must stay here or I will really get angry, ok?" Aria said with a serious look, peering through Rin''s eyes and practically staring into his soul. It was as if she could read his thoughts.


    "Fine¡­ Sigh, I won''t leave."


    "Promise?"


    "Yes, I promise." Rolling his eyes, Rin promised her.


    However, even after saying that, Aria didn''t immediately stand up to leave. Instead, she looked deeply at him and her expression changed a little bit.


    "Rin¡­ I¡­" Opening her mouth to speak but then halted and closed it again. Aplicated expression appeared on her face as if she was in a conflict with herself over something.


    "Hm? You have something to say?"


    "No, not really¡­ Hahaha! Anyway, take care of yourself and don''t rest, ok?"


    After that, Aria stood up, kissed Rin''s forehead, and then left the room.


    "Sigh, I really don''t know how I''m gonna deal with Aria." Rubbing the back of his head, Rin fell into deep thought as he stared at the window. His mind was filled with many things yet he can''t even properly focus on any of them.


    As he was like that, he felt a gush of air reach his face and flutter his midnight ck hair.


    "Are you having fun?~" A sweet voice spoke to him from up close.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Does staying in bed the whole day look like a fun time for you?" Rin replied sarcastically without even looking at the owner of the voice as he knew who she was.


    "Fufuf~ as sharp-tongued as ever, Rin. It seems even sickness can''t tone down your harsh words." Evelyn said as she sat down on the bed beside him.


    "I won''t change just because I''m not feeling well. It''s still me."


    "That''s good¡­ I see¡­"


    Then, silence took over the room again until Evelyn broke it again with a question. Her tone carried a hint of worry in it.


    "How are you feeling now?"


    "Not bad. I''m doing my best to recover as fast as possible."


    "Is your injury still not getting any better?"


    "Well, it''s not bad too. I hope that it will bepletely healed soon."


    "I see, that''s good." When he answered that way, Evelyn''s face rxed visibly, and a relieved smile appeared on her face.


    "Were you that worried about me?" Rin asked with his eyebrows raised.


    "E-Ehem, obviously not. I was just making sure my ything is notpletely broken when I still want to y with it."


    "Hahaha, so funny." Rolling his eyes Rin ignored Evelyn''s clear fake answer. Instead, he took a serious expression and asked her.


    "Are you perhaps feeling guilty over what happened?"


    The moment he asked her that, her expression changed for a split second before returning to normal. However, Rin caught that change.


    "Not really! W-What do you mean, fufuf~?" Trying to cover her reaction, Evelyn chuckled lightly.


    "You know, I don''t really me you at all. You gave me an offer and I epted it fully knowing the consequences that could follow it. Besides, you kept your word about the sword so it wasn''t aplete disaster, for the better part."


    "..." Looking at Rin in susrpise, Evelyn couldn''t believe her ears.


    "You aren''t¡­ mad?"


    "Why would I be mad? As far as I''m concerned, you didn''t have any bad intentions aimed at me or Elise. So, no need for you to feel guilty."


    "But, your sister and Elise¡­ I''m sure they hate me to the bone." She replied.


    "Hahaha! That sounds like them. But, for me, I''m not really that angry. In fact, this injury had made me realize something important."


    "Hm, what did you realize?"


    Staring down at his hand, Rin continued.


    "It''s that I''m as close to death as ever no matter where I go. There is no safe ce in this world for me. Even though I grew stronger, this only put my life in even more danger than before. It''s ironic, hahaha!"


    "Rin¡­"


    "I have only one goal in this life, Evelyn. No, scratch that, two goals. One is to protect those that I care for no matter what."


    "And the second?"


    "The second¡­ Well, the second is to restore what I had lost."


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 192 192- A Visit (Part 2)

    Chapter 192- A Visit (Part 2)


    "Rin¡­ You¡­" Evelyn found herselfpletely speechless at what she heard.


    ''What he lost?'' She thought to herself.


    All this while, even when she read his thoughts, Evelyn had never heard of this before. Did Rin lose something before and was seeking to restore it? What was that thing?


    "Can I know what this thing is?" She asked after a long while.


    "It''s not something you will understand so you better off not knowing." He replied mysteriously.


    "I see¡­ Well, I won''t force you to tell me." Standing up, Evelyn turned around to face Rin directly.


    "I came here with two goals in purpose. No, actually three goals in mind." She said.


    "Hm, what are they?"


    Taking a deep breath, Evelyn suddenly bowed down.


    "I''m genuinely sorry for making you go through this. I put your life at risk with myck of nning and information. I would''ve understood if you wanted nothing to do with me ever again." She said in a high tone as she looked down, not daring to face Rin.


    "..." Staring at her with a stupefied look on his face, Rin didn''t know what to say for a good few seconds. However, he then smiled and nodded his head.


    "I ept your apology."


    "Even though I know a mere sorry won''t be enough. But, for your kindness and the fact that you saved my life, thank you so much. I''m indebted to you for life."


    "Hey, hey! You don''t have to do thi-"


    "No! I had thought about it thest few days. I was intending to leave without facing you properly. However, that''s not how I deal with things. I''m not a coward who runs away from things that I fear. Besides, you deserve at least this much."


    Standing up, Evelyn looked at Rin directly and then smiled. However, this wasn''t one of the mischievous, seductive smiles that she usually had. Instead, it was a genuine, heartful smile that Rin never expected to see on someone like her.


    "That''s why, when I came here today, I was intending to end things and leave on my own. However, you shocked me by the fact that you didn''t seem to harbor any hatred toward me. That''s why, I decided to ask you properly."


    Holding her hand out for a handshake.


    "Can we start as proper friends? No hidden intentions and no shady goals. Just friends."


    "Friends?"


    "Yeah."


    "Can I know why?"


    "To be honest, at first, you were just someone I was curious about. I didn''t intend to actually befriend you or even entertain you for long. However, you showed me that you are someone worth trusting, to a certain extent. I want us to be good friends with no suspicious thoughts."


    Evelyn truly believed that Rin was different. He didn''t look at her as if she was merely an object of seduction and even when he did, she felt the most amazing she ever did. He was caring, smart yet reckless at times. However, the most important thing that Evelyn saw in him was that he was always straightforward and honest with everyone.


    He didn''t carry any hidden intentions like every other person Evelyn in her life. This made her feelfortable being with Rin even when she should be wary of him.


    ''I genuinely want to be his friend. I''ve had enough of fake people. Meeting a real person had made me realize that trying to use everyone isn''t the right way of dealing with things.'' She thought as she closed her eyes and waited for Rin''s response.


    Even though he did say he forgave her, that didn''t mean that he wanted them to be friends.  He could easily just refuse and end their rtionship right there, right now.


    "I see. Well, I will be in your care." Rin said with a chuckle. Then, he extended his arm to shake hers.


    "Heh?" A weird voice leaked out of Evelyn''s mouth and made her eyes widen before she closed her mouth again.


    "Hahaha! What was that?"


    "N-No, ehem. My throat was slightly dry so I coughed."


    "Yeah, sure. Whatever you say." Rolling his eyes with a smile, Rin didn''t try to pursue the matter any further than this. He knew that it will only make Evelyn even more embarrassed.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "So, you ept?" She asked.


    "Yes. Even though I still don''t know much about you. You had many opportunities to harm me yet you never did, that''s more than enough for me to trust that we could be friends."


    "I see¡­" Looking down, aplicated expression appeared on Evelyn''s face.


    "Hm, what''s wrong?"


    Shaking her head, she touched her face.


    "It just feels odd to hear that someone trusts me. I had been born and raised as an assassin since young. I was never the target of trust from anyone. I never had any friends either. So, the fact that I made my first friend today is finally weighing down on me."


    Memories of Evelyn''s life shed before her eyes. The loneliness, coldness, and harshness of the winter as she lived in the most disgusting, horrid ces, hungry, lonely, and scared. Yet, her mind only had one goal. To kill the next target so she can get money and can eat, feel warm and hide from her fears.


    She had spent years, swimming in blood and looking at the dead, hollow eyes of her victims. Eyes filled with hatred, anger, fear, and unwillingness. Those eyes were one of the things that Evelyn hated the most as they gave her nightmares. However, she eventually grew numb to them.


    Yet, even then, not even once did killing someone be something she enjoyed or liked to do. All she wanted was the money to be able to live as she basically had no idea what to do other than being an assassin.


    Life was rough, but Evelyn was able to learn many lessons from it that made her the person she was today.


    ''I had finally seeded in reaching one of my goals, Mom. I made my first true friend. Are you watching me? Your daughter is seeding. I''m sure you are happy, right? I''m sure you are smiling now.'' She thought to herself as a warm sensation engulfed her heart.


    Then, she looked up and grabbed Rin''s hand, shaking it gently.


    "Take care of me, honey~" She said as her mischievous tone returned.


    "Sure. And don''t call me that, I don''t want my lover to misunderstand."


    "... Lover?" Tilting her head, Evelyn didn''t understand what he meant.


    "I have a lover now."


    "Huh? Who has a lover?"


    "Me! I have a lover!"


    "..."


    The two kept staring at each other silently for an awfully long time. Evelyn was trying to discern whether he was lying or not and Rin was simply not averting his eyes to show how serious he was.


    "W-Who?"


    "Elise."


    "Oh, of course. Who would be other than her? Fufuf!"


    "..."


    "..."


    "... I''m waiting for the moment where you say ''it''s a joke''."


    "No, I''m serious."


    "..."


    "..."


    "What?!"


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 193 193- Morph The World

    ?


    Chapter 193- Morph The World


    "Are you serious?!" Evelyn asked as she blinked many times.


    "That''s what I have been saying for a while now," Rin replied.


    "..."


    Standing still, the seductive assassin couldn''t say a word for a while as she stared directly at Rin.


    "Hm? What''s up with you?" He asked.


    "Oh? Uh, ahem, nothing¡­" Coughing, her expression returned to normal.


    "Good¡­ So, I would appreciate it if you stopped your flirtatious teasing."


    "I-I see." Smiling with a forced expression, Evelyn nodded her head.


    "Anyway, I can''t stay in your room for long. I have to leave before anyone notices. I just came here to check on you and since you seem to be fine, my time here is over."


    "Hm? What do you mean?" Noticing the weird way she was speaking, Rin looked at her with a confused look as he asked.


    "Since my identity is now under suspicion, I can''t work as a professor here anymore."


    "Oh? I can testify for you if you want. I don''t think you are to be med for anything."


    Even if Elise, Emilia, and Aria were suspicious of Evelyn, if Rin told him that she wasn''t the culprit, they would have to trust him as he wouldn''t lie to them. That would erase the problem from its rootspletely.


    However, Evelyn shook her head in refusal as she smiled at Rin.


    "No need for that. I have other ''ns'' in my head. Staying as a professor will only be a hindrance to me."


    "Ok, I won''t do anything then. Take care, Evelyn."


    "You too. We shall meet soon."


    Then, like a mist, she vanished from the window, leaving it open, swinging as the wind moved in and out of the room.


    Rin sat there silently as he watched the scenery outside with a deep look on his face. No one knew what was going through his head.


    "Well, time to start my ''Healing process'' again." He muttered as he closed his eyes and then slumped back on the bed.


    ***


    At the same time, while Rin was busy with the n he came up with, Elise was dealing with a whole different problem on her own.


    "So¡­ for what reason are you calling me, big brother? Or should I say¡­ Your Highness."


    Sitting on afy chair leisurely, Elise spoke with her brother through a soul connector that she acquired before she even left her kingdom. However, as she was cooking food and was ready to go to Akio''s room, she received a call from none other than her big brother, Alex, the king of Aviresion.


    "Are you sure you need to ask me that question, Elise? I reckon you already know why I called you." With an annoyed tone, Arthur replied.


    "Is it because of the incident?"


    "Of course! Why would I call you otherwise?!"


    "I see. And? What do you want to say? I have some things to attend to so I can''t waste too much time here."


    "Sigh, this nonchnt attitude of yours will be the end of me! Do you even understand the gravity of what you and your little friend did?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "..." Taking silence as a response, Arthur continued.


    "Not only did you almost ignite multiple civil wars across multiple kingdoms but you also put the whole focus of the world on Aviresion. We are now being targeted by spies from every corner of the world. All of them want to learn more about you and that boy Rin Silverye!"


    "I already know of all of that. But, that shouldn''t be a problem for Aviresion."


    "How isn''t it a problem when we are being suspected of being the reason for the demons wreaking havoc?!"


    Shaking her head in disappointment, Elise''s face turned colder.


    "You are truly quitecking when ites to thinking capabilities, big brother."


    "Did you just call me dumb in a roundabout way?!"


    "First of all, I doubt that even with their suspicion that the other kingdoms will try to do anything to Aviresion. The main reason is that we are on the verge of a war and everyone needs as much support as possible in order to survive. The second reason is that they have no proof of their suspicion and if they have an ounce of logic, they won''t risk doing anything dumb based on pure assumptions."


    "U-Uh¡­ I guess you are right."


    "Third of all andstly, they aren''t after Aviresion but after me and Rin. We are the ones who were the main suspects and so if they really want to go for someone, they would go for us. Fear not, you and your kingdom are safe."


    It was true that Rin and Elise had the biggest interest of everyone around the world and especially the powerhouses of this world. Whether it was their lives till that point, their strengths and even their personalities were all under the radar of the other kingdoms.


    Being linked to a demon case is a very dangerous thing. However, Elise wasn''t worried that much about it. Not only because they were inside the academy which was a thickyer of security for them, but they also had proof of actually killing the demon and not the opposite.


    ''If my predictions are correct, we will be having some unwanted visitors soon. It''s troublesome considering that Rin is still recovering and I don''t want to put him at risk. But, I can handle the situation.''


    "E-Ehem¡­" Coughing with an embarrassed look, Arthur said.


    "I guess you do have a point."


    "I know that I do. Anyway, a quick question before I leave. Who is the person that wants to meet us?" She asked.


    "What?! How did you know about that?!"


    "It''s as obvious as the sun above our heads. Now, who is it?"


    "T-Talif. He was the one who had dered in front of everyone during the meeting that ''he will be paying certain two people a visit. I knew that he meant you both."


    "I see¡­ Understood. Now, I need to go."


    "Wait, Elise!"


    As Elise was about to cut the line, Arthur called for her again in a hurry.


    "What are you going¡­ to do now?"


    Giving him onest nce, Elise said in a cold tone.


    "I will take care of the person that matters to me the most and then¡­"


    "And then?"


    "And then I will morph this cursed world into a ce where we can live a happy life in the future."


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 194 194- The Era Of Miracles (Part 1)

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    Chapter 194- The Era Of Miracles (Part 1)


    After ending her call with her brother, Elise made her way to Rin''s room. This had been her routine for days now as she made sure to take care of Rin and attend to all of his needs.


    His recovery required great care as he can''t properly move alone even if he wanted to. Even eating required special food that won''t make his body use extra energy to digest. Luckily, Elise wasn''t a bad cook herself and so she could make dishes that Rin could eat.


    Reaching the boys'' dorm room, she entered through the front door without much problem. Normally, she wouldn''t be allowed in the perimeter of this ce but Emilia had made it possible after talking with this floor''s master.


    Walking to the door to Rin''s room, she knocked on the door and then entered inside. There, she found Rin, on the bed, sleeping soundly.


    ''I shouldn''t wake him up.'' She thought as she approached the bed, put the tray with food on the table, and then sat down on the chair, looking directly at the sleeping boy. His calm, rhythmic breathing, the rising and falling of his chest and the quiet sounds he made in his sleep were akin to a peaceful symphony that Elise could listen to forever without ever getting bored.


    ''I doubt anyone would understand what he is feeling right now.'' She thought as she put her hand on Rin''s hand. Examining it, she could feel the calluses and the roughness of it.


    ''We did go through a lot, didn''t we, Rin?'' She asked in her head as she kept fondling his hand.


    ''Our lives have been a rollercoaster. But, we somehow managed to stay alive for this long. Even though the uing war is like nothing we have ever seen before, I will never let anything try and stop us.''


    The world was in chaos and Rin was ming himself for it. However, none of that mattered to Elise. It was true that if she could, she would definitely save the lives of billions of people.


    Still, her highest priority is Rin and Rin alone. If he is safe and sound, then everything elsees afterward.


    "Fuuh¡­"


    Waking up from her trance, she looked directly at Rin''s parted lips as they breathed quietly. For some reason, she felt very attracted to them. No matter how much she tries to pull her eyes away from them.


    Instinctively, her body leaned forward, slowly, as if it was the most natural thing that could happen.


    Closer and closer, she approached Rin''s face. His eyes, his mouth, his nose, his skin, and his slightly long hair that reached near his nape.


    ''He might need a haircut.'' She thought as something weird swirled in her eyes.


    She didn''t know why, but seeing Rin from this close made her heartbeat increase a little bit. Something about watching his sleeping face felt exciting for her.


    ''If I touch his face, would it wake him up?'' She asked herself.


    Even though she knew that she mustn''t annoy Rin, her mind wasn''t working properly at the moment. Everything became blurry and only her lover''s silhouette was left in her vision.


    Her hand then extended and with the gentlest touch possible,id on his cheek. The soft sensation of his skin reached Elise and made her urge to squeeze his cheek stronger than ever. However, before she could even do anything, her eyes widened as she noticed something.


    All the secondary thoughts vanished as she returned to her fully awakened mind.


    ''What is this?!'' Looking down, she put her other hand on Rin''s chest and then closed her eyes.


    A few seconds passed before she opened them again, looking shocked beyond words.


    ''Mana¡­ I can feel mana surging through his body!''


    It wasn''t a mistake, Elise knew the feeling of mana way too well to misunderstand what she sensed inside Rin''s body.


    ''How could¡­ this be? Wait¡­''


    Suddenly, she remembered what Rin told her a few days ago. The ''n'' he had in mind was to heal his body.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''It¡­ worked? I thought it wouldn''t even do much!''


    Releasing her hand, Elise looked at Rin with a deep expression on her face.


    ''Even though the mana moving around isn''t even a speck of what Rin has. It''s still definitely there and yet¡­ only a few days passed!''


    Emilia had predicted that it would take a few months to years for a normal person to recover from a core injury. However, she also said that for someone as abnormal as Rin, she wouldn''t be surprised if he took a few weeks to recover.


    ''But, in a few days¡­ this is beyond anything Emilia predicted.''


    "I have to get Emilia here¡­" Muttering, Elise stood up and left the room quickly.


    Some time passed before she came back with Emilia in tow.


    "What is it? You didn''t want to tell me in my office. Is Rin fine?" Emilia asked with a slightly worried tone.


    She was almost certain that nothing bad happened considering the way Elise acted. However, abnormalities are still something to worry about. Rin''s situation was just that dangerous and fragile.


    Sitting down, Emilia touched Akio''s chest and closed her eyes. A few secondster, her eyes opened wide with an even more shocked face than Elise had.


    "W-What?!" She blurted out as her brows furrowed tightly.


    ''His recovery speed¡­ it''s not the same as when I first checked his body. It''s at least 5 times faster!''


    "Rin¡­ what did he do?" She looked back at Elise for an exnation.


    "..."


    "This is a serious matter, Elise. If he did something then it''spletely abnormal."


    "I¡­ Sigh, he increased the speed of his blood cirction to make his recovery speed increase."


    "Increase his blood cirction speed? How did he even¡­ Wait, don''t tell me¡­"


    "The dagger he acquired¡­ Its powers are capable of such a feat. I tried to top him at first, but he didn''tply at all. Then, he showed me how he was doing it and since I didn''t sense any danger, I deemed it safe enough for him to do it."


    "That''s extremely dangerous! If he increases his blood pressure over his body''s capabilities, his heart will explode and he will die instantly!"


    "He had been doing it for the day. I think his control over the blood dagger is good enough not to reach such extreme cases." Elis replied.


    "Still, this is reckless! He should''ve let his body naturally recover. Are you not worried about him?" Emilia felt her anger rising.


    "Of course I am. But, do you think Rin would listen to us even if we told him to do that? I know Rin more than anyone else. He won''t ept staying in bed for weeks when he has a tool that could make him recover quicker. That''s how he is as a person. He would always prioritize what he needed to do over his own health." Elise retorted with a strong gaze.


    "I''m beyond worried. The only person that I cherish in this world is bedridden and risking his life just so he can stand up again as quickly as possible. But, I also trust that he will never throw his life away. He values his life because, without it, he can''t protect what he cares for."


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 195 195- The Era Of Miracles (Part 2)

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    Chapter 195- The Era Of Miracles (Part 2)


    "Elise¡­" Looking back at the beautiful, silver-haired girl, Emilia became speechless.


    What she saw in Elise''s eyes wasn''t mere worry or fear of the future but also a deep determination to not fall no matter what. Emilia was aware of the huge pressure that fell on Elise''s back during these days that Rin was unavable.


    ''I forgot that she''s also someone influential even in her own homnd. It must''ve been hard for her to deal with the consequences of the incident.'' Emilia thought.


    The world of Divine Sapphire was unforgiving even to the strongest of people so Emilia was sure that Elise had to do many things in order to keep things stable for the time being before the wares and turns everything upside down.


    "I need nothing from anyone. As long as Rin is fine, I won''t ask for anything else. However, I will never allow anyone to question whether I cherish him or not. Rin''s life is linked to mine, after all." Elise added atst before she went silent.


    "I understand your intentions. But, you have to understand that ying on the string of life and death on your own ord is nothing short of reckless. Rin is one of a kind and you are also as special as him. However, all it needs is a mishap and their lives will be swept away in a second before anyone could even react. That''s how absurdly dangerous this world is.


    "And that''s why we will make sure to not allow for anything of that sort to happen."


    ''Sigh, I thought only Rin was the stubborn one. It turns out that even Elise is even more stubborn than he is in certain matters. They truly fit each other.'' Emilia thought as she almost smiled.


    "Fine, I won''t say anything. At this point, I''m sure both of you know what''s best for you¡­  Even if it means risking your lives to attain it."


    Standing up, Emilia walked toward the door and then looked back.


    "Even though it''s quite dangerous what he''s doing, it''s not currently putting his life in any danger. But, if anything happens, give me a call, I will be here as quickly as possible."


    "Understood."


    After that, Emilia opened the door and left silently, leaving Elise alone in the room with the sleeping Rin.


    "You are already awake, aren''t you Rin?" Elise asked as she sat on the chair, resting her back on it casually.


    "You were aware?" Opening his eyes, Rin asked with a smile.


    "Obviously."


    Shifting his eyes to look at his beautiful lover, secretly admiring her beauty, he spoke again.


    "How did you know? Even Master didn''t notice that."


    The moment he finished his question, Elise opened her eyes and gazed deeply at him. Then, she stood up and walked toward him. Then, under Rin'' surprised look, grabbed his cor gently and approached her face awfully close to his.


    "I''m not your master¡­ I''m your lover so I will obviously know everything about you." She said in a cold, yet also serious tone.


    A few moments passed in silence before Rin smiled at her.


    "That was quite bold of you to say, Elise."


    "I won''t consider stating pure facts to be a bold action, Rin."


    "Pfft! Honesty is weird sometimes, isn''t it?" Rin chuckled warmly as he stared deeply into Elise''s eyes. Being this close to her, seeing every detail of her perfect face, Rin could only feel himself getting more and more attracted to her.


    ''Am I the luckiest person in the world to have her as my lover?'' He asked himself as a weird yet also good feeling filled his heart.


    "Honesty is honesty. I don''t see where honesty can be weird if it''s the truth."


    "Hmm, do you want me to show you where honesty bes weird?" Rin suddenly thought of something as he asked Elise.


    "Go ahead."


    Hearing the ''ok'' from her, Rin simply extended his hand and grabbed her by the chin gently.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "I want to kiss your lips right now." He said with a charming smile.


    Even though for the most part, he was teasing Elise, he was also slightly serious about it. Until now, neither of them had kissed the other so if he could find an opportunity to kiss her, he would do it in a heartbeat. Now was one of those moments.


    "Where is the oddity in that?" She asked back after a second of contemtion.


    "I thought you would find it odd considering our situ¡­ ation. You know what, scratch that, this situation is perfect for a kiss, isn''t it?" Looking at how they were positioned, Rin could only shake his head with a sigh.


    As for Elise, she simply continued looking at Rin for a few seconds before suddenly, starting to close the distance between them again.


    ''Oh?'' Seeing that they were now closer than ever, Rin instinctively got ready to do it.


    But¡­


    *Tap*


    "As I thought, because of your quirky healing method, your face is hot. You have a fever." Putting her forehead against his, Elise said as she closed her eyes, sensing his temperature.


    After that, she pulled away and continued.


    "I need to get you a wet towel so that you can cool down your face and some water to drink."


    "..."


    "Do you need anything else?"


    "That was unfair, you know." He responded.


    "What do you mean?"


    "... No, nothing." Averting his eyes, Rin didn''t pursue the matter further.


    Elise saw that he was starting to sulk and so she approached him again and whispered in his ear.


    "If you get better soon¡­ I will give you something better." Even though her tone was the same, not even changing for a moment, it still worked wonders in making Rin''s heart race crazily.


    His eyes widened as he looked at Elise''s silhouette walking away and leaving the room.


    "Sigh, how did she even learn to speak like that?" Rubbing the back of his head, Rin was conflicted by his own emotions.


    "She seems to have learned many things. I mustn''t fall behind. I can''t be the only one being teased!"


    ''But, still¡­ Was she being honest? If that''s the case, then I might need to actually increase the speed of my recovery! Let''s go!'' Feeling excited more than ever, Rin pumped his fist up.


    *Knock* *Knock*


    "Hm? Is she back already?"


    Leaving the bed, Rin walked to the door and opened it. However, the person he saw standing there wasn''t Elise, nor anyone else he knew before.


    "Who are you?" He asked with a frown.


    This person, whoever he was, had somehow infiltrated the dormitory without alerting the guards around the area.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 196 196- The Era Of Miracles (Part 3)

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    Chapter 196- The Era Of Miracles (Part 3)


    Rin''s face contorted as he examined the person standing in front of him. They were d in ck clothes and had a ck mask on their face so he couldn''t discern who they were.


    However, Rin realized almost instantly that this person, whoever they were¡­ wasn''t human.


    "Who¡­ are you?" Rin asked warily.


    His hand was already moving slowly behind his back to grab the dagger. Even though he could summon it without the need to put his arm there, he didn''t want to alert this person as he was almost sure he will have to engage in a fight with him.


    "No need for the pointless skimmers, Rin Silvereye. I didn''te here to kill you." In a deep, horrifying voice, the man said as he basically walked inside without asking for permission.


    Then, he sat down on a chair and continued.


    "I came here to talk with you. As simple as that." He said.


    Those mere words were more than enough to make Rin understand who this person was. However, that idea alone sent a chill down his spine.


    All kinds of thoughts ran through his mind in a split second. Many of them included escaping or trying to fight. But, quickly, he realized it was pointless to do that.


    ''This man could''ve killed me¡­ if he wanted to. I doubt he would''ve let me even entertain the thought of escaping since I was sleeping this whole time.''


    After seeing that loophole in his logic, Rin weirdly calmed down and he looked at the man.


    "So, you''re from the cult, huh?" Taking a deep breath, Rin asked as he closed the door and walked back inside the room.


    Even though he knew the huge risk of doing such a thing, he also couldn''t miss this opportunity to meet one of the enemies he will have to kill eventually. He needed to get as much information as possible from these people as every piece of info will be crucial for the war.


    ''Whatever I will say next will drastically change the oue of the war. Whether for better or worse, I won''t know.'' He thought as he sat down.


    "So, what is one of the cult of the monarch of shadows members doing here?"


    "Oh, it''s not much. I had heard¡­ things about you from my subordinates and I came here to see for myself."


    "Heard about me?" Rin raised an eyebrow as he continued, "What did you hear about me exactly?"


    "Oh, a lot of things¡­ Enough to make me go out myself to check whether the truth was indeed reality or not."


    ''He dodged the question. Tsk, this is going to be hard.''


    "I doubt it''s the truth as you can see, I''m a normal person."


    However, the man shook his head.


    "No normal person would do what you were able to do in the past few months, Rin Silvereye. Your achievements speak for themselves. Quite the long list for someone your age, don''t you think?"


    "It was a stroke of luck?"


    "Luck is nothing but a stupid concept, weak people created to justify their own weakness. The only thing that rules this world is the eye of our lord, the Shadow Monarch."


    ''I''m here, dumbass and I didn''t control this world.'' Rin rolled his eyes in his head.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Anyway, I wanna know¡­ What is the goal of your cult? Why do you want to open the gate to the demon world? What would the chaos that would ensue benefit you in any way."


    "Chaos? What chaos?" The man weirdly asked.


    "The chaos that would happen when demons invade and murder all humans."


    "That''s not chaos, Rin Silvereye¡­ That''s called justice. We only seek justice for those that were mistreated under the banner of our lord."


    "Where is the justice in killing billions of innocent people? Your problem is with the academy, right? Why involve people that have nothing to do with it?"


    "For someone we were seeking for a long time, you have beenpletely brainwashed by the humans, didn''t you?" The man said as he crossed his arms, "The world as you see it is way different from what it should''ve been. Humans talk about their great victory in the war against demons and hail their heroes that defeated the evil demons. Yet, the truth couldn''t be any farther from that."


    "What do you mean?" Rin asked.


    "We are people who follow the shadow monarch and so we know what is the truth. Our lord''s kind had been ostracized for decades. They were imprisoned in a cruel underworld that didn''t fit them. We don''t-"


    "Wait, wait, hold on a second. What do you mean your ''Lord''s Kind''?" Rin questioned.


    "It is exactly what I said, Rin Silvereye. Our lord, the Shadow Monarch¡­ is of demon origin. He is a demon."


    "... What?!"


    It was as if a bombshell had dropped inside Rin''s head. It took him a good 5 seconds toprehend what the man even said.


    ''The shadow monarch¡­ a demon?''


    It was beyond shocking¡­ yet, the more he thought about it, the more Rin realized that it made sense. All the events that happened from the very start, they came and linked together.


    He now understood the reason for the weird link he felt with the gate that led to the demon world. He also understood how he couldprehend demons on a deeper level than any other human. Even the fact that one of the cult members didn''t attack him at the time and reacted in fear made sense.


    He had seen in Rin what he worshipped the most¡­ The Shadow Monarch.


    Small and big moments that were a mystery to Rin had somehow been solved with one single realization.


    "It seems that I was right on point, Rin Silvereye. You do have some form of connection with our lord, don''t you?"


    The man found Rin''s reaction to be the perfect time to continue speaking. He wanted to strike the metal while it was still hot.


    "I had never thought our lord could actually choose a human as his vessel."


    "No¡­"


    "It''s ironic. Yet, I do understand the lord''s intentions. It''s a message for our future era of miracles. For you, Rin Silvereye, to join us in our endeavor to a better world for demons!"


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 197 197- Outrage

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    Chapter 197- Outrage


    "Wha-" Rin''s eyes widened in surprise when he heard those words.


    "You have the power and means to be a ruler, just like our lord wanted you to be. You are as much of a demon as we are, Rin Silvereye!" The man said as his tone went up a notch in sheer excitement. Even though Rin couldn''t see his expression behind the mask, he was sure that the man was grinning now.


    "No, I''m not¡­ a demon." Rin quickly denied his words.


    "Hahaha! Deny that however you want. You possess the power of our lord, the power to manipte the shadows and so you are a demon. In fact, I''m sure that deep down, you already had that suspicion."


    The man pointed at Rin and said with a confident tone. For better or worse, what he said did indeed hit a string in Rin''s heart as he clenched his teeth secretly.


    ''This bastard¡­ He is definitely trying to toy with me. I can''t let him do that.''


    "And so, what if I was a demon? Even though I''m certain that I''m a full-fledged human."


    "Hahahaha! Don''t you think that helping the race of the god that bestowed upon you this great¡­ No, this impossible gift. What reason would stop you from following the lord''s words when you should be the first one to do it."


    "Listen here, whoever you are. I''m not obliged to follow anything. I will simply do whatever I want. My powers are mine and had been my own for the longest time. Your lord bestowed upon me nothing. In fact¡­" Smiling, Rin continued "I think your lord is already long dead."


    The moment the man heard those words, he visibly froze as he squinted his eyes at Rin.


    "What do you mean?"


    "I have heard once about the origin of your god and I must say, he was quite the unique figure. However, he''s long dead and his powers are mine."


    *Swish*


    Instantly, the man vanished from his ce like a ghost. Then, he appeared again, holding Rin by the neck, suffocating him.


    ''F-Fast!!'' Holding his hand, Rin tried to release himself.


    "Oi, what nonsense are you saying?" He asked coldly.


    "Hehehehe! Quite the shocker, isn''t it? To think that the god you have been worshipping for whatever long, has been already 7ft under. Truly ironic!" Rin continued ying on his nerve. The more he did so, the more he will get a grip on this conversation.


    "Shut up, brat! You are simply lying! Our lord is up there, watching us and approving of our actions!"


    "Ohoh? Is he? I mean, I do hope that he is indeed still alive. Imagine if he isn''t, it sounds painful indeed. Wasting your whole life like that¡­ It would be the saddest story ever."


    "Shut up! I said shut up!"


    "Well, I told you the truth, my friend. Whether you believe it or not. It''s up to you. Now, are you going to kill me or not?" Rin asked as he noticed the grip grow looser and looser as the time goes by.


    Staying silent, the man didn''t answer Rin''s question. In fact, considering the turmoil he was going through, he couldn''t even think properly. But, in the end, finding the situation going downhill, he decided to shake those thoughts away.


    "You are simply trying to trick me so that you can win. That won''t work. Unfortunately, your small lies end here. I won''t kill you, but I do have another method to hurt you deeply before the start of the war." The man said.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Huh?" Rin''s eyebrows raised a little.


    "Beforeing here. I saw a girl entering your room. You both seem awfully close, no?"


    "..."


    Rin''s eyes widened as he stared directly at the man.


    "It would be very unfortunate if she ended up 7ft under, right?"


    The moment the man said those words, something inside Rin flipped as his eyes lost all emotions. Instantly, a huge, dark aura erupted from him like a raging volcano shocking the man motionless.


    ''T-The aura¡­ The aura of the lord!'' He thought as he felt every cell in his being shake violently.


    "Touch her and I will hunt you down and every single thing you like. I will erase you and your whole race from existence. Even if it means the destruction of this whole world, I will not stop until I skin you alive and torture you till you can''t properly think about your shitty god." Rin said in a cold, heartless tone.


    The eerie calmness in his words made the man shudder in deep fear. His heart start beating loudly as beads of sweat fell down his face behind the mask.


    Even though he could''ve thought those were merely bluffs, Rin''s eyes¡­ Those eyes meant every word he said.


    Releasing the grip on Rin, the man looked down.


    "I can''t kill you yet, kid. The powers of the lord must not be lost. Capturing you won''t do us any good either. I shall find a way to extract that power from you."


    "I don''t care what your foolish attempts at worshiping your god would lead to. Target me however you want. But, if you touch anyone close to me, I will show you what your god is capable of doing." Rin repeated his threat.


    "Sigh, I suppose this war is not going to be pleasant in the least. To see that our god had given his powers to a brat like you."


    The man was disappointed in the fact that Rin was the one to get the powers of the god they had been looking up to for their whole lives. Was there wisdom behind the lord''s choice? Was Rin the actual inheritor of the shadow monarch''s will? Or¡­ Is he indeed as Rin said, dead?


    ''No! That''s out of the question.''


    After that, the man took onest nce at Rin before vanishing from existence.


    "The next time we meet¡­ It''s going to be a war, Rin Silvereye."


    Hearing thosest few words, Rin clenched his fists.


    "We will see what will happen, you fanatic bastards!"


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 198 198- A New Roommate

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    Chapter 198- A New Roommate


    ''Fuuh, such a pain in the ass!'' Rin sat down on the bed and covered his face as he fell into deep thought.


    Even though he had somehow gotten out of the conversation with the upper hand, he still couldn''t get rid of what the man said.


    "Me? A demon?" He murmured in disbelief.


    The words the man said resonated with him again and again, endlessly. It was as if they got engraved into his mind.


    Every single moment he lived through came back to his memory and somehow linked perfectly to create the same answer that the man had given him. However, even if it was logical, Rin still found himself distraught.


    ''So, all this time, I was fighting the origin of my own power? How ironic.'' He wanted tough, tough so hard that his stomach will feel painful and his lungs will be emptied out of air.


    It was that big of a joke. To live through this many things and have this conflict between what''s good and what''s bad. Who''s the one at right and who''s the one at wrong? All for it to be nothing but a joke in the end.


    ''Why did Lili do this?'' He asked the question that led to all of this.


    It was the goddess who gave him these powers even though he never knew what they are at the time of their meeting. No, before all of that even, how did she get her hands on these powers. Aren''t demons the enemies of gods? Why would the shadow monarch''s powers be in the hand of an enemy?


    Many questions and no answers which could only make Rin feel even more frustrated than he already was.


    ''Fuuh, I need to calm down. Calm down, freaking out will only lead to even more trouble. This fact won''t change what I will do in this war. Protecting Elise and the others is my top priority. Anything else wille after that.''


    The world is still in a calm state, ignoring the minor political problems here and there¡­ Things still didn''t get blown out of proportion.


    "Ugh, I guess it''s time to end my small vacation. From here on out, I will be busy to death."


    "Busy with what?~ Taking care of your cute girlfriend?" Suddenly, a sweet voice reached his ear from an awfully close distance.


    "Can you stop appearing in such weird ways? I would think you''re a stalker." Rin said as he didn''t look back.


    At this point, Rin grew ustomed to Evelyn''s antics and her attitude. However, it''s still something that can''t let her do every single time.


    "Oh, Whyyy?~~ Are you perhaps scared that you might get your cute wife angry?" Evelyn asked as she jumped on the bed.


    "No, I simply don''t want any mistakes to happen." He replied casually.


    Even though behind him was most likely the most seductive woman he had ever seen, he wasn''t in the mood to y with her. All he wants to do was to sit alone and think for a while. But, he can''t say that either as it would only sound rude.


    "Hmm~? So, you''re afraid a ''mistake'' will happen, huh? Interesting." Evelyn''s voice went from being clear to a low murmur, making Rin nce back curiously.


    With her headying on the pillow, she was let her beautiful, long hair flow on the bed. With her curvaceous body, it was impossible for a sane man to resist jumping on her and ravaging her body. However, except for simple admiration, Rin didn''t really feel the urge to do any of that.


    In fact, in his head, the only silhouette he could see is that of Elise. It''s the only thing he could imagine


    "Don''t even think about it," Rin said as he squinted his eyes.


    He knew what Evelyn was trying to do and he didn''t want to even entertain the thought of it.


    "What do you mean? I''m doing nothing~~" She replied with an innocent look on her face.


    "Tsk, don''t act innocent now. Now, what do you really want, Evelyn? I thought you said you are going to leave for a while. It has been barely a few days"


    "Hmm? Isn''t a few days long enough? I already missed my friend so much~" She said.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Sigh, fine, what''s your reason for this sudden visit, my great friend Evelyn?" Rin asked as he emphasized thest four words.


    "Hmm? Ok, I will tell you. But, I want you to keep it a secret."


    Then, she leaned forward and whispered in Rin''s ear.


    "I will be living with you from now on."


    "Yeah, sure, you can put the be-... Pardon?" Rin''s mind halted from working as he looked at her with a confused look, clearly not registering what she said.


    "Whaaaat?!" Jumping back, Rin said. "Living with me?"


    "Yeaaaah~~ Fufufufu!"


    Seeing how amused Evelyn was, Rin really wanted to just disbelief what she said. However, from what he is seeing, she meant what she said.


    "Are you serious?"


    "100%, darling.~"


    "Sigh... Just for reference, where did youe up with this idea?"


    "Oh? I had no ce where to live so I decided to live with you. Isn''t it a great idea?"


    "Yeah, it is, how could it be not a great ide- Of course it''s not!!"


    "Huh? Why?" Evelyn feigned sadness and shock.


    "What do you mean ''Why?''? I can''t let you live with me, are you insane?"


    "Hm? How so? Two friends became roommates, is there something wrong about that?"


    "Yeah, many things! Like the fact that I''m a man and you''re a woman."


    "Hmm? But, didn''t you say that you will never put your hand on me?"


    "Of course, I won''t!"


    "Then, there is nothing to worry about. I''m in your care, roommate."


    "No! No! That''s still not possible. I already have a girlfriend and I want to cherish her."


    "Hm? How about this, then... If I talk with Elise and she allows me to stay here, would you let me?"


    "There is no way she would ept that!"


    "Fufufu! Shall we bet then?"


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 199 199- Reveal Of A Secret

    ?


    Chapter 199- Reveal Of a Secret


    Rin knew that there was simply no way in hell Elise would ever even entertain the thought of letting Evelyn live with him. Even if they weren''t lovers, she didn''t trust Evelyn and so letting her reach Rin when he is still vulnerable is a huge risk.


    ''However, her confidence is scaring me. Why does she have that smile? She must be bluffing, right?'' He thought nervously.


    "You should know more than I do that Elise won''t let you do that." He said as he tried to rx.


    "Fufufufu~ Just watch and learn. Oh, speak about the devil, here shees."


    At that moment, the door to the room opened and Elise came inside. Since she spends most of her time inside Rin''s room, she likes to wearsfortable clothes so that she won''t feel restricted especially when she cooks for him.


    "Rin, are you awake? I brought some fo-" She spoke as she walked to his room.


    However, her mouth stopped moving as she noticed the presence that was with Rin. Immediately, her aura erupted as she dashed inside the room, ready to fight whatever barged inside the room. Even though she already knew Evelyn''s aura, because of her deep worry, shepletely forgot about it and thought it was an intruder.


    "Oh..." The moment she saw the seductive assassin, her face froze for a second.


    "H-Hey... Before you jump to any conclusions, I didn''t invite her here." Rin said to set things straight from the start, avoiding any misunderstandings.


    "... Yeah, I can see that," Elise replied with a deadpan look on her face.


    "Hayoo, Elise!! How are you?~~"


    "What are you doing here?" Ignoring her amicable greeting, Elise went straight to the point.


    "As cold as ever, aren''t you? Even though we faced danger together as allies."


    "I will give you 5 seconds to exin before I consider you an enemy and act upon that conclusion."


    "Oi, oi! Wait! Ok, fine, I will speak. I was actually wanting to talk with you about a certain important topic regarding Rin." At that moment, Evelyn''s face weirdly became serious as she dropped the flirty attitude.


    "Out with it."


    "Mm, as weird as it may sound but, I don''t want Rin to hear about it. So, could we talk alone?"


    "Why shouldn''t something concerning Rin be heard by Rin?" Elise asked with a confused look stered on her face.


    "Uh, it''s hard to exin. But, if you hear me out, you will understand."


    ''What the fuck are you trying to do, Evelyn?'' In the middle of this, Rin was looking back and forth between the two women with aplicated gaze, not knowing whether he should say something or not.


    ''I mean, isn''t the whole matter about you wanting to move in with me? Why are you turning it into a serious topic?!''


    "..." Squinting her eyes, Elise looked directly at Evelyn and said. "Fine, I will listen. Rin, can you leave for a second? I will deal with the matter."


    "O-Oh? Ok, just remember that if she says something odd, it never happened."


    "I know."


    After that, with onest nce at Evelyn that carried clear suspicion, he smiled affectionately at Elise and left.


    When the two make sure he was far enough not to hear them speak, Elise looked back and said.


    "So, what''s the matter?"


    "Well, I had already known about this for a long while now and I even contemted telling you and Rin. However, I found it hard to do so considering how absurd it was."


    "..."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "To be honest, the main reason why I even came to meet Rin is linked to this fact. I didn''t even know he existed before it happened."


    "I do recall Rin mentioning that ''You wanted something from him''. So, are you talking about that particr thing?"


    "Yes, and no. It was mainly curiosity at first as to what made him stand out from the masses. But, now that I think about it, it''s way more serious than I thought it would be."


    The more Evelyn spoke, the more Elise grew more and more tense. She had no idea what she was talking about at all.


    "The truth is, and you must believe me, is that... I can hear Rin''s thoughts." Evelyn said with a serious face on her face.


    "Huh? What do you mean?" Elise almost didn''t register what she said with how absurd it was.


    "It''s not a continuous thing, but at random times, I can hear what Rin is thinking of. I still don''t understand when or how it gets triggered. But, it definitely happens often.  Maybe it''s some kind of-"


    "Wait, wait, wait. Hold your horses. What the hell are you talking about?" Elise''s face frowned visibly.


    "Hearing thoughts? How? When?"


    "As I said, it does sound absurd. But, please believe me. I have no idea how it happens either, but it happens."


    Even though Elise was inclined to disbelief her words, she really couldn''t see a reason why someone as sharp and clever as Evelyn would say something that unbelievable.


    "..."


    ''Hearing thoughts...'' The more Elise processed the thought, the more she actually started toprehend some things. Some events that urred were still iprehensible to her, though.


    "So, the reason why you even reached out to him was because you started hearing what he thinks of?"


    "Yes, I never knew Rin existed before that moment."


    "This is... a bad joke... and so, you exploited his own thoughts to your own advantage?" Elise asked as her face grew colder.


    "No! I didn''t do any of that! At first, I did try to have some fun with him since this was new to me. But, now I value Rin as my first-ever friend. I can''t allow myself to hurt him in any way. I will be eternally indebted to him."


    Inside Evelyn''s eyes, a sh ofplicated emotions appeared and vanished quickly. Even for her, the matter wasn''t as easy as it seemed to be.


    Rin was her friend, someone that saved her life and someone that she must repay eventually. Harming him will not only destroy the first honest rtionship she ever made, but it will also make her lose her mind with guilt.


    "Do you know of anyone else that has this ability?" She asked.


    "No, I do have some suspicions but I''m not certain. However, this isn''t the only thing I came here to say. There are two more things."


    "Hmm?"


    "The first one is, please don''t tell Rin yet about this matter."


    "Why would I do that? This is a matter that Rin must know about."


    "I agree, but wait until the end of the war to tell him. Imagine what his reaction would be if he heard about this now. He would most likely lose trust in many people and may even go crazy with hallucinations. Even I don''t know who and who doesn''t have this ability."


    Even though Elise wanted to deny this and go straight to Rin, she understood that Evelyn had a point. Hearing about such a notion could drive any insane and Rin was no exception to that possibility.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 200 200- What?!

    ?


    Chapter 200- What?!


    "Can you hear my thoughts too?" Elise decided to check just in case. Although she already has a premonition about the answer.


    "No, I can''t hear them. However, I can''t say for sure that others can''t." Evelyn answered after thinking for a moment.


    ''This is predictable. So, only Rin has this happening to him. Did that goddess do this?'' Elise asked herself with a frown.


    Such an ability was something that they didn''te by at all during their time in this world and even if they did, they should''ve been able to realize that fact quickly. However, that didn''t happen which means that not everyone can hear his thoughts. Still, even if the ones that can are small in number, it didn''t diminish the urgency of the problem.


    ''What if our enemies can hear his thoughts? That would be more than disastrous!''


    Some secret information leaks could pronounce the end for humanity and Rin had a lot of such information.


    "Tsk, this is really a huge problem." Elise murmured as she held her face.


    "I think you shouldn''t overthink about it now. All we can do is let this matter aside for a while until things calm down and then you can tell Rin about it. I''m sure that''s the best thing you could for the time being."


    "That still doesn''t solve the problem that Rin is facing. What if the demons could listen to what he is thinking of and they end uping after his head?"


    "Yeah, that could be a possibility. Which is why I came up with an idea." Evelyn said.


    "What is it?"


    "How about I start living with Rin. That way I can protect him in case of an attack and also diminish any possibilities of unwanted visitors."


    "..." Elise froze in her ce.


    "Live with him?" She asked after a few seconds.


    "Yes."


    "You do know that we are-"


    "Yes, I know about that and I promise not to put my hand on him... Unless he allows me to." Evelyn said as she added thest sentence in her heart, far away from anything that Elise could hear.


    "Why would I believe that? Besides, I''m his lover, I can live with him instead."


    "Would the academy allow such a thing?" Evelyn asked.


    ''It''s true that they normally won''t let such a thing. But, I can ask Emilia to make it possible.'' Elise thought.


    "And even if you can, are you stronger than me?" Evelyn asked as she unleashed a little bit of her aura.


    "Are you threatening me, Evelyn?"


    "No, I''m just showing you that I''m more capable than you are in protecting Rin. It''s the hard truth."


    Squinting her eyes, Elise stared directly at Evelyn for a long time. She couldn''t deny the fact that she was still weaker than Evelyn but that didn''t mean that it would be the case for a long time.


    "A few months is more than enough for me to exceed you and I''m sure Rin won''t take any longer than that to not require your help anymore."


    "I know that you two are monsters. But, until that timees, I can protect Rin."


    "... Fine, I shall allow for such a thing."


    The moment Evelyn heard that, her face beamed with delight. However, Elise wasn''t finished yet.


    "But..." Staring at her, Elise muttered thest words.


    ***<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Why are they taking such a long time? Is it that serious?" Roaming around the ce, Rin was getting more and more nervous as time goes by.


    ''Did they perhaps start arguing? Elise doesn''t like Evelyn so it''s not that hard for them to engage in a fight.''


    Imagining the two women starting a fight and destroying his room sent a chill down his spine. He really didn''t want to end up homeless because of a disagreement. That''s why, he felt the urge to simply walk back and open the door before the irreversible happens.


    ''But, I did promise Elise not to barge in. Hmm, and I can''t feel their auras rising either.''


    The dilemma was huge but in the end, Rin ultimately decided to simply wait and see what happens. Then, the door finally opened.


    Standing up, Rin ran there to check if the conversation was over.


    "Elise... Did anything happen?"


    "No... nothing." Elise said as she stared directly at Rin.


    At first, Rin didn''t notice anything weird but when he looked at her eyes, he felt something weird. He could some weird emotions swirling inside there. It was as if Elise was feeling... sad?


    ''Why is she sad? Did Evelyn say something to her?'' ring at Evelyn, thetter simply shook her head in denial.


    "I''m sorry." Then, his lover muttered as she stepped forward and hugged Rin.


    "Huh?" His whole body froze as he looked down at Elise with a surprised expression.


    "Sorry for what?" He asked as he hugged her back. The feeling of her warmth filled his heart and rxed all the tension that took over his body.


    "I''m just sorry." She replied.


    "...?" Not understanding anything, Rin simply decided to console his lover for whatever reason she was sad.


    After a while, Elise finally pulled back and she was back to her usual expression.


    "There is something I need to tell you." She said.


    "Hm?"


    "From now on... Me and Evelyn will start living here."


    "... Huh?" At first, Rin didn''t register but when his mind finallyprehend what she said, he froze.


    "W-What did you just say, Miss Elise?" He asked with a broken smile. His face was full of sweat.


    "We will be living together from now on for your safety. It''s the best choice for the current situation since because you can''t fight properly, you could be ambushed by an enemy."


    "Hm? Oh, that already happened."


    "What?!" The two women blurted out.


    "Yeah, I was intending to tell you but one of the cult members came to my room 30 minutes ago."


    "..." (x2)


    No one uttered a word for a good 30 seconds.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 201 201- I Will Never Forgive You

    ?


    Chapter 201- I Will Never Forgive You


    Seeing that the two women weren''t moving from sheer shock, Rin exined what happened before Evelyn barged into his room on her ord. The story wasn''t long but the things he learned from it were valuable.


    Especially the fact that he could be potentially a demon with the power of the one that ruled the demons, the shadow monarch. That fact alone was more than enough to turn Rin''s position at the moment in a second. He will be from a savior and a hero to an enemy that should be eradicated.


    At the end of the story, Rin took a deep breath and told them what he feared the most.


    "He then said that... I have the powers of one of their kind."


    "What?!" Elise was the first to react as her mouth hang open.


    She had the same reaction Rin expected from her since she knew about this power as much as he did.


    "I-I don''t believe that it''s the truth. It could be simply him trying to y with my mind so that he can get some information about me." Rin said with a sigh as he rubbed the back of his head.


    No one could understand how conflicted he was at the moment, not even Elise. However, thetter quickly realized that and shook her head to get rid of the thoughts she had in her mind.


    "Don''t let it get to your head. He is definitely trying to make you doubt yourself." She said as she put her hand on his face.


    "You are you, Rin. No need to overthink anything."


    "Elise..." Elise''s words came as a surprise for Rin simply because they really resonated with his heart and made him rx almost instantly as if they were some kind of magic spell.


    "However, to think that something like this happened and you didn''t even try to escape..." Suddenly, The girl''s tone changedpletely as a cold aura engulfed her body.


    Her hand then moved to Rin''s shoulder, squeezing it really hard.


    "Can you please exin what you were thinking of, Rin Silvereye?" She said as she looked up with a smile that didn''t even look like a smile.


    ''Oh fuck! I''m in huge trouble!'' Gulping down a mouthful of saliva, Rin smiled nervously as he said.


    "Wait, I can exin!"


    "Exin," Elise replied coldly.


    "... Uh, I... I thought that since he didn''t kill me instantly, he wasn''t there to actually do that. I mean, no one even realized that he was there. Besides, when ites to escaping, I''m better than most people. He can''t really do much if I enter my Shadow Domain."


    "And you simply bet on that?" Elise asked.


    "Y-Yes." Rin nodded.


    He really felt like what he did made sense even though it was slightly risky but well worth it since he really got to actually talk with one of the people that want to start this war.


    "I see..." Murmuring, Elise moved her hand from Rin''s shoulder.


    Then, suddenly, she grabbed Rin by the cor and pulled him closer. When the two were only a few inches away from each other, she said as she gazed deeply into his eyes.


    "You are really a big idiot sometimes, Rin. So, I will exin how wrong you were in simple words so you couldprehend it."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "..."


    "Did you even think about what could''ve happened if he decided to kill you? Did you even remember that there are people who care about you? If you were to die... Rin. If you were to end up leaving this world before me... I will never forgive you, understand?"


    Elise''s face changedpletely as her teeth clenched tightly in frustration. Even without understanding what she was thinking of, Rin could see the pain in her eyes. She meant every word she said to him and that affected him harder than he thought.


    Rin had forgotten something important. Elise had been abandoned by her father when she was young and ended up living her life alone with no one to rely on or a shoulder to cry on. She had to do everything herself, abandoning any possible thought of caring for someone at all.


    However, she met Rin and hepletely changed her mind and made her believe that there are people who would care about her in this world. He even promised never to leave her behind and move on. However, what he did now was akin to abandoning Elise.


    If Rin died, then who would be there for Elise? Who would she trust? Wouldn''t she fall back into the abyss, lonely and horrified? Even with her strong front, Elise feared going back to being alone more than anyone else.


    ''I''m really an idiot, aren''t I?''


    "I''m sorry. I simply wanted to take the opportunity and stop the war if possible. I was trying to grab into anything that could actually make this war less catastrophic."


    "War is war... people will die no matter what we do. The main goal is to end it as fast as possible. Don''t throw your life away like that, Rin."


    "Yeah, I understand."


    "Ehem..."


    Suddenly, Evelyn coughed to grab their attention.


    "I don''t want to cut your flirty moment. However, aren''t we diverging from the main topic?"


    "Oh! R-Right." Pulling away from Elise, Rin chuckled awkwardly.


    For a moment there, he forgot that Evelyn was still with them.


    "Now that I think about it. I think what that man said must''ve had some truth to it." Evelyn said.


    "What do you mean?"


    "Didn''t he say that he won''t kill you yet? Why is that?"


    "..."


    "True. That means that the cult sees that Rin is valuable enough not to kill instantly. Well, we can''t jump to conclusions yet. However, this is a very valuable information. Whether Rin does indeed have the power of a demon or not, we must keep it a secret for the time being."


    "I won''t say anything. Rin is my friend." Evelyn said as she lifted her hand.


    "Good. Everyone in this ce considers demons as enemies. Whether they can really understand Rin''s situation or not is not something we can risk."


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 202 202- Sooner Is Not Always Better (Part 1)

    ?


    Chapter 202- Sooner Is Not Always Better (Part 1)


    With that, another week passed in a sh. No major events happened. Well, except for one small change. Rin now had two new roommates.


    Evelyn and Elise moved in with him, filling the rather empty ce. At first, it was obviously extremely weird as suddenly starting to live with two of the most beautiful girls he had ever seen will createplications in even the simplest of tasks like cooking.


    The reason for that is as simple yet even worse. On one hand, we have Evelyn who is naturally seductive and yful most of the time so she would be unconsciously troubling Rin even when she isn''t intending that. Her every move was simply an eye candy to every man and Rin was no different except that he wouldn''t follow those thoughts at all.


    On the other hand, which was frankly a bigger problem was Elise. To be fair, Rin was thrilled to actually spend more time with Elise and share the same house even if there was a third party in it.


    From what Rin had seen, Elise was rather even more aggressive than Evelyn herself and the weirder part is, she wasn''t even trying either. It could''ve been simply Rin being very conscious of his lover, but, Rin could swear Elise became more touchy and more... soft?


    ''She had always been soft toward me. But, it now feels as if she''s... my wife?'' He thought as he rubbed his chin, walking Elise''s back as she cooked dinner while he simply stretched and did some light exercises, trying to recondition his body and recharge his plummeted stamina.


    ''Her behavior is simr to how my mother treated my father. Is it perhaps just a coincidence?'' He thought.


    Although Elise is internally not a very expressive person, she still appears rather more lively in Rin''s eyes who was ustomed to her range of emotions felt the change.


    "Rin, dinner is ready." She suddenly said as she put tes on the table.


    However, thetter didn''t reply as he kept staring directly at her, in a daze.


    "Rin?" She called for him again.


    "Oh, huh? Ah, y-yeah, ehem, I will be there in a moment."


    "Are you ok? Do you have a fever?" She asked again as she tried to approach him.


    "No, I''m fine, I''m fine."


    ''This! This caring attitude! It makes me happy but also it''s very new so I don''t know to deal with it.'' Rin thought.


    A few days passed like that in great serenity. Rin loved thepany around him. It was simply like a breath of fresh air.


    That is until the week came to an end when Rin received a very odd letter from a guard that delivered it to the steps of his door.


    The guard didn''t mention anything and simply left quickly as if he was running away.


    "Hmm, what''s wrong with him?" Rin thought as he looked at the letter in his hand and then walked back inside and closed the door.


    The letter looked very high-quality with a red seal on it that made it feel intimidating.


    "Who was it, Rin?" Elise asked as she noticed his confused expression.


    "A guard, he delivered a letter that I don''t know who sent it." He responded as he sat down and opened the letter.


    Inside, he only found one piece of paper with nothing else inside so he simply opened the letter and read it.


    A few moments passed in silence as Elise waited intently for him to speak while watching his reaction carefully.


    "Huh?!" Suddenly, Rin blurted out in shock.


    "What?" Elise blinked a few times as she asked.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Read it yourself..." Rin gave her the letter and touched his face as he felt lost.


    A few secondster, Elise had the same reaction, albeit slightly less noisy.


    "Why would the-"


    At that moment, the door to Rin''s room was knocked. So, Rin opened it, only to find Emilia waiting there with a strong frown on her face.


    "Did you receive the letter?"


    "Yeah... Just a moment ago."


    "This is not good. I was surprised by the decision today."


    Walking inside, Emilia picked up thetter and read the most notable sentence in it.


    "The Academy''s administration officially invites you for a meeting." It said in beautiful handwriting.


    "Why is it bad? Even though it''s slightly surprising, I''m still d that they did allow me to meet them. I have many things I want to ask them about."


    "No, this isn''t a simple meeting. Those old bastards aren''t like that. They are either going to try and frame you so that the academy''s reputation doesn''t get tarnished or even worse."


    Rin had heard many bad things about the higher-ups of the academy. They were called ignorant,zy, and even outright cruel. However, he really didn''t care about that as long as they aren''t trying to directly affect him or anyone around him.


    "I doubt they would go that far. Besides, even if they try to kill me. I will simply escape. I''m the greatest at that, after all."


    "This is still very dangerous!" Emilia retorted.


    "Well, whatever happens, I can''t run away, can I?" Rin asked.


    "..."


    "Rx, master. Nothing bad will happen. Besides, there is still a week before the meeting. We can think of all possible oues during this time."


    "But..."


    "Do you want to eat lunch with us?" Rin cut her off as he invited her to the table.


    Emilia, however, shed a look toward Elise. But, thetter simply shook her head as if saying ''You can''t really change his mind when he puts it into something''.


    After that, in a very peaceful atmosphere, they ate food. Although Emilia was tense and worried, Rin was able to make her rx a little after a while.


    Then, by evening, Emilia left and Rin simply excused himself to go and rest. Walking inside his room, heid down on the bed with a sigh.


    [Why did you lie to them, host?]


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 203 203- Sooner Is Not Always Better (Part 2)

    ?


    Chapter 203- Sooner Is Not Always Better (Part 2)


    Raising an eyebrow at the weird question that came from his system, Rin responded with a question of his own.


    "Rare of you to ask me about something, system?"


    [I''ve been gaining free will because of your character, host. I now have more freedom to ask questions if I need to.]


    "I see. Well, I simply saw no reason to make Elise worry." Rin replied with a chuckle.


    [Are you scared?] The system asked again.


    "Hm? What do you mean?"


    [I mean the war. Are you scared of it, host?]


    "... I am. Actually, I''m so scared of it that I feel like I''m about to lose my mind." Holding his face with a self-deprecating smile, Rin continued.


    "Whenever I imagine what could happen and the mere sight of my loved ones dying in front of me, I feel a shudder run down my spine. Am I a coward for thinking this way, system?"


    [I have no say in this. Courage and cowardice are two concepts that rely on many aspects to be determined. What you may see as scary, others could simply not feel the same way, and vice versa.]


    "A perfect answer, as always." Rin rolled his eyes in response.


    [However, if I have to answer honestly. I don''t think your fear is unjustifiable. War is all about killing and spilling blood. I understand that you don''t want to see Miss Elise face such an ending.]


    "If Elise... dies. I don''t think I will be able to continue living. I''d rather die than live in a world where she doesn''t exist." He responded with a serious tone.


    Elise was Rin''s most valuable existence that he can''t get away from no matter what. She was akin to the air he was breathing so if he lost her, he wouldn''t be able to live.


    "But, even when I''m scared, I know what has to be done. If I''m scared then I simply have to eliminate the reason for such emotions. It''s that simple." He added.


    [That''s not how humans usually deal with fear, host.]


    "Yeah, I know. But, I''m a demon, so no worries." Rin joked lightly.


    [....]


    *Knock* *Knock*


    Suddenly, the door to his room was knocked followed by a beautiful, melodic voice.


    "Rin, are you awake?"


    "Yeah,e inside."


    After that, Elise pushed the door open and entered the room. She was wearing her usual,fortable clothes. However, for some reason, her figure now was more sensual and mesmerizing than ever it took Rin''s breath away.


    "You aren''t going to take a nap?" She asked.


    "No, why you ask?"


    "I have something I want to talk about." She said with a serious face, making Rin worry slightly.


    "What is it?"


    ***


    A weekter, the time for the meeting finally came. It was a normal, sunny day in the academy like any other. Students were living their lives with ease and carefreeness, not realizing the looming danger that was approaching them from afar.


    That ignorance was in a sense, a blessing in disguise. Because if fear was to root itself into the heart of the students, that will only hinder their growth and make them lose their will to get stronger and instead choose to run away instead.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    But, for better or worse, no such thing happened as days passed quietly.


    A young man along with a slightly older woman were walking inside one of the corridors of a building.


    "Are you ready, Rin?" Emilia asked as she stood in front of a tform that most likely led upwards to the next floor. It''s size and shape were different from the regr tform that they use to move floors.


    "Yeah... More or less." Rin replied as he took a few deep breaths.


    "Know that when we reach there, I won''t be able to enter with you. It''s all up to how you deal with them. Just don''t say anything risky and you should be fine, hopefully."


    "Don''t worry, master. I know what I should do. Just wait for me." He said with a reassuring smile.


    Looking at him, Emilia sighed.


    "I shall trust your wits."


    "Good. Now, let''s go."


    After that, the two stood on the tform before it automatically started rising up in the air at a moderate speed.


    In a few moments, they reached the next floor which looked very simr to the one they were in a few seconds ago except slightly smaller.


    Then, the one after and the one after, slowly, they moved from one floor to another without stopping. The fifth, the sixth, the seventh, and the eighth floor sessively. The more they went higher, the more amazing the ce looked. Hell, Rin even saw floating buildings on the 7th and eighth floors.


    By the time the tform stopped moving, they were on the ninth floor. Thest floor is where the legendary top 10 students live.


    The ce was odd for theck of a better description. It wasn''t a city or even a vige but instead. They were in front of a very long mountain chain full of greenery and beautiful nature.


    There weren''t any buildings close by, except for the ones that Rin saw right on the peak of the mountains.


    "This is the ninth floor. The top 10 students each have an area assigned to them and they all own a certain part of these mountain chains."


    "Why are they living in such a ce?"


    "It''s because they supposedly need quietness and serenity to focus on gaining strength."


    "What a weird bunch," Rin murmured.


    The more he heard about these people, the more he realized that they weren''t normal even in their actions and thoughts. Someone like Sorophi for example was simply iprehensible at all and the others were just as weird if not weirder.


    "Anyway, see that floating castle up there?" Suddenly, Emilia pointed at a particr ce in the sky above them.


    "Hm? What castle? I can see nothing."


    "Oh, right. Now that I remember. Here, wear this." Handing out a weird, red ne, Emilia told Rin to put it on.


    Nodding his head, Rin wore it and looked up.


    "What?!"


    Suddenly, the empty sky had suddenly been covered by a giant, a floating castle that looks so domineering as it loomed over the whole floor.


    "That''s Zeus... The floating sky castle." Emilia exined with a serious expression.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 204 204- Zeus, The Flying Sky Castle (Part 1)

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    Chapter 204- Zeus, The Flying Sky Castle (Part 1)


    "It''s gigantic!" Rin blurted out with shock clear in his eyes.


    Even though the castle was high up in the sky, its frame still covered most of the sky, making the whole floor darkenpletely. As for the castle''s appearance, Rin assumed it was a mix of a Japanese and Chinese design he had seen before in games.


    It did look quite beautiful, however, the eerie feeling it instilled in Rin stopped him from appreciating this magnificent piece of art.


    "It was made that big to simply show the power of the academy and the higher-ups that control it," Emilia exined.


    "Well, something this size for only a group of people. Isn''t that wasteful?"


    "Money and power in the wrong hands and this is what you get," Emilia said as she suddenly looked up as if sensing somethinging from afar.


    Rin also looked up, only to see a small silhouette flying down toward them on a small stone tform.


    "Here hees, one of the only two guards allowed on that castle. Don''t say anything."


    "Ok."


    When the tformnded on the ground, a man appeared in front of them. He wore huge armor that covered every inch of his body. In his right arm was a huge spear that was at least 9 feet tall.


    "The Great Ones have been waiting for you." He said in a deep, husky voice.


    ''Hm, this isn''t that guy named Letum. Still, my chance to meet him has now finallye. I won''t let it go to waste. I must extract the truth from him.''


    After that, he stepped aside, allowing Rin and Emilia to step on the tform. After that, they started flying up slowly as if they were in an elevator.


    ''What could there even be inside this castle? 1000 rooms, maybe more?''


    The tform reached the entrance to the castle soon after. When Emilia and Rinnded there, what weed them was a giant gate with a long stretching wall that surrounded the castle and linked at that exact point.


    "Follow me." Saying that, the man started walking without waiting for a response.


    "Keep close to me," Emilia whispered in Rin''s ear which made him nod in acknowledgment.


    The gates opened slowly the moment the guard approached them as if they specifically waited for him. Inside, a mesmerizing garden stretched far and wide like a forest filled with exotic trees and nts and even animal life.


    "This is the Entrance Garden." The man said briefly as he walked through the passage in the middle of the garden heading deeper into the castle.


    ''Entrance garden?! So there are more gardens this size or even bigger around?'' Rin almost coughed from sheer absurdity.


    The garden was gigantic, way bigger than anything he had ever seen and yet it was merely put at the entrance. How extravagant were these higher-ups? He asked himself.


    The journey through the garden took almost 15 minutes at walking speed. At the end of it, they found another gate simr to the one at the entrance however this one led to the castle itself.


    "Wee to Zeus." The man said announcing their arrival.


    The inside of the castle was massive from the rooms to the ceiling and even the chandeliers hanging from up there. Rin felt as if he was a dwarf discovering the world of giants. There was nothing that wasn''t luxurious or expensive looking at first look.


    ''... This is more overwhelming than I expected.'' Rin thought with a frown.


    The ce was too shiny and perfect to be the ce where he wants to live. There was no sense of familiarity in it as if it was a piece of art rather than a real ce.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    As they stood there, admiring the ce, a maid approached them with a stoic expression on her face.


    "Miss Emilia. Please follow the maid, she will guide you to the lounge where you can rx for the time being. As for Mr. Rin, please follow me." The guard said.


    "..." Emilia was hesitant at first but Rin quickly tapped her shoulder as a sign of reassurance.


    Finally, she took a deep breath and walked away with the maid. That left Rin alone with the guard as the two continued walking away, going up along the staircase.


    The corridors on the second floor were as vast andplicated as Rin thought. A ce this size could never be simple to navigate.


    However, the guard easily found his way through clearly showing how familiar he was with the ce.


    Eventually, the trip finally ended in front of a particr door.


    "The Higher-Ups are waiting. Please, show respect and don''t do anything that might require me to resort to unwanted measures."


    ''Hm, a threat, huh?'' Rin thought as he didn''t reply and simply opened the door and walked inside.


    ''Hm, it''s dark.'' The door closed behind Rin as he was submerged in darkness.


    Then, out of the dimness, a voice spoke, surprising Rin.


    "We have been awaiting your arrival, Rin Silvereye."


    "Uh... I can''t see anything."


    "You aren''t allowed to see us and don''t ask for it either." Another voice replied that had a simr tone but a different sound to it which indicated that it was a different person.


    "Sure. Can I ask why I was invited here?" Rin said as he looked around warily.


    "We have heard about all the things that happened. You do like to be in the limelight, don''t you?"


    "What can I say? Trouble follows me wherever I go." Shrugging his shoulders, Rin didn''t want toment much on the topic.


    He was basically a walking bad omen as no matter where he went, trouble will follow suit. That''s something he grew ustomed to as time went on.


    "That trouble yours caused us a lot of problems. We had to keep the people calm even though danger is lurking in the shadows around us."


    ''There are no shadows here, though. The room is dark as hell.''


    "My apologies for the inconvenience. However, I did what I assume is the best possible thing for the academy which is to kill that demon. Am I not supposed to be praised for my action?"


    "It is indeed worthy of praise. However, we all know that you aren''t that naive to believe that we invited you here for that reason. Since we did hear some rumors here and there about you."


    "Yes, rumors... Ones that link you to our enemies in more ways than one."


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 205 205- Zeus, The Flying Sky Castle (Part 2)

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    Chapter 205- Zeus, The Flying Sky Castle (Part 2)


    ''Hm?'' Rin''s face darkened slightly as he squinted his eyes. Even though he predicted that the academy already heard about the rumors but it still doesn''t make the situation any better.


    ''Anything I say now might make them even more suspicious. I must be careful.''


    "Rted to our enemies? Why would you think that?"


    "We are very careful with how we deal with such situations, Rin Silvereye. So, assuming the fact that you are linked to the demons in some way shape or form is only a safety measure. In fact, personally, I''m inclined to believe that fact." One of them said.


    "I see. Well, think about what you want. I will make it clear now. I do not have any link to the demons."


    "Then, how do you exin the sheer number of encounters you had with them? People would go their whole lives without ever seeing a demon and yet you encountered them again and again and each time, they were not there as ves but as trouble seekers."


    "That''s all luck. Actually, I have aint about that matter. Please, increase your security around the academy. It suddenly became like a the backyard of the cult with how easily they could infiltrate it."


    "Shut your mouth! How dare you question the academy''s security?!" Another yelled with an irritated tone.


    "I''m just saying the truth. Have you all thought about how the Cult would start the war when the timees? Naively assuming they will appear from the making gate is very dumb. They already found a way inside."


    "You bastard! That''s enough! You deserve to be jailed for your disrespect!"


    However, at that moment, someone that Rin didn''t hear the whole time finally opened his mouth.


    "He is right. Weck security. Have you all forgotten what happened a few months ago?"


    Asking that, the others didn''t say a thing but Rin could sense their frustration even without seeing them.


    "Listen here, Rin Silvereye. We do not want to harm you unnecessarily. However, you are very vague and mysterious. That type of person isn''t something we particrly like as they only carry trouble wherever they go. Do you understand me?"


    "Well, I do. But, what am I supposed to do? As far as I''m concerned, I''m your ally. I have nothing against the academy so as long as you don''t try to attack me, I can be of great help in the war."


    "We do know that you are a very strong individual for your age and any extra manpower is very much appreciated. However, what guarantee do we have that you won''t turn on us during the war?" The man asked.


    "That''s a two-way street. We both don''t trust each other so we might as well keep the contact as superficial as possible. My goals are clear, to do what I think is right while keeping those I care for safe and sound. Anything else is secondary to me. Besides, I will greatly benefit from ending this war so trying to make it prolong any more than it should only harm me in the long run."


    "..."


    "Tsk, this child is too arrogant for his own good."


    None of the higher-ups could say anything after that as they kept mumbling and grumbling. This made Rin feel slightly relieved as he knew this meeting would finallye to an end and he could leave.


    "I will say this before leaving. I have fought the demon and killed it. They aren''t something you can underestimate. Whether you want to take this war seriously or not is none of my business. However, if your weakness ends up harming the ones I care for. Then, I might change my tactics." He said coldly, clearly threatening them.


    "You bastard!!"


    "Silence! Your message is received, we have no intention of not taking this war seriously. Demons are humanity''s greatest threat after all."


    "Good. Well, I will take my leave now."


    After that, Rin turned around to walk away. However, he stopped at thest second.


    "Hmm, can I ask onest question?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "What?"


    "Where can I find Sir Letum?"


    ***


    The location: somewhere on the sky castle, exactly in the heart of arge garden, more beautiful than the one Rin had seen before. Right in the middle of it was a crystal clearke, so calm and serene as if it was merely a mirror stered into the greenery around it.


    In the middle of thatke, a man was sitting on what seemed to be a rock protruding out of the water. His eyes were closed and his breathing was calm and unperturbed. No one knows for how long he was sitting in the same position.


    Then, out of nowhere, the man''s eyes opened as if he noticed something.


    "What are you doing here?" He asked coldly.


    "I wanted to meet you, Mr Letum." Rin said as he looked around.


    "I do not like to meet people. Leave." He said.


    "Can you at least give me a moment? I came here to talk about a certain topic. Do you know Somi Clearsky?"


    "..."


    The moment Rin uttered those words, Letum finally turned around to look at Rin. Letum''s cold eyes and his sharp aura were like a sword being pointed at Rin.


    "Did Emilia tell you? Or maybe it was Sorophi?" He asked.


    ''This is his aura even though he isn''t even trying to harm me. What a strong presence.'' Calming his breathing, Rin didn''t try to resist much since he knew Letum won''t kill him... hopefully.


    "I came here to know the truth of what actually happened that day."


    "..."


    "You''re the only one who knows and yet you don''t want to tell them. Why?" Rin asked.


    "They do not need to know."


    "They do. Somi was Emilia''s sister and Sorophi''s mother. How could they not have the right to know how their loved one died?"


    "She''s dead and that''s what matters. Anything else is dangerous information. It will only sadden them more."


    "That''s better than staying in the dark for so long. Somi was a great person through and through and died doing what she saw as right. It''s only right that we honor her death for a long time toe."


    "..."


    Rin could sense how Letum''s expression changed slightly to a bad grimace. Whatever happened at the time, it wasn''t a good memory. However, how bad could it to make someone as strong as Letum to frown that way.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 206 206- Demon Queen (Part 1)

    ?


    Chapter 206- Demon Queen (Part 1)


    *17 years ago*


    "Tsk, it''s dark. Can you see anything, Rophian?" Somi asked as they were falling at high speed right into the demon world. The heavy atmosphere along with the strong wind made it almost impossible to see or even sense where exactly they were.


    "No! I can''t see the bottom." Rophian replied as he looked down. "Ampivor! Use fire to light the ce up!"


    "Right!"


    After that, Ampivor''s arms were suddenly ignited with fire before a huge fireball was sted down at high speed.


    Its sheer power illuminated the hole and gave them a clear look at their surrounding. However, that didn''t make things any better.


    "Shit! We''re about to hit the ground!" The other woman, Numen cursed as she quickly pointed her hand down. Quickly, mana traversed her body and a huge boulder appeared in the air beneath them.


    Instantly, everyonended on it which led them quickly to the bottom.


    "When the rock is about to hit the ground. Everyone should jump." Somi quickly alerted everyone.


    *BANG*


    Eventually, the rock crashed at the bottom and the group quickly jumped in the air,nding safely.


    "Fuuh! That was intense!" Somi said with a smile.


    "Are you ok?" Rophian asked as he approached her. In his eyes, a warm, loving look could be clearly seen.


    "Mmm, that was nothing. Is everyone good?"


    After making sure the group didn''t face a problem, Somi finally took a look at her surroundings.


    "Hmm, we are inside some kind of a cave. Weird." She murmured as she examined the whole they came from.


    *Click*


    Ampivor then lit up a fire in his hand to make it easier to see the ce.


    "Look at the ceiling of the cave. Why are the rocks... red?"


    "Maybe it''s simply a type of rock that''s red?" Numen said.


    "Well, we can''t stay here. There is a passage over there." Rophian pointed out as everyone was getting more and more distracted by the cave.


    The group then started walking through the cave. It was dark, quiet, and eerie. This was unnerving considering the fact that the ce should''ve been filled with monsters made it weird that there were basically none.


    "Hmm, are we supposed to have a smooth sail or something?" Somi asked with a confused look.


    "Well, we can be considered lucky. Extra trouble is avoided." Ampivor added.


    Minutes passed of continuous walking until they eventually reached what seemed to be the exit of the cave. Passing through it, the group was weed with a sight out of imagination.


    "What... is this?"


    It wasn''t the hellish, horrible-looking world they expected but instead was akin to the entrance to paradise. A Dark, starry sky with three moons floating in the middle, illuminating everything. Vast expanses of nature, mountains, forests,kes, and every possible thing that could exist in nature.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Is this really the demon world?" Numen asked as she couldn''t believe her eyes.


    "The books didn''t mention this ce like this." Somi said with squinted eyes as she felt suspicious of something.


    "The books liked, apparently." Rophianmented with a sigh.


    The group was confused as to how the demon world, the world that should''ve looked more like hell than anything else, was actually even more beautiful than the human world itself. Especially the sky, it was so mesmerizing they even forgot they just went inside a huge hole a few minutes ago.


    "Everyone, don''t lose your focus! The fact that the demon world isn''t how it was described in the books means that we know nothing about this ce for certain. We must be extremely careful."


    After that, the group stepped into the vast world of the demon world. A world that was uncharted from any human.


    ***


    "The journey in the demon world wasn''t problematic. We faced some monsters here and there. But, we never saw a single demon." Letum said with a cold tone. "We had no idea what was awaiting us but we didn''t really try to think about it too much as that will only break the spirit of the group. Everything was fine... until the fifth day of the expedition."  The moment he uttered thest few words, Letum''s face darkened even more.


    Rin felt slightly nervous but he simply listened quietly to what the man was about to say.


    ***


    "Somi, oi, Somi! Wake up!" Rophian chook Somi urgently on the morning of the 5th day.


    "Hm, what?" She asked as she rubbed her eyes.


    "Ampivor... There is something wrong with Ampivor." He said.


    "Huh?"


    Quickly, the two left the tent to check what happened. There, they found Letum pinning down Ampivore while Numen put a rock on him.


    "What the fuck is happening here?" She asked.


    "Ask him. A few minutes ago, he suddenly attacked me. I had to pin him down." Letum said with an annoyed tone.


    "Attacked you? Why did he?"


    "Look at his eyes... He doesn''t look normal at all."


    Approaching Ampivor, Somi took a closer look at him. Ampivor was a very cheerful and energetic man. However, at the moment all of that was nowhere to be seen. Instead, his eyes looked bloodshot red and his teeth were clenched to an unhealthy degree. As he was resisting the weight of the rock, his limbs squirmed left and right violently.


    "He seems to be under some kind of spell that I can''t get rid of," Numena added with a grave expression.


    "How did he get hypnotized? Ampivor has extremely strong mental strength." Rophian asked.


    "No, the even more important question now is... Who did it?" The moment Somi asked that everyone went silent as they looked around them.


    Those words were more than enough to send a shiver down their spine. Someone or something was able to somehow hypnotize one of them even though no such thing should be possible. That alone was more than enough to make them fearful of their surroundings.


    "Everyone... Keep your eyes open. I feel as if something is watching us." Somi said as she pulled out her sword, a sense of danger prating her whole being.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 207 207- Demon Queen (Part 2)

    ?


    Chapter 207- Demon Queen (Part 2)


    The silence of the surrounding forest that was at first calming became eerie, unnerving and even repulsive.


    Somi tightened her grip on her weapon as she looked around, ready for any ambush.


    ''I can''t sense any presence nearby. This is odd.'' Beads of sweat fell down her face as she expanded her senses to the farthest ce they could reach.


    Meanwhile, the others also did the same, each taking an angle where a possible ambush could happen. Moments passed slowly with nothing happening.


    As they were like that, Numen turned around and walked toward Somi slowly.


    "Hm, did you sense anything, Numen?" Somi asked as she noticed how herpanion wasing toward her.


    On the other hand, Rophian was seeing what was happening and his eyes were squinted.


    "Be careful, Somi!!" His eyes then widened as he instinctively jumped forward, psuhsing Somi away.


    However, at the same time, Numen created a very sharp shard of rock and stabbed forward, ultimately hitting Rophian''s back and piercing it deeply.


    "Ugh!" Clenching his teeth, Rophian didnt allow himself to make a noise.


    "Rophian!!" Somi realized what happened and her face paledpletely.


    On the other hand, Letum quickly subdued Numen who wasn''t able to react fast.


    "I-I''m fine." Smiling slightly, Rophian tried to stand up.


    "Wait! I will heal you immediately."


    "Oh, you will?"


    Suddenly, a voice prated the silence of the forest and made everyone turn around to look at one particr direction.


    The voice was heavenly, sweet yet also a coldness far deeper than anything the three of them had ever heard in their lives. It was like an extremely beautiful song, filled with cursed, evil lyrics.


    Then, from within the darkness of the night, emerged a person walking slowly toward them. This person was a woman, d in a dark, beautiful robe. Her hair was as white as snow and as beautiful as the most sacred heaven.


    Her face was otherworldly, akin to a goddess and her figure was beyond perfect. She was, I every sense of the word, an extremely beautiful woman.


    However, her looks werepletely covered by her unbelievably strong pressure that she was emitting.


    It didn''t take more than a second for the three of them to know one certain fact. One fact that was shocking enough to make them freeze in their ce.


    ''We can''t defeat this woman.'' They all thought.


    Her power was stronger than all three of thembined. Considering the fact that Somi, Rophian and Letum were three of the strongest people in the world made that realization even more mind-blowing.


    "It''s a pleasure to meet you visitors from the world of humans. This empress'' name is Eisheth but you can call me Your Highness." The woman said with a graceful smile that didn''t change from the start of the interaction.


    ''Eisheth... I heard the name before... She''s the Demon Queen.'' Somi realized what she meant by calling herself Empress.


    "It''s certainly an honor to meet the Queen of demons herself." Deciding to take matters into her hands, Somi stepped forward and spoke.


    "Fufufu! Well, This empress wanted to see how the visitors of our world looked like and I must say, I''m not dissapointed.


    "Well, since we are visitors. Shouldn''t we be received with hospitality?" Somi asked with a fake smile.


    Deep down, she knew that gentle facade the demon queen was putting on was simply to be graceful. The highly likely chance was that none of them would be able to survive tonight.


    ''Are you two ready for death? You better be, Rophian, Letum!!''<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Oh, my apologies for thete hospitality. I was thinking of a good way to receive all of you and I must say, this is the best I coulde up with.


    "U-Ugh... Drop down the act, Queen! If you are going to try and capture us then no use. We all can kill ourselves before you could do anything to us." Rophian said as he held his injury with one hand.


    However, Eisheth didn''t seem to be angry at how Rophian spoke.


    "No reason to be perturbed, Mr. Human. We, demons, don''t know how to interact with humans and even the human ves we had are already dead. It would be pointless to make you all ves for us." Eisheth said.


    "Oh, do you perhaps not consider us enemies?" Somi asked.


    "Oh? Obviously not. I do not see you as enemies. Who would look at a bunch of ants and think they are enemies worthy of taking attention?"


    After that, the Demon Queen lifted her hand and continued.


    "You ants killed our kind and kicked us to this world thinking that Divine Sapphire belongs to you. Look at this world, this was a hellhole when we first arrived here yet we made it a heaven for our kind. What did your race do? I''m sure Divine Sapphire is suffering because of your filthy hands."


    "U-Ugh, no! don''t!" Suddenly, Rophian yelled as his legs started walking on their own.


    "Rophian!!"


    "Know, humans, that we are simply awaiting the day that gate will open and when that happens, the world will return to its rightful owners."


    Then, Rophian suddenly started running toward Somi with his sword already pulled out ready to attack her.


    Even though his eyes had lost their light, tears fell down his face, showing the huge conflict he was having inside over the control of his own body.


    Somi quickly jumped away before the sword attack could hit her.


    "Letum, run!" She said.


    However, at that moment, the demon queen smiled and said.


    "Ah, how saddening to see a husband kill his own wife. Maybe to make it slightly better, let''s  make the wife attack him too. An equal fight."


    At that moment, Somi clenched her teeth as she felt strong pain assault her head along with a powerful blow to her consciousness.


    "Don''t wait for us! Run, Letum!" She said as she pulled her sword out and aimed it at Rophian.


    Thetter frowned heavily before he quickly turned around and dashed away.


    ***


    "Then I ran and ran for a long time. I didn''t turn around at all during this time. But, I know that The Demon Queen had used her powers to control the two of them and made them fight to death."


    "To make two people that loved each other dearly fight to death... Horrible." Even though Rin didn''t meet Somi, he couldprehend how horrible it was for her.


    ''The Demon Queen... So she''s the strongest demon out of all of them. She was able to easily overpower three of the strongest humans as if it was nothing. How can you even beat someone like this?''


    Rin was aware of how strong the ruler of demon should be but that didn''t make things any less worriesome.


    "I have no face to tell them that I ran way when Somi stayed there and fought her husband. I can''t do that." Letum added with a cold tone.


    But, it was clear how shameful he was feeling at the moment. He was powerless and had to see his friends die because of that. No one can me him for changing like this.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 208 208- Im Destined!! (Part 1)

    ?


    Chapter 208- I''m Destined!! (Part 1)


    Silence took over the whole ce for a good while before Rin finally spoke.


    "I understand that you don''t want them to know. But, they have the right to know. I will deal with the matter myself." Rin said.


    "... Why would you want to involve yourself in this matter?" Letum asked as he turned around and stared at the clear water around him.


    "I have seen how painful it was for the both of them to live with that pain. Especially Sorophi, she had suffered enough with the image of her mother''s death still in her head. That''s my duty as a friend." Rin replied.


    "... Do what suits you," Letum said these words and turned around, not intending to continue the conversation any further.


    So, Rin simply bid him farewell and turned around to leave.


    ***


    When Rin came back to the lounge where Emilia was waiting, thetter basically jumped on him and cornered him with questions about everything. It took almost an hour for her to finally calm down and they could finally exit the castle and return to the floor where Rin lives.


    Then, Rin had to exin the same things to Elise who seemed even more worried than Emilia herself. In the end, the situation didn''t turn out to be bad. Well, except for one thing.


    "I couldn''t tell Emilia about it," Rin said to Elise after he told her about meeting Letum.


    "That sounds horrible. Such a thing is really hard to tell to someone." Elise replied with a frown.


    "But, I want them to know so that they can move on."


    "... Don''t worry too much about it. Emilia is a very reasonable and smart person, I''m sure she can handle the truth. As for Sorophi... Well, you have to see how she reacts."


    "*Sigh* this is troublesome... Anyway, do you want to go out for a walk? We didn''t have fun in a while." Rin suggested.


    He didn''t want both of them to get stressed out before the war even started so having some fun once in a while won''t hurt anybody.


    "Sure..."


    "So a date it is!!" Shouting with a triumphant smile, Rin stood up and went to get ready.


    Elise simply smiled and stood up to get ready herself.


    Then, the two left the apartment and walked toward the entertainment district of the city. It was as bustling with students as usual.


    Then, for the next few hours, they went around, ying and eating while chatting about many things. After the two started officially dating, they didn''t really have much time to go out on a date so in a sense, this was their first-ever date.


    By the time it was nearing the end of the day, the two sat down on a bench, resting.


    "I had so much fun," Rin said.


    "Me too."


    "Oh, look there, the same ice cream shop that we bought from thest time. Want to have some?"


    "Sure."


    Standing up, Rin walked to the shop. The moment the owner saw him, he smiled as if he recalled him.


    "Oh, if it isn''t the lover boy." He said.


    ''Lover boy?''


    "How can I help you on this beautiful evening?"


    "Two ice-cream cones, please."


    "Coming right up!"


    Then, Rin turned around and walked back toward Elise with a smile. Everything seemed perfect, nothing would ruin this day at all.


    Well, that''s what Rin thought before his eyes fell on a sight that made his brain freeze for a split second.


    Right behind Elise, a silhouette could be seen holding a sword that was a few inches away from hitting her. Without any thought, Rin''s body moved at an inhuman speed.


    ''Void World!'' He tapped the ground and instantly, a huge void-like world appeared and reached Elise.


    The void absorbed Elise before the sword could.


    *BOOOOM*<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The bench was split in two along with the ground beneath it.


    The sound was loud enough to attract the attention of the people around them. Everyone saw it, the ck void that Rin created.


    "...!!" Looking at the mysterious person with widened eyes, Rin quickly pulled the void back towards him and then made her exit his void world.


    "Are you ok, Elise?!" He asked with clear worry in his eyes.


    "Yeah, what happened?" She asked as she held her head.


    "Wait here."


    Then, Rin stood up with a sigh of relief.


    "Who are you?" He asked coldly as he red at the attacker.


    "Hehehehe, have you already forgotten me, Rin?" The person asked as he chuckled ominously. Because of the hood, he was wearing, Rin couldn''t see his face.


    "That voice." Raising an eyebrow, Rin felt that it was very familiar.


    "Hehehehe! Did you finally recognize me? How could you forget the person you stole everything from, huh?!"


    "You..."


    Before Rin could even say a thing, the mysterious person attacked him at top speed.


    ''Fast!''


    Clenching his teeth, Rin quickly dodged the attack and then kicked the attacker away. Although he was fast, Rin was still way faster.


    Flying away like a ragdoll, the attacker fell down on the ground violently.


    "Rin!"


    "I''m fine," Rin replied while he pulled out his daggers.


    "Call master. This person is... not a human anymore."


    "Not human?" Frowning slightly, Elise couldn''t understand at first but when she realized what Rin meant, she quickly stood up.


    "Give me a second."


    "I doubt he will allow me to."


    "Rin!!!" The attacker stood up and charged toward Rin again with anger clear in his tone.


    "Calm down. I don''t want to fight you."


    "I do!!! Today is your end!!"


    Reaching Rin, he shed with the sword at top speed.


    "You can''t beat me. This is pointless. You will get yourself killed."


    "I don''t care!! Even if I die today, I will bring you down with me."


    Suddenly, the attacker''s aura erupted chaotically. The sheer ominousness of the aura made Rin freeze for a second. That time was more than enough for the attacker to hit him.


    "Ugh!"


    The sword glossed over his arm. Blood spilled out everywhere.


    "You bastard!" Clenching his teeth, Rin stabbed the attacker''s leg.


    "UUUUGH!!" The hit was very strong as it made the attacker fall down to the ground, motionless.


    "What happened to you... Phillipe?" He asked as he stared down coldly at the young man.


    It was none other than Phillipe, the protagonist of the story.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 209 209- Im Destined!! (Part 2)

    ?


    Chapter 209- I''m Destined!! (Part 2)


    ''This guy... what''s up with him?'' Rin thought with a frown as he examined Philippe''s face.


    Before, Phillipe was not bad-looking by any means and in fact could be considered cute in women''s eyes. However, now, all of that was nowhere to be seen. First of all, he lost an unbelievable amount of weight to the point where the bones on his face were now defined and visible. Second of all, his skin was so pale beyond unhealthy and his eyes were now red,pletely covered with madness and anger.


    "What did you do to yourself?" He decided to ask.


    "It''s none of your business! I simply chose what''s best for me!"


    "The best for you? Wait, such an appearance, did you get in contact with the cult?" Knitting his eyebrows tightly, Rin had a bad hunch about all of this.


    "It''s not important what happened! The important thing is that your end is near!" Phillipe said.


    "Hm, I doubt you can kill me." Rin replied coldly as he aimed his dagger at Phillipe.


    "Hehehehehe! I''m not the one who''s going to kill you."


    "...?"


    "Look around you, Rin. You have already been seen by many people. Your powers have been revealed to the masses."


    Hearing that, Rin quickly shifted his gaze to the people around them. Many students had seen the interaction from start to finish. In other words, they saw when Rin used his powers.


    "You... Don''t tell me..." Realizing what Phillipe wanted from all of this, Rin''s heart stopped for a second.


    "Hahahahaha! You finally realized! Yes, I knew how much you cared for that wretched woman and so I knew that if I attacked her while you were watching, you would use your powers to save her." Phillipe said.


    "..."


    "The look on your face, hahahahahaha!! That''s it, yes. That look." Laughing maniacally, the protagonist lookedpletely intoxicated.


    However, the next second, something unexpected happened.


    Rin pulled away the dagger and put it away before he clenched his fist.


    *BANG*


    Then, at inhuman speed, he punched Phillipe in the face. The punch was so strong that it broke multiple teeth and sent him flying away before he hit a wall.


    Then, Rin walked toward him and lifted him up from the cor before he clenched his fist again.


    *BANG*


    He punched him again and again and again, he kept punching him silently while Phillipe whimpered in pain. His face waspletely ruined.


    "To think that I was dumb enough to spare you before. It was my mistake for sure."


    *BANG*


    "To think that you would redeem yourself and be a decent person."


    *BANG*


    "It''s all my mistake. I should''ve never believed that you could change. You are still a worthless scum that thinks everyone is entitled to love you. Yet, you couldn''t even reciprocate those feelings if they fucking pped you in the face."


    *BANG*


    "You didn''t even think twice before attacking Elise. How dare you say you actually love her, hun?!"


    *BANG*


    "I had enough of this shit. I will make sure to end your life right here and now."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    With each word Rin uttered, the coldness in his tone and theck of emotions in his eyes would chill anyone to the core. He didn''t feel a single thing as he destroyed every bone in Phillipe''s face and destroyed all of his teeth.


    Hell, he didn''t even mind that blood splurted on his face at all.


    "Die." Lifting his hand up, Rin intended to deliver thest blow.


    "Wait, Rin!!"


    Suddenly, a voice called for him before he found his arm was grabbed. He turned around only to see the familiar face of the most important person in his life.


    Immediately, Rin''s eyes regained their light as if he woke up from a trance state.


    "We need to run! Now!" She said as she grabbed his hand.


    Behind her, Emilia had apletely shocked expression, as if she didn''t understand what was happening.


    "Rin... you..." She tried to say something.


    Thetter simply shook his head with a sad look.


    "Sorry that I hid this from you."


    After that, Rin tapped Elise''s hand with a small smile.


    "There is no point in me running away." He said.


    "What do you mean?! The Higher-ups will soon hear about it and they will send someone to capture you."


    "That''s why I said I can''t run away. I will be chased to the ends of the world. That''s why, I want you to escape alone."


    "No! Don''t say that! You are going to get killed." Elise said with a panicked expression.


    "Listen to me, Elise. I know this is absurd. But, I won''t die. I know what to do. However, I can''t allow for you to risk your life in my n. I am now basically done for in this ce. You still can escape. I''m sure Master can find a good ce where you cany low for a while." He said.


    "No! No! Don''t you dare this, Rin! I will never forgive you for it!" She said as she had a hunch on what Rin was intending to do.


    "If doing this means that you will live, I don''t mind apologizing a million times. Trust me. I promise that I will be back." He said as he cupped Elise''s face, getting onest long look at it.


    "Master, can I ask this onest favor from you?" He said.


    "Rin..."


    "I know. Can you hide Elise for a few months? I only need a few months and I wille back."


    "..."


    "I know that I betrayed your trust and I understand that you have no obligation to do what I ask. But..." Turning around, Rin bowed down and continued. "Please, help Elise escape. I will hold whoever tries to stop you until she leaves."


    "..." Emilia found herselfpletely speechless at Rin.


    "You bastard... You better live ande back to exin what happened or I wille to kill you myself."


    "Hahaha, I will sure do."


    "Rin! No! I won''t allow this. You are being selfish." Tears welled up in Elise''s eyes as she still protested aggressively.


    "I''d rather be selfish and know that you are safe and sound than to put your life at risk. It''s going to be ridiculous. But, in 3 months... I will definitely return in 3 months from this exact date."


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 210 210- Descension (Part 1)

    ?


    Chapter 210- Descension (Part 1)


    Emilia was in a dilemma. No, calling it a dilemma was an understatement. On one hand, she had Rin, her disciple and a person she cherished greatly. She didn''t want to see him get harmed or killed.


    However, on the other hand, Rin had lied to her and turned out to be one of the creatures that she swore to destroy. He had the powers to rule those creatures no less! What should she do? Should she help him escape? Should she simply follow the rules and capture him?


    "3 months...  I can only hide her for 3 months. After that, I don''t think I will be able to." Emilia said as she clenched her teeth tightly.


    "Thank you so much, master. This is a debt I will never forget." He said as he turned to look at Elise onest time.


    "I know that you might hate me because of this and that''s fine. Just know that I love you so much, Elise. More than anything else." Rin said before he moved his hand quickly and struck the side of her neck, making her lose consciousness. Tears had already welled up in Elise''s eyes even as she fell down motionless.


    "R...in." She murmured onest time.


    Hearing her weak voice, Rin felt his heart being torn to pieces. However, she shook his head and carried her gently before handing her to Emilia.


    "I will go in that direction. While I make them focus on me, use the other route to escape." Rin exined his rough n.


    "... Don''t die, Rin." Emilia said.


    "I don''t intend to. See you soon, Master."


    After that, Rin vanished from her sight.


    At the same time, the news of what happened spread across the whole academy like wildfire. Everyone talked about what happened and especially about Rin. No one knew what kind of powers he possessed.


    However, as soon as the news reached the floor masters, the whole administration was turned upside down. They were the few people that knew what the power of darkness meant.


    The news was soon delivered to the Higher-Ups.


    "Damn that kid!! He tricked us!!" One of them said.


    "It''s all your fault for allowing that kid to run away!!" Another added as he pointed at the same person that struck that deal with Rin.


    "Now isn''t the time to throw me at each other! We need to capture him now! To think we will end up allowing a filthy demon into the sacred castle! Send this to every floor master and also to every student in the top 10. Rin Silvereye must be caught at all costs!!"


    ***


    ''I need to reach the gates quickly. I doubt I even have a few minutes of time left.'' He thought as he jumped from one building to another at top speed.''


    "I can''t use my summon either since it will only catch attention."


    At that moment, he sensed a strong presence approaching him at top speed. The sheer strength of the aura was enough to send a chill down Rin''s spine.


    Instinctively, he submerged himself in the shadows before the aura reached him and quickly continued to move.


    ''Letum?!'' Looking up, he saw the man he was talking to merely a few hours ago.


    He was staring down at Rin coldly from above.


    "I''m disappointed, Rin Silvereye. To think your idealistic sense of justice will turn out to be a mere lie. Did you have your fun mocking us for being saddened to lose our fellowpanions to you, demons?"


    "Wait! No, Letum! You are misunderstanding!"


    "No, I understand now far better than anyone else. You have truly crafted a meticulous n."


    ''Tsk, he won''t listen!'' Without stopping, Rin stopped trying to persuade Letum as he knew it was pointless.


    "You are going nowhere," Letum said as he followed after Rin at top speed.


    ''Shit! I can''t let him reach me!''


    Looking around him, he decided to enter one of the buildings nearby. Then, he continued through it, approaching the gate.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Tsk, he''s trying to escape. Close the doors!" Letum clicked his tongue and ordered the guards through the receiver.


    Immediately, the gates were closed, and tens of guards stood in front of them, guarding tightly against any approaching threat. They already received the news that Rin was a demon and that he possessed the power to control the shadows.


    At the same time, the other floor masters and the high-rankers reached the floor and spread across at top speed, trying to locate Rin.


    ''Tsk... I can already feel countless presences approaching me.'' Rin thought as he dashed from one building to another.


    Although they can easily beat him, Rin knew that these people won''t dare to destroy buildings filled with people merely to catch him. That will be a stronger hit to the Academy''s reputation than anyone could predict.


    So, that small detail allowed Rin to finally reach the gates of the academy.


    ''They already closed the entrance. Well, that was predicted. But, they truly underestimate me.'' He thought as he summoned his bird summon.


    ''It''s going to be dangerous but I think I can make it.'' After that, he quickly mounted on top of it and flew up in the air.


    "Look! Something is up there!!" A guard pointed out, catching the other''s attention.


    "That''s him! Catch him!"


    As they aimed their arrows toward Rin, he quickly flew higher to avoid them as he continued his way through the small gap between the buildings and the huge wall.


    ''A little bit more!'' He thought as he looked behind in case anyone was approaching him.


    "You are going nowhere." Shockingly, a voice came from ahead.


    ''Oh no!''


    Letum, his worst possible encounter at this exact moment was floating in front of him, closing the way.


    ''I can''t change the course at this speed!'' He thought as he tried to find a way out of this situation.


    "I have no other choice..." Looking down, Rin pulled out his blood dagger and then channeled his mana through it.


    "Blood sh!" Aiming at the guards beneath him, he sent a blood sh toward them.


    "Bastard!" Letum''s eyes widened slightly as he quickly flew down and stopped the attack. Those few seconds were more than enough for Rin to pass through.


    "I''m genuinely sorry." Rin murmured to himself.


    He knew that Letum will not allow for that many guards to die so he chose to stop the attack. Granted, it was a low-handed move but Rin had no other choice.


    "I''m close..."


    As Rin crossed the wall, suddenly, he felt a strong pain assault his back and he found himself falling down like a meteor, at top speed.


    "Ugh!!"


    *BOOOM*


    Hitting the ground roughly, he coughed a few times, trying to gasp for breath before he stood up again and looked at what hit him. Right in front of him, a mature girl stood looking at him with a cold expression.


    "...So... rophi?" He murmured her name with a shocked expression.


    "Rin..." The girl murmured back as she tightened her grip on the teddy bear in her hands.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 211 211- Descension (Part 2)

    <h4>Chapter 211 Chapter 211- Descension (Part 2)</h4>


    Chapter 211- Descension (Part 2)


    "Sorophi?" Rin muttered as he stood up with difficulty while holding his abdomen. The pain from the hit lingered. Rin assumed that he broke a rib from that hit alone.


    "... Why did you lie?" Sorophi asked as she red at Rin coldly.


    "I..." As Rin was about to try and exin, he understood that even if she believed his words, he can''t really escape the inevitable.


    "I hid it because I had no other choice." He said as he gave a nce at the gates behind them.


    "... Why would you do that? Sorophi thought we are friends." She added as tears welled up in her eyes.


    "..."


    "You are an enemy..." ring at Rin angrily, Sorophi channeled her aura.


    Then, at an rming speed, vanished and reappeared in front of Rin before sending a strong punch to his stomach.


    "BLUGH!!" Rin coughed out blood as he looked down at his stomach. There, a huge hole could be seen where Sorophi''s fist was.


    However, Rin simply leaned forward and whispered a few words in Sorophi''s ear. Words only she can hear from everyone present. When Rin stopped and smiled, Sorophi''s eyes widened as she stared in deep shock Rin pushed himself away from her and then yelled.


    "Whether this war would determine that humans are the rulers or not is none of my business. However, remember one thing, you all! Everyone is at fault in this so even if you win, you are no better than the demons themselves."


    After that, Rin smiled onest time at Sorophi and jumped back.


    "Oi!" Letum''s eyes widened for a moment as he quickly flew toward the cliff, trying to catch Rin. However, thetter used his powers and summoned the bird again.


    ''I-I can only keep it on for a few seconds.''


    As hey on the bird and flew far and far away from the cliff, thest few ounces of mana he had finally got depleted and the bird vanishedpletely, throwing Rin down to the hole beneath... The hole that led to the demon world.


    "He killed himself..." Letum murmured as he looked at Rin''s silhouette falling deeper and deeper into the abyss.


    "Does he think he can survive that fall without having permission to enter the demon world?"


    "..." On the other hand, Sorophi waspletely frozen in her ce. Her mindpletely stopped working.


    The words that Rin said resonated with her a great deal. It erased all the anger and pain she had and yet also reced them with a deeper sadness.


    "Sorophi betrayed... her friend." She murmured as tears fell down on her face.


    She wanted to scream and release all the feelings she was going through. However, she didn''t do that.


    Instead, she turned around and left the ce without talking to anyone.


    Meanwhile, on the other side, Emilia already left the academy as she carried Elise. Thetter was still unconscious. However, a frown did appear on her face.


    "... Rin."


    ***


    A few dayster, inside Zeus, the flying castle, Letum was standing in front of the higher-ups.


    "How did you allow him to run away, Letum?"


    "He killed himself."


    "What if he''s still alive?" Another one said.


    "Impossible. He didn''t possess permission to enter the demon world so his body will get disintegrated before it reaches the bottom. The chances of him dying are almost 100%."


    "Well, at the very least, we got rid of him. What about the girl that always apanied him."


    "... She went missing basically at the same time that Rin Silvereye vanished. However, I do have an odd feeling that all of this might be nned."


    "Is she herself a demon too?"


    "I doubt. However, what I''m certain of is that Rin did this on purpose. He most likely sacrificed his life for her to run away."


    "... We must find her too. She can''t go that far away in a few days. As for you, Letum. You know what should be done, right?"


    "Yes."


    "We must eliminate all the threats that might threaten the academy. This war should be ended before it even starts. Proceed with the n."


    "I know."


    ***


    While the world thought that Rin died after he jumped off the cliff on the sky inds, no one knew the truth of things. In a dark ce somewhere unknown, Rin opened his eyes.


    "U-Ugh!! My stomach!" Coughing violently, Rin looked around him confusedly.


    "Where am I... Ah, right, I fell into the gate." He said as he tried to move and instead found himself groaning.


    "What is this ce?" Rin was inside what seemed to be a room. He wasying on a bed and had bandaids around his stomach and head.


    The room was moderately big with walls made out of dark wood. Then, Rin shifted his gaze to the window beside him. Outside, it was a night with a starry sky and stars riddling it likemps.


    "It''s just like how Letum described it." Rin murmured with awe clear in his eyes.


    The sky looked so pure and mesmerizing that he forgot for a second why he was there in the first ce.


    At that moment, the door to the room opened and a small girl came walking inside with a tray in her hand. The moment she saw Rin sitting on the bed, her eyes widened as the tray fell from her hand.


    "AAAH!!" Then, she ran outside at an rming speed.


    "Hm?" Tilting his head, Rin listened quietly as the girl seemingly talked to someone and then ran back inside.


    After that, he heard the steps of two peopleing into the room. This time, along with the girl, an old man made his way inside.


    "You''re awake." He said with a serious tone.


    "Uh, ah, yeah... Did you save me?" Rin asked.


    "Not me, she found you in a cave nearby. You were bleeding profusely and on the verge of death. I still don''t know how you survived."


    "I see... For how long have I been asleep?"


    "Two weeks or so since we found you."


    "Two weeks!!" Rin almost coughed blood again from sheer shock.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 212 212- Descension (Part 3)

    <h4>Chapter 212 Chapter 212- Descension (Part 3)</h4>


    Chapter 212- Descension (Part 3)


    ''Dammit! To think that 1/6th of the time I promised to return in had already passed with me ina. This isn''t good.'' Rin clicked his tongue as he shifted his gaze to look at the old man the little girl.


    Other than the fact that they had rather pale skin and two horns protruding out of their skulls, they didn''t look that different from normal people. In fact, Rin could swear they looked exactly like humans that he wouldn''t be able to determine whether they are demons or not if he couldn''t see the horns.


    "Can I ask a question?" The old man said with a serious tone.


    "Sure."


    "Are you a human?" He asked.


    "..." Rin squinted his eyes for a moment before he sighed and shook his head.


    "I think you already know the answer to that."


    "So you are indeed a human." The old man said.


    The moment the little girl heard those words, she hid behind the old man and looked at Rin warily.


    "Can I now ask a question myself? Why did you save me even though you knew I wasn''t a demon?" Rin asked.


    "... Why should we?"


    "Huh?"


    "Why should we kill you?"


    "..." Rin could only blink a few times with a shocked expression. He never expected this answer at all.


    "I''m a human, no?"


    "Yes."


    "And you are demons, right?"


    "Yes."


    "... Shouldn''t be normal that you would want to eliminate me?"


    "Why?"


    "Sigh, did I miss a page?" RIn murmured as he rubbed the back of his head.


    "Let me rephrase it, do you not harbor any hatred toward me because I''m a human?"


    "Hmm, I guess that should be the case."


    "Of cou-"


    "But, I wasn''t the one who wanted to save you. She insisted we do." The old man pointed at the little girl which made her hide again. "She carried you here and begged me to save you. So, if you have to be thankful for anyone then be thankful for her."


    "I see..." Rin responded with a dazed look as he stood up and walked toward the little girl. Then, when he was close enough, he crouched down and looked at her with a small smile.


    At the same time, the girl took a peek at him.


    "Thank you so much for saving me. I''m in your debt." He said with a grateful tone.


    "..." At first, the child seemed wary but then she nodded her head silently.


    "What''s your name? I''m Rin, by the way."


    "... La... La..."


    "Hmm? What was it again?"


    "L..." She repeated timidly.


    "Oh, L! That''s a very cute name. Nice to meet you, L!" He said as he looked up at the old man.


    "What''s your name, sir?"


    "Godfrey."


    "Thank you both for saving my life. I honestly never thought I would end up being saved by you two."


    "... Don''t mention it. We are about to eat dinner, do you want to join us?" Godfrey asked.


    "Sure, I will take your offer."


    After that, Godfrey and L guided Rin outside where he found what seemed to be a big living room. It looked quite old but still organized and well-presented.


    "Nice house you have here."


    "Thank you. We have built it from scratch."


    After that, the three sat down at the table before Rin turned to L and asked.


    "Uh, may I know why you decided to save me, L?"


    Even though he could see that the girl seemed kind and innocent but that wasn''t enough of a reason to save a random stranger.


    "... Y-You protected me... When I was about to be attacked by monsters." She replied.


    "Huh? Me?"


    ***


    *A week ago*


    "I''m going out, grandpa." A young, adorable girl with a xen hair said to the old man before she walked outside. That girl was L.


    L went to the cave nearby to gather some small shiny stones she used to carve out some small pieces of jewelry for fun. It has been her habit since she could remember and she never missed out on doing it once a week at least.


    The cave was always deprived of any form of life as monsters don''t like to go there because of the gate''s looming aura. She rarely encounters any monsters around the area.


    When she walked inside the cave, it was as calm as usual. That was until she reached to the area close to the gate. That''s when she saw a silhouette thrown on the ground, motionless.


    ''A corpse?'' At first, she was shocked and wanted to run away. But, her curiosity took the better of her and she approached the body slowly.


    When she was close enough, she stared at it curiously. It was an unconscious Rin, swimming in his own blood with injuries all over.


    "Hmm, who is he?" She murmured.


    "RAAA!!"


    Suddenly, a loud growl shook her from her thoughts and made her shift her gaze to the entrance of the cave. There, a giant monster had came inside and located both L and Rin.


    ''Why did ite here?!'' L''s face paled.


    Then, she realized the reason.


    ''It smelled blood!''


    "RAAA!!" The giant monster growled again and charged toward L with a ferocious look in its eyes.


    The little girl felt her legs freeze in their ce from sheer fear. She had never crossed paths with a scary monster such as this one before so she couldn''t react properly. It was at that moment that something shocking happened.


    As L was about to close her eyes and wait for the inevitable, a silhouette appeared in front of her. When she opened her eyes again, she found Rin standing in front of her.


    Thetter red at the monster through his messed up face. His mere nce could send a shiver down the spine of anyone who took a nce at it.


    "Leave." He said in a low, husky voice.


    In an instant, the monster stopped moving as it cowered in fear. Although it knew that the human was injured and could barely stand, its instincts still screamed that he could easily kill it if it dared to attack.


    After hesitating for a few moments, the monster turned around and quickly ran out of the cave.


    During all of this, L was frozen in her ce. She never expected this to happen and had no time to react properly.


    *DROP*


    A momentter, Rin fell on the ground again unconscious. His powerful presence vanished in a second as if it was never there.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 213 213- Don’t Speak

    <h4>Chapter 213 Chapter 213- Don''t Speak</h4>


    Chapter 213- Don''t Speak


    "I did that?" Rin asked with confusion. Not only does he not remember anything from after his fall but he can''t even recall waking up from hisatose state at all until this point.


    "Yes... You saved L. Thank you so much." The little girl nodded before bowing her head respectfully at Rin.


    "No, no! You don''t need to thank me. You already saved my life and that''s more than enough."


    "No, grandpa said to thank our benefactors properly." She replied with a serious tone.


    "I see..."


    Rin''s eyes then shifted to the man Godfrey who was sitting there silently.


    "L, could you please bring the food?" He asked.


    "Yes!"


    After that, the girl ran away to the kitchen happily, leaving the two men alone.


    "She''s a kind girl. You raised her well." Rin praised honestly with a smile.


    "I wasn''t the one who taught her to be kind. She got that trait from her mother."


    "Uh, now that I think about it. Are you two the only people that live here?"


    Godfrey nodded his head as he tapped on the table rhythmically. "After her parents died, I took L to live far away from people so that she can recover."


    "Oh, I''m sorry to hear that."


    "Don''t worry about it. She''s a strong girl, I''m sure she will be fine."


    "... Can I ask how they died if you don''t mind?"


    Since L shared the same tragic past as Rin, he really wanted to know what she went through. In a sense, it was to see how people react to losing their beloved families and to also reaffirm his emotions about it.


    "Poisoning. They both were bitten by a wild snake and we couldn''t find the cure for it." Godfrey exined.


    "I see..."


    "Now, I want to ask you a question myself, kid. Why did you fall into this ce?" He asked.


    Looking down, Rin pondered his response for a moment before he looked up and said.


    "For one reason or another, I was deemed as a demon and an enemy of humans and so I had to jump into this hole." He exined vaguely while retaining the truth of the matter.


    "You? A demon?"


    "Yes."


    "How could that be?"


    ''I can''t tell him about my powers since it would only carry trouble along with it.'' Rin thought to himself.


    As he was about to speak, L came back with a tray filled with food and put it down on the table before giving each one a te.


    "Dig in, kid." Godfrey said,pletely ignoring their previous topic.


    Rin knew that he deliberately moved on as he noticed how hesitant Rin was in answering.


    The three then ate the food in silence. Rin felt slightly awkward but he knew that trying to forcefully create a topic could only bacsh. Well, a topic that wasn''t important that is.


    "Uh, can I know perhaps where we are now? I''m not familiar with the ce."


    "This is the eastern region of the Demon World near the borderless forest."


    "Borderless forest? Why is it called like that?"


    "This forest is quite special. You see, the only way to enter or exit this forest is through a precise path. If someone tries to exit through any other path, they will end up never leaving. That''s why it''s called the borderless forest."


    "I see... By the way, who is the ruler of the demon world?"


    The moment Rin asked that question, Godfrey and L''s expressions changedpletely. They red at Rin as if he said something bad.


    "Please, don''t talk about that topic in front of anyone," Godfrey said with a grave tone.


    "Huh? Why?"


    "It''s because..." Thinking about it for a second, Godfrey looked at L who seemingly understood what he meant and quickly stood up then ran to another room.


    ''What is going on?'' Rin thought confusedly. ''Is talking about the queen a taboo of some sort?''


    After a few seconds, L came back with a piece of paper and a pen and handed them to Godfrey who quickly scribbled down something and then handed the paper to Rin to read it.


    The piece of paper read: Don''t mention the name of the queen because one of her abilities allows her to hear anyone who talks about her and even pinpoint their location. If you don''t want to get killed, that is.''


    ''What?!'' Rin''s eyes widened as he felt his heart stop for a second. He read the paper again and again, trying toprehend whether it was a sick joke or something along those lines.


    But, when he looked up, he only saw a deadly serious expression on Godfrey''s face.


    "Don''t say anything." Godfrey whispered to him.


    ''She can hear everyone that talks about her no matter where they are? And even see where they are? Isn''t that too absurd? Is she a god of some kind?'' Rin felt his head swirl with thoughts.


    In a sense, that power exins how Somi and her group were easily found by the queen. But, the pure terror of such an ability is unfathomable. How can humans fight against such a monster? How can this monster even be beaten?''


    Rin couldn''t see any possible way of doing that except if they had a person with equal power to face her.


    ''But, if she targets Elise and the others, how can I even stop her? Can I even grow stronger fast enough to face her head-on?''


    "Give me the piece of paper," Godfrey said, waking him up from his trance.


    Then, the man wrote something else on the piece of paper and handed it back to Rin.


    ''You are a human. The queen doesn''t particrly like your race but she doesn''t seem to show clear hatred either. The reason for that is a speech that she made a while ago to every single demon. In that speech, she talked about a certain topic... About someone she was expecting to appear soon that will lead the demons to their victory against humans.'' He said.


    ''Someone? Who?'' Rin asked himself. But, then his mind clicked in a moment of enlightenment.


    ''Don''t tell me...''


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 214 214- Prophecy (Part 1)

    <h4>Chapter 214 Chapter 214- Prophecy (Part 1)</h4>


    Chapter 214- Prophecy (Part 1)


    Rin''s eyebrows furrowed the more he read. The fact that Godfrey mentioned such detail wasn''t without a reason. However, even with the hunch Rin had, he didn''t really understand how that could be possible.


    ''Someone who would lead demons to victory? How would she even know that? Or maybe it''s just a way for her to rile up her people as a form of motivation to win the war.''


    As he thought of that, the next wordspletely turned everything upside down and submerged Rin inplete confusion again.


    ''She then said that this certain someone will ironically be someone who lived with humans, liked humans, and even considered themselves as a human. However, they are not and will never be a part of that lowly race. Soon, they will arrive at their rightful world and be what they were meant to be.'' Rin''s hands instinctively squeezed the piece of paper harder than necessary.


    All of his assumptions werepletely crushed as if they were some kind of joke. He was certain that the queen was talking about him.


    ''But, how? How did she know? Is it some kind of ability that allows her to see the future? Is that even possible in this world?''


    "R-Rin..." As the ck-haired young man was having the dilemma of a lifetime, L approached him and whispered his name gently with a worried expression.


    "Uh, sorry. Ehem, I''m fine."


    "... I don''t want to assume the worst, kid. But, everything points at you." Godfrey interjected with a serious expression. "I don''t think we can ignore this."


    "I know... Give me a moment to collect my thoughts." After saying that, Rin stood up and walked outside.


    "Grandpa..." L looked at Rin''s silhouette with a sad expression.


    "He''s going to be fine, L. I''m sure he understands what he should do."


    The outside world was dark, lit by the moon and the countless stars that filled the sky. Rin went slightly far away from the house and sat down near a tree, admiring the beautiful nocturnal world.


    "It''s really beautiful. I''m sure Elise would''ve liked this. She was always a fan of the night rather than day." He murmured with a sad expression.


    It has been barely that much time since his separation with his lover and yet he missed her so much that he could barely keep himselfposed. This was the first time since their meeting that Rin and Elise were separatedpletely without knowing what the other was doing or whether they are alive or not.


    ''No, I''m sure she''s fine. Master is capable enough to find a good ce for Elise to hide. All I have to do ise back to her.''


    The goal was fairly simple. But the execution was the tricky part. First of all, Rin had not even a single idea of how he was going to be able to return to the human world and so he needs to do some research about that. Second of all, there was the matter with the queen.


    From what he heard till now, she seemed like an omnipotent being that is akin to a god. Even the mere uttering of her name was dangerous and there is even the potential fact that she could see the future.


    How can he even deal with such an existence? Should he try to befriend her? Or turn her into an enemy simply because she wanted to eradicate all humans and that could include his loved ones.


    ''Should I even try to meet her in the first ce?''


    Third of all, Rin also needed to gain strength in order to be able to keep up with what will happen in the war.


    To top everything off, he had merely 6 weeks to do all of this and return.


    "You gotta be kidding me. I guess I need to pull off another miracle to do this. A miracle more absurd than anything else I have ever done. Pfft! What a bad joke."


    Rin then tilted his head up and dazedly stared at the sky again. He knew that these few moments of peace were thest he will experience in a very long while and so he wanted to make use of them as much as possible.


    "I have to make it work."


    "Make what work?~" At that moment, a voice answered Rin''s words.


    "...!!" Thetter immediately jumped up and pulled his daggers, ready to fight. But, the next second, his face paledpletely and his breathing halted.


    An impossibly strong aura assaulted his body like a train. It was by far the strongest aura he ever felt. To a point where it is impossible for him toprehend how it a creature with such a presence existed.


    Rin''s legs lost their strength as he fell down to the ground with his hands as another support for his ever-increasing weight.


    ''I can''t... breathe... Ugh, my throat!!'' He held his neck.


    "Oh my~ My apologies. I didn''t mean to use my powers." After saying those words, the crushing aura suddenly vanished as if it was never there which allowed Rin to slump down, breathing heavily.


    He was extremely confused as to who did this at first. But, when he thought about it for a second. An extremely beautiful feminine voice and an unbelievably strong aura. Who could that be other than the person he dreaded the most at the moment?


    "T-The queen! Show yourself!!" He said as he tried to stand up with difficulty.


    "I''m behind you~" She said which made Rin quickly turn around.


    There, a breathtakingly beautiful woman floated in the air with a small smile on her face. Her face and figure were so perfect it took Rin a second to register who it was. Her beautiful ck hair and her mesmerizing golden eyes were the most eye-catching thing about her other than her elegant and beautiful robe..


    "Oh, you''re quite the dashing young man~ Very handsome~" The woman said as she took a small look at Rin.


    "How did-"


    "How did I find you? Hmm, didn''t you call for me a moment ago?" She asked as she touched her chin thoughtfully for a second. "I have been waiting for you, Rin."

 Chapter 215 215- Prophecy (Part 2)

    <h4>Chapter 215 Chapter 215- Prophecy (Part 2)</h4>


    Chapter 215- Prophecy (Part 2)


    "How... do you know my name?" Rin asked as he heaved up and down.


    "How could I not know the name of the person I was awaiting the most?" The queen asked.


    "What is all of this about? Awaiting me? How do you know of my existence? I''ve never met you before."


    "Well, we certainly never met in this state. But, I know you, more than anyone else, Rin." Eisheth''s smile widened as shended on the ground and approached Rin slowly. "I have been waiting for years and years. Awaiting the person that I will finally serve and devote my life to."


    "Huh?" Rin waspletely confused by her words.


    ''Serve? Is this woman insane?'' He was almost inclined to believe that she waspletely out of her mind. However, he doubted she was just saying nonsense.


    "It''s a simple matter, Rin. But, before I can exin. We need to leave. This ce is too filthy for you, Rin. I will make sure to erase it." Eisheth said as she extended her arm, ready to st Godfrey and L''s house out of existence.


    "No, wait!"


    "Hm?"


    "Don''t do that!"


    "Why?"


    "What do you mean ''why''? Those people are innocent. They did nothing." Rin could barely hold himself from sighing loudly. "You want me to leave with you, right? Fine, let''s leave. But, leave the people that live inside that house alone and don''t harm them."


    "Rin, you... Why do you care about a bunch of low-lives?" Eisheth asked with clean confusion written in her eyes. She genuinely didn''t understand why Rin cared about the two people.


    "If you harm them in any way, shape, or form, I will make you regret that decision." Rin threatened with a cold tone. Although he didn''t understand the situation yet, he could see that Eisheth had some kind of respect to him.


    "... I understand." Luckily, the queen nodded her head and pulled her arm away before she approached Rin. "Let''s go."


    Then, Eisheth extended her hand to Rin, clearly asking for him to grab it. Thetter stared at it for a few seconds before he sighed.


    ''I''m sorry for the trouble I caused both of you, Godfrey, L. Although I didn''t know you for long, I''m still deeply grateful for your help.'' He thought as he shed onest gaze at the quiet house before he put his hand on the queen''s hand.


    Instantly, he felt a weird mana cover his body and before he could even blink, he found himself in apletely different ce than before. Not the wilderness of the forest but what seemed to be a very extravagant bedroom. The interior was made of sparkling marble with decorations of the highest quality.


    "Wee to my bedroom."


    "... Why did you transport us to your bedroom?" Rin asked with an astonished expression. If it wasn''t for the fact that he needed to keep hisposure in front of the queen, he was sure his mouth would hang open.


    ''She executed instant teleportation as if it was nothing. How many powers did this woman have?''


    The more he spent time with Eisheth, the more absurd she became even though he already knew that she was absurdly strong.


    "Please, sit down on the bed first." She said before turning around to walk to the door.


    "Hm?"


    "I will be back in a moment."


    After that, Eisheth left the room somewhere, leaving Rin alone. When he was sure she was far away, he exhaled a deep breath.


    ''What a monster! Even when she wasn''t trying to pressure me, I can barely breathefortably around her.'' He thought.


    The situation in general didn''t seem to be too bad. The queen didn''t seem to hate him and she even treated him respectfully. This alone was way better than anything Rin expected to happen. However, he wasn''tpletely safe yet.


    A few minutes passed in silence as Rin tried to determine what he should do for now. That was until Eisheth returned to the room, wearing different clothes. Her long, elegant robe was reced with a morefortable robe that looked very simr to a pyjama.


    "Why did you change your clothes?!" Rin immediately jumped on his legs as he retreated back warily.


    "Hm? Oh, I still didn''t exin myself." She said.


    "How can you forget that part?!" Rin didn''t know whether he shouldugh or cry at how quirky the demon queen was.


    "Fufufufu! My apologies. Well, I shall make it brief since we have more important ''things'' to do after this." After saying that, Eisheth took a deep breath and continued. "Are you aware of your powers, Rin? The power you inherited from the goddess Lili, I mean."


    Immediately, Rin''s eyes widened in pure shock. Even if he wanted to not react to her words, he would''ve never been able to pull it off. Eisheth had dropped a bombshell casually.


    "You don''t need to lie to me, Rin. As I said before, I know more about you than anyone else. I know that you aren''t from this world. I know that you were reincarnated by the goddess Lili and inherited the powers of the shadow monarch. I also know that you hid this fact from everyone else except the human girl named Elise."


    "..." Opening his mouth to speak, Rin found himselfpletely speechless.


    ''How does she...''


    "I''m sure you''re thinking ''How does she know all of this?''. Well, Because it''s tooplicated for a brief chat, I will make it short. When the shadow monarch was still alive, he was revered as the greatest god in the god realm. He was strong, rightful, wise, and kind. In fact, all gods saw him as the true king among kings. The ruler of the god realm. Of course, being in such a position, he was bound to harness the attention of the goddesses of the god realm. They all admired him and desired to be his wives. However, the shadow monarch never epted their proposal and only allowed for one goddess to be in his life. That goddess is Lili."


    "...!!"


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 216 216- Prophecy (Part 3)

    <h4>Chapter 216 Chapter 216- Prophecy (Part 3)</h4>


    Chapter 216- Prophecy (Part 3)


    "Lili and the shadow monarch were... husband and wife?" Rin asked incplete disbelief.


    "Yes, and they dearly loved each other. Especially the shadow monarch, he never even allowed for any woman to get close to him, simply because he was loyal to Lili. They lived a peaceful life, far from the continuous conflicts of gods for power and reign over more worlds. Until something happened..." Eisheth''s expression changed ever-so-slightly at thest few words.


    "In the realm of gods, power is everything. The more power you possess the more worlds you can control and the more worlds you can control, the higher you climb in the social standing amongst gods. That''s one of the reasons why the shadow monarch was the true king of that realm. He reigned over thousands of worlds and was able to maintain bnce in all of them effortlessly."


    "Lili also was a very prominent figure and ruled over countless worlds along with her husband. So, being this popr, it was bound to catch the eyes of some greedy gods. Many wanted to kill the shadow monarch and steal his worlds for themselves and so they worked together to plot against him. Then, on one fateful night, they ambushed the shadow monarch and through a weird artifact, sealed his powers temporarily which allowed them to finish him off."


    ''... No way.'' Rin frowned when he heard thest part. It was a very unfortunate event.


    "However, before his death, the shadow monarch was able to help his wife run away before he activated a power that only he had out of all gods. That power allowed him topletely erase his existence from the realm of gods and instead his soul was to be reborn in a new body. His wife Lili was tasked with finding the best candidate to carry that soul so that the shadow monarch could finally be reborn."


    "Don''t tell me..." The boy''s eyes widened as he already predicted what Eisheth was about to say before she could even finish.


    "Yes, that candidate, that perfect sessor for the shadow monarch was you, Rin. You were the one to be the next shadow monarch. From the very start, you were destined for this. That''s why Lili gave you the opportunity and hope to revive your deceased family members." Eisheth words struck Rin powerfully.


    He never expected that everything will actually be nned. From the very start, he was already involved in the grander scheme of things. He was the n of the shadow monarch to get revived.


    "What will happen... if the shadow monarch is revived?" Rin asked with a hesitant tone. He feared the answer to that question more than he cares to admit.


    "I do not know myself but the certain thing is... You will never be the same again. This very world will never be the same too. Divine Sapphire is a ce the shadow monarch is very fond of and could even be considered his most beloved. That''s why even when he died, he made sure to pass this world to Lili so that you can be reborn in it."


    Silence then took over the room again as Rin tried to digest all the information or rather the bombshells that got dropped on his head. He lifted his hand hesitantly and looked at it.


    ''So, I was nothing but a shell for the shadow monarch to return. It was never intended for me to get back what I lost. Lili just wanted to give me a goal to follow so that the shadow monarch coulde back. The stronger I got, the higher the chance of his return became. Then, all my memories, my life back on earth and here... Were they all just a big nothing burger?''


    Ever since Rin was reincarnated in this world, he had a firm belief that he finally seized an opportunity to change his fate. To finally get back what he lost and to live a happy life with his loved ones. He thought the power he possessed was truly his and his alone. But, now, he understood that his life was nothing, it was all a big fat lie, a facade created by Lili so that she can prepare for the return of her husband.


    ''But, if he returns, what will happen to me, the real me? Will I lose all my memories and my feelings?'' He asked himself even though he had no answer.


    The mere idea of his memories of his family being erased, everything that happened with Elise, and his feelings for her disappearing sent a shudder down his very soul.


    ''I don''t want that. I will never allow for that to happen. Like hell, I would let those fuckers take what''s rightfully mine!!'' Clenching his fist, Rin''s aura erupted as his anger reached new heights.


    ''Liar! That shitty goddess is a liar! She used me all this time! I will not let her reach what she wants at the cost of my own life!''


    "Ohoh?" Eisheth looked at Rin with an amused expression. "I can see you decided what to do."


    "Yes. If that goddess thinks that I''m going to let her do what she wants, she''s gravely mistaken. This is me, the real me. No one else can steal that and no one shall do unless they kill me and erase me from existence. However, they should brace themselves for something way worse."


    Shadows creeped out of Rin''s body and spread across the room, covering it in darkness. Then, Rin stared coldly at Eisheth.


    "I''m not the shadow monarch. I''m Rin Silvereye and I possess the power to manipte the shadows. If the very gods want to take that from me, they have to fight me to death."


    "Fufufufu! Good! Very good, Rin! I expect no less from my destined master." Eishethe smiled wildly as if she was excited beyond words before she continued. "Now, that you know who you are and why you''re here. How about we move to the main topic."


    "Main topic?"


    The queen then nodded her head and started unbuttoning her robe before dropping it down, revealing her milky skin and her amazing curves. Under the light of the starry sky, her figure was mesmerizing and ethereal akin to a goddess.


    "Rin, impregnate me."


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Thanks for reading. Any support you give me is always appreciated no matter how small it was. Let''s all keep it up :)

 Chapter 217 217- Shadow Monarch Origin Domain (Part 1)

    <h4>Chapter 217 Chapter 217- Shadow Monarch Origin Domain (Part 1)</h4>


    Chapter 217- Shadow Monarch Origin Domain (Part 1)


    "... Huh?!" Rin jumped back in shock as he saw the naked silhouette of Eisheth approaching him seductively. If it wasn''t for the fact that Rin had grown some kind of tolerance toward beautiful women, he wasn''t sure if he could even hold himself back from jumping on her and ravaging her body.


    "I want to break your child." The queen repeated.


    "What the... Why would you want that?! Wait, why do you think I will even want to do that?!"


    "Hm? You don''t want to?" Eisheth asked as she tilted her head adorably.


    "Of course not!"


    "Why? Am I not attractive enough?"


    "No, that''s not it. I have a lover and I can''t betray her trust. Besides, I barely know you." Rin tried to keep a fairly casual expression.


    The reason he didn''t outright refuse her without any exnation is because he knew that she could erase him from existence with a thought and he didn''t want that to happen. In the end, the queen was still his enemy and someone he quite frankly hated.


    "Your lover is in the human world while you''re here. She will never know." Eisheth didn''t seem that bothered by the fact that Rin was in a rtionship. In fact, she didn''t even bother to wait as she closed the distance between her and Rin.


    "No." Thetter''s tone grew colder and colder as he red at Eisheth.


    "Are you sure, Rin? I''m sure with power, I can easily make you do what I want."


    "Didn''t you say that I''m your master? Wouldn''t forcing your master to do something he doesn''t want to be a breach of the rules?" Rin asked as he stepped back only to end up stumbling and falling on the bed.


    "It is. But, I''m in love with my master and as such, I want to bear his children. Imagine how our kids could turn out to be. They could conquer this whole world and be the writers of history itself for generations toe."


    Finally, Eisheth reached Rin and sat on hisp with her chest facing him directly. All Rin had to do was extend his arm and knead her breasts and his carnal desires will take over him. Eisheth knew this very well and she was going to make full use of that however possible it was. In her eyes, men are all the same, a bunch of animals that seek their desires first and foremost.


    She loathed all men, demons or humans, but, Rin was a different matter. He was her future master and the person she swore to serve no matter what. So, bearing his children wasn''t really something she was forced to do.


    But, in a shocking turn of events, Rin didn''t do what she thought he would. Instead, he coldly looked at her and asked.


    "You do know that I don''t carry a shred of favorable intentions toward you, right?"


    "Hm?"


    "You... have killed someone that''s dear to a person I care about." He said coldly.


    "Oh? I did?"


    Rin extended his arms and grabbed Eisheth by the shoulders before he quickly turned them around, making the queen fall on the bed with him on the top.


    "I know that you are way stronger than me. But, can the queen really take a sword stab right to the heart? Or even worse, get absorbed by my shadows." He said as he formed a dark orb on his hand.


    "Ohoh? Are you intending to kill me?"


    "I''m very enticed to do so. If it wasn''t for the fact that I need you in order to go back to the human world, I would''ve never allowed this opportunity to escape my hands."


    "So, if I give you the way to get back to the human world, you would end my life right there and then?"


    "If I can, then yes. But, with your power, I doubt my attempts will seed." Rin said with a smile.


    Although what he was doing now was very risky, he had a n that could potentially solve most of his problems. However, it was filled with countless hurdles, and threatening the queen was one of them. But, as they say, the higher the risk, the higher the reward.


    "I see... Well, go ahead. Kill me."


    "Hm?"


    "Kill me. I already told my servants about you and made sure they will tell you how you can go back if you ask them. Now, kill me."


    "Wait, when did you..." Raising an eyebrow, Rin realized something. "When you left a few minutes ago. You went to tell them about this? So, you predicted what I will do exactly."


    "Fufufufu! I have a good head between my shoulders. s, my life ends here." Then, Eisheth extended her neck, allowing Rin to easily slit it with a dagger if he wanted to.


    ''This woman...''


    It was not a joke. Eisheth was ready to die simply because Rin wanted to. This was something that only someone with a deep, unwavering loyalty will even entertain for a second.


    "Why...?"


    "Why what?" The queen asked with a confused expression.


    "Why are you this loyal to me?"


    "..." Eisheth stared at Rin for a long time silently as if she didn''t think he would ask such a question.


    "Pfft!" Then, she suddenly startedughing. "You are an odd one, Rin."


    "Hm?"


    "Even though I know you better than anyone else, you still surprise me. I wonder how is that possible? Are you perhaps an ever-changing enigma that doesn''t abide by any rules?"


    Rin didn''tprehend what she meant at all. Her words were mostly spoken to herself and not addressing him properly.


    After that, she pushed Rin to the side gently and stood up before she picked up her robe and wore it.


    "Follow me. I want to show you something. That will exin everything."


    "Show me something? What is it?"


    "The origin of this world. The ce where everything was born and where everything will possibly end in the future. The Shadow Monarch Origin Domain."


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 Chapter 218 218- Shadow Monarch Origin Domain (Part 2)

    <h4>Chapter 218 Chapter 218- Shadow Monarch Origin Domain (Part 2)</h4>


    Chapter 218- Shadow Monarch Origin Domain (Part 2)


    After that, Rin and Eisheth left the room. Immediately, Rin was weed with the sight of a very beautiful castle interior.


    The corridor was made out of shiny marble and in every corner, decorations of the highest quality were put in meticulously.


    "Is the ce to your liking?"


    "That doesn''t matter now, does it?" Rin asked back with his eyebrows raised.


    "Fufufu!" Eisheth merely chuckled and continued walking as she lead the way.


    The two moved through the corridors, passing beside maids and butlers that were taking care of the castle. They were all obviously demons.


    Whenever Rin would pass beside one, they will give him a weird nce before they quickly get back to work without saying a single word. It was obvious that they found Rin''s presence in the castle odd but they can''t really say anything as that would be akin to defying the queen''s wishes and that means certain death.


    Rin was also still not ustomed to being around demons as they were all potential enemies that could attack him at any given moment.


    Luckily for him, no one did such a thing and they soon reached their destination.


    "Hm? What is this ce?" Rin asked as he looked at the two huge gates in front of him. The gates were midnight ck in color with weird shiny runes covering thempletely.


    "You will see." Saying that Eisheth walked forward and put her hand on the door. Immediately, the runes shone with an even brighter color as the doors opened wide the next moment.


    "I am the only one capable of opening this door." She said as she walked inside.


    ''Interesting.'' Rin thought as he walked after her.


    The moment he stepped inside, he felt a weird sensation well up in his chest. The feeling wasn''t ufortable. Actually, it felt quite nice as if Rin had just thrown himself in a warm bath after a long day of hard work.


    "Hmm, what is this ce?" Rin asked as he looked around. Even with his night vision, he could barely see anything except for darkness all around him. It was as if the two of them just entered a void realm far away from any reality.


    "This is the Shadow Monarch Origin Domain. The heart of Divine Sapphire and the ce where everything began and everything will end." Eisheth said as she continued walking.


    "Huh? What does that mean?"


    "It''s simple. Before leaving this world to live in the god realm, the shadow monarch left this origin domain that works as a generator of energy for Divine Sapphire. It provides the world with the mana required to keep it alive and functioning. It''s also considered a huge chunk of the shadow monarch''s original power that he sacrificed for this world."


    "Wait... Do you mean?"


    "Yes, the original shadow monarch wasn''t even 40% of his true peak strength. No, not even that. I dare say he wasn''t even 30% as strong as he could be and yet he was able to rule the god realm like no other. He was truly an enigma."


    ''An enigma, huh?'' Rin''s eyes went down for a second as he looked at his hands. A myriad of thoughts passed through his head in a split second before it all vanished as he shook his head.


    "So, you said you want to know how I got to see everything about you even though we never met, right?"


    "Yes."


    "It''s simple. Because I''m the result of The Shadow Monarch Origin Domain. In a sense, this domain is my mother." She said as she looked around with a small smile.


    "Your mother? Wait, how can a domain give birth to..." That''s when Rin realized a small detail about Eisheth. This whole time, ever since they met, Rin didn''t focus on that detail. But, Eisheth didn''t have horns like other demons.


    "You aren''t... a demon," Rin murmured as he stared at the queen, Wide-Eyed.


    "Very smart, Rin. You are quick to catch on. Yes, I''m technically not a demon as my parents aren''t demons. However, I''m also not a human. I existed for one purpose and one purpose only. To meet you." She said.


    "..."


    "Since this domain is linked directly to me and also linked directly to you. I could see glimpses of your life whenever needed. It''s simply to understand the master I''m going to serve."


    "I see..."


    "Also, there is another reason why I brought you here. Actually, this is the main reason why I brought you here. Since this ce is basically the shadow monarch''s dormant strength formed into a world of its own, it''s only natural that the rightful owner gets it back, right?"


    Rin raised an eyebrow as he saw Eisheth''s mischievous smile. She was akin to a child who was about to do a cheeky prank on someone.


    "Wait, you aren''t really intending to do that, are you?"


    "Fufufufu! Oh, you don''t know how much I want to do it~"


    "What about the original shadow monarch? What about his wi-"


    As Rint tried to persuade her, Eisheth vanished from where she was and appeared in front of him with her finger on his mouth.


    "Shhh! I do not care about the shadow monarch. He is dead... Long dead. You are my master, not him and so to whom I bestow this power is up to me."


    "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"


    "Hmmm, but won''t my dear master protect me by giving him the power to stop this war altogether?" She said in a seductive tone.


    "... You, who are you really?" Rin squinted his eyes as he asked.


    Eisheth was odd, very odd. Rin couldn''t understand her intentions at all. Was she against humans? Was she simply working to serve him? Or did she have a hidden goal she wants to achieve? He couldn''t understand at all and he knew that even if he asked her, she won''t give him a proper answer.


    However, Rin can''t also consider her a friend as she murdered the family of two people he cared for greatly. It was a weird situation that Rin couldn''t understand how to properly deal with yet.


    "Well, now. Although the best case scenario that could happen if you absorb this power is that you sessfully do that. There are some risks."


    "Risks?"


    "There is a very high chance that instead of absorbing this power and making it your own... You will instead awaken the real shadow monarch."


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